Highlights from our coach and player interviews this week.
QBs COACH TYSON HELTON
--on what criterion he uses to evaluate the quarterbacks
"The three main things that I talk about is, one, a good quarterback has to manage the game. What I mean by that is he doesn’t have to make all these great, big plays. A good quarterback just gets you in the right play, makes sure you’re in the right formation. If something goes wrong, he makes sure he makes it right. So the first thing he has to do is manage the offense.
"The second thing is he has to take care of the football. He cannot turn the ball over, (no) unnecessary interceptions. It doesn’t matter how good a talent you are, it doesn’t matter how many touchdowns you throw. If you throw it to the other team you’re not going to win. So you got to manage the offense, you got to take care of the ball.
"And the last thing is, does the football move when you’re in the game? And what I mean by move is, it doesn’t matter what play is called, for whatever reason, some guys just have an "it" factor about them and it may not be pretty, right? But the ball moves down the field and it goes in the end zone. And that’s how you judge a quarterback, manage the offense, take care of the ball and does the ball move and go into the end zone? I’ve talked to those guys about that, they understand that formula and that’s how we evaluate them."
--on what he felt Max Browne needed to improve in once he took over as QBs coach
"With Max you’re dealing with an older guy so when you talk to him about the corrections he needs to make he understands and can process that. Max is a tall guy and he’s a little longer with his release so we talk abut having a quick release, making sure your feet are set, using all of your height. He’s a big, tall, guy, use all of your height. He’s done that this spring so far. I can see a difference between a Day 1 and a Day 4 with some of the throws he’s started to make because he’s incorporating those things. As far as the timing of a play, we talk about, here’s the timing and what has to happen on this play and he has to understand that timing. He’s doing a great job right now of being able to process that."
--on how exactly he needs to use his height
"Max is probably a 6-4, 6-5 guy. A lot of quarterback have a tendency, when they drop back, they bend their knees and they kind of crouch down. Well, now you don’t see over the line as well. So if you’re a tall guy take advantage of your height, stand tall, maximize your height. But when you deal with an older guy like that it’s really about the mechanics of a play and the timing of a play, that’s what you’re trying to get on the same page. He understands football, he understands what he needs to know, the general. You want to operate at a high level and say here’s what we got to do to maximize a play. You have to be at this timing, the throw has to happen at this exact moment and he understands those things."
--on his impressions of Sam Darnold
"Sam is extremely talented. Quick release, has that "it" factor about him that I talked about. He’s still young so not quite 100 percent locked in on what everybody’s doing and where they’re going but he’s still finds them. And he finds them with the right timing, so that’s his strength. Now, what does he need to work on? Obviously he’s got to learn the offense, he’s got to master the offense. But the tools are already there for Sam. He takes care of the ball. He really does."
QB MAX BROWNE
--on teammates viewing him as a leader
"The respect comes with the way you work and the way you approach offseason workouts. I think guys see that. I’ve been here long enough to earn that but it just feels normal to step into that role. It doesn’t feel forced or anything, which is probably a product of being respected and being here a long time and just being one of the older guys."
--on how he performed in Week 1
"I feel like I started off strong. There were a few throws I wish I could have back later in the week but the mistakes I was making or we we’re making as an offense are just Week 1 mistakes. It’s a product of coming back here first time in three or four months. I was excited about the way I played, excited about the leadership and the step the offense took."
--on whether he actively thinks about the competition while practicing
"If I learned one thing form the competitions I was involved with earlier, it’s really not a competition with me and the quarterbacks behind me or with me, it’s more of a competition with me vs. myself (from) a rep ago or myself (from) the practice earlier. Not getting caught up in what those guys are doing. At the end of the day, if we’re all making throws we’re getting each other better, which is what you got to root for and what you’d like to see."
--on which receivers he feels most comfortable with
"I get a lot of work with Ajene Harris in the offseason, a good, super-hard worker. But I’ll say this: January and February were the best numbers I’ve seen since I’ve been here, as far as receivers and tight ends out there. All the guys were out there: JuJu (Smith-Schuster), Isaac (Whitney), Deontay (Burnett), I don’t want to leave anybody out, but they were all out there. Chemistry’s doing great, we have a lot of weapons, so that’s always a great problem to have."
--on the three interceptions he threw in Week 1's Saturday practice
"It’s the nature of the position, for sure. One was 7-on-7, right in front of you guys, that was totally on me. The other ones were hands getting in the way, kind of just the way the ball fell. They weren’t bad decisions or anything, it's football. But you have to shake those off and I think that was the bright part of Practice 3, we were able to finish with the deep ball to JuJu to win it. That’s what it's all about, throwing touchdowns when it counts."
--on how different the offense is from last year
"It’s not drastically different. We’ve had to change some stuff with some coaches moving around, they kind of know what we’re doing. They (Tyson Helton and Neil Callaway) are bringing in a lot of Western Kentucky stuff. But as far as scheme and the way we’re approaching it and just the fundamentals of it, it’s not a whole lot different. You’re learning the different names for things. But for me personally its not as huge of a step, especially when you’re talking from my true freshman year to my redshirt freshman year, going from that offense (Lane Kiffin’s in 2013) to the next offense (Steve Sarkisian’s in 2014), it’s not nearly as big of a jump."
--on what exactly USC is adopting from Western Kentucky
"It’s just different concepts, just different ways to attack the defense that they’ve had a lot of success with. It’s good to have (that) in our scheme. It does feel a little more open, but I think that’s also a product of just, we have a lot of receivers and a lot of experience. The difference between the (first team) receivers and the (second team) receivers isn’t a huge jump. Just getting those guys in space is huge."
QB SAM DARNOLD
--on how he performed in Week 1
"I could easily improve on a lot of things. I thought I did well in terms of my accuracy. Stuff I’m usually good at, rolling out, throwing on the run. But I definitely need to work on staying in the pocket, being more comfortable. Max is really good at it. Just staying in the pocket, being more firm and making those throws that I need to make."
--on the offense this year compared to last year
"It’s pretty different. There’s a lot of concepts and all the terminology is new because Coach Tui, he’s at UCLA now, he knew our whole offense, so we have to change a lot of that stuff, the signals that we get from the sideline. Coach Tyson Helton brought a lot of stuff from Western Kentucky that I think really helps. Deeper pass concepts. I don’t want to specify too much, but it's new stuff. I’m just trying to get acclimated to it and the signals. I really need to start working more on my signal game, looking over and getting my motors going and getting the guys set up."
--on the freshman receivers
"Josh Imatorbhebhe and Mike Pittman have been huge for us so far, in terms of their speed. They’re a lot faster than I thought and they’re just really physical guys, which is pretty surprising for incoming freshmen."
QBs COACH TYSON HELTON
--on what criterion he uses to evaluate the quarterbacks
"The three main things that I talk about is, one, a good quarterback has to manage the game. What I mean by that is he doesn’t have to make all these great, big plays. A good quarterback just gets you in the right play, makes sure you’re in the right formation. If something goes wrong, he makes sure he makes it right. So the first thing he has to do is manage the offense.
"The second thing is he has to take care of the football. He cannot turn the ball over, (no) unnecessary interceptions. It doesn’t matter how good a talent you are, it doesn’t matter how many touchdowns you throw. If you throw it to the other team you’re not going to win. So you got to manage the offense, you got to take care of the ball.
"And the last thing is, does the football move when you’re in the game? And what I mean by move is, it doesn’t matter what play is called, for whatever reason, some guys just have an "it" factor about them and it may not be pretty, right? But the ball moves down the field and it goes in the end zone. And that’s how you judge a quarterback, manage the offense, take care of the ball and does the ball move and go into the end zone? I’ve talked to those guys about that, they understand that formula and that’s how we evaluate them."
--on what he felt Max Browne needed to improve in once he took over as QBs coach
"With Max you’re dealing with an older guy so when you talk to him about the corrections he needs to make he understands and can process that. Max is a tall guy and he’s a little longer with his release so we talk abut having a quick release, making sure your feet are set, using all of your height. He’s a big, tall, guy, use all of your height. He’s done that this spring so far. I can see a difference between a Day 1 and a Day 4 with some of the throws he’s started to make because he’s incorporating those things. As far as the timing of a play, we talk about, here’s the timing and what has to happen on this play and he has to understand that timing. He’s doing a great job right now of being able to process that."
--on how exactly he needs to use his height
"Max is probably a 6-4, 6-5 guy. A lot of quarterback have a tendency, when they drop back, they bend their knees and they kind of crouch down. Well, now you don’t see over the line as well. So if you’re a tall guy take advantage of your height, stand tall, maximize your height. But when you deal with an older guy like that it’s really about the mechanics of a play and the timing of a play, that’s what you’re trying to get on the same page. He understands football, he understands what he needs to know, the general. You want to operate at a high level and say here’s what we got to do to maximize a play. You have to be at this timing, the throw has to happen at this exact moment and he understands those things."
--on his impressions of Sam Darnold
"Sam is extremely talented. Quick release, has that "it" factor about him that I talked about. He’s still young so not quite 100 percent locked in on what everybody’s doing and where they’re going but he’s still finds them. And he finds them with the right timing, so that’s his strength. Now, what does he need to work on? Obviously he’s got to learn the offense, he’s got to master the offense. But the tools are already there for Sam. He takes care of the ball. He really does."
QB MAX BROWNE
--on teammates viewing him as a leader
"The respect comes with the way you work and the way you approach offseason workouts. I think guys see that. I’ve been here long enough to earn that but it just feels normal to step into that role. It doesn’t feel forced or anything, which is probably a product of being respected and being here a long time and just being one of the older guys."
--on how he performed in Week 1
"I feel like I started off strong. There were a few throws I wish I could have back later in the week but the mistakes I was making or we we’re making as an offense are just Week 1 mistakes. It’s a product of coming back here first time in three or four months. I was excited about the way I played, excited about the leadership and the step the offense took."
--on whether he actively thinks about the competition while practicing
"If I learned one thing form the competitions I was involved with earlier, it’s really not a competition with me and the quarterbacks behind me or with me, it’s more of a competition with me vs. myself (from) a rep ago or myself (from) the practice earlier. Not getting caught up in what those guys are doing. At the end of the day, if we’re all making throws we’re getting each other better, which is what you got to root for and what you’d like to see."
--on which receivers he feels most comfortable with
"I get a lot of work with Ajene Harris in the offseason, a good, super-hard worker. But I’ll say this: January and February were the best numbers I’ve seen since I’ve been here, as far as receivers and tight ends out there. All the guys were out there: JuJu (Smith-Schuster), Isaac (Whitney), Deontay (Burnett), I don’t want to leave anybody out, but they were all out there. Chemistry’s doing great, we have a lot of weapons, so that’s always a great problem to have."
--on the three interceptions he threw in Week 1's Saturday practice
"It’s the nature of the position, for sure. One was 7-on-7, right in front of you guys, that was totally on me. The other ones were hands getting in the way, kind of just the way the ball fell. They weren’t bad decisions or anything, it's football. But you have to shake those off and I think that was the bright part of Practice 3, we were able to finish with the deep ball to JuJu to win it. That’s what it's all about, throwing touchdowns when it counts."
--on how different the offense is from last year
"It’s not drastically different. We’ve had to change some stuff with some coaches moving around, they kind of know what we’re doing. They (Tyson Helton and Neil Callaway) are bringing in a lot of Western Kentucky stuff. But as far as scheme and the way we’re approaching it and just the fundamentals of it, it’s not a whole lot different. You’re learning the different names for things. But for me personally its not as huge of a step, especially when you’re talking from my true freshman year to my redshirt freshman year, going from that offense (Lane Kiffin’s in 2013) to the next offense (Steve Sarkisian’s in 2014), it’s not nearly as big of a jump."
--on what exactly USC is adopting from Western Kentucky
"It’s just different concepts, just different ways to attack the defense that they’ve had a lot of success with. It’s good to have (that) in our scheme. It does feel a little more open, but I think that’s also a product of just, we have a lot of receivers and a lot of experience. The difference between the (first team) receivers and the (second team) receivers isn’t a huge jump. Just getting those guys in space is huge."
QB SAM DARNOLD
--on how he performed in Week 1
"I could easily improve on a lot of things. I thought I did well in terms of my accuracy. Stuff I’m usually good at, rolling out, throwing on the run. But I definitely need to work on staying in the pocket, being more comfortable. Max is really good at it. Just staying in the pocket, being more firm and making those throws that I need to make."
--on the offense this year compared to last year
"It’s pretty different. There’s a lot of concepts and all the terminology is new because Coach Tui, he’s at UCLA now, he knew our whole offense, so we have to change a lot of that stuff, the signals that we get from the sideline. Coach Tyson Helton brought a lot of stuff from Western Kentucky that I think really helps. Deeper pass concepts. I don’t want to specify too much, but it's new stuff. I’m just trying to get acclimated to it and the signals. I really need to start working more on my signal game, looking over and getting my motors going and getting the guys set up."
--on the freshman receivers
"Josh Imatorbhebhe and Mike Pittman have been huge for us so far, in terms of their speed. They’re a lot faster than I thought and they’re just really physical guys, which is pretty surprising for incoming freshmen."
