Leach: 'I'm never pleased. This isn't a very pleased business. But I saw improvement in all of them.'
April 05, 2021 | Football
Mississippi State Football Quotes
Saturday, April 3, 2021
Head Coach Mike Leach
On his general overview of the scrimmage ...
ML: I thought it was pretty good. I thought for a first scrimmage it was good, for a number of reasons. One, we went out and generally executed. Yeah, it was sloppy in places. Both sides have plenty to be happy with, both sides have plenty to be pissed about, which is typically the sign of a good scrimmage. Then also we were able to line up with threes and it actually look like football. So I was pleased with that, just from a potential depth standpoint.
On his approach to scrimmaging ...
ML: Really you just want to see execution when it's live. And of course you want to control the reps, but also work all the parts of the field. And then occasionally some people play better in that setting, so you want to see who is rising. Sometimes guys can go out there on the field and play a little timid. I didn't think we had a lot of that, but we'll see on film. But I thought it was one of our best practices. So that's a good sign, to take a step. And also sometimes people make more of a scrimmage than there is, and they take themselves out of some plays. And we did a little of that, but not very much.
On Scott Lashley at right tackle ...
ML: I think he's steadily improved. And we didn't get to see a lot of him last year, but I think he's steadily improved and in particular he had a pretty good offseason, which I think paved the way for some of that. But yeah, I think he's getting better every day. And that's good to see.
On if the battle between Lashley and Kameron Jones at right tackle is one of the best so far this spring ...
ML: I would say it's one of them. All the offensive line positions are somewhat up for grabs. I mean, from the standpoint we're trying to find the best five, and then after that try to find the best seven or eight. So it's all pretty live from that standpoint, then you try to shuffle around whoever your best five are. Some guys are better suited for center or guard or for tackle. You try to get your best five out there. So we're still trying to identify who the best five are.
On repping four quarterbacks during the scrimmage and what he saw from early enrollee freshman Daniel Greek ...
ML: I thought he looked really good. I would say that was kind of one of the more impressive freshman debut performances I've seen. I thought he played really well. He played smart. A lot of times those guys will try to make too much happen, and all of a sudden just because they're anxious what's in their head goes out the window. But I didn't think he did. I thought he played within himself, and just very methodical, meticulous, going down the field. He actually had a couple of checks, too, which I thought were good.
On evaluating the different skill sets of Jo'quavious Marks and Dillon Johnson ...
ML: You want the best available. Because that's the ultimate warrior position. They run block, they pass protect, they rush the ball, they catch the ball. So you're wanting them to be able to do a lot of those things. And both of those guys can. I think both of them have improved. Dillon runs with power and second-effort and that type of thing when he finishes his run. So that's good to see. Then Woody is kind of elusive and catches the ball really well. He's very smooth when he catches the ball.
On the kicking game ...
ML: I think they're improving, too. I think they're striking the ball better. They're getting, I'm not going to say as consistent as we want, but just the little things getting more consistent, how they hold the ball, how they drop the ball if you punt. And then just kind of the operation and steps on the field goals. But it's all those little things that make the other stuff happen. So I think they're embracing the importance of it and improving at it.
On the quarterback play during the scrimmage ...
ML: I'm never pleased. This isn't a very pleased business. But I saw improvement in all of them. It was good to see Jack Abraham and Chance Lovertich in more live situations. And then I thought Will Rogers did some good things consistently. He had a pick he'd like to have back, I'm sure. But then I thought he really operated the offense pretty well.
On the defense ...
ML: I thought they tackled well. I thought they did a good job of pressuring the quarterback, which that's kind of their identity but I thought they did a good job of that. The other thing is I thought at key times they rose up. But a few key times the offense did, too. But they played together pretty well. We were able like I say go out there with three units and it still look like football.
