Highlights from our final set of interviews with coaches and players during this week (all interviews were done prior to Saturday's scrimmage):
DC CLANCY PENDERGAST
--on Porter Gustin
"He’s a hybrid player that we’ll use in some different spots. He’s made a lot of progress, he’s got a long way to go. I really like his want-to and his willingness to get better every day in the meetings and on the field. I just want to see him playing faster. The more comfortable he is the faster he’s going to play. From scheme to coaching to everything. We’re asking him to do some different things than what he supposedly did last year. It’s a little bit of a learning curve for him. I have no doubt he’s going to get there come Sept. 3."
--on how he’s overseeing the defense
"I meet most of the time with the secondary and the inside linebackers together. They’re the main streamline of the communication within our defense, having two quarterbacks, that’s the middle linebacker and the free safety. It’s really the same process we met under last time I was here, except I was the secondary coach. This year I’m working with he secondary and the linebackers and the D-line, so you’ll see me move around all the different positions. Early on, from a communications standpoint and a youth standpoint that’s where I was best served right now."
--on what traits he looks for in inside linebackers
"We want instincts. We want guys who can run and hit and are going to make plays for us but also be disciplined. It starts with good eye control and understanding the defense and understanding all the parts that go on around that. We’re seeing a whole lot of offense right now and it’s good for our guys."
--on how much film he has watched of USC from last year
"I didn’t watch any of it, only what I saw on TV last year. Clean slate, see the guys move around out here myself in pre-practice and then slot them where Coach (Clay) Helton and I felt like they would line up once I explained to him during the interview process what I want to do defensively. We plugged in the parts and that’s where we’re going right now." (He says he approached previous jobs similarly.)
--on Osa Masina
"I don’t know anything about him. I haven’t seen him really move much. He did drills with us one day prior to coming out here. But everything I’ve heard I’m anxious to get him out here and look at him because I think he gives us some flexibility … whether it could be inside or outside."
--on what the potential strengths of the defense might be
"It’s hard to tell right now. I would say their competitiveness."
--on Marvell Tell
"He splaying free safety, he’s playing a little bit underneath in the nickel back position. I like his athleticism, I like his length. He just doesn’t have a lot of experience, so we’ll get him settled here soon and get him dialed in. He’s a guy that we’re moving around a little bit that I’m taking a look at (to see) where he can help us the best. But I like what is see in him."
--on Adoree’ Jackson
"He’s very talented. Any time he touches the ball he can take it to the house. He gives you a lot of flexibility defensively. He can play left corner, right corner, he can play off, he can play press. He got very unique all skills. We recruited him hen I was the secondary coach here before, so I had a good relationship with him during that 2013 season. We were trying to get him to commit here. I surely looked at a lot of film on him and (was) really impressed with him in high school."
--on Biggie Marshall
"Marshall has done some good things. He’s a lot like a lot of the guys we have, he’s a work in progress. He’s got a lot to learn, he hasn’t played very much. He’s got a very good skill set. The techniques that we’re teaching him are a lot different than what he’s done in the past but he’s buying in and he’s out here working on his craft." (Marshall was literally doing just that as Pendergast said this and was the last player to leave the field Thursday.)
--on how the techniques are different
"Like I said, I didn’t look at much tape (from) last year. It’s more of the concepts, coverage-wise, seem to be foreign to them. And he techniques when we play off or when we bail or we press, it seems like they’re looking at different things."
CB BIGGIE MARSHALL
--on the new techniques
"We changed the press technique to an inch back. We were doing a six-inch step last year. It helps you train your eyes as well as stay patient, let the receiver come to you and then strike. We’ve been working on different coverages, being more aggressive, most importantly. You see a lot of us being more aggressive. We do a lot more man, get in their face, try to disrupt their routes. We’re not very conservative. There’s a lot of traps, clouds, little stuff to trap the receivers and keep the quarterback and the offense off balance. …
"The six-inch step is for you not to open up your base wide. It’s there for the receiver to get in his dancing — what we call dancing — dance a little bit, then be patient and strike. The difference (with the inch back), you’re still keeping that base away from the receiver, so he doesn’t get up on your toes. You’re still keeping that relationship (with) the receiver. Then when he makes his initial move (toward) which side he’s going to pick, you’re going to strike your hand and play the rest through."
--on what he noticed when reviewing his own film from last year
"This game is a game of inches. A lot of people don’t understand that. Playing this position, most of the time when a DB loses it’s at the beginning of the route. I saw most of the time I was conceding at the beginning of the route, I wasn’t being very physical. That’s where I lose most of the time. You got great quarterbacks in the Pac-12 that can put it in a tight spot. I want to work on finishing and attacking that ball and getting more interceptions."
--on what Pendergast is teaching the secondary
"Reading the eyes of the quarterback and then coming back to the receiver. Looking at subtle things with the quarterback. Understanding not just what we’re supposed to do but what quarterbacks are looking for and what they’re doing. If two go under, most likely it’s going to be an inside route by the outside receiver. Or if you have three receivers and you got one going to the flat, it’s going to be a curl or an inside route with the 1 and 2 receivers. He’s helping understand not only the defensive side of football but the offense as well."
--on how long it will take the entire spring for the defense to be on the same page
"You got to be patient with anything and any process. You can’t rush anything. That’s when you have a lot of holes. I go by patience and persistence. When opportunities come, take full advantage of them. But you got to also take care of the small details. The small details are what separate a touchdown, an interception and a break-up. All those things. It’s all about the small details."
DBs COACH RONNIE BRADFORD
--on how he’s approaching spring practice
"You got to find out what the strength of your team is and play to it. At the next level, they’re going to have a new team every year, and it’s the same way here, we have a new team every single year. You got to find out what your strengths are, you got to find out what your weaknesses are. And the good coaches, the really good coaches, play to their strengths. You might end up changing what you always call a staple and making it something different to what your team is better at. … And this is where you find out. In the fall you’re preparing for games, you don’t have that time."
--on the identity of this defensive backfield
"Right now they’re scrappy. I got a lot of guys with injuries. In a couple of weeks I’ll find out more about them. They’re coming back from spring break, trying to get their legs back. In a couple of weeks their legs will be a little heavy and now you start to find out, they got a little bit of the defense, they really absorbed the defense, now I know what we’re doing. How are teams trying to attack me? What are the strengths of this defense? What the stresses of this defense? I got a scrappy crew, they work hard, that’s all I can ask from them right now."
LB QUINTON POWELL
--on playing for Pendergast again
“I remember a lot from when he was here before. I’m playing fast because I know what I’m doing and the coach is working with me. I couldn’t say the same when the old coaches were here, this coach, the coaches now, they support me fully and I’m able to play with confidence and with speed. …
“He judges my heart, man. He knows I have heart and at the end of the day, anyone can play (inside linebacker) if you have the heart. I had the heart since I got here and a lot of people out here do, like Mike (Hutchings). For instance, he has the heart to play the position as well, you just have to give somebody the chance and now we finally got it and we’re stepping in that role as fast as we can, ready for Alabama.”
--on the difference with the new coaching staff
“The vibes are awesome and the culture that they’re trying to set is going to help us win championships. They’re changing a lot of things and it honestly is benefitting us. It’s making the leaders that are older now a lot more disciplined and it changed the game at USC. We’ve been out for a few years and it seems like we’re getting right back on the same page with Helton and Pendergast and all these good coaches that we have.”
--on what has changed with this defense
“It’s fast man, we have a lot of small guys, I wouldn’t say they’re small, but it’s a lot of athletic guys. What that entails, we have a lot of speed, so we’re able to fly to the ball and it’s not just the DBs that are flying to the ball, it’s the LBs, the safeties, everybody is fast. It makes our defense way better out there, in my point of view.”
--He said he weighs 200 pounds even. His goal is to be at 215 by the end of spring.
DC CLANCY PENDERGAST
--on Porter Gustin
"He’s a hybrid player that we’ll use in some different spots. He’s made a lot of progress, he’s got a long way to go. I really like his want-to and his willingness to get better every day in the meetings and on the field. I just want to see him playing faster. The more comfortable he is the faster he’s going to play. From scheme to coaching to everything. We’re asking him to do some different things than what he supposedly did last year. It’s a little bit of a learning curve for him. I have no doubt he’s going to get there come Sept. 3."
--on how he’s overseeing the defense
"I meet most of the time with the secondary and the inside linebackers together. They’re the main streamline of the communication within our defense, having two quarterbacks, that’s the middle linebacker and the free safety. It’s really the same process we met under last time I was here, except I was the secondary coach. This year I’m working with he secondary and the linebackers and the D-line, so you’ll see me move around all the different positions. Early on, from a communications standpoint and a youth standpoint that’s where I was best served right now."
--on what traits he looks for in inside linebackers
"We want instincts. We want guys who can run and hit and are going to make plays for us but also be disciplined. It starts with good eye control and understanding the defense and understanding all the parts that go on around that. We’re seeing a whole lot of offense right now and it’s good for our guys."
--on how much film he has watched of USC from last year
"I didn’t watch any of it, only what I saw on TV last year. Clean slate, see the guys move around out here myself in pre-practice and then slot them where Coach (Clay) Helton and I felt like they would line up once I explained to him during the interview process what I want to do defensively. We plugged in the parts and that’s where we’re going right now." (He says he approached previous jobs similarly.)
--on Osa Masina
"I don’t know anything about him. I haven’t seen him really move much. He did drills with us one day prior to coming out here. But everything I’ve heard I’m anxious to get him out here and look at him because I think he gives us some flexibility … whether it could be inside or outside."
--on what the potential strengths of the defense might be
"It’s hard to tell right now. I would say their competitiveness."
--on Marvell Tell
"He splaying free safety, he’s playing a little bit underneath in the nickel back position. I like his athleticism, I like his length. He just doesn’t have a lot of experience, so we’ll get him settled here soon and get him dialed in. He’s a guy that we’re moving around a little bit that I’m taking a look at (to see) where he can help us the best. But I like what is see in him."
--on Adoree’ Jackson
"He’s very talented. Any time he touches the ball he can take it to the house. He gives you a lot of flexibility defensively. He can play left corner, right corner, he can play off, he can play press. He got very unique all skills. We recruited him hen I was the secondary coach here before, so I had a good relationship with him during that 2013 season. We were trying to get him to commit here. I surely looked at a lot of film on him and (was) really impressed with him in high school."
--on Biggie Marshall
"Marshall has done some good things. He’s a lot like a lot of the guys we have, he’s a work in progress. He’s got a lot to learn, he hasn’t played very much. He’s got a very good skill set. The techniques that we’re teaching him are a lot different than what he’s done in the past but he’s buying in and he’s out here working on his craft." (Marshall was literally doing just that as Pendergast said this and was the last player to leave the field Thursday.)
--on how the techniques are different
"Like I said, I didn’t look at much tape (from) last year. It’s more of the concepts, coverage-wise, seem to be foreign to them. And he techniques when we play off or when we bail or we press, it seems like they’re looking at different things."
CB BIGGIE MARSHALL
--on the new techniques
"We changed the press technique to an inch back. We were doing a six-inch step last year. It helps you train your eyes as well as stay patient, let the receiver come to you and then strike. We’ve been working on different coverages, being more aggressive, most importantly. You see a lot of us being more aggressive. We do a lot more man, get in their face, try to disrupt their routes. We’re not very conservative. There’s a lot of traps, clouds, little stuff to trap the receivers and keep the quarterback and the offense off balance. …
"The six-inch step is for you not to open up your base wide. It’s there for the receiver to get in his dancing — what we call dancing — dance a little bit, then be patient and strike. The difference (with the inch back), you’re still keeping that base away from the receiver, so he doesn’t get up on your toes. You’re still keeping that relationship (with) the receiver. Then when he makes his initial move (toward) which side he’s going to pick, you’re going to strike your hand and play the rest through."
--on what he noticed when reviewing his own film from last year
"This game is a game of inches. A lot of people don’t understand that. Playing this position, most of the time when a DB loses it’s at the beginning of the route. I saw most of the time I was conceding at the beginning of the route, I wasn’t being very physical. That’s where I lose most of the time. You got great quarterbacks in the Pac-12 that can put it in a tight spot. I want to work on finishing and attacking that ball and getting more interceptions."
--on what Pendergast is teaching the secondary
"Reading the eyes of the quarterback and then coming back to the receiver. Looking at subtle things with the quarterback. Understanding not just what we’re supposed to do but what quarterbacks are looking for and what they’re doing. If two go under, most likely it’s going to be an inside route by the outside receiver. Or if you have three receivers and you got one going to the flat, it’s going to be a curl or an inside route with the 1 and 2 receivers. He’s helping understand not only the defensive side of football but the offense as well."
--on how long it will take the entire spring for the defense to be on the same page
"You got to be patient with anything and any process. You can’t rush anything. That’s when you have a lot of holes. I go by patience and persistence. When opportunities come, take full advantage of them. But you got to also take care of the small details. The small details are what separate a touchdown, an interception and a break-up. All those things. It’s all about the small details."
DBs COACH RONNIE BRADFORD
--on how he’s approaching spring practice
"You got to find out what the strength of your team is and play to it. At the next level, they’re going to have a new team every year, and it’s the same way here, we have a new team every single year. You got to find out what your strengths are, you got to find out what your weaknesses are. And the good coaches, the really good coaches, play to their strengths. You might end up changing what you always call a staple and making it something different to what your team is better at. … And this is where you find out. In the fall you’re preparing for games, you don’t have that time."
--on the identity of this defensive backfield
"Right now they’re scrappy. I got a lot of guys with injuries. In a couple of weeks I’ll find out more about them. They’re coming back from spring break, trying to get their legs back. In a couple of weeks their legs will be a little heavy and now you start to find out, they got a little bit of the defense, they really absorbed the defense, now I know what we’re doing. How are teams trying to attack me? What are the strengths of this defense? What the stresses of this defense? I got a scrappy crew, they work hard, that’s all I can ask from them right now."
LB QUINTON POWELL
--on playing for Pendergast again
“I remember a lot from when he was here before. I’m playing fast because I know what I’m doing and the coach is working with me. I couldn’t say the same when the old coaches were here, this coach, the coaches now, they support me fully and I’m able to play with confidence and with speed. …
“He judges my heart, man. He knows I have heart and at the end of the day, anyone can play (inside linebacker) if you have the heart. I had the heart since I got here and a lot of people out here do, like Mike (Hutchings). For instance, he has the heart to play the position as well, you just have to give somebody the chance and now we finally got it and we’re stepping in that role as fast as we can, ready for Alabama.”
--on the difference with the new coaching staff
“The vibes are awesome and the culture that they’re trying to set is going to help us win championships. They’re changing a lot of things and it honestly is benefitting us. It’s making the leaders that are older now a lot more disciplined and it changed the game at USC. We’ve been out for a few years and it seems like we’re getting right back on the same page with Helton and Pendergast and all these good coaches that we have.”
--on what has changed with this defense
“It’s fast man, we have a lot of small guys, I wouldn’t say they’re small, but it’s a lot of athletic guys. What that entails, we have a lot of speed, so we’re able to fly to the ball and it’s not just the DBs that are flying to the ball, it’s the LBs, the safeties, everybody is fast. It makes our defense way better out there, in my point of view.”
--He said he weighs 200 pounds even. His goal is to be at 215 by the end of spring.
