Doug Martin press conference quotes
10/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Opening statement
“The best part of last week's game is that it's over. I was really worried about that game and the way our kids would handle it. We did struggle a little bit with the way we handled (being a favorite), but we came out of it with a win, which was a real positive.
One of the best things that came out of the game is that we had a couple of receivers that stepped up and started to make some plays. Shawn Bayes had a couple of catches and nice runs after the catch and he had a big return on a kickoff. Darren Rogers had some huge catches for us in that game. We continued to play well defensively.”
“This week, playing
What about
“I think their team speed, especially on defense, is really good. They're a little bit undersized, kind of like us, but their scheme is really difficult to get a grasp on. They're really good at changing from week to week. Offensively, when Opelt stepped into the picture, now they have a quarterback that's really mobile. He really runs well and he has the ability to throw the ball downfield. With their running back, (Jalen) Parmele, they have a well-balanced offense right now.
You say their defense is very good, but they've allowed a number of points?
“Some of those scores they're giving up, the defense wasn't on the field.
How will you force them into those turnovers?
“We're about middle of the road in the MAC turnover margin, and I think they're about last, so that will obviously be a big key to this game. Our defense has to go get the football. We have to cause a lot of turnovers in this game. Offensively, this is another game similar to
What kind of things did you learn about your team from the
“We screwed up the coin toss. We gave them the ball and the wind to start the game. When we did that, I said 'this is going to be a long day.' And it was. But until you go through that process you can talk to them all you want, but they have to go live it and do it and get a sense of what it's about and learn from it. I think they did. When we came in at halftime, there was a real sense of urgency about them, and it didn't have to come from the coaches it came from the players. And then after the game, they wanted to meet by themselves and Danny Muir led that meeting, so I kept the coaches out of the locker room to let them talk among themselves. I haven't asked what that was about, but I'm sure I could figure it out. It's about preparing and not taking anybody lightly and showing up every week. They are leading themselves from within, which is very healthy when you can get a team to do that. It makes your job pretty easy.”
Did
“I hope it was the other receivers playing better, particularly I thought Bayes did some really nice things and had a good game. Darren Rogers made some difficult catches, which was good to see. But they didn't really do anything to take Pruden away, and we didn't do anything special to try to get the ball to anybody else. Those guys just kind of stepped up. It's only natural as a quarterback that once guys start making plays for you, your eyes start moving to them. Hopefully that will open more avenues for us.”
Is the team starting to recognize the talent level that exists when you weren't sharp, but still were able to handle
“What allowed us to get out of there alive Saturday was that we had playmakers on the field. Edelman made plays. Bayes made plays. Tony Howard made plays. That's part of us getting better as a program. In the past, that game may have come down to a field goal or something. I think the players see themselves getting better. I know they know they're making progress. At the same time, what I talked to them about after the game is that the only thing we're guaranteed of right now is we can be 4-8. Every week you've got to keep working and keep getting better. That's the thing I've really enjoyed about this football team. I think we've actually gotten better every week we've gone out and played. Especially offensively, I know we've grown up each week, and our defense has played well all year. If they continue to do that, we'll be in business.”
Do you change your offensive mindset at all with the way the defense has been performing?
“You can take more chances; go for it on fourth down, be a little bit more aggressive and now that if you don't get it or turn the ball over, your defense has a great opportunity to stop somebody. Our defense has caused a number of turnovers- we're second in the league in terms of number of turnovers forced. Those are great benefits to an offense. It means you will be playing with good field position. Our defense is a strength and we're trying to play to that as much as we can.”
You've talked about playing one-game seasons, but where you go is in your hands. How much do you embrace that or do you say not yet?
“I'm really at the totally 'not yet' level. I want our guys to just play
Has the winning streak paid off yet (in recruiting)?
“No question. We had over 100 recruits for the
Contact with former head coach and current
“He called me after the
On a personal note, after the struggles of last year, are you even more satisfied with the recent success?
“Last year was really difficult. One of the most frustrating things for me last year, was that a lot of the pieces of the puzzle were here, but we couldn't get them on the field. Tony Howard was here. Eugene Jarvis was here. Travis McGraw, our starting guard, was here and not playing. There were all sorts of things like that and that was really frustrating because I knew we were close, but couldn't get over the hump.”
“I've got a good wife, I know that. She stuck through a lot of tough nights. It's hard on your family. But I've really enjoyed this season, not even so much the wins, but watching the people around here enjoy it. The Laing Kennedys, who've worked so hard to have a winning football program. Watching people take pride in the football program has been nice. Getting phone calls from former players and students has been great. I'm thrilled for the people here. It's a great school and a great community. You know, my son is coming here to play baseball, and we've really embraced this place. Hopefully, we'll win enough games that I'll be able to sit around and watch him pitch for awhile.”
