Not really about Kansas during KU week.
Alex Grinch
Lack of INTs?
You’re always optimistic they’re going to come. No. 1 being top down, No. 2 having disciplined eyes and No. 3 being competitive at the catch point. At times, we do all those things. Then other instances, where all you have to do is catch the ones that they throw you. So we’ve had some of those that we haven’t secured. So certainly disappointed that way and our inability to do each and every one of those things at any level of consistency. So no, do you believe it’s going to come? Yeah, you believe it’s going to come. That’s why you practice every single day. It would be no different if the quarterback’s throwing incompletions and you say, ‘OK, what do you do?’ You work at it. You practice at it. Then obviously, you evaluate too, what can you do to put the guys in better positions to be successful? They practice, we coach. They gotta catch it, but we gotta coach. OK, how do we improve their eyes? Is it playing more zone, is it playing more man? Is it getting them closer to the receivers, or is it putting them in space to have discipline eyes? Or is it simply, the ball’s laying on the hash, we should have someone on the hash, where is he? It’s a bust. I go back to actually talk about this defensively, I shared this, Tre Norwood, a year ago, he was the hash drop, got a pick on the hash mark, 10 yards deep against Baylor, when he was what we call the widen guy, or numbers guy. One of the coaching points is to deepen, where he got the interception. Is he widened, is he deepened. In the Big 12 game against Iowa State, it’s a slight post technique, working RPO game, against Texas Tech last year, and twice were rewarded with tipped balls, but he’s playing his technique. It’s just interesting when guys are where they’re supposed to be, when they’re supposed to be there. There’s a consistent pattern in that as well, but again, you still gotta finish the play. So, no, extremely disappointed in the lack of takeaways. I don’t want to go down this road and say we’re back to being that unit that can’t get ‘em. It’s not a can’t. We just haven’t. Specifically last week. So keep working at it and keep grinding.
Defense regress b/c offense has progressed?
You know, we certainly have been guilty of that at times around here. It's been a major focus point, frustration point and one of the things we say is our performance always matters. It always matters, regardless of what the scoreboard reads, whether we're up by 10, up by 20, whether the offense is having success or not having success. That's something we have to be very conscious of is making sure that we're all conscious enough about our careers and our performance matters as players and coaches. I do think that's part of it. Also, are you giving into your feelings? If I as a defensive back get beat on a vertical concept and I can come to the sideline and make an excuse, and say, well it wasn't me. Inevitably, oftentimes, something comes your way and it should be you. We've gotta make sure that our focus remains on the next play, our focus remains on playing to the best of our individual ability and collectively will raise our game from there. But we've gotta make sure again, our performance can't be attached to the scoreboard. Our performance can't be attached to the particular opponent that we play. We play better when our backs are against the wall, all those things you can come up with is unacceptable and something that you're never past, and clearly we're unfortunately proving that right now. You never check that box and say we never have to worry about that again, whether it's tackling or explosive plays or having an emotional reaction to scoreboards or plays that happened in the past. We talk about responding a lot. Responding not based on how you feel, but based on what you need to do. We talk a lot about being the best version of you and in order to do that, you have to respond to what's happening in an appropriate way, and we're not responding real well right now. That's something as a coach, you've gotta look back at and say, how am I missing with this group? Being too positive? Being too negative? And whether that's on the sideline during the game or in the week prior to, but we have to respond a whole lot better.
***
Jadon Haselwood
Mr. Rattler?
Spence is my locker mate man. So I mean of course it's different for him. But I mean he's still around. And I mean he's still a team player. He was excited for me Saturday, and I mean, that's like my brother so we gonna always root for each other regardless.
Offensive differences?
I say we just executing. I mean, executing the deep ball. Even in practice, I mean, we working on that type stuff and practicing trying to get it right for Saturday. And everybody's like I said earlier, everybody's more in sync. We're in our midseason form. So I mean, we try to get better every week. And I feel like we are as an offense.
***
Andrew Raym
Building QB rapport different b/w Caleb vs. Spencer?
It wasn’t too bad. We practice with both quarterbacks throughout the week, both quarterbacks with reps with each team. I mean our mindset as an offensive line doesn’t change for whoever is behind us. Caleb is doing a great job and leading the team well, but the offensive line is always going to have the same mindset.
Learn about preparation?
This season has definitely been a bunch of lessons for me teaching me a lot to get in the swing of things. One thing I would say is the biggest thing for me is preparation in the film room and really learning how to break a defense down. Understand what’s going on, tendencies, what defenses are going to do in certain formations. I think that’s what’s really helped me the most is learning how to break down film. Also, taking care of our bodies. Being in the treatment and utilizing our facilities with those cold tubs, hot tubs, for sure, is a big key to it.
***
Key Lawrence
I'm stirring the pot about how much Fields & DTY have helped him?
Probably without them two I probably wouldn’t know exactly how good of a defense that we have. Like I wouldn’t know how to diagnose it. Like those two guys specifically helped me analyze defenses quicker, break it up into different categories where I can understand it better. Just been ready to hop in at any position and execute at any position because it’s a big deal for us. And especially Coach Grinch preaches if you’re a DB, you’ve got to be able to understand how to play every position. So it’s been good having them as my mentors and role models on the back end.
Injuries?
I mean, only difficulty that we have is probably at practice being able to rotate, not being able to rotate a lot with the depth that we have right now. But honestly, we’re okay. We bounced back. Guys coming back slowly but surely. We haven’t never had a liftoff. It wasn’t a big deal because we’ve been practicing this from Day 1. Since Fall Camp, since Spring Ball, we understand the consequences because of COVID. With the COVID issues being down from last year, I’m pretty sure across the country we all had to adapt. Just being able to next man up, we have to keep moving forward.
***
Perrion Winfrey
What happened vs. TCU?
I would blame it on us. If we’re not getting to the quarterback, it’s one hundred percent on us. Our job is to get to the quarterback and create pressure and create havoc. If we’re not doing that, it doesn’t look right. We can feel it and know that it doesn’t look right. We’re just gonna go back to the drawing board like we have this week and practice better. Our practice habits create game habits. If we’re not practicing, it shows up on the game film. We realize that. We’ve had player meetings about that. We realize we need to come together and work our asses off to produce and keep producing and producing and producing and producing. That’s what we’re gonna do.
Help to have Monday 'off' in a way?
It was definitely nice. Less strain on our bodies, so we were able to prepare more mentally, because this is a mental game as well as a physical game. We were able to come in and focus more on the mental part of the game. Being able to come in and focus more on the mental part of the game helps on Tuesday and Wednesday. Those mistakes that we usually make on Mondays we were able to focus more on the mental aspect of the game. I felt like it helped us out a lot.
***
Kennedy Brooks
OL improvement?
It’s a mindset. Just paying close attention to the details. Not being satisfied with what we’re doing. Always trying to do more, always just trying to be different than the guy in front of you, so chasing for that goal or chasing for that accomplishment all the time to winning one-on-winning is pushing everybody to do better. That’s what we thrive on. We can’t do anything without the O Line. With them leading the way, we can do so many things. They’re the heartbeat or whatever for this team and they’re doing a great job.
I ask about Marcus Major?
He’s a very positive person. He was already locked in, he was already getting better in practice. Just him coming over and actually practicing with us is no different. He’s paying attention more to detail more than ever, he’s ready to play so I cant’ wait to see what happens when he goes in.
Raym?
Yea, he has matured a lot. His attention to knowing the defensive schemes and knowing where to go, understanding other people’ jobs. With him coming here, he played other positions so he knows how it is. With that understanding and him playing center and coach Bedenbaugh working with him, he’s doing a great job. He’s getting better every single week. But we’ve all still got a lot to go, so I can’t wait to see what happens.
***
Jeremiah Hall
Mr. Brooks' running style? Ever seen anything like it?
Not really. I always clown him because he always looks like he’s running slow, both on TV and in person. But honestly when you’re out there on the field next to him, He’s actually moving pretty fast as he’s said in his interviews before. He’s trying. He’s moving. I think his style is just so smooth. His cuts are so smooth and precise that it looks effortless. But he gets the job done, and I’m out there balling behind him.
Enjoying your last go-round at OU?
Ever since I was a kid in elementary school and middle school and in high school, my mom always would me my last year, my first day she was saying, ‘Jeremiah, live your year with no regrets because this is your last one,’ and she's done the same thing this year in college, us knowing that this is my last year. I think I'm kind of living a little bit more, I wouldn’t say on the edge but I'm just leaving it all out there, taking advantage of every opportunity, I'm hanging with friends whenever I can. I'm trying to be a smiling face everywhere I go, just to let people know that I'm just enjoying the last little bit of time I have left. So to answer your question, yeah, I'm having a blast.
Alex Grinch
Lack of INTs?
You’re always optimistic they’re going to come. No. 1 being top down, No. 2 having disciplined eyes and No. 3 being competitive at the catch point. At times, we do all those things. Then other instances, where all you have to do is catch the ones that they throw you. So we’ve had some of those that we haven’t secured. So certainly disappointed that way and our inability to do each and every one of those things at any level of consistency. So no, do you believe it’s going to come? Yeah, you believe it’s going to come. That’s why you practice every single day. It would be no different if the quarterback’s throwing incompletions and you say, ‘OK, what do you do?’ You work at it. You practice at it. Then obviously, you evaluate too, what can you do to put the guys in better positions to be successful? They practice, we coach. They gotta catch it, but we gotta coach. OK, how do we improve their eyes? Is it playing more zone, is it playing more man? Is it getting them closer to the receivers, or is it putting them in space to have discipline eyes? Or is it simply, the ball’s laying on the hash, we should have someone on the hash, where is he? It’s a bust. I go back to actually talk about this defensively, I shared this, Tre Norwood, a year ago, he was the hash drop, got a pick on the hash mark, 10 yards deep against Baylor, when he was what we call the widen guy, or numbers guy. One of the coaching points is to deepen, where he got the interception. Is he widened, is he deepened. In the Big 12 game against Iowa State, it’s a slight post technique, working RPO game, against Texas Tech last year, and twice were rewarded with tipped balls, but he’s playing his technique. It’s just interesting when guys are where they’re supposed to be, when they’re supposed to be there. There’s a consistent pattern in that as well, but again, you still gotta finish the play. So, no, extremely disappointed in the lack of takeaways. I don’t want to go down this road and say we’re back to being that unit that can’t get ‘em. It’s not a can’t. We just haven’t. Specifically last week. So keep working at it and keep grinding.
Defense regress b/c offense has progressed?
You know, we certainly have been guilty of that at times around here. It's been a major focus point, frustration point and one of the things we say is our performance always matters. It always matters, regardless of what the scoreboard reads, whether we're up by 10, up by 20, whether the offense is having success or not having success. That's something we have to be very conscious of is making sure that we're all conscious enough about our careers and our performance matters as players and coaches. I do think that's part of it. Also, are you giving into your feelings? If I as a defensive back get beat on a vertical concept and I can come to the sideline and make an excuse, and say, well it wasn't me. Inevitably, oftentimes, something comes your way and it should be you. We've gotta make sure that our focus remains on the next play, our focus remains on playing to the best of our individual ability and collectively will raise our game from there. But we've gotta make sure again, our performance can't be attached to the scoreboard. Our performance can't be attached to the particular opponent that we play. We play better when our backs are against the wall, all those things you can come up with is unacceptable and something that you're never past, and clearly we're unfortunately proving that right now. You never check that box and say we never have to worry about that again, whether it's tackling or explosive plays or having an emotional reaction to scoreboards or plays that happened in the past. We talk about responding a lot. Responding not based on how you feel, but based on what you need to do. We talk a lot about being the best version of you and in order to do that, you have to respond to what's happening in an appropriate way, and we're not responding real well right now. That's something as a coach, you've gotta look back at and say, how am I missing with this group? Being too positive? Being too negative? And whether that's on the sideline during the game or in the week prior to, but we have to respond a whole lot better.
***
Jadon Haselwood
Mr. Rattler?
Spence is my locker mate man. So I mean of course it's different for him. But I mean he's still around. And I mean he's still a team player. He was excited for me Saturday, and I mean, that's like my brother so we gonna always root for each other regardless.
Offensive differences?
I say we just executing. I mean, executing the deep ball. Even in practice, I mean, we working on that type stuff and practicing trying to get it right for Saturday. And everybody's like I said earlier, everybody's more in sync. We're in our midseason form. So I mean, we try to get better every week. And I feel like we are as an offense.
***
Andrew Raym
Building QB rapport different b/w Caleb vs. Spencer?
It wasn’t too bad. We practice with both quarterbacks throughout the week, both quarterbacks with reps with each team. I mean our mindset as an offensive line doesn’t change for whoever is behind us. Caleb is doing a great job and leading the team well, but the offensive line is always going to have the same mindset.
Learn about preparation?
This season has definitely been a bunch of lessons for me teaching me a lot to get in the swing of things. One thing I would say is the biggest thing for me is preparation in the film room and really learning how to break a defense down. Understand what’s going on, tendencies, what defenses are going to do in certain formations. I think that’s what’s really helped me the most is learning how to break down film. Also, taking care of our bodies. Being in the treatment and utilizing our facilities with those cold tubs, hot tubs, for sure, is a big key to it.
***
Key Lawrence
I'm stirring the pot about how much Fields & DTY have helped him?
Probably without them two I probably wouldn’t know exactly how good of a defense that we have. Like I wouldn’t know how to diagnose it. Like those two guys specifically helped me analyze defenses quicker, break it up into different categories where I can understand it better. Just been ready to hop in at any position and execute at any position because it’s a big deal for us. And especially Coach Grinch preaches if you’re a DB, you’ve got to be able to understand how to play every position. So it’s been good having them as my mentors and role models on the back end.
Injuries?
I mean, only difficulty that we have is probably at practice being able to rotate, not being able to rotate a lot with the depth that we have right now. But honestly, we’re okay. We bounced back. Guys coming back slowly but surely. We haven’t never had a liftoff. It wasn’t a big deal because we’ve been practicing this from Day 1. Since Fall Camp, since Spring Ball, we understand the consequences because of COVID. With the COVID issues being down from last year, I’m pretty sure across the country we all had to adapt. Just being able to next man up, we have to keep moving forward.
***
Perrion Winfrey
What happened vs. TCU?
I would blame it on us. If we’re not getting to the quarterback, it’s one hundred percent on us. Our job is to get to the quarterback and create pressure and create havoc. If we’re not doing that, it doesn’t look right. We can feel it and know that it doesn’t look right. We’re just gonna go back to the drawing board like we have this week and practice better. Our practice habits create game habits. If we’re not practicing, it shows up on the game film. We realize that. We’ve had player meetings about that. We realize we need to come together and work our asses off to produce and keep producing and producing and producing and producing. That’s what we’re gonna do.
Help to have Monday 'off' in a way?
It was definitely nice. Less strain on our bodies, so we were able to prepare more mentally, because this is a mental game as well as a physical game. We were able to come in and focus more on the mental part of the game. Being able to come in and focus more on the mental part of the game helps on Tuesday and Wednesday. Those mistakes that we usually make on Mondays we were able to focus more on the mental aspect of the game. I felt like it helped us out a lot.
***
Kennedy Brooks
OL improvement?
It’s a mindset. Just paying close attention to the details. Not being satisfied with what we’re doing. Always trying to do more, always just trying to be different than the guy in front of you, so chasing for that goal or chasing for that accomplishment all the time to winning one-on-winning is pushing everybody to do better. That’s what we thrive on. We can’t do anything without the O Line. With them leading the way, we can do so many things. They’re the heartbeat or whatever for this team and they’re doing a great job.
I ask about Marcus Major?
He’s a very positive person. He was already locked in, he was already getting better in practice. Just him coming over and actually practicing with us is no different. He’s paying attention more to detail more than ever, he’s ready to play so I cant’ wait to see what happens when he goes in.
Raym?
Yea, he has matured a lot. His attention to knowing the defensive schemes and knowing where to go, understanding other people’ jobs. With him coming here, he played other positions so he knows how it is. With that understanding and him playing center and coach Bedenbaugh working with him, he’s doing a great job. He’s getting better every single week. But we’ve all still got a lot to go, so I can’t wait to see what happens.
***
Jeremiah Hall
Mr. Brooks' running style? Ever seen anything like it?
Not really. I always clown him because he always looks like he’s running slow, both on TV and in person. But honestly when you’re out there on the field next to him, He’s actually moving pretty fast as he’s said in his interviews before. He’s trying. He’s moving. I think his style is just so smooth. His cuts are so smooth and precise that it looks effortless. But he gets the job done, and I’m out there balling behind him.
Enjoying your last go-round at OU?
Ever since I was a kid in elementary school and middle school and in high school, my mom always would me my last year, my first day she was saying, ‘Jeremiah, live your year with no regrets because this is your last one,’ and she's done the same thing this year in college, us knowing that this is my last year. I think I'm kind of living a little bit more, I wouldn’t say on the edge but I'm just leaving it all out there, taking advantage of every opportunity, I'm hanging with friends whenever I can. I'm trying to be a smiling face everywhere I go, just to let people know that I'm just enjoying the last little bit of time I have left. So to answer your question, yeah, I'm having a blast.
