Sept. 1, 2010
Q. We've been having fun with this all camp, but now it looks like they've taken it to a new level with Chris Mayes having back-up singers for the Happy Birthday song.
A. He's got back-up singers, we've basically got a gospel choir behind him now. We've tried to improve our recruiting in speed and athletic ability, but evidently we've recruited some pretty good singers.
Q. So who comprises the back-up group?
A. The A-Backs (slots). All the A-Backs compromise the back-up singers and they are pretty good.
Q. How do you feel the offensive unit is coming along? Do you see it really jelling?
A. I thought we had a great practice yesterday, I didn't think we were as good today. I didn't like the crispness of our execution today. Hopefully we will come back on Thursday and have a better practice.
Q. Do you sense that Vince Murray could have a really big season? The kid was pushing 1,000 yards rushing last year and he didn't even start the first four games. He's looked pretty good to me in the practices and scrimmages that I've seen. Do you sense that he could have a really big year, an Eckel type year with well over 1,000 yards.
A. We are really excited about him. I think he's had a great camp and he had a great offseason in the summer. I think Alex did too. Both of them have looked great this camp. We are looking for them to do great things, because if they are successful we will be successful on offense.
Q. The Maryland defense. They have a guy Alex Wujciak, who is a two-time All-ACC performer at linebacker.
A. Wujciak is a heck of a football player. You look at his numbers and what he's done and there haven't been too many guys in college football accomplish what he's accomplished as far as tackles. He's big and is a tough guy to block. Defensively they have some guys coming back and it's going to be a great challenge for us on offense.
Q. I wanted to talk to you about Ricky and the Heisman thing. I know we have talked about minimizing distractions and making sure he focuses on being the quarterback of the football team, but with that being said do you think it's neat to have a player from Navy being mentioned for the Heisman? When I look at Sports Illustrated and see Ricky Dobbs as one of 10 players highlighted as a Heisman Trophy candidate and he's been highlighted by other major national publications do you find that neat and is it good for the program?
A. It's a great accomplishment for not only Ricky, but for the people that block for him, for Coach Jasper who coaches him and for the program in general. It's a great overall recognition for the program. It's nice, but we know that in the grand scheme of things we still have to find a way to win football games.
Q. Would it be fair to say that Ricky Dobbs is the ideal person to have to carry that mantle? It's a lot of interviews and he's representing the program on a national stage, but I think he carries it pretty well just with the type of person he is.
A. I think he's great for our team. If you have a guy getting all this attention that's a prima donna or isn't a team player it could divide your team very easily, but because Ricky is such a selfless person and an unselfish player it keeps our team together and everybody realizes he just wants to win.
Q. Do you think he's going to have a good season?
A. I hope so. For us to have a good season Ricky needs to have a good season.
Q. You guys are a six or seven point favorite on Monday, which is something unusual when you play an opponent from a BCS conference. Is it unsettling at all that you can't play the underdog card?
A. I've never looked at whether we were an underdog or a favorite. We play the game between the white lines and whatever is written prior to that or has happened prior to the game really has no relevancy on the game. Hopefully we will play well. We know we are playing a great Maryland team and we are getting ready for a team that's going to be ready and fired up.
Q. Do you have a mindset that you have something to lose unlike against Missouri last year?
A. No, our mindset is this. That program has a great football coach, they have a great coaching staff and they are a great program. They have been to a bowl in six of the nine years. Five of their losses were by a touchdown or less last year. I know they are a very proud program and Coach Friedgen is a great football coach and is a man of great pride and they are going to come out ready to go and if we think any differently we aren't very smart.
Q. Last question, Ashley Ingram told me a great story about you. It was whichever game Ricky got hurt and you went up to Ricky at halftime…
A. I know what you're talking about. It was the SMU game. We had some turnovers and we were very fortunate to be down by 14 points. We should have been down by 21. Ricky wasn't having a great game, but I didn't realize he had cracked his kneecap. I went looking for him at halftime, I was making a beeline for him in the locker room and when I finally found him he was sitting at his locker and I was getting ready to yell at him and I looked down and he was reading the bible and it's kind of hard to yell at somebody reading the bible so I said, "Ricky, try your best to hold onto the ball," and just walked away. I had no idea the guy had a cracked kneecap. He went out in the second half and finished the game and we won in overtime.
Q. Sometimes when guys are religious it's hard to be one of the guys, but he seems to do that. Ross (Pospisil) was the same way.
A. The thing about Ricky is he's a real person. He is who he is and he doesn't force who he is on anybody else. He's a man of great faith and that's who he is and I think people know that and they accept him for who he is.
