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Weekly Press Conference Quotes (11-10-09)
The following quotes have been excerpted from Army head football coach Rich Ellerson’s press conference, held Tuesday, November 10, 2009, in the Randall Hall auditorium.
Army Head Coach Rich Ellerson
“This week represents a real challenge. If we are paying attention here, we start to realize that these opportunities to play the game are getting fewer and fewer. We need to rebound from a disappointment, there’s no doubt. We were excited to play last week. We prepared two weeks for that game and it’s heartbreaking. But regardless, win, lose, or draw we have to close the door and look forward to another opportunity to play on Saturday. We are playing an opponent that is resourceful. If you watch enough tape you start to scare yourself and we need to play for the reasons that you always play – that is that you love the game, you love the team you’re playing with, and it’s the only opportunity you get to play all week. It will be a real challenge for this football team and it was a very disappointing loss for us last week.”
(Ref.: the turning point of the Air Force game)
“There were a couple of plays. Coming out of the locker room, our goal was to somehow, someway try and get through that third quarter and get the wind at our back to see if we could bring it down to a field goal. They busted a 36-yard run and then they throw one over your head. They ran that play a half-dozen times, and one time it was a gash. It makes you start talking to yourself a little bit, but we’re playing without a net. We are playing good people and we are playing on the edge aggressively. If a talented opponent like we were playing gets a couple of things right at the right time and all the pieces fall together those things will happen. I felt like we were still OK when it was still a one-possession game right where we wanted them. It really wasn’t that (Air Force) found something, it’s that they found what little was there and just were patient and patient and patient. We probably leaned a little too hard, too fast and created some opportunities for them. If you go back and look at a number of these games we’ve been in where we are playing a gifted opponent, we’ve proved that we can play with them for a while, we just can’t play with them for four quarters. It’s a developmental process.”
(Ref.: playing an FCS opponent)
“Football is a hard game. We need to play as well as we can play, because they will. We anticipate that (VMI) will be as excited to play as they have ever been, and they have some talented guys. They do good things. They have turned the ball over a remarkable number of times in some of these games, so they have been their own worst enemy. In the absence of that, they are very competitive at that level. Mark my words, our friends at Navy who got Notre Dame last week – watch what this game looks like in the fourth quarter at Delaware. I’m making a prediction – it will be hard-fought. When you are trying to move the ball against 11 determined defenders it’s hard. When you are trying to stop 11 determined offenders doing things right, and doing things together it’s hard. It’s a hard game. Yeah they’ve struggled this year and we have played better teams than VMI. The point is that if VMI plays better, if they do the things that win – do a little bit better job in the kicking game, and do a little bit better job in the turnover battle – they are formidable. If we look at the tape and we believe what we see, we will prepare appropriately and be ready to play. Again, it’s a chance to play the game with a bunch of people you care about and have worked hard with, and these chances are rare. We need to be as excited to play as we have been, because they will be.”
(Ref.: concerns about the offensive production)
“Our offense played better. We are doing the right things. We are getting the ball in the right hands, and giving guys a chance with numbers and angles. We are gaining on it. We have played some good folks. I maintain that we are getting closer. I’m concerned that we’re not scoring more points and that people are scoring too many. I’m concerned that we have (trouble) with the punt team. We have all kinds of challenges as a program, but we are gaining on all fronts.”
(Ref.: putting an emphasis on playing four quarters)
“I think it’s more about playing the next play. One of the great challenges I think we have as far as the maturity of the program is to bring the horizon down. Turn off the scoreboard. Win the next play. Get in the moment. It sounds like a broken record, but if we are stuck in this dark room there is a sliver of light over there. The way we are going to get through to that light and expand on it is by doing just that – forcing ourselves to get right back here and win this next play. As soon as we start looking up and start thinking about three quarters or four quarters, or two games or three games or four games, that’s when we start to drive ourselves nuts. We make the thing bigger than it is, and you pass on some special moments. You don’t get to do this very often. It should be starting to come home. Our seniors are playing their last game in Michie Stadium. If they stop for a minute and reflect on that they might say ‘whoa,’ because it’s the last time most of them will play the game. When we are done this year, our seniors are not going to play this game again. This game has meant so much to us. It’s who we are, it’s how we value ourselves, it’s how we’ve developed. These are precious moments coming up. They have been all along, and if that doesn’t come home now it never will.”
(Ref.: balance in playing younger players versus upperclassmen)
“We are absolutely pragmatic. We are trying to do whatever gives us the best chance to win this week. That’s our focus. We have a one-week timeline.”
(Ref.: plugging players in for LB Stephen Anderson)
“You’ve got guys that have been taking a lot of turns in that role, but sometimes the backup left end is not playing left end, he’s someplace else (when there is an injury). This week, like last week, when you’re playing an option opponent, as we put fingers in the dike from a personnel standpoint, that play may come from other positions.”
(Ref.: winning at Michie Stadium)
“The challenge is the now. It’s the last game at Michie Stadium. That helps put an exclamation point on the fact that these opportunities to play the game are precious. I hadn’t thought (of going out with a .500 record at home), but I may use it. It’s to help make an exclamation of how precious this stuff is. That message will come home now if it hasn’t already with most (of Army’s players). I think it has. We will start to circle the wagons around that group, because for our seniors these are precious times.”
(Ref.: depth behind LB Stephen Anderson)
“I haven’t (revealed who will fill in), and frankly, I won’t. There are a couple of possibilities there, and because of the nature of their style of play on offense, the ‘Mike’ linebacker’s job description is unique enough in a week like this that it’s not as simple as just moving the next guy (on the depth chart) up, although that will be part of it as well.”
(Ref.: affects of the high altitude on the players’ performance at Air Force)
“I think Air Force’s football team was the challenge and our presence (in the moment). It’s not like we were huffing and puffing when we were getting run by. We have some of the same challenges at other points in the game when we were playing well. I do not consider the altitude to have been an issue.”
(Ref.: how to finish a game)
“I only know one way to do that. I have been with football programs and teams in this position that are trying to find that breakthrough moment. We have demonstrated that we can play with anybody for a while, but we have to play the whole while. It’s not to step back and look at the game in its entirety or the season in its entirety – it’s just the opposite. It’s to accordion the thing down and telescope down on this next opportunity, this next moment. If you squeeze too hard you can’t hold on to anything. You’ve got to be in the moment, win the next play, and do the things that come naturally to you. We are learning those lessons the hard way. None of it has happened in a vacuum. Obviously we are playing some gifted opponents that are making this tough on us as well, but that’s how you do it. Finishing is a big deal. But until we have an institutional memory in those situations, and have been consistently successful in those situations, then that memory or habit if you will can start to kick in for you. We don’t have that. The only way you can achieve that is by taking out the equation and winning the next snap. Then you can reflect back on those moments when you’ve consistently had success and you can feed on that. Right now that’s not available to us, so we need to stay in the moment.”
(Ref.: Trent Steelman’s progression)
“He is consistently getting better. We played against an outstanding defense that has been taking the ball away from everybody and we played four quarters without a turnover. When you run our style of play and you play that position that speaks to efficiency and maturity. That’s hard to do. He’s as good a runner as we have. It doesn’t surprise us that if we create some air for him he can run well. (The offensive backfield) is playing together better but the scoreboard doesn’t reflect some of the things that are starting to happen with that group. They are adjusting together and seeing things together. Things that were a challenge and stole all of their attention and consciousness to handle a few weeks ago, they can do in their sleep right now, so there is some progression out there believe it or not. It’s not shown up on the scoreboard against the people we’ve been playing, but it is happening.”
Sophomore LB Steve Erzinger
(Ref.: VMI)
“VMI is going to come out with a lot to prove. We are not going to take them lightly. It’s another service academy and it should be a lot of fun. We are looking to fix some things. We had a tough loss last week. The defense played really well in the first half. In the second half there were four big plays that happened and put us into a hole.”
(Ref.: last home game for the seniors)
“I always want to send the seniors off on a winning note. Whether it be in high school or last year. These guys put so much time and effort in and it’s such a hard thing to do, especially at West Point, so we are going to do our best to get them a win.”
Senior OT Jason Johnson
(Ref.: Senior Day)
“It’s always an emotional game for all of the seniors. We’re still really focused on accomplishing all of our goals. Even though it’s our last game at Michie Stadium and our families might pose a distraction, we want to go about it as this is our most important game because it’s our game this week.”
Senior DE Brad Marren
(Ref.: Senior Day)
“For one, I am really excited. My family is coming up and they haven’t come to many games. It’s the last time I get to play at Michie Stadium, in front of the Corps of Cadets. I’m really excited for one last home game.”
(Ref.: last three games)
“It’s coming to an end. I am playing as hard as I can on every play. I’m trying not to even sit on the bench and remember everything, offense, defense, special teams. I don’t want to forget any of these games.”
(Ref.: his impact his senior season)
“It’s been huge. It’s kind of like the three years of hard work are finally paying off. With Coach (Rich) Ellerson and the new staff, it’s been an awesome experience to be part of the new, winning tradition of Army football.”
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Courtesy: Army Athletic Communications
