Shoop: Our Players Are Very Resilient

Shoop: Our Players Are Very Resilient

March 07, 2019 | Football

Photo Gallery: Practice No. 2 Watch: Bob Shoop Media Session Watch: Chris Marve Media Session

by Brandon Langlois, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Thursday marked the second practice of spring camp for Mississippi State. Head football coach Joe Moorhead and the Bulldogs worked out for a little more than two hours at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex. State will take a week off for spring break before returning to the field on March 21.

Defensive coordinator and 2018 Broyles Award finalist Bob Shoop as well as new defensive run game coordinator/linebackers coach Chris Marve met with the media following practice.

Below are quotes from Coach Shoop and Coach Marve's media sessions:

Defensive Coordinator Bob Shoop
March 7, 2019

On replacing a lot of NFL talent that was on the roster ...
"That's the nature of college football. You only have guys for three or four years as is. So hopefully you recruit well. Rather than replace, you use the term reload. This unit will be different than last year's unit. It has every opportunity to be just as successful as last year's unit, but guys have to step up, guys have new roles. Obviously upfront we still think we're as good as anybody at the defensive end position. You've got guys like Kobe Jones and Chauncey Rivers and Fletcher Adams who played a lot last year and a guy like Marquiss Spencer who a year ago this time we thought was one of our best players and missed the entire year. He's like signing a free agent. Inside, Lee Autry is a really good player and I couldn't be more excited to watch a guy like Fabien Lovett or Jaden Crumedy. Kendell Jones is an older guy who's just waited for his opportunity to take advantage of it. Looking forward to watching those guys compete and do their thing. Linebackers should be a strength. Willie Gay Jr., Leo Lewis, and Erroll Thompson have played as much football as anybody in this conference. Should give us a good group there along with Tim Washington, Aaron Brule and Nathaniel Watson. Our corners are very solid. Cameron Dantzler will be an upper-level SEC player. Maurice Smitherman was as consistent as any player on the unit last year. One of the negatives last year was Brian Cole got hurt early then Jaquarius Landrews got hurt but the positive was that it allowed a lot of people to play. So with Brian Cole being back and really not missing much of a beat, looks really good the first two days. Landrews is now going to work out at strong safety and is doing a great job and communicating well. C.J. Morgan, he's limited right now but a great four or five games he had last year. Marcus Murphy stepping in there has done a really good job through the first two practices. And we got a junior college guy named Fred Peters who had an interception today in practice who's so far as advertised. It's not so much about the guys that aren't here. I'm just looking forward to working with the guys that are here and developing the identity of the 2019 version of this unit."

On Coach Chris Marve ...
"He's a hard worker, he's done a great job. He brings some energy and some passion. I think the thing that always happens — our players are very resilient and they've had a significant amount of change on the defensive side of the ball as far as coaches throughout most of these guys' careers. This year just doesn't happen to be at the defensive coordinator position so I think that they're very resilient. I always tell them even though change creates anxiety, it also creates a fresh start, it creates a new opportunity. And I think for instance a guy like Kendall Jones has taken advantage of that, so it's a fresh opportunity for him. At linebacker, there's certainly guys like Tim Washington or Leo Lewis who may desire more reps. It's a fresh start for them to work with a new coach."

On the potential impact of Fred Peters ...
"Hard to say. I don't want to put that much pressure on him. You don't recruit a junior college player with the thought that hopefully down the road he'll play. He's very decorated, Player of the Year type things, defensive MVP type things, All-American. He's really football-intelligent. He's integrated really well. He's a lot like the personality like a lot of the guys on this team. He's a blue collar, got incredible work ethic. Family-oriented person. Doing really well in school. Doing a great job in meetings, picking things up. It's only been two days, neither of which have been in pads. He's picked things up, and he's not perfect but he takes aggressive coaching well. He's Johnathan Abram's cousin and John as you guys know, liked to talk. Fred on the other hand, is probably as quiet a person as I've been around. I've really enjoyed getting to know him, and I really think that he has a chance to be a solid contributor. I'm excited about the thought of him, Landrews, Morgan, Cole and Murphy at that position. I think that's a pretty solid group of safeties and nickels."

On if the experience on the roster makes the install easier ...
"Different than last year, certainly. I try to treat every first day like it's my first day on the job at a new job. I encourage the players to do that. This team is not last year's team but there is carryover. They're familiar with the terminology, they're familiar with how we're going to meet as a unit, and then meet as a position. They're familiar with how we walk through, how we do this period or that period so that's been refreshing. Erroll Thompson, after a year or two, can half finish my sentences, and Willie Gay Jr. the same way. I know C.J. Morgan and Jaquarius Landrews and Brian Cole are the same way, too. So I think that is a comfort level with regard to that. But, it's a different team and it's a different dynamic. I made sure I said that at the end of the day. We had two good days but let's not take anything for granted. Just because you put on that maroon and white doesn't mean instantly you become a superman. It means you got to work hard, it means you've got to uphold the standard set long before I was here as far as high-level defense at Mississippi State."

Defensive Run Game Coordinator/Linebackers Coach Chris Marve
March 7, 2019

On coming to Mississippi State ...
"Coach Joe Moorhead is a phenomenal head coach. He's had success everywhere he's been. Also, I have a phenomenal relationship with Coach Bob Shoop. We've known each other since the winter of 2011. Our families are close. I've always had a tremendous amount of respect for him, as a person and professionally. I've always admired the way he went about his business. With both him and Coach Moorhead, I thought it was a good opportunity."

On his linebackers unit and their experience ...
"I think experience helps, particularly in this league. This league is special. It's the best league in all of college football. That helps. You always have to improve. You always have a chip on your shoulder, so to speak. You have to make sure you're the best in everything that you do. The 2018 season happened, but that's in the past. I'm not an expert on what happened here a year ago. The only thing I can control is how I coach them now, how they can develop moving forward and the type of players they can be for next season."

On his first week with the Bulldogs ...
"It has been very different. For me, this has been my first move in this profession. There's a lot of movement, but I had been fortunate enough to be at my alma mater for quite some time. The thing that made this transition so easy, was my wife. She was all on board and very supportive. I couldn't do it all without her. She was very excited when the opportunity presented itself, so that's why we're here."

On having veteran players in his linebackers unit ...
"I think that they have a tremendous self-standard about themselves, both individually and collectively. I think they have a fundamental desire to be successful and it's real. It's not fake. It's very evident in how they carry themselves and the things that they say. It's just a matter of making sure that it's replicated every day and in every opportunity that they get. I think they've done a good job of doing that so far. We're just starting, but I'm looking forward to seeing what we're going to do in a few weeks."

On familiarity with Coach Shoop's scheme ...
"I was very familiar. Like I said, I've known him for quite some time. He's had a really good defenses for a really long time in his profession. He's had a defense that I've watched, so I was very familiar."

On Coach Shoop's impact on him taking the job at Mississippi State ...
"It was a significant factor, but it starts with Coach Moorhead. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. Also, with Coach Shoop being here and our personal relationship, carried a lot of weight. I'm really big on relationships with my colleagues, and also with people that I may not work with that may be on other staffs in the profession, but even more so with my players. I knew that his word was true, when he called me and talked about the type of place that this is. For him to speak on it as highly as he did, it was an easy decision."

On the young linebackers on the roster ...
"They're very hungry. They have guys in front of them right now who are pretty good, pretty productive and have carried themselves in the right way. They're hungry. They know that they have a lot of work to do. We all do, including myself."