BV notebook wrapped up. A lot of leaders talking Monday.
Brayden Willis
First practice after a loss?
“After Saturday, it’s always tough. But getting out here, getting on the field, getting a little sweat in, just kind of looking at things we did wrong, it’s good to get out here and just do what we do. Kind of turn that page But we feel like everything happens for a reason and not all failure has to end failure. It can always be a success at the end. So we’re taking that, learning from it and turning the page.”
Leadership message?
“You’ve got to tell guys that you’ve got to believe. It’s not the end of the world. The sun came up, it shined today. It’s not the end of the world, we’ve just got to continue to improve and everything will work out in our favor.”
Starting faster?
“That’s something we’re definitely emphasizing, making sure we’re on the right side of that, starting fast. That’s something we’ll emphasize tomorrow and make sure we correct that.”
Rewatch?
“Film is not always as bad as you think it is or as good as you think it is. So getting there, you really get to see how much we left out there. I think that’s the biggest thing. I think that hurts a little bit more. But like I said, it rooms for improvement and gives you learning opportunities. So seeing some of the things that we did on film, we did some decent things but we can always be better.”
Reggie Grimes
Monday response?
“It was focused intensity. It was a lot more technical, a lot more detail oriented than we have been on Mondays. That was important. Because obviously, if you watch the game, the little things are what beat us. Not fitting stuff right. Not tackling well. And that starts with your alignment. Your assignment and your keys. So today was a lot more focused. We were a lot more poised and we were able to put together a good Monday.”
Not scared to speak up?
Absolutely. Because again, experience is your biggest teacher. So we’ve done this. This has happened to us before. Not letting it happen to us again….It’s happened to us before, but we have an entirely different locker room. We have entirely different guys in our locker room. So you can say it all you want to, but until you actually experience that, then it’s more or less going to be lip service. It’s gonna go in one ear and out the other. Now that everyone in this locker room has experienced something like that and it has happened, it definitely is a lot easier to get guys to listen just because this just happened.
BV loss vs. Riley loss?
“We're definitely more focused. I think we've kind of galvanized our group, but I think that's a really really important thing. Previously, it was ‘alright guys, we lost. Let's just go back and let's see what we did wrong.’ And it would be harping on all the things we did wrong. It’d be kind of demeaning and diminishing as opposed to focusing on the good that comes from the bad. I think that's what this coaching staff this group and our team leaders as well, just our team. I think that's what we also focus on. It wasn't all bad Saturday night. Okay — there were a lot of good things that happened. And then even with Saturday night there was a loss. You got to learn from a loss. So I think that this is a really, really good, important thing. That's really key difference from now and previous years.”
Accountability?
“Stance. Alignment. Assignment. Key. Run, get off. Pass, get off. Your hands, stuff like that. So it's really just more of a technique kind of thing. Because the effort is gonna be there. Effort — if we have to get on somebody about the effort and they shouldn't be here. The effort is going to be there. But focusing that effort in the right direction, the right choice, the right decisions, when it comes to people making them, I think it’s a really, really important thing. So you just kind of have to understand…and obviously everyone's different. You have to know how to talk to people. I can't get on Isaiah Coe I can get on Ethan Downs because they're two different people. Right? So it's one of those things to where you got to know what someone has to work on. You have to encourage them in a way that's not demeaning. Not derogatory. But in a way that inspires them to be better not just for themselves, but for their team, their brothers.”
Strange night for you & Ethan, no?
“Yeah. You go from a guy not getting a whole lot of reps to a guy that’s been a starter, obviously you're gonna have guys game plan for you and I don't think Ethan and I responded well to that Saturday night. But obviously again, you learn from it. So as far as that's concerned, man, we now know what we need to do in order to get better. Again, we're far from world beaters yet and that's okay. Because at the end of the day, in the grand scheme of things, we're going into Game 5. You're not supposed to be perfect going into Game 5. So I think that it's one of those things to where it happened. We know what happened. You just got to kind of learn from it.”
Chavis after a loss?
“He's the same guy. He's optimistic. He's the guy who's going to coach you hard, but love you even harder. I think that is essential if you're going to be not just a coach, but someone in a leadership role. Someone who empowers people. Again, obviously, you got to hold them accountable. But you also have to hold them accountable for the good things that they did. And I think that coach Chavis has done a really, really good job of that. And again, you wouldn’t tell he’s a first year position coach, but he is. And he's really really ahead of where you would expect a lot of first-year coaches to be, especially when it comes to taking a loss.”
Key Lawrence
Being physical?
It's our practices. We can't be lackadaisical. We have to be tuned in. Tomorrow will be a physical day for us. We'll try bring everything we got. We have to do everything so it can translate. Practice habits equal game reality. That's the key for us.
Want to get back out there?
Anxious. Pretty anxious. It feels like the first game for us, especially going on an away game and try to take over their track like someone just did ours. It's a big thing for me, especially since we know who we are and everybody knows who we are. We can showcase that this week.
Rotation w/ Broiles?
No comment. I really can't see too much about it. I'm pretty blessed to be on the field.
Healthy?
I'm good.
Good to be on road?
It's a big confidence thing for us. As cliché as it may sound, we honestly needed that to be humbled. We started getting ahead of ourselves. I'm glad that we lost early in the season. Football is a sport where it's better to lose early than later. We've taking the coaching points in all the areas and fix it so it won't happen again.
Jalil Farooq
Improvement?
Just being more consistent. I feel like most of the time we beat ourselves with non-playing penalties, jumping offsides and just not being consistent the whole game. I feel like we need to work on that all week.
Humbled?
We felt like the underdogs coming into this season, dealing with all the adversity that we dealt with. It just put us back to that. Now we're the underdogs again, so we're going to make them feel us this year again.
Loss necessary to understand BV's teachings?
We had to experience it, especially after this loss. We're definitely going to have to experience it. Just listening to our coaches, they're going to be coaching us even harder. We just have to be ready.
DG?
I feel like we all did. I think Dillon, he'll come back and be stronger. He's being more vocal now and just making sure we all stay together. We're brothers. Through everything we went through, all of the losses and everything, we're still here for each other.
DaShaun White
Stopping QB run game?
It's very important. We've got to fit it up right. We've got to get our numbers right. Sometimes the numbers aren't going to be perfect, there's not going to be one extra guy in the fit. You've got to block and make a play. It's that simple. It's easier said than done, but we've got to get it done.
Coaches’ reaction?
All losses suck quite a bit. But I think that this coaching staff is just very intentional about fixing things, which is always the case in a loss, but I think that this coaching staff just really — it sticks out to me just how much it means to them that we never look like that again, so ... yeah.
Message to younger guys?
Been here before. Most important thing is that we stay together. We've got to lean on each other. Everything that we still want is still out there. As cliche as it is, it's true. We're the writer of our own fate. Whatever happens from here on out is up to us.
Toughest adjustment being a cover dude?
Honestly, it’s been the pass coverage. Situations like that. When you’re playing in the box, those situations are few and far in between. It’s something these coaches have helped me a lot with. Even thinking about the play, I think about all the specific coaching points that went into the play and with the hands and punching through. Honestly, the coaches have helped me a lot with that.
LBs vs. TCU?
Oh yea. Very important. I tell the guys all the time that we’re the heartbeat of the entire defense. When we aren’t on our A game, then the defense isn’t on its A game. That’s what I really feel happened on Saturday night. We weren’t sharp enough to be able to lead that group to a win. We just have to be better. We take sole ownership when things are going good, so we have to do the same when it’s going bad, too. Us three in the middle – we have to show up ready to play much better than we did Saturday.
BV reaction vs. Riley reaction?
The meetings. Like I said, I think in the past, we did things a little differently. For everyone, the entire defense to be in the room at one time and for us to watch the film and for everyone to hear this is what you did wrong, you have to do this better. I think that’s really good for everyone to hear and for everyone to know. It’s almost one of those things where the better you know someone else’s position, the better you can play your position.
Isaiah Coe
What’s the difference for you this year?
It’s more enjoyable, I would say that. I’ve been having a lot more fun since the coaches got here. I’ve been smiling more, been interacting more. Just feeling like myself with how I know I can impact the game. Not only on the field, but off the field with my teammates and being interactive. Just being out there for the guys whenever they need me and trying to be there as much as I can.
Brayden Willis
First practice after a loss?
“After Saturday, it’s always tough. But getting out here, getting on the field, getting a little sweat in, just kind of looking at things we did wrong, it’s good to get out here and just do what we do. Kind of turn that page But we feel like everything happens for a reason and not all failure has to end failure. It can always be a success at the end. So we’re taking that, learning from it and turning the page.”
Leadership message?
“You’ve got to tell guys that you’ve got to believe. It’s not the end of the world. The sun came up, it shined today. It’s not the end of the world, we’ve just got to continue to improve and everything will work out in our favor.”
Starting faster?
“That’s something we’re definitely emphasizing, making sure we’re on the right side of that, starting fast. That’s something we’ll emphasize tomorrow and make sure we correct that.”
Rewatch?
“Film is not always as bad as you think it is or as good as you think it is. So getting there, you really get to see how much we left out there. I think that’s the biggest thing. I think that hurts a little bit more. But like I said, it rooms for improvement and gives you learning opportunities. So seeing some of the things that we did on film, we did some decent things but we can always be better.”
Reggie Grimes
Monday response?
“It was focused intensity. It was a lot more technical, a lot more detail oriented than we have been on Mondays. That was important. Because obviously, if you watch the game, the little things are what beat us. Not fitting stuff right. Not tackling well. And that starts with your alignment. Your assignment and your keys. So today was a lot more focused. We were a lot more poised and we were able to put together a good Monday.”
Not scared to speak up?
Absolutely. Because again, experience is your biggest teacher. So we’ve done this. This has happened to us before. Not letting it happen to us again….It’s happened to us before, but we have an entirely different locker room. We have entirely different guys in our locker room. So you can say it all you want to, but until you actually experience that, then it’s more or less going to be lip service. It’s gonna go in one ear and out the other. Now that everyone in this locker room has experienced something like that and it has happened, it definitely is a lot easier to get guys to listen just because this just happened.
BV loss vs. Riley loss?
“We're definitely more focused. I think we've kind of galvanized our group, but I think that's a really really important thing. Previously, it was ‘alright guys, we lost. Let's just go back and let's see what we did wrong.’ And it would be harping on all the things we did wrong. It’d be kind of demeaning and diminishing as opposed to focusing on the good that comes from the bad. I think that's what this coaching staff this group and our team leaders as well, just our team. I think that's what we also focus on. It wasn't all bad Saturday night. Okay — there were a lot of good things that happened. And then even with Saturday night there was a loss. You got to learn from a loss. So I think that this is a really, really good, important thing. That's really key difference from now and previous years.”
Accountability?
“Stance. Alignment. Assignment. Key. Run, get off. Pass, get off. Your hands, stuff like that. So it's really just more of a technique kind of thing. Because the effort is gonna be there. Effort — if we have to get on somebody about the effort and they shouldn't be here. The effort is going to be there. But focusing that effort in the right direction, the right choice, the right decisions, when it comes to people making them, I think it’s a really, really important thing. So you just kind of have to understand…and obviously everyone's different. You have to know how to talk to people. I can't get on Isaiah Coe I can get on Ethan Downs because they're two different people. Right? So it's one of those things to where you got to know what someone has to work on. You have to encourage them in a way that's not demeaning. Not derogatory. But in a way that inspires them to be better not just for themselves, but for their team, their brothers.”
Strange night for you & Ethan, no?
“Yeah. You go from a guy not getting a whole lot of reps to a guy that’s been a starter, obviously you're gonna have guys game plan for you and I don't think Ethan and I responded well to that Saturday night. But obviously again, you learn from it. So as far as that's concerned, man, we now know what we need to do in order to get better. Again, we're far from world beaters yet and that's okay. Because at the end of the day, in the grand scheme of things, we're going into Game 5. You're not supposed to be perfect going into Game 5. So I think that it's one of those things to where it happened. We know what happened. You just got to kind of learn from it.”
Chavis after a loss?
“He's the same guy. He's optimistic. He's the guy who's going to coach you hard, but love you even harder. I think that is essential if you're going to be not just a coach, but someone in a leadership role. Someone who empowers people. Again, obviously, you got to hold them accountable. But you also have to hold them accountable for the good things that they did. And I think that coach Chavis has done a really, really good job of that. And again, you wouldn’t tell he’s a first year position coach, but he is. And he's really really ahead of where you would expect a lot of first-year coaches to be, especially when it comes to taking a loss.”
Key Lawrence
Being physical?
It's our practices. We can't be lackadaisical. We have to be tuned in. Tomorrow will be a physical day for us. We'll try bring everything we got. We have to do everything so it can translate. Practice habits equal game reality. That's the key for us.
Want to get back out there?
Anxious. Pretty anxious. It feels like the first game for us, especially going on an away game and try to take over their track like someone just did ours. It's a big thing for me, especially since we know who we are and everybody knows who we are. We can showcase that this week.
Rotation w/ Broiles?
No comment. I really can't see too much about it. I'm pretty blessed to be on the field.
Healthy?
I'm good.
Good to be on road?
It's a big confidence thing for us. As cliché as it may sound, we honestly needed that to be humbled. We started getting ahead of ourselves. I'm glad that we lost early in the season. Football is a sport where it's better to lose early than later. We've taking the coaching points in all the areas and fix it so it won't happen again.
Jalil Farooq
Improvement?
Just being more consistent. I feel like most of the time we beat ourselves with non-playing penalties, jumping offsides and just not being consistent the whole game. I feel like we need to work on that all week.
Humbled?
We felt like the underdogs coming into this season, dealing with all the adversity that we dealt with. It just put us back to that. Now we're the underdogs again, so we're going to make them feel us this year again.
Loss necessary to understand BV's teachings?
We had to experience it, especially after this loss. We're definitely going to have to experience it. Just listening to our coaches, they're going to be coaching us even harder. We just have to be ready.
DG?
I feel like we all did. I think Dillon, he'll come back and be stronger. He's being more vocal now and just making sure we all stay together. We're brothers. Through everything we went through, all of the losses and everything, we're still here for each other.
DaShaun White
Stopping QB run game?
It's very important. We've got to fit it up right. We've got to get our numbers right. Sometimes the numbers aren't going to be perfect, there's not going to be one extra guy in the fit. You've got to block and make a play. It's that simple. It's easier said than done, but we've got to get it done.
Coaches’ reaction?
All losses suck quite a bit. But I think that this coaching staff is just very intentional about fixing things, which is always the case in a loss, but I think that this coaching staff just really — it sticks out to me just how much it means to them that we never look like that again, so ... yeah.
Message to younger guys?
Been here before. Most important thing is that we stay together. We've got to lean on each other. Everything that we still want is still out there. As cliche as it is, it's true. We're the writer of our own fate. Whatever happens from here on out is up to us.
Toughest adjustment being a cover dude?
Honestly, it’s been the pass coverage. Situations like that. When you’re playing in the box, those situations are few and far in between. It’s something these coaches have helped me a lot with. Even thinking about the play, I think about all the specific coaching points that went into the play and with the hands and punching through. Honestly, the coaches have helped me a lot with that.
LBs vs. TCU?
Oh yea. Very important. I tell the guys all the time that we’re the heartbeat of the entire defense. When we aren’t on our A game, then the defense isn’t on its A game. That’s what I really feel happened on Saturday night. We weren’t sharp enough to be able to lead that group to a win. We just have to be better. We take sole ownership when things are going good, so we have to do the same when it’s going bad, too. Us three in the middle – we have to show up ready to play much better than we did Saturday.
BV reaction vs. Riley reaction?
The meetings. Like I said, I think in the past, we did things a little differently. For everyone, the entire defense to be in the room at one time and for us to watch the film and for everyone to hear this is what you did wrong, you have to do this better. I think that’s really good for everyone to hear and for everyone to know. It’s almost one of those things where the better you know someone else’s position, the better you can play your position.
Isaiah Coe
What’s the difference for you this year?
It’s more enjoyable, I would say that. I’ve been having a lot more fun since the coaches got here. I’ve been smiling more, been interacting more. Just feeling like myself with how I know I can impact the game. Not only on the field, but off the field with my teammates and being interactive. Just being out there for the guys whenever they need me and trying to be there as much as I can.
