8/21/2002 - Football
Navy Football Practice Report Day 14, Practice 21
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Navy head football coach Paul Johnson
Q. Anything new to report?
A. I don?t think so. I think we made some progress today. We got started on putting in a game plan. The attention span was a little better today. We?re gaining on them.
Q. SMU, do you have any thoughts on what they might do? You can?t look at any old SMU tapes.
A. I?m sure they?re doing the same thing we?re doing. They?re looking at Georgia Southern tape and we?re looking at Kansas State tape. I know that they?re really good on defense. They were really good a year ago and they return eight starters so it will be a big challenge for us. Offensively, I know they have some outstanding running backs. We fully expect them to be a really good football team. I think their record last year was a little bit deceiving, they lost a ton of close games.
Q. How do you approach that for scout team purposes? What do you have them run offensively and defensively?
A. We run what we think they?re going to run. Offensively for us it?s not that big of a deal. We have a system and we?re going to run it no matter how they line up.
Q. How?s the defense coming around, is it at a point where it needs to be?
A. I think they are making progress. All you have to do is try to get better every day and they?re working at it.
Q. What are the chances of getting Lenter Thomas back?
A. We?re hoping he?s going to play. We should get him back in the next day or two.
Q. Is that the plan, for him to come back and practice with full contact in a couple of days?
A. Yes, if he doesn?t practice before the game he?s not going to play.
Q. Friday?
A. I don?t think he will scrimmage Friday, but hopefully Monday.
Q. You?re taking the whole weekend off?
A. Well, Saturday and Sunday.
Q. Any reason why?
A. Yeah, because we have a week before we play and we?re going to try and get our legs back. It?s something that I?ve always done for the last 17-18 years and we?ve been fortunate, I don?t think we?ve ever lost, maybe one, season-opening game so its worked pretty good.
Q. Are the guys getting antsy at all?
A. I?m sure. As it gets closer I hope they are. We had a couple guys show their emotions today and that?s good. It?s hard to play without emotion. Really, I?m a little bit disappointed that it took so long. I think if you?re really playing with intensity and playing with emotion your going to get upset sometimes, you ought too if it means anything to you.
Q. Is there any reason why Walsh hasn?t been able to regain his starting position from Goodin?
A. Yeah, he?s not practicing. That?s probably the best reason.
Q. Well he?s practiced some right?
A. Yeah, but it?s on and off. He?s not 100 percent and it?s not fair to evaluate him until he gets 100 percent. We probably don?t have anybody on this football team that can play without practicing. There might be a guy or two. It?s not like coaching Adrian Peterson. I knew what he could do. If he didn?t practice until Thursday I was going to play him. I don?t know if we have anybody like that.
Q. If you have to go into SMU with Goodin at tackle are you comfortable with that?
A. Yeah. He?s played all camp; he?s getting better everyday. He plays hard. There?s no reason why he can?t do it.
Q. I know a lot of teams have 300-pound linemen now and that?s not something you have, is that a concern for you or not?
A. Well, I think you would like to be big and fast, but I will take fast over big. Right now we?re not either one as much as we?d like to be. I think quickness is more important then just being big. Big fast guys are going to beat a fast little guy, but big fast guys are hard to find, especially here.
They drop a ton of weight during plebe summer and then it takes a year or more to put it back on correctly.
Q. Correctly meaning?
A. You can?t take a kid that weighs 220 pounds and make him 280 and expect him to play. It?s not good weight. If you take a kid that?s 220 and over the span of his career get him to 255 or 260 that?s about right. He can put good weight on. Maybe 10 pounds per year. If you try to put on 30 pounds per year it?s just weight, it?s not good weight.
