Highlights from our latest coach and player interviews...
Bob Connelly
--Toa Lobendahn got first-team reps at right tackle Wednesday and Connelly is open to using him there.
“Absolutely. Toa’s very capable of playing all five positions and will play all (of them).”
--Connelly likes how Zach Banner has responded after losing some of his first-team reps at right tackle, which continued Wednesday.
“It was a good wake-up call. We got a little bit more sense of urgency out of him at practice. He understands that he’s got to perform or the next guy has an opportunity to get in there.”
--He said Wheeler “has done a great job” preparing to get back on the field. The plan now is to “take a deep breath keep him healthy.”
--Connelly had never lost a player to getting hit in the head with a medicine ball.
“That’s my first, for sure. A freak accident.”
Chad Wheeler
--He suffered a concussion after getting hit in the head by a medicine ball. Wheeler did not have a helmet on at the time. He also doesn’t know or remember who threw the ball.
“The oddest injury I’ve ever been subject to.”
--He believes he’ll be ready for the season opener.
“Just got to get in better shape, endurance. Got to get back in football shape.”
Zach Banner
--He was not interested in discussing what happened with Steve Sarkisian over the weekend.
“It just happened. No comment to that. We don’t talk about that. It’s over with. We’re not allowed to talk about that situation. We’re on to football.”
--Having dealt with so many off-the-field controversies in recent years, he said the players have learned to move on from distractions.
“We come together as a team. Coach Sark talks to us, tells us how we need to handle it. Day by day, we just let it go and try to play football.”
Cody Kessler
--Fall camp is over but there’s still a week of practice prior to game week. Kessler believes that’s a good situation for the freshmen.
“I love this week. A lot of these freshmen get used to what it’s like game-week, so they’re not thrown into a game week, like, I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to expect. Sometimes when you’re a freshman you get a little nervous, you get butterflies, you get a little anxiety. But this week they know there’s not a game at the end of the week, so they can take it as another week of practice and really prepare as if it was a game week.”
Kevon Seymour
--He’s feeling like his knee injury “never even happened” and has made a full return to practice.
“I’m definitely 100 percent now, so I feel way better. I just tweaked my knee, my MCL, and sprained it. I’m good, though. It was scary. But it immediately started getting better once I iced it.”
--Seymour intimated the team has forgiven Sarkisian for his actions at Salute to Troy.
“Everybody makes mistakes. We will always have our coach’s back. We love Coach Sark. We’re behind him and it wasn’t even serious. I wasn’t thinking anything (as it happened). We were just on the side, the players talking and joking around with each other, we didn’t even notice it.”
--He said the episode will ultimately bring the team together, “closer and stronger.”
Steven Mitchell
--The last few days have not been as difficult for the team as some would think.
“It’s been pretty uplifting, to be honest. We have our coach’s back to the fullest. We’ve just been working hard and focusing on football.”
--Mitchell loves playing in the slot.
“It’s definitely an advantage, especially when you have outside linebackers guarding you and safeties. Their hips aren’t as well as corners. I like playing inside. It’s fun. “
--He welcomes being featured in practice.
“As many balls as I can catch, that’s better for me, that’s better for the team, get those conversions. I do appreciate it. I feel like I’m well-conditioned, playing in the slot. Playing receiver, you have to be well-conditioned because we’re running down the field every play.
--He says his favorite player right now is Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“He’s about my size, I think I’m a little taller than him, but he’s a short guy and he definitely plays really physical. He gets open and gets up the field.”
--After catching seven passes last year, his goal this year is to “be surprising.”
“A lot of defenses, a lot of schools don’t even know about me. That’s going to give me the edge, go out there, be an unknown and hopefully break out, have a breakout year.”
Bob Connelly
--Toa Lobendahn got first-team reps at right tackle Wednesday and Connelly is open to using him there.
“Absolutely. Toa’s very capable of playing all five positions and will play all (of them).”
--Connelly likes how Zach Banner has responded after losing some of his first-team reps at right tackle, which continued Wednesday.
“It was a good wake-up call. We got a little bit more sense of urgency out of him at practice. He understands that he’s got to perform or the next guy has an opportunity to get in there.”
--He said Wheeler “has done a great job” preparing to get back on the field. The plan now is to “take a deep breath keep him healthy.”
--Connelly had never lost a player to getting hit in the head with a medicine ball.
“That’s my first, for sure. A freak accident.”
Chad Wheeler
--He suffered a concussion after getting hit in the head by a medicine ball. Wheeler did not have a helmet on at the time. He also doesn’t know or remember who threw the ball.
“The oddest injury I’ve ever been subject to.”
--He believes he’ll be ready for the season opener.
“Just got to get in better shape, endurance. Got to get back in football shape.”
Zach Banner
--He was not interested in discussing what happened with Steve Sarkisian over the weekend.
“It just happened. No comment to that. We don’t talk about that. It’s over with. We’re not allowed to talk about that situation. We’re on to football.”
--Having dealt with so many off-the-field controversies in recent years, he said the players have learned to move on from distractions.
“We come together as a team. Coach Sark talks to us, tells us how we need to handle it. Day by day, we just let it go and try to play football.”
Cody Kessler
--Fall camp is over but there’s still a week of practice prior to game week. Kessler believes that’s a good situation for the freshmen.
“I love this week. A lot of these freshmen get used to what it’s like game-week, so they’re not thrown into a game week, like, I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to expect. Sometimes when you’re a freshman you get a little nervous, you get butterflies, you get a little anxiety. But this week they know there’s not a game at the end of the week, so they can take it as another week of practice and really prepare as if it was a game week.”
Kevon Seymour
--He’s feeling like his knee injury “never even happened” and has made a full return to practice.
“I’m definitely 100 percent now, so I feel way better. I just tweaked my knee, my MCL, and sprained it. I’m good, though. It was scary. But it immediately started getting better once I iced it.”
--Seymour intimated the team has forgiven Sarkisian for his actions at Salute to Troy.
“Everybody makes mistakes. We will always have our coach’s back. We love Coach Sark. We’re behind him and it wasn’t even serious. I wasn’t thinking anything (as it happened). We were just on the side, the players talking and joking around with each other, we didn’t even notice it.”
--He said the episode will ultimately bring the team together, “closer and stronger.”
Steven Mitchell
--The last few days have not been as difficult for the team as some would think.
“It’s been pretty uplifting, to be honest. We have our coach’s back to the fullest. We’ve just been working hard and focusing on football.”
--Mitchell loves playing in the slot.
“It’s definitely an advantage, especially when you have outside linebackers guarding you and safeties. Their hips aren’t as well as corners. I like playing inside. It’s fun. “
--He welcomes being featured in practice.
“As many balls as I can catch, that’s better for me, that’s better for the team, get those conversions. I do appreciate it. I feel like I’m well-conditioned, playing in the slot. Playing receiver, you have to be well-conditioned because we’re running down the field every play.
--He says his favorite player right now is Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“He’s about my size, I think I’m a little taller than him, but he’s a short guy and he definitely plays really physical. He gets open and gets up the field.”
--After catching seven passes last year, his goal this year is to “be surprising.”
“A lot of defenses, a lot of schools don’t even know about me. That’s going to give me the edge, go out there, be an unknown and hopefully break out, have a breakout year.”
