NEW ORLEANS — LSU head coach Les Miles and Notre Dame’s Charlie Weis completed their pregame media obligations on Tuesday morning with one final press conference at the Marriott.
LSU Quotes
January 2, 2007
LSU head Coach Les Miles
Opening comments
“First of all, I’d like to thank the Allstate Sugar Bowl hospitality and the service has been great. I can tell you that every event has been run extremely well and how fortunate we are, to be the LSU team, to be participating in this Sugar Bowl. As we travel through the city and went to events, the people that came up to us and shared their Katrina story or expressed a very warm welcome to their LSU tigers to play at the Sugar Bowl. I can tell you that the circumstances they led us here; all year long we pursed the championship, fell short and in our daily work, we prepared to come to the Sugar Bowl. We fell short and fortunately the set of circumstances returned us to this game. I can tell you that we’re thrilled and that there could be no other bowl game for this year’s LSU Tigers. We look forward to participating and see Notre Dame as a tremendous opponent. The Notre Dame offense has balance, a 400-yard offense, great quarterback in Brady Quinn, a very apt receiving corps, good balance with a great running back, it’s going to be a tremendous test for us. On their defensive side they have real strong, physical tacklers and are very capable. They have a nice front seven, a line-backing corps and defensive front that could play in any league. So we understand the match up. They have a tremendous punter, the guy averages 45 yards per punt. The match up is one where LSU plays a very talented Notre Dame team and we certainly look forward to that match up.
On the comebacks from other teams in other bowl games this year
“I can tell you that having watched the Boise State / Oklahoma game, we put their two point play in, just so you know. I think that each bowl season is a different season. I think the character of the team, the veterans that play make the decision that this game is important to them and they bring that team along with them and that they play well. I think a bowl season is separate from the regular season because of the break and the time. It requires a singular focus, it’s all different. After the six game week streak it’s a long time to go. We’re looking to play out best game against a great opponent this Wednesday.”
On how much past bowl games and previous rankings help a team
“I think that there’s great momentum that can be gained by a good bowl showing. I think that it helps in recruiting and that it certainly helps in the preseason rankings but I have to be real honest with you, that bears no real motivation as you prepare your team for a bowl game. You prepare your team to play an opponent, your players look at their match ups and they’re challenged by a great opponent the represent the city, the state and a great school and it’s important that their showing is a sincere one and they show tremendous effort. Although, the perimeter motivations are significant to those people who understand them, I don’t know if you take this into a first round call.”
On an LSU injury update on (Jacob) Hester, (Craig) Davis and (Ali) Highsmith
“All those guys are as healthy as they can be and those injuries will have no effect in their playing time.”
On the death of Darrent Williams
“Darrent was in my first recruiting class at Oklahoma State. He was a guy with great speed, a little skinny kid out of Dallas, Texas, with great potential and ended up starting in the back-end of his freshman year. He played extremely well and had a great career as a punt returner and cornerback, very bright student and very ambitious man. It’s sad to see a life with so much potential cut short. My father gave the old proximity rule when I was young man: ?If you put yourself in proximity, if you get out there too much, the odds will get you.’ I don’t know if that was the case in this instance but certainly his mother, Oklahoma State, and his high school, who were so proud of him, are saddened today.”
On becoming weary on hearing all the comments on this years LSU’s team
“The only thing I can tell you is this: I like to be a talented team. I certainly think that talent is a piece of the puzzle but I don’t think a team wins a game with just talent. I don’t get weary of it but if they start telling me: ?Boy that team is not very talented,’ I’ll be concerned.”
On how difficult it is to answer media inquiries about possible coaching job opportunities
“LSU has every possible facet that would make a family-man coach happy. Great state, great opportunities for his kids. The opportunity to win, and a school that gives you great tools. (LSU is) able to support a young man’s academic desires, you have every reason to win and to be successful here. Great weather. The Miles family would like to end our coaching tenure right here, in several years, 18 to 20 years.”
On practicing scenarios for trick plays
“We’ve got a big bag (of tricks). Coach Fisher has a number of tricks in his bag. It’s all based on the timing of the play and what you would expect from the formation and how it’s setup. It’s nice to see from the offensive side a well-conceived play setup and called at the right time. That back (Ian Johnson), it took him forever to get into the end zone.”
On the lag time in preparation
“I’m happy with the preparation. I can tell you that I didn’t go into the Peach Bowl with the idea that we were going to win 40-3. I think game night that there’s a specific chemistry and feel that you get the time you play. That’s why you play it at a site and a time. It’s not won in the preparation. You can lose it by not preparing well. But you have to play it. It has to be the significance in the night and how you play and how prepared you are. Everyone asks me: ?Are you ready? Are you ready?’ I don’t get ready until just before we’re ready to play. I focus on the fact that right now it’s a Friday in the game week. We’re really focusing our brains and looking at specifics and circumstances and working through a mental aspect of the game that hopefully we’ll be able to execute very well in the game on Wednesday.”
Jan. 2, 2006
Notre Dame Head Coach Charlie Weis
Press Conference Quotes
Opening Statement
“The best part about today is it’s only one day away from tomorrow. When you play these bowl games, I’m sure it’s the same way for the media and LSU, is its takes an eternity before you actually play these games. You get down here with more than a normal week’s schedule with extra time and football players are usually creatures of habit, so as of right now I think our players are anxious to get to tomorrow evening. Get to the game and get all the hoopla out of the way and play football again.”
On Brady Quinn’s relationship with Tom Brady
“I set it up. I’m the one who gets the phone calls coordinated. There are a number of positives that come out of that, no negatives. I wanted it to start with Brady understanding me the way Tommy does. And that led to finishing your career and moving on to the next level. It’s been everything in between from the start to the end. I think Tommy is someone Brady will always be able to turn to as a person for advice. I can think of a lot worse people for Brady Quinn to be going to that Tommy Brady.
On having a special 2-point play in your back pocket
“We have two-point plays that we practice every week should the situation occur. I think that when the situation occurs you don’t save the good stuff. You dial it up and be ready to go. I’m not that extravagant though.”
On national media saying ND doesn’t belong here, double-digit underdog, etc..
“Yes we do get tired of hearing it and yes we use it as motivation. But the bottom line when its all said and done it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. The bottom line is when you go out there and kick it off you are going to be knocking each other in the mouth and that motivation stuff doesn’t last very long its really how you play. I think we try to spend more time getting ready with the Xs and Os then worrying about the plight in dealing with the negative comments.
About not having his team ready to early and pacing them
“They’re ancy. It’s unusual for them. To pull them back is not my normal mentality. I think they’re ancy, that would be the best word.”
On JaMarcus Russell and his ability in the pocket
“Any drop back quarterback is more dangerous in the pocket. A 100 percent of the time a drop back quarterback is more dangerous when he is sitting in the pocket. That being said JaMarcus is not a guy who breaks the pocket and automatically tuck the ball down and go. He keeps his eyes down the field looking to make plays. That makes him even more dangerous. A lot of younger quarterbacks do not master that one element because they think once they break the pocket they should bring the ball down and go. And he does a nice job of keeping his eyes down the field and looking for opportunities to throw.”
On what it’s going to take for Notre Dame to win the game
“I think that is important against a team as talented as LSU for you to have the opportunity to win the game you have to play a complimentary game. People don’t understand what complimentary is, but I think its important that our offense, defense and special teams have a team plan. You can’t separate them, you have to put them in sync. When you’re playing a game against a team that athletic and talented and productive as well and you don’t set the team with a plan and say this is what it’s going to take for you to win the game then you have no chance.
“The most important thing our teams need to understand is the first quarter. LSU has outscored their opponents by 100 points in the first quarter. We have to understand what’s it going to take to adjust to the tempo of the game. First of all, you are playing on field turf and not on grass, you’re playing against a hostile crowd and you can’t take advantage of the snap count. There are a number of factors you have to factor in when you’re doing that. But the bottom line is you have to make sure the first quarter of the game doesn’t get away from you; that it’s not 21-0.”
On what a victory over LSU would mean
“First of all we are not coming down here just to have a festive time. I hope everyone else is but we are coming down here to win a football game. And we know are going against a formidable opponent that is one of the best teams in the Southeastern Conference and in the country. Our team really needs to win this game. Not just want to win this game, needs to win this game. I think that I’ve always stressed to the guys that cover us on a daily basis. My only need to win this game is not only for the whole university, because it would be great for the university and everything else but we need to win this for the guys walking out the door. It’s a special group of guys. I can’t imagine a group of guys and I’ve only been in college a couple of years, but I can’t imagine a group of guys I like more than this team right here.”
On the LSU wide receiver trio of D. Bowe, C. Davis and E. Doucet
“One of the reasons JaMarcus Russell‘s pass percentage is so high is because all those guys make all the plays.”
On the difference between coaching college players and pro players
“In the 15 years I was in the NFL there are different types of mentalities to the team. And toward the end of my career I was involved with a team that bonded. The camaraderie was great with the Patriots when we were winning three out of four (Super Bowls) when I was there. The one thing (Bill) Belichick was able to do that I thought was very insightful was he found a way to make the team buy into the team being what it was all about. The team I am involved with right now is that type of team. There is not one person on our team that I would classify as selfish. These guys are very close and they care about each other and they are not about hot-dogging. They are all about what they can do to help the team win.”
On having LSU players with the New England Patriots
“When we got guys from LSU we knew they would be ready to go. Problem with a lot of programs is you get a guy in and it takes them two years before they are ready to play in the NFL. And that was not usually the case with a guy coming from LSU. Players from LSU were already hardened and battle-tested and fit well with our personalities. That makes a big difference because when you are brining people in and you know these guys are ready to go it gives you a better chance of getting them on the field.”
On having bulletin board material
“To be diplomatic. ? the bulletin board is full. As far as that goes our players are respectful of the LSU players and their program. They are not worrying too much over anything anyone says. I don’t think for one second we would be disrespectful to any of our opponents. We have talked about the five losses we’ve had in two years and with the exception of the USC game last year all four of the other games came down to us being tight at the start of the game. I promise you one thing. I don’t know how we’ll play, but we are not going to be tight at the start of the game.”
On the LSU running game and Jacob Hester
“They have four different guys that really show up at halfback for them. Their body types and skill levels are different. Everyone thinks they just plug in another running back and run the same stuff. And anyone who coaches offensive football knows that’s not the way it works. You go from a guy weighing 200 to a guy weighing 250 and the mentality of their running style is different. Our defensive players have to be aware of each of them running styles.
“The thing about him is they play him at both halfback and fullback. Statistically, he was their best runner this year. But he might be just as dangerous when you put him at fullback and throw to him out of the backfield. He’s probably the most dependable guy they have at the halfback position and he is splitting time at fullback. He definitely brings a lot to the table. He is your true NFL tweener. He is one of those guys you can play at halfback and fullback and therefore they become invaluable because there are multiple things you can do.”