2010 Coaches Quick Hits

Thursday June 10, 2010

Pete Carroll's response to USC penalties

Quoting Tommy Tuberville: "We never complained when they went by the process the last time, and they should go by the process this time. If they were ineligible, I think they should have a revote and let people vote on it and decide who they think was the best team that year. If everybody thinks it was Oklahoma, that's fine. If everybody thinks it was Auburn, that's fine."

"That was the best football team I've been on, and I coached on three teams that won national championships. All you have to do is look at the kids playing in the NFL and how well they've done. That team beat five top-10 opponents that year. We just started the season too low. We started the season ranked [No. 18] in the country and kept climbing."

(on expansion) "But I think what you are going to see is not just this league but other leagues starting to do the same thing. The bottom line is, the people that pay the bills have basically said that, ‘Hey, we want a national championship down on the field.' And the only way to do that would not to have a long playoff system but a short playoff system in terms of the ‘plus-one.' And you could probably do that with basically four super conferences.

"I think it's kind of going the way that the fans want it because they are pretty much demanding it and I know the coaches like the bowl system. I do. I think we can keep all of it and still have the ‘plus-one' and still get it all done on the field."

Kevin Sumlin (on the $120 million approval for new football stadium at Houston): "It's about a vision from the top. What you see here is Dr. Khator and Mack Rhoades putting our university and our athletic department in the best possible position they can. Whatever happens, whatever comes out of this, what it shows is our administration, our president, all have a vision for where we want to be and have a commitment to athletics. Whatever happens, they're going to put us in the best position to be successful, and that's all you can ask."

Quoting Dan McCarney (former Iowa State head coach / current Florida DL coach): "In all honesty, it's just sad."

"When you're a part of something for so long and to see that conference succeed and, I think, go way beyond anyone's wildest dreams and expectations - it's impossible to think that can break up. It's heartbreaking. It really is."

"I hope they can hold it together. I hope there's not a mass exodus and they can still have a great conference that they build together over a long period of time."

"I really didn't. The South (division) probably won more (Big 12 championship) games, but I never felt like we were getting snubbed, you know, or that we were the red-headed stepchildren because you're in the North. But I know there's been some talk about that, some feelings toward that, since I left."

Quoting Nick Saban (on the bye-week issue): "I think we're hoping for the best and expecting the worst. I know everybody tried to do the best that they could, but those kinds of things are not simply resolved. We appreciate everybody's effort and cooperation. I'm not sure there's a lot that can be done."

(APR reaction) "I think it's really an indication of the kind of program we're trying to have. We work hard on personal development to try to get guys to do things right. The most significant thing guys are going to do when they come to our school is get an education, and graduate from school and develop a career off the field. We do a better and better job of that institutionally and I think the APR report is an indication of that."

Quoting Urban Meyer: "We lost some really, really good players. But I'm real excited about the freshmen. I'm as excited as I've ever been for June 24 when the freshmen roll in here. We feel very good about our freshman class. The kids on our defensive line are going to play. Matt Elam is going to play. He had a heck of a spring, and he's a heck of a kid. We don't redshirt here at Florida. That's why we recruited them and that's why they're here - to play."

"Our best recruiters are our players. The fact that I didn't even go on the road the last three weeks . . . The fact that we have the facilities in place, we have the players in place and we have an excellent coaching staff. I don't won't to say it recruits itself because it doesn't, but the best salesman you have are the people that are involved in your team."

"Yeah, he's it. He's having a great summer. He's really gained strength. The biggest thing is the leadership issue, and he really did a good job in spring practice. There's no question he's our quarterback, and there's no question we have a lot of confidence in him."

"We'll change it a little bit like we didin 2006 with Chris Leak as our quarterback. We adapt to our personnel. The biggest thing you look at is production. We're going to have to find someone to get those 800 yards rushing because we still want to be the top rushing team in the SEC."

"John is an excellent passer so we're always going to have that component. The biggest thing is someone is going to have to produce in the running game -- and I like our running backs a lot. That doesn't mean we're not going to have that single-wing package to keep teams honest. We kind of had the same offense for three or fours years with Tim Tebow. Now we've adapted it."

Quoting ESPN's Bruce Feldman (Breaking News on USC): "I have learned that they are going to get a 2-year post season ban. That's a heavy blow for USC."

Quoting Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson: "We've had good depth in the league but no marquee teams. Some leagues have had marquee teams but no depth. Eventually we've got to get a team in the national championship game."

Quoting Greg Schiano (on helping Rutgers lead the way nationally in APR): "All this is creating habits that is going to serve them well for the rest of their lives. But you know, T-shirts run out of steam quickly, or getting to eat the first hamburger, that only lasts so long."

"I was very proud of our players, mostly, greatful to our staff, who work incredibly hard with them. I'm very excited. I don't want to underscore how excited I am about being No. 1, but I think, in general, we've been No. 3 the last three years. "So, to me, as long as we're performing at that high level in the classroom, that's what is important to me."

Quoting Chip Kelly (on dismissing Masoli): "I had a plan in place for him to follow and if he didn't follow it, he was gone. He didn't follow it, so he's gone."

 "There was no guarantee he was going to be back for the 2010 season."

Quoting MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill (on not allowing QB scholarship release): "He only gave it one year, and I felt like he needed to be here at least through December (for a second season) for what we invested in him academically and financially. And the first time we talked, (the transfer) was for a different reason than the second time. The first time it sounded like it was about playing time, and then he talked about his son the second meeting."

Quoting Gene Chizik: "Obviously, going into your second year, it's easier simply because the expectations and the knowledge of what is acceptable and what's not and what you're trying to get accomplished internally, the players know, the coaches know, so in that regard it makes it easier."

"We're going to do the same things we did last year, we're just going to try to do them better."

"We've got some guys who have played a lot of football, and everybody on our roster has to play better, all of our coaches have to coach better, we're just upping the level of what our expectations are and everybody has got to take their game up a notch."

(on his experience since returning to Auburn) "I mean I love it. My family loves it, I love it. This has been beyond awesome. It's been a great year and a half for myself and my family, and every day I'm excited to be an Auburn Tiger."

Quoting Fresno State AD Thomas Boeh (on why Pat Hill's contract extension is taking so long): "It's not that it's not important. It's not urgent because it doesn't take effect for over half a year."

"The delay has been more format and legal language. It will be similar to previous [contracts]. There won't be a lot of surprises in there."