Highlights from our latest coach and player interviews...
Justin Wilcox
--He said all the rotating in practice is indicative of how things will look in the game.
“There’s going to be more substitutions, that’s fair to say. In a perfect world, you want to be able to rotate everywhere. More guys are going to play, there’s no doubt.”
--He said Adoree’ Jackson, Jonathan Lockett and John Plattenburg are all rotating at nickel. Su’a Cravens also takes reps at that spot.
He said Jackson has room to grow in order to intercept more passes.
“I think it’s the details of the position, fundamentally at the line of scrimmage. He’s such a talented athlete that even in college he can maybe get away with not being precise all the time in his technique. He’s worked at that and I think you see it.”
--He called the safety position “a fluid situation.”
“All those guys bring a little something different to the table. There’s going to be a lot of opportunities and we want to see who goes out and produces when the lights come in.”
He’s not concerned about Jackson taking on a bigger role on offense.
“Coach Sark’s doing what’s best for our team to win. Of course we’d love him every snap. But I also know when you throw him the ball or pitch it to him, you don't want to tackle him, I don’t want to tackle him. He’s about the only guy that covers himself. It helps our team. I think it's great. The guy helps our team in a lot of different ways. I’d love for him to play 100 percent (of the time on defense). Is that reality? We’ll see. We’ll see.”
Adoree’ Jackson
--He said his goals remain the same, to win the Heisman Trophy and the Thorpe Award.
--He said some people close to him are talking to him about using the season opener to announce his Heisman candidacy.
“I don’t think like that but everyone tells me about it. If that happens, then I know good things will happen for me and the team. I just worry about doing what I need to do for the team. They talked to me about having this big game, jumping forward, getting everything started, getting my name out there.”
--Part of what makes him so successful is that he dreams big.
“Even when I practice I envision making a big play. Just doing something big out there. You have to envision. Speaking to the future, speak things into existence, and then good things can happen.”
He’s not too concerned with the fact that he didn’t intercept any passes last year.
“I still have to lock down coverage. I can still get PBUs. At the end of the day, you want to get interceptions, but if I don’t get them, as long as I know I’m doing my job, locking people down and just not getting the ball caught on me then I know I’m doing all right.”
--He said the difference between being a good punt returner as opposed to a kick returner is “vision.”
“When you see something, hit it and hit it hard. A lot of guys back there try to wait for something to set up or wait for a cut. As you look for a cut, there could be an opening somewhere else. If you see something then go.”
--His ideal performance would include “scoring three ways.”
“Doing something productive in all three phases of the game, on defense, offense, special teams. Whatever I’m out there doing, just being productive for the team. That’s ideal.”
--He doesn’t know exactly how many snaps the staff is planning to sue him on offense this Saturday.
“I expect to be out there a lot. If I can get out there as much as I can, if the defense doesn’t really need me as much, or if they do, I still expect to get a lot of plays out there on offense.”
Chris Wilson
--Rasheem Green has shown some real growth of late.
“I see flashes of what we thought he’d be. We think he has a chance to be a really good player. He’s still learning. He’s still getting acclimated. But he’s got all the tools you want.”
--He’s been cleared to play Saturday but he still needs to build more stamina.
“We’ve got a plan for him on how many snaps we’d like to see him go, and we’ll stick to that.”
--He said Green, Jacob Daniel and Noah Jefferson will all play Saturday.
--He has been impressed with Daniel and Jefferson.
“I’ve seen big, strong guys who are swimming (mentally), as a lot of guys do this age. But from a physical standpoint, football IQ, they’re prepared. They’re ready to go. They’ve just got to get in there and go play. That’s the only way you can see where they’re at is to let them go out there and compete against really good competition."
--He said it’s possible that all three enter the game with the first-team defense Saturday.
“We’re just going to get out there and play, get them acclimated, get them used to playing. They’re talented guys. We’re willing to live with the some of the things a freshman does.”
--He said Kenny Bigelow’s biggest jump this fall has been in his “maturity.”
“Kenny is really growing up as a person. He’s always had ability. But now he’s healthy. He’s bought in. I believe he’s all in with what we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to get accomplished. It’s fun. I think the best football for Kenny is in front of him.”
--He said players will be mixed and matched on the line.
“It’s situational. In a football game, you’ve got to be prepared for the situation. The substitutions will go accordingly. You wish you could have it scripted out, but it just never works that way. We’re going to take a plan in there where we can get our guys playing with different guys. It won’t always be just one group."
--Wilson will coach from the sideline.
Justin Wilcox
--He said all the rotating in practice is indicative of how things will look in the game.
“There’s going to be more substitutions, that’s fair to say. In a perfect world, you want to be able to rotate everywhere. More guys are going to play, there’s no doubt.”
--He said Adoree’ Jackson, Jonathan Lockett and John Plattenburg are all rotating at nickel. Su’a Cravens also takes reps at that spot.
He said Jackson has room to grow in order to intercept more passes.
“I think it’s the details of the position, fundamentally at the line of scrimmage. He’s such a talented athlete that even in college he can maybe get away with not being precise all the time in his technique. He’s worked at that and I think you see it.”
--He called the safety position “a fluid situation.”
“All those guys bring a little something different to the table. There’s going to be a lot of opportunities and we want to see who goes out and produces when the lights come in.”
He’s not concerned about Jackson taking on a bigger role on offense.
“Coach Sark’s doing what’s best for our team to win. Of course we’d love him every snap. But I also know when you throw him the ball or pitch it to him, you don't want to tackle him, I don’t want to tackle him. He’s about the only guy that covers himself. It helps our team. I think it's great. The guy helps our team in a lot of different ways. I’d love for him to play 100 percent (of the time on defense). Is that reality? We’ll see. We’ll see.”
Adoree’ Jackson
--He said his goals remain the same, to win the Heisman Trophy and the Thorpe Award.
--He said some people close to him are talking to him about using the season opener to announce his Heisman candidacy.
“I don’t think like that but everyone tells me about it. If that happens, then I know good things will happen for me and the team. I just worry about doing what I need to do for the team. They talked to me about having this big game, jumping forward, getting everything started, getting my name out there.”
--Part of what makes him so successful is that he dreams big.
“Even when I practice I envision making a big play. Just doing something big out there. You have to envision. Speaking to the future, speak things into existence, and then good things can happen.”
He’s not too concerned with the fact that he didn’t intercept any passes last year.
“I still have to lock down coverage. I can still get PBUs. At the end of the day, you want to get interceptions, but if I don’t get them, as long as I know I’m doing my job, locking people down and just not getting the ball caught on me then I know I’m doing all right.”
--He said the difference between being a good punt returner as opposed to a kick returner is “vision.”
“When you see something, hit it and hit it hard. A lot of guys back there try to wait for something to set up or wait for a cut. As you look for a cut, there could be an opening somewhere else. If you see something then go.”
--His ideal performance would include “scoring three ways.”
“Doing something productive in all three phases of the game, on defense, offense, special teams. Whatever I’m out there doing, just being productive for the team. That’s ideal.”
--He doesn’t know exactly how many snaps the staff is planning to sue him on offense this Saturday.
“I expect to be out there a lot. If I can get out there as much as I can, if the defense doesn’t really need me as much, or if they do, I still expect to get a lot of plays out there on offense.”
Chris Wilson
--Rasheem Green has shown some real growth of late.
“I see flashes of what we thought he’d be. We think he has a chance to be a really good player. He’s still learning. He’s still getting acclimated. But he’s got all the tools you want.”
--He’s been cleared to play Saturday but he still needs to build more stamina.
“We’ve got a plan for him on how many snaps we’d like to see him go, and we’ll stick to that.”
--He said Green, Jacob Daniel and Noah Jefferson will all play Saturday.
--He has been impressed with Daniel and Jefferson.
“I’ve seen big, strong guys who are swimming (mentally), as a lot of guys do this age. But from a physical standpoint, football IQ, they’re prepared. They’re ready to go. They’ve just got to get in there and go play. That’s the only way you can see where they’re at is to let them go out there and compete against really good competition."
--He said it’s possible that all three enter the game with the first-team defense Saturday.
“We’re just going to get out there and play, get them acclimated, get them used to playing. They’re talented guys. We’re willing to live with the some of the things a freshman does.”
--He said Kenny Bigelow’s biggest jump this fall has been in his “maturity.”
“Kenny is really growing up as a person. He’s always had ability. But now he’s healthy. He’s bought in. I believe he’s all in with what we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to get accomplished. It’s fun. I think the best football for Kenny is in front of him.”
--He said players will be mixed and matched on the line.
“It’s situational. In a football game, you’ve got to be prepared for the situation. The substitutions will go accordingly. You wish you could have it scripted out, but it just never works that way. We’re going to take a plan in there where we can get our guys playing with different guys. It won’t always be just one group."
--Wilson will coach from the sideline.
