Coach Callahan Press Conference Quotes

Preseason Press Conference
Monday, Aug. 6, 11 a.m.

Memorial Stadium

Lincoln, Neb.

 

Opening Statement (Listen)

“It’s an exciting time of year for our football team. We’re glad to be back practicing today. Everybody is in. Everybody has been cleared to play, so right from the get-go, it will be an anxious and eager moment for our team to hit the field this afternoon at 3 p.m. We’re glad to get going, and I know the players are excited about the season. Let’s get it going.”

 

On naming a starting quarterback (Listen)

“We’re going to wait until the week before the (Nevada) Reno game to make that announcement. We’re going to let these guys go into training camp and compete, and that’s what it’s all about ? to get into an environment where you can compete and let your skills shine and let the cream come to the top. That’s where we are, not only at the quarterback position, but at the positions across the board. We have experienced guys, but we start all over again when we get to training camp. We’re at the bottom of the mountain just trying to work our way up to the top. We don’t assume anything. We don’t take anything for granted. We work with each individual like they’ve never heard it before. That’s the approach we’ve taken, and it’s been successful. That’s what we’ll do again this year.”

 

On player rotations at the quarterback position

“The rotations will be balanced to begin with across the board. What we’ll do is have the ability to stagger the rotations, elevate them, decrease them and lead them through the process. As we start doing that, we’ll have ample opportunity to get all these quarterbacks repetitions. We have such a variety of drills to get them competition and get them evaluated that that is not a concern. There will be ample opportunity for all of them to compete and earn the starting position.”

 

On sophomore quarterback Zac Lee

“He is a huge factor. The factor was considered strongly when Zac came in injured. We all remember that when he came out of San FranciscoCityCollege, he was hurt in his last championship game. We told him that we would give him the opportunity to compete for a starting position. To hold true to our word, we want to do that as a coaching staff. That’s a promise I made to him and his family, and I want to make sure that he gets that opportunity in camp. They all get that opportunity, so that’s why there wasn’t a starter named. This should provide for great competition.

 

“But Zac is ready to go. He has been cleared. He has worked out for the last three weeks with our team with (Head Strength)Coach (Dave) Kennedy, and all is on a positive note.”

 

On the depth at quarterback

“We have five quarterbacks on the roster. I look at everyone. You don’t know how things are going to turn out. We have all this training camp, all these practices, all these days and weeks before the opener. It will take a little time before it all starts out.”

 

On what the staff looks for in the top three quarterbacks

“The main thing is the communication and management of the system and making decisions that are high-percentage oriented. That is the key for the quarterback position. We want them to compete, but we want them to go out and be relaxed and compete in a fashion that allows them to succeed. We don’t want them to be anything but themselves when they hit the field. We emphasize decision-making, communication, management of the fundamentals that we’re trying to get across.”

 

On senior cornerback Zack Bowman (Listen)

“Just like I said down in San Antonio, nothing has changed with his status. He is still in rehabilitation. He is the only player who will not practice with the team, but he will be rehabilitating on the side. He’ll be on the sideline at practice, and he’ll be getting mental reps. Mark Mayer, the trainer, will be taking him through a series of drills prior to or thereafter, and there is an opportunity to get some rehabilitation in earlier in the day. We’ll just see. It will be day-to-day. We’ll see where his progress lies and how much better he gets as we proceed through camp.”

 

On freshman running back Quentin Castille (Listen)

“He’s an interesting guy because of his size and speed. He was intriguing when we recruited him. He was the big back that we’ve been looking for to complement Cody Glenn. We have a lot of variety in terms of what we can do. We can utilize a personnel grouping that we call ?big backs’ and put Cody and Castille in the same backfield. We can go to ?rocket backs’ and use Castille and Marlon (Lucky) or Castille and (Marcus) Mendoza. There are a lot of variations that we’re going to work through. We don’t know quite yet until we start working with them what he is able to handle and retain and what packages we can give. It’s just like we did with Brandon Jackson in his freshman year. If you recall, we talked about Brandon in his role as a freshman to complement Cory Ross. Brandon played pretty extensively throughout that first year. It’s important for us as a staff to get these young guys going and give them things in a very simplified fashion so they can execute and play the game fast.”

 

On freshman wide receiver Niles Paul (Listen)

“He will start out at the flanker, what we call the Z position. There’s a lot of flexibility and versatility regarding his position. We can move him around as well. When you go to three-wides or four-wides, you can plug him into various alignments. We’re going to look at that. Again with those young guys, we just want to get them going in the right direction. We want to give them plays and assignments that they can go out and execute at full speed without thinking. That’s a little bit of a juggling act because you have a group of guys who have learned this system in the last four years and know it pretty well, and you have a young group of players coming in and learning it for the first time. It’s going to be important for those older guys to lead the way, set an example and communicate with the younger guys what we’re doing.”

 

On the team’s focus going into camp

“Our focus right now is going out and working as hard as we can, as fast as we can, to be the best team we can possibly be. We don’t worry about all the things that are going on. I know there are a lot of statements being made about where we’re ranked in the North Division and where we’re ranked nationally. As I told the team, it really doesn’t matter. What really matters is how we focus and prepare and what we do on the field ? that’s what we control. That’s where we are as a team today.”

 

On junior I-back Marlon Lucky

“Marlon did a terrific job in the spring. He is in a very good frame of mind. His mindset is exceptional right now. He’s very focused. He has matured and learned, and that is just the natural progress for any college student. I think he has had an excellent summer of preparation. He has put himself in a position to be an outstanding player for our team and contribute at a high level. I’m really pleased with his progress. I’m excited for him as a person and a player, but more as a person. He’s a great kid. If you get the opportunity to talk with him, he’s a little shy, but he is really a great kid. He wants to be great, and we’re going to give him every opportunity to do so.”

 

On senior wide receiver Maurice Purify

“Conditioning is always a concern when someone is not with the team, but Maurice has gone out and conditioned on his own. He has dropped considerable weight. He has himself down at a functional weight where we want him to be, and I have to compliment our players. Our players have embraced Maurice and have extended themselves to him more than anyone I’ve ever seen. They do like Maurice. They love him and want to see him have success and do great things. The selflessness of the guys on this team to grab him and go throw every other day and work out with him and keep him going and keep his motivation was really big for us. I compliment our team and Maurice for staying with it and continuing to move on. As he knows, he’s going to have to earn his spot back. That goes with the territory. He is very remorseful for what occurred. He appreciates the fact that everyone has to earn a position here, and he has accepted that. We’re anxious to watch him go out and earn it back.

 

“There is no question in my mind that he has been exemplary throughout the entire suspension. That was considerably lengthy when you think about being away from a team for seven weeks. That’s one of the most important phases for a team when they are preparing for a season. That’s vital for our chemistry to come together. He has made amends, and he has worked diligently in his community service. He has also worked on his academic requirements and the stipulations put on him from that regard, and he has done an outstanding job. He is maturing. I think this incident will allow him to grow and hopefully can be the type of person we all want him to be.”

 

On deciding between indoor or outdoor conditioning to open camp

“We’re looking at the weather. I know there are storms north of us, so we’re just gauging it. We always make a decision about an hour beforehand so we can set up the equipment, set up the cameras. There are a lot of people involved in the process. We’ll make a decision about 2 p.m., and we hit the field at 3 p.m. We’re hopeful to be on the grass, and we’ll utilize both of those grass fields this year.”

 

On the 2007 schedule (Listen)

“I think it’s a great schedule. It affords us an incredible opportunity to do some great things. That’s a challenge. That’s what I like about our schedule. I think it all fits into place. I don’t think you could have a better schedule. Our players are tremendously excited about the way it lays out with our non-conference opponents and our conference play. We couldn’t be more excited about this schedule. We look forward to it.”

 

On finding an I-back to anchor the position

“We have no idea yet how the rotations will go at running back. Let’s just get these guys an opportunity to go out and compete, and then we’ll finalize roles before the opener. We have tremendous flexibility. There’s a lot of versatility in that backfield. The big thing for us is utilizing all of our backs in some type of a role. How we fit them into the substitution groupings and how we put them on the field is managed by Coach (Randy) Jordan. He has tremendous creativity to figure out roles and plays for those guys and their skills to be utilized. We’ll see how that works out. I think it’s important to understand there is a lot of flexibility. There will be some natural growth at that position with the things we’re trying to get done this year. That’s the challenge for our backs.”

 

On the kickoff return team

“I know for a fact that we have every skilled athlete back there to be evaluated, from the starting corners to the starting I-backs to the safeties. All those players will factor in. To single out one or two wouldn’t be fair. We’ve utilized quite a few of those guys back there a year ago, especially in the spring as we approached the new rule and how to deal with that. All those players from the skilled position ? receivers included ? will be evaluated very strongly in that regard.”

 

On Nebraska’s preseason No. 19 national ranking

“It doesn’t really matter right now. As we focus in, we really just want to zero in on camp and what we have to get accomplished today. That’s been our mantra. That’s where we have succeeded as a football team. Any type of distraction isn’t worth it. What matters is what we do on that field. That’s how we’re measured. There are so many variables that go into rankings and predictions, I couldn’t even begin to start on that. What I do know is what we can control, and that is how we practice and how we perform on a daily basis. That we can measure. All the other stuff, it makes for great fan power and great interest. But as the coach of a team, I don’t put any credence in it.”

 

On the staff’s expectations of the offensive line

 (Listen)

“I think the profile has changed dramatically in the type of linemen that we have wanted. What I mean by that is there are big, square, thick, physical offensive linemen. That profile, physically, has changed. We like tall guys who can protect the edge and take on the speed rushers, but I think the squareness inside is really big. When you have a guy like Matt Slauson, Andy Christensen, Mike Huff, that you can plug inside and get movement up front, I think that’s where it all starts. I think there’s been a natural progression to find a guy like Brett Byford that’s capable of doing the things we want to do in our running game. I think it all starts right there, and that profile has been met.

 

“As we go into camp, we look for our second and third center in (Jacob) Hickman, (Jordan) Picou and (Victory) Haines to see if those guys can plug into that role as well. It starts up front with the center because that’s where the communication begins. The evolution of that offensive line has taken a couple of years to get where it is today.”

 

On looking for upgrades at specific positions

“I wouldn’t single out one area. I would tell you that as a team, as we’re in training camp, it is important that we come together collectively and work as a unit. We want to elevate our chemistry so when we hit the field and encounter adverse situations, we have executed under pressure and practiced those situations. It’s important in training camp to not single out one position. I know people want to talk about the quarterback position, but that will work itself out. I have no doubt about that. I have great confidence in Coach (Shawn) Watson and our quarterback position. It’s more important that the supporting cast elevates itself with the receivers, the tight ends, and our line. If we are playing on the same page and communicating what needs to get accomplished on a particular play, I’d be thrilled. For our team, it’s a huge goal that we do a great job communicating what needs to be done.”

 

On the importance of his fourth season as a head coach

“Every year is important to me. Every win is important to me. Whether it’s the third year, the fourth, the fifth, we’re going to do the best we can. That’s how we go about our business. I think everyone understands that you want to consistently improve. It’s about consistency and elevating your performance. That’s our goal. Our goals are internally very high for our team and our staff. We put that on ourselves that we want to get better every year, whether it’s the first year or the sixth year or the 12th year. We just want to keep getting better.”

 

On measuring success of the program and past recruiting classes

“We still have players on our roster that were recruited by the previous staff. I don’t discriminate between them. They are our kids. We love them. They are ours, and we embrace that. I don’t look at football like that. I look at it as an opportunity to better a young man, a student-athlete, a football team, a program. I don’t start measuring us against the past or the future or any other teams across the country. I just really look at what we do internally to measure us.”

 

On senior quarterback Sam Keller embracing a leadership role 

“I haven’t seen that because I can’t coach him in the summer, so it’s hard to make a statement relative to leadership skills. I had him, Joey (Ganz), Beau (Davis) and Pat (Witt) in spring football. Really, in spring ball, you have 13 or 14 practices to get them oriented with the system. I think during the summer, the players would have a better response than I would. I say that because the players are together all summer. They lift together, they run together, they go out together. I would lean to a player to make that statement, but I know he does all the right things.”

 

On Keller’s contributions to the team in 2006 (Listen)

“I see him as an individual who is selfless. When he first arrived, it was interesting that he wanted to go down to the scout team and work. He wanted to stay fresh, crisp. He wanted to keep his execution at a high level, and he wanted to work. I think that’s key. When you have players who love to work and love the game and they are selfless and want to go down to the scout team with only one year of eligibility remaining, that says a lot to me. That says he wants to keep his sword sharpened. He wants to work hard and prepare himself for an opportunity. He understood that when he came in here. We were clear about that.”

 

On establishing a kicking game

“It’s key. There’s no question about it. Place-kicks will be just as important as the field goals because we all know it’s a game of field position. With this new rule going in, I think it will have a dramatic effect on the offense’s drive start and where the ball is actually put into play after the return.

 

The better kicker you have, the better your odds in field position play. It’s going to be strategic in that respect. No doubt about it, our field goal kicking is going to be a huge evaluation going in. With Adi (Kunalic) and Alex Henery from Omaha, both of those guys did a nice job this summer from what I understand. Jake Wesch is going to handle some punting chores, as well as Dan Titchener. Those are the four specialists we have in camp, and those are the guys we’re evaluating at the current moment.”

 

On the front four (Listen)

“I love our front, and I say that because they are experienced. If you look at the front four, you’ll see Ndamukong Suh, who can be a dominant player in this conference. Barry Turner came in and was a freshman All-American, and he was an outstanding speed rusher. I think when you look at him physically, you’ll see the difference in his size and how he has developed himself. Ty Steinkuhler is another individual who has exceeded our expectations and has the versatility to play inside and outside and give us the solid, consistent play that we want from a three technique or a five technique.

 

The big-cent position is an area that we are going to evaluate strongly. We have a lot of possibilities there with Zach Potter, Pierre Allen, David Harvey. We have the flexibility to move out of the four-three and into the three-four if we so desire. I’m counting on not only that front line, but also on those linebackers to provide some speed rushing as well. Steve Octavien can do that coming off the edge, which allows another linebacker on the field with quality. I keep harping that we have to be versatile in this defense because we can plug you in just about anywhere to create the match-up that we want.”

 

On working with the three-four defense

“We are wide open. We have players across the board that allow us to do that. We can put them in the three-man line or the four-man line, or stay in the four-man line and give the three-man look. I think that’s all a part of it. Again, you like to be multiple in your fronts in this day and age. The more multiple that you are, it can create a lot of confusion for an opponent that likes a scheme. I like giving a team a lot of different looks. I think when you do that, it makes the opponent prepare much harder. It makes them simplify their package. I enjoy that, and it’s something we’re going to look at again in the next few days.”

 

On sophomore I-back Major Culbert starting in the backfield

“He’s going to be a running back. We have six running backs in camp ? Culbert, (Cody) Glenn, (Marlon) Lucky, (Marcus) Mendoza, (Roy) Helu and (Quentin) Castille.”

 

On freshman roles in the back end

“Prince Amukamara is going to start at corner. We’re going to put him at the corner position to begin with and look at his skills there. He had a great summer from what I understand, and all those kids had a great start. (Eric) Hagg will start at safety; that is his starting position. Anthony Blue will be at the corner position as well. Those are the only three freshmen we have on the back end.

 

“We had 15 freshmen on campus this summer. That’s tremendous. I think the new rules that allow an incoming freshman on scholarship to come in and go to school on scholarship is a huge advantage these days. We do take advantage of that. Those 15 who came in did very well. That little group averaged around a 3.7 grade-point average for the summer, which is very impressive for a young group of kids to come in and show that maturity. They balance that with all the responsibilities and obligations that they have as student-athletes. Attending 7 a.m. runs is no fun, so their dedication has been outstanding. I commend them on what they did in the classroom, and I couldn’t be more pleased with those kids.”

 

On freshman Latravis Washington

“We’re going to put him at linebacker. He’ll be starting out at Will linebacker.”

 

On roster limitations of 105 players

“We have 105 guys, and it’s unfortunate that we couldn’t bring the rest of them in. We have a great squad. It’s disappointing that a player has worked hard and couldn’t be part of the 105. In some senses, it’s very unfair. You have guys who work out with your team for the entirety of the summer and are disappointed at the end because they aren’t allowed to be in the 105. I understand that a rule is a rule, but when you look that young man in the eye and let him know he won’t be a part of your training camp roster, that hurts deep. We’re sensitive to that. We want to make those guys who aren’t part of the 105 feel just as important as anybody on the football team. They are welcome to be at practice and be in the picture on picture day. They can be around the facility. We can’t coach them, but those are the rules. That’s a tough rule, especially when you have a large roster. It’s really unfortunate when you have a number of those guys who want to be a part of your roster.”

 

On freshman defensive back Shawn Sullivan

“Shawn is at corner. We’re going to start all those guys at corner and see what they can do on the edge and see what their skills are like. If need be, we’ll move them inside. It’s important for us to get the evaluation of their corner skills first before we make any declaration of a move or an adjustment to a slot ? nickel back or dime back. We’re going to try to get those guys lined up at the corner position and really look hard at what they can do from that position. You can never have too many corners, especially in the Big 12 Conference. We’re going to see three- and four-wide receiver sets at a weekly dose. It’s important that we have corners who can match up against the size we’re going to see.”