Sorry for delay, I finally got in to see the eye doctor (three weeks later) and only time slot was right during Riley's Zoom. So just catching up on it. Here's the transcript:
The news is that Shane Lee looks like he has a real chance to play this week.
What is your assessment of Caleb Williams so far, as he said he can be better?
"I would say just, he needs to improve, kind of like the rest of the team. I really believe – I mean, he’s done a lot of good things. I think he can play more consistent, and I think he knows that. He’s made a lot of spectacular plays. I think he knows he can make more routine, consistent plays and just continue to improve. That’s such a big part of it. The guy still is, he just now hitting the point where he’s started a full season of college football. Everybody kind of dismisses that, but I mean, that’s real. Really, he’s just now kind of beginning his second year. So there’s a lot of positives, a lot of things where he’s improved a lot. But there’s still a lot left to go, and I think he’s eager to get there. We just have to keep working hard and grinding just like the rest of the team to get to that point. I don’t know that it’s one point specifically. He’s capable, and he’s on the right track. We just have to keep climbing.
How have you seen Calen Bullock embrace becoming more of a leader on this team?
"I think when you got around him on the field in spring ball, you could see he was a talented player. It was pretty clear that when focused and locked in, he could be one of our best players. I think from that you just naturally see a young guy, got some ability, feel like he’s going to have an opportunity to a big role around here. Those are the guys that you need to grow and progress into leaders. Again, whether it’s vocal, whether it’s by example, whatever it is, we need him to be a positive example. I think for Calen what’s happened is sometimes you challenge guys to be leaders, and they think, alright, well you want me to help others. But actually, when you become a leader, and you have that responsibility, it forces you to get better. I think that’s been maybe some of the benefit with Calen trying to become a leader. It’s put a little more responsibility on his plate. If I’m elite, I have to be doing all the things I’m preaching. I have to be at the front of the line. I have to be locked in on every single play. I have to be handling everything on and off the field. So I think he’s really progressed. I do think he’s one of those guys that I point to and say he’s really matured. Still a lot of ceiling left for this kid, both as a player and as a leader. But he’s one of the ones I’d point to. There’s been a lot of growth from January until now."
What's the status of Shane Lee this week?
"He’s further along certainly than he was. We were a little, I don’t want to say surprised, but surprised last week that things didn’t progress the way we expected. Fortunately, kind of like Dedich the week before, we were honestly fortunate, you get through that game win that game against a good opponent and give Shane a little more time, which has been beneficial. So I probably got too far out in front of it last week, so I feel better about it this week than I did last week. Hasn’t been a full participant, but has been able to participate certainly more than he did last week."
How hard is it to for a linebacker to play with a club/cast?
"It depends a little bit on position, of course. There’s some where it’d be very, very difficult to do. If you ever have anything going on with your hand, a lot of it depends on what style of protection that you have to have. There’s so many different things for guys nowadays. They can do things with different fingers. There’s so many different materials out there that are pretty minimal in terms of impact. We certainly wouldn’t put someone out there if we thought something medically was going to hold them back. Shane being no different. So I think you try to find the best balance between something that’s going to work and protect what needs to be protected, but also allow them to play. We’ll try to find that with anybody that’s got a hand issue, then if it’s something that’s going to hold them back on the field, we won’t play them."
What have you thought of Josh Falo this season?
"I've been proud of Josh, I have. I think he would be the first to admit, we had some candid conversations right when we got here with him about, you see this big, kind of ideal looking tight end body walking in the room and you're like, why is this guy not been a really, really, fantastic player? So we had some really good, candid conversations with him about some of the things that had held him back or where he at times had held himself back. Has had some ups and downs even certainly as we've been here, had some medical things going in the spring that held him back and was just never really able to get traction. Then here as of late, like a lot of players on our team, when you find a way to stay on the field and you come to work every day you're going to get better, fast. And he's been on the field consistently, he's been able to get reps, he's been healthy. He's gotten better, he's gotten confidence. He got an opportunity to play for us a couple weeks ago, did a nice job. And because of that his role and opportunities have just grown a little bit. So he's been a good physical presence for us there at the tight end. He and Lake and Malcolm have formed a nice room that are doing some really productive things for us. So I'm proud of him because sometimes you get the fresh start, new staff comes in, it's my last year, all that, you think, alright, this is going to be it. And then all of a sudden you have to miss almost all spring with another medical issue, like, oh my goodness. He's kind of hung in there and weathered the storm. It's fun to see him getting better and building a bigger role for himself for this team."
Has USC played to playoff caliber this season?
"Oh, I'm way too experienced for that question. I definitely get where you're coming from. All that stuff, I get it's good to write about and it's interesting and I get why people enjoy it. Like for us in here and for other teams that I've been on that have been to the playoff, you've just got to find ways to win. I know that sounds simple and obvious, but you just don't know at this point. I've seen it happen where we lose a game and all of sudden, I mean I heard it so many times the past several years, we'd lose a game, it was like, 'Oh, playoffs are out.' Everyone would be like, 'Oklahoma's playoff chances are over, blah, blah, blah.' And then almost every year we were in the playoff. There's going to be when you're winning the positive noise, when you lose, everybody's going to be, 'Oh my gosh, the playoffs are shot.' You never know how these things are going to play out. Every year's different, there's a lot of things happening in a lot of conferences. So I think the message for us and from us is we gotta control what we can. And the reality is if you take care of business on Saturdays and keep winning, all that stuff takes care of itself. We've done some good things, we have the potential to be a really good team. We haven't met our potential as a team yet. We're going to have bigger and better challenges as we go on, certainly starting with this week. Teams that make the playoff have an ability to stay focused and truly do their best every week, find ways to win games and just keep progressing. And that's the recipe for it, that's how it happens. I get that it doesn't feel like that on the outside, maybe, but within our walls that's really what it feels like and that's as accurate of a depiction as I can give you."
Why is Austin Jones not playing much, was it to send a message last week for any reason?
"No, no message. Austin's been a good player for us. We have a lot of confidence in him. Just Travis got hot and the way the game kind of went, it honestly became a little difficult to take him out. We left that game saying we should have played Austin some. Austin's a good player, he's a reliable player, he's had some big plays for us. He's one of our better players on the offense so disappointed that we didn't get him in any, but he'll be a big part of it going forward. No message. Like any player on our football team, he's had some really good moments, he's had a few moments that hasn't went his way. You can insert anybody's name in that statement. He's a good player, we should have played him some. Looking forward to his role for us here the rest of the year."
What's the challenge in balancing the hot hand and keeping guys fresh long-term at rotational positions?
"Not easy. It's definitely not easy because you can't predict the future. You can't always know what's going to happen. That's why we try so hard to develop some depth and some different guys that we feel like can make plays and moments because just like, all of a sudden Travis gets 30 touches or whatever he did the other night, that'll be somebody else in other weeks. We just know how this thing evolves. One week it's a receiver getting a bunch, one week it's going to be this tight end, one week the other back's going to get a bunch. I think having developed the capability and having multiple guys that can do that and really make a big impact and carry the load when they get hot, that's important. So we worked hard to get to that in-game. And as you go, it's not always an easy decision but you have to trust what you see on the practice field and then you gotta trust what you see on the game field that gives you the best chance to win. So that's what we try to do every week."
The news is that Shane Lee looks like he has a real chance to play this week.
What is your assessment of Caleb Williams so far, as he said he can be better?
"I would say just, he needs to improve, kind of like the rest of the team. I really believe – I mean, he’s done a lot of good things. I think he can play more consistent, and I think he knows that. He’s made a lot of spectacular plays. I think he knows he can make more routine, consistent plays and just continue to improve. That’s such a big part of it. The guy still is, he just now hitting the point where he’s started a full season of college football. Everybody kind of dismisses that, but I mean, that’s real. Really, he’s just now kind of beginning his second year. So there’s a lot of positives, a lot of things where he’s improved a lot. But there’s still a lot left to go, and I think he’s eager to get there. We just have to keep working hard and grinding just like the rest of the team to get to that point. I don’t know that it’s one point specifically. He’s capable, and he’s on the right track. We just have to keep climbing.
How have you seen Calen Bullock embrace becoming more of a leader on this team?
"I think when you got around him on the field in spring ball, you could see he was a talented player. It was pretty clear that when focused and locked in, he could be one of our best players. I think from that you just naturally see a young guy, got some ability, feel like he’s going to have an opportunity to a big role around here. Those are the guys that you need to grow and progress into leaders. Again, whether it’s vocal, whether it’s by example, whatever it is, we need him to be a positive example. I think for Calen what’s happened is sometimes you challenge guys to be leaders, and they think, alright, well you want me to help others. But actually, when you become a leader, and you have that responsibility, it forces you to get better. I think that’s been maybe some of the benefit with Calen trying to become a leader. It’s put a little more responsibility on his plate. If I’m elite, I have to be doing all the things I’m preaching. I have to be at the front of the line. I have to be locked in on every single play. I have to be handling everything on and off the field. So I think he’s really progressed. I do think he’s one of those guys that I point to and say he’s really matured. Still a lot of ceiling left for this kid, both as a player and as a leader. But he’s one of the ones I’d point to. There’s been a lot of growth from January until now."
What's the status of Shane Lee this week?
"He’s further along certainly than he was. We were a little, I don’t want to say surprised, but surprised last week that things didn’t progress the way we expected. Fortunately, kind of like Dedich the week before, we were honestly fortunate, you get through that game win that game against a good opponent and give Shane a little more time, which has been beneficial. So I probably got too far out in front of it last week, so I feel better about it this week than I did last week. Hasn’t been a full participant, but has been able to participate certainly more than he did last week."
How hard is it to for a linebacker to play with a club/cast?
"It depends a little bit on position, of course. There’s some where it’d be very, very difficult to do. If you ever have anything going on with your hand, a lot of it depends on what style of protection that you have to have. There’s so many different things for guys nowadays. They can do things with different fingers. There’s so many different materials out there that are pretty minimal in terms of impact. We certainly wouldn’t put someone out there if we thought something medically was going to hold them back. Shane being no different. So I think you try to find the best balance between something that’s going to work and protect what needs to be protected, but also allow them to play. We’ll try to find that with anybody that’s got a hand issue, then if it’s something that’s going to hold them back on the field, we won’t play them."
What have you thought of Josh Falo this season?
"I've been proud of Josh, I have. I think he would be the first to admit, we had some candid conversations right when we got here with him about, you see this big, kind of ideal looking tight end body walking in the room and you're like, why is this guy not been a really, really, fantastic player? So we had some really good, candid conversations with him about some of the things that had held him back or where he at times had held himself back. Has had some ups and downs even certainly as we've been here, had some medical things going in the spring that held him back and was just never really able to get traction. Then here as of late, like a lot of players on our team, when you find a way to stay on the field and you come to work every day you're going to get better, fast. And he's been on the field consistently, he's been able to get reps, he's been healthy. He's gotten better, he's gotten confidence. He got an opportunity to play for us a couple weeks ago, did a nice job. And because of that his role and opportunities have just grown a little bit. So he's been a good physical presence for us there at the tight end. He and Lake and Malcolm have formed a nice room that are doing some really productive things for us. So I'm proud of him because sometimes you get the fresh start, new staff comes in, it's my last year, all that, you think, alright, this is going to be it. And then all of a sudden you have to miss almost all spring with another medical issue, like, oh my goodness. He's kind of hung in there and weathered the storm. It's fun to see him getting better and building a bigger role for himself for this team."
Has USC played to playoff caliber this season?
"Oh, I'm way too experienced for that question. I definitely get where you're coming from. All that stuff, I get it's good to write about and it's interesting and I get why people enjoy it. Like for us in here and for other teams that I've been on that have been to the playoff, you've just got to find ways to win. I know that sounds simple and obvious, but you just don't know at this point. I've seen it happen where we lose a game and all of sudden, I mean I heard it so many times the past several years, we'd lose a game, it was like, 'Oh, playoffs are out.' Everyone would be like, 'Oklahoma's playoff chances are over, blah, blah, blah.' And then almost every year we were in the playoff. There's going to be when you're winning the positive noise, when you lose, everybody's going to be, 'Oh my gosh, the playoffs are shot.' You never know how these things are going to play out. Every year's different, there's a lot of things happening in a lot of conferences. So I think the message for us and from us is we gotta control what we can. And the reality is if you take care of business on Saturdays and keep winning, all that stuff takes care of itself. We've done some good things, we have the potential to be a really good team. We haven't met our potential as a team yet. We're going to have bigger and better challenges as we go on, certainly starting with this week. Teams that make the playoff have an ability to stay focused and truly do their best every week, find ways to win games and just keep progressing. And that's the recipe for it, that's how it happens. I get that it doesn't feel like that on the outside, maybe, but within our walls that's really what it feels like and that's as accurate of a depiction as I can give you."
Why is Austin Jones not playing much, was it to send a message last week for any reason?
"No, no message. Austin's been a good player for us. We have a lot of confidence in him. Just Travis got hot and the way the game kind of went, it honestly became a little difficult to take him out. We left that game saying we should have played Austin some. Austin's a good player, he's a reliable player, he's had some big plays for us. He's one of our better players on the offense so disappointed that we didn't get him in any, but he'll be a big part of it going forward. No message. Like any player on our football team, he's had some really good moments, he's had a few moments that hasn't went his way. You can insert anybody's name in that statement. He's a good player, we should have played him some. Looking forward to his role for us here the rest of the year."
What's the challenge in balancing the hot hand and keeping guys fresh long-term at rotational positions?
"Not easy. It's definitely not easy because you can't predict the future. You can't always know what's going to happen. That's why we try so hard to develop some depth and some different guys that we feel like can make plays and moments because just like, all of a sudden Travis gets 30 touches or whatever he did the other night, that'll be somebody else in other weeks. We just know how this thing evolves. One week it's a receiver getting a bunch, one week it's going to be this tight end, one week the other back's going to get a bunch. I think having developed the capability and having multiple guys that can do that and really make a big impact and carry the load when they get hot, that's important. So we worked hard to get to that in-game. And as you go, it's not always an easy decision but you have to trust what you see on the practice field and then you gotta trust what you see on the game field that gives you the best chance to win. So that's what we try to do every week."
