What's up folks?
It's availability time again! And I have my computer back. So, I should be able to type up to my normal standards today as we interview Norvell and some players.
Supposed to get started right around 11 a.m. Hope you guys had a great weekend.
See ya in a few.
It's now 11:15. Still waiting.
It's now 11:30. Still waiting.
--------------------------------------------------------------
"I thought today was a good introduction to our normal game week Tuesday." Said they were able to break up and focus on Georgia Tech. "We're still a work in progress in understanding the expectation of how hard you have to push … we had a couple of guys that weren't able to finish practice today and whenever that occurs that puts a bigger workload on others. … I think it's a continue step daily to where we want to get to and where we want to be … but I'm not going to deviate from what I expect and the standard."
He then goes onto name James Blackman as the starting quarterback.
"I believe he's got all the skills and traits to what's necessary to be a successful quarterback. … I think he's truly trying to be that example … I'm excited about what the season is going to hold, I'm excited about the continuing competition we're going to have at that position." Norvell says he wouldn't be shocked to see other guys get a chance at the position to help the team. "James has done an extraordinary job."
Norvell says Blackman did a great job in the virtual meetings. "I thought he did an exceptional job and definitely put in a lot of good work on his own preparing for this opportunity."
He's asked about Hamsah: Doesn't comment specifically on his timetable, but says they need every day they can. Says they'll go through a mock game this Saturday, and go through exactly what the schedule will be like on game day, when they come out, what they're wearing, etc. …"We're going to take every second that we can get."
Won't comment on who the starters will be on the offensive line. "Right now, feel pretty confident about 7 or 8 guys that will be prepared and ready to jump in on Game 1. … We're still looking for that best combination, the one that will be able to play as consistent and together as much as possible."
On Blackman: "You see the confidence that he was able to gain … once he understood how we were going to work, what the expectations were, and applying the fundamentals … he's had good plays and bad plays, just like every other player in fall camp," but says he's been really pleased with how he's responded to the bad plays. And he's excited to see what he can do.
"Yes sir. Thank you very much. And ran across the field and finished up the day. … I was fortunate, I was able to be here through the bowl prep, through the experience," … his response is going to define him. That's one thing I've been most pleased with. James is an emotional player, I'm an emotional coach, … when it comes to game day it all has to be controlled. We have to control the response. … You want to work on that continued development in times of stress, and that's something that James has worked on a lot."
"I think every guy has shown the capability to be able to lead this team, they've shown a very distinct skill set. Great young men … trying to build themselves mentally, and I'm excited about all four of them. … Like I said, there could be some opportunities for those guys to help this football team."
"I pipe in crowd noise every day. I try to do it to create adversity … I want guys to be uncomfortable. We practice with that, so it shouldn't be a huge factor for us. … At the end of the day, we just have to make sure we go out there and execute to the best of our ability." Says he was able to watch a little bit of the Central Arkansas game, and it gave him a sense of the challenges everyone will be facing this year in regards to crowd, environment, etc.
"On the sidelines, I try to be a controlled coach. When you get to game day, it really is about communication.... It's going to be ebbs and flows in every game … I wouldn't say that I'm a coach that is overly emotional, I try not to ever lose my control. There are times when you see passion come out on certain things … for our players, they've got to be able to see that from me as an example … if I let one play allow me to lose my control … then I'm doing a disservice to my players."
On Blackman: "Anybody can give a speech, anybody can be a nice guy … but when you step on the field and you're one of the hardest working guys … then guys tend to listen when you talk. … I think all of these quarterbacks have great leadership qualities because they understand hard work …"
"Playing the game is playing the game. … There are going to be butterflies. The younger guys, they don't have the experience, and the only way to get it is to go do it. … I try to push them in ways that you'll see how that response will be. … I've been around players that have been booed on the field. Really, really good players." Says the only thing that they can control is the response. Says he believes some of the young guys "are going to be ready."
"We're preparing every moment that we have that we are. Until somebody tells me otherwise, that's not really coming into our mindset." Says players are doing a great job making personal sacrifice so the season can happen.
On Blackman resilience: "I think it speaks to him, he wants to be successful. A lot of people can sit around and tell you how bad they've had it." Says feels empathy for Blackman and how many coaches he's had … "but that really had no impact on who we named as starting quarterback … I'm really pleased that young man, specifically, has responded in a great way. In our experience together, he's done everything we've asked him to do to put himself in a position to be our starting quarterback." Says he's excited to watch him on Sept. 12.
That's it for Norvell.
Offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham is up next.
"I think for us it was how he carried himself every day, the consistency he brought to that position. … He showed that throughout camp, that work ethic, that consistency in every single rep. … His teammates follow him, he has the respect of his teammates …" Says the combination in all areas is what led to the decision.
"Consistency and response is one in the same. When a bad thing happens can you be the same person? .. I think he's bought into that and I think you could see through fall camp that he's done a really good job with his response."
"He's come a long way since spring ball. But I think all the guys have. I don't want to limit that to just James. … He maybe gets concepts a little quicker because he maybe ran that or something similar …"
Dillingham says Blackman's experience had "no real value in our evaluation process." He thinks the experience helped him adapt to the scheme quicker … "I think things like that may have helped, "he earned the starting quarterback job and I'm extremely proud of him." Said the career starts he has had nothing to do with the decision.
"This is my season voice. There will be about four months out of the year I don't sound like this. If we have a day or two off I might get it back, but this is really my voice for the next four months." Dillingham is a bit hoarse.
On backup QB: "All of those guys are still competing. … That's what I told them when we got off the field. Competition never ends … there is not a clear backup, there is not a backup, just a multitude of guys that are competing every day."
"You saw guys come out and just execute (after bad scrimmage). … Football is a really simple game. You've got to get 11 guys doing their job and going full speed. That's really it. … If we can get 11 guys to give unbelievable effort and do the little things,"
On Webb: "He's been doing a great job. That's a guy that has some dynamic playmaking ability. I love the kid. The personality and work ethic."
"Have you ever seen a lightning bolt? That's what Isaian Bolden reminds me of. He's just fast. … Any sort of vertical route, he's just fast … He's going to go fast. That's what you see when you see him, and he's working every day to be better … I think Jordan Young has had a really nice camp. He's been really consistent for us."
"The standard is what we allow. We're just going to have to do a great job of coaching and managing … and understanding what those players can handle within a game." Says sub patterns will be even more important this season because of the offseason. "We're just going to get better tomorrow and better than the next day."
"I'm somewhat excited to see what guys go out there and actually love the game. … how much do you love competing? Because that's what is going to drive your effort? … Says the lack of crowd actually excites him because it shows who really wants to win and compete, because it's just about the competition.
That's it for Dillingham.
Looks like Jashaun Corbin is up next.
On Blackman: "He's definitely one of the leaders on the team, vocally and by his actions. When I first came in, before I even got on campus, he reached out and was trying to build that connection right away."
"It was just welcoming me with open arms."
"All of us are just ready to hit somebody else, other than each other. Definitely a lot of emotions out there, but it's all good. We're just ready for Sept. 12."
"My approach is going to stay the same. Every RB in the room is capable of doing good things … I put my trust in the coaches."
On offense growth: "Just being the self-inflected wounds, a lot of mental mistakes that first week. … But in the second week we cleaned it up. … We cleaned up a lot of mistakes and things started looking a lot better."
"We've come a long way. It's crazy how fast it came around. But we're all learning, we're all getting the offense down pretty fast … you can tell the whole offense as a unit is starting to click a lot better."
"Last night it kind of hit me: Wow, I'm about to play in a game next week. It's just kind of became reality for me. I got some butterflies … but that's normal. I'm just ready to play."
"It's definitely going to be something we have to get used to. … It shows who really loves the game of football. I'm excited to see how it's going to be with no fans. It's hard to imagine, but we're ready for anything."
James Blackman, QB1, is up next:
"I honestly just come out and focus on getting better each and every day. … I wasn't really focused on it …" says he knew if he put the work in and executed he'd put himself in good positions.
"The main thing that Coach Norvell hits on every day is just responding. I think I've gotten better with responding, just knowing that every play is its own play. … Move onto the next play … and I just control what I can control."
"Just come to work every day, those guys are going to push everyone, from the coaches to the training staff to the players on the field, I think they've done a great job of pushing us and holding everyone accountable."
"Just taking care of the ball. That's the biggest aspect … Not making the simple mistake and turning the ball over." Says that was by far his biggest area of growth.
"I was happy, but at the same time I've got to come out here and get better each and every day." Says that what is best for his teammates.
"I bleed garnet and gold when you cut me, so there was never a thought in my mind of leaving and going somewhere else." Says main focus has been just getting better each day.
"just being able to sustain drives and execute when we're a little winded, … being more sound in our techniques … I think we did a good job of cleaning up (mistakes) but we've still got a long way to go."
"The coaches are doing a good job of putting guys in position to take advantage of their skills. .. No matter what play we call we've got an automatic check, too, and I think that's a great outlet to have, to be able to check out of plays we don't like."
On O-line: "Guys who come out here and give their all and come out to work. … I see the same guys, and they're just getting more consistent with it. They've been doing real good and knowing their assignments … I think they're doing a great job … I think we're in a good position and going in the right direction."
That's it for Blackman. And that's it for the day.
We'll see you guys here tomorrow right around the same time.
Hope you guys had a great weekend, and like Blackman, I hope you make it your purpose in life to get 1 percent better every day. Go put in that work. Now!
Clark out.
It's availability time again! And I have my computer back. So, I should be able to type up to my normal standards today as we interview Norvell and some players.
Supposed to get started right around 11 a.m. Hope you guys had a great weekend.
See ya in a few.
It's now 11:15. Still waiting.
It's now 11:30. Still waiting.
--------------------------------------------------------------
"I thought today was a good introduction to our normal game week Tuesday." Said they were able to break up and focus on Georgia Tech. "We're still a work in progress in understanding the expectation of how hard you have to push … we had a couple of guys that weren't able to finish practice today and whenever that occurs that puts a bigger workload on others. … I think it's a continue step daily to where we want to get to and where we want to be … but I'm not going to deviate from what I expect and the standard."
He then goes onto name James Blackman as the starting quarterback.
"I believe he's got all the skills and traits to what's necessary to be a successful quarterback. … I think he's truly trying to be that example … I'm excited about what the season is going to hold, I'm excited about the continuing competition we're going to have at that position." Norvell says he wouldn't be shocked to see other guys get a chance at the position to help the team. "James has done an extraordinary job."
Norvell says Blackman did a great job in the virtual meetings. "I thought he did an exceptional job and definitely put in a lot of good work on his own preparing for this opportunity."
He's asked about Hamsah: Doesn't comment specifically on his timetable, but says they need every day they can. Says they'll go through a mock game this Saturday, and go through exactly what the schedule will be like on game day, when they come out, what they're wearing, etc. …"We're going to take every second that we can get."
Won't comment on who the starters will be on the offensive line. "Right now, feel pretty confident about 7 or 8 guys that will be prepared and ready to jump in on Game 1. … We're still looking for that best combination, the one that will be able to play as consistent and together as much as possible."
On Blackman: "You see the confidence that he was able to gain … once he understood how we were going to work, what the expectations were, and applying the fundamentals … he's had good plays and bad plays, just like every other player in fall camp," but says he's been really pleased with how he's responded to the bad plays. And he's excited to see what he can do.
"Yes sir. Thank you very much. And ran across the field and finished up the day. … I was fortunate, I was able to be here through the bowl prep, through the experience," … his response is going to define him. That's one thing I've been most pleased with. James is an emotional player, I'm an emotional coach, … when it comes to game day it all has to be controlled. We have to control the response. … You want to work on that continued development in times of stress, and that's something that James has worked on a lot."
"I think every guy has shown the capability to be able to lead this team, they've shown a very distinct skill set. Great young men … trying to build themselves mentally, and I'm excited about all four of them. … Like I said, there could be some opportunities for those guys to help this football team."
"I pipe in crowd noise every day. I try to do it to create adversity … I want guys to be uncomfortable. We practice with that, so it shouldn't be a huge factor for us. … At the end of the day, we just have to make sure we go out there and execute to the best of our ability." Says he was able to watch a little bit of the Central Arkansas game, and it gave him a sense of the challenges everyone will be facing this year in regards to crowd, environment, etc.
"On the sidelines, I try to be a controlled coach. When you get to game day, it really is about communication.... It's going to be ebbs and flows in every game … I wouldn't say that I'm a coach that is overly emotional, I try not to ever lose my control. There are times when you see passion come out on certain things … for our players, they've got to be able to see that from me as an example … if I let one play allow me to lose my control … then I'm doing a disservice to my players."
On Blackman: "Anybody can give a speech, anybody can be a nice guy … but when you step on the field and you're one of the hardest working guys … then guys tend to listen when you talk. … I think all of these quarterbacks have great leadership qualities because they understand hard work …"
"Playing the game is playing the game. … There are going to be butterflies. The younger guys, they don't have the experience, and the only way to get it is to go do it. … I try to push them in ways that you'll see how that response will be. … I've been around players that have been booed on the field. Really, really good players." Says the only thing that they can control is the response. Says he believes some of the young guys "are going to be ready."
"We're preparing every moment that we have that we are. Until somebody tells me otherwise, that's not really coming into our mindset." Says players are doing a great job making personal sacrifice so the season can happen.
On Blackman resilience: "I think it speaks to him, he wants to be successful. A lot of people can sit around and tell you how bad they've had it." Says feels empathy for Blackman and how many coaches he's had … "but that really had no impact on who we named as starting quarterback … I'm really pleased that young man, specifically, has responded in a great way. In our experience together, he's done everything we've asked him to do to put himself in a position to be our starting quarterback." Says he's excited to watch him on Sept. 12.
That's it for Norvell.
Offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham is up next.
"I think for us it was how he carried himself every day, the consistency he brought to that position. … He showed that throughout camp, that work ethic, that consistency in every single rep. … His teammates follow him, he has the respect of his teammates …" Says the combination in all areas is what led to the decision.
"Consistency and response is one in the same. When a bad thing happens can you be the same person? .. I think he's bought into that and I think you could see through fall camp that he's done a really good job with his response."
"He's come a long way since spring ball. But I think all the guys have. I don't want to limit that to just James. … He maybe gets concepts a little quicker because he maybe ran that or something similar …"
Dillingham says Blackman's experience had "no real value in our evaluation process." He thinks the experience helped him adapt to the scheme quicker … "I think things like that may have helped, "he earned the starting quarterback job and I'm extremely proud of him." Said the career starts he has had nothing to do with the decision.
"This is my season voice. There will be about four months out of the year I don't sound like this. If we have a day or two off I might get it back, but this is really my voice for the next four months." Dillingham is a bit hoarse.
On backup QB: "All of those guys are still competing. … That's what I told them when we got off the field. Competition never ends … there is not a clear backup, there is not a backup, just a multitude of guys that are competing every day."
"You saw guys come out and just execute (after bad scrimmage). … Football is a really simple game. You've got to get 11 guys doing their job and going full speed. That's really it. … If we can get 11 guys to give unbelievable effort and do the little things,"
On Webb: "He's been doing a great job. That's a guy that has some dynamic playmaking ability. I love the kid. The personality and work ethic."
"Have you ever seen a lightning bolt? That's what Isaian Bolden reminds me of. He's just fast. … Any sort of vertical route, he's just fast … He's going to go fast. That's what you see when you see him, and he's working every day to be better … I think Jordan Young has had a really nice camp. He's been really consistent for us."
"The standard is what we allow. We're just going to have to do a great job of coaching and managing … and understanding what those players can handle within a game." Says sub patterns will be even more important this season because of the offseason. "We're just going to get better tomorrow and better than the next day."
"I'm somewhat excited to see what guys go out there and actually love the game. … how much do you love competing? Because that's what is going to drive your effort? … Says the lack of crowd actually excites him because it shows who really wants to win and compete, because it's just about the competition.
That's it for Dillingham.
Looks like Jashaun Corbin is up next.
On Blackman: "He's definitely one of the leaders on the team, vocally and by his actions. When I first came in, before I even got on campus, he reached out and was trying to build that connection right away."
"It was just welcoming me with open arms."
"All of us are just ready to hit somebody else, other than each other. Definitely a lot of emotions out there, but it's all good. We're just ready for Sept. 12."
"My approach is going to stay the same. Every RB in the room is capable of doing good things … I put my trust in the coaches."
On offense growth: "Just being the self-inflected wounds, a lot of mental mistakes that first week. … But in the second week we cleaned it up. … We cleaned up a lot of mistakes and things started looking a lot better."
"We've come a long way. It's crazy how fast it came around. But we're all learning, we're all getting the offense down pretty fast … you can tell the whole offense as a unit is starting to click a lot better."
"Last night it kind of hit me: Wow, I'm about to play in a game next week. It's just kind of became reality for me. I got some butterflies … but that's normal. I'm just ready to play."
"It's definitely going to be something we have to get used to. … It shows who really loves the game of football. I'm excited to see how it's going to be with no fans. It's hard to imagine, but we're ready for anything."
James Blackman, QB1, is up next:
"I honestly just come out and focus on getting better each and every day. … I wasn't really focused on it …" says he knew if he put the work in and executed he'd put himself in good positions.
"The main thing that Coach Norvell hits on every day is just responding. I think I've gotten better with responding, just knowing that every play is its own play. … Move onto the next play … and I just control what I can control."
"Just come to work every day, those guys are going to push everyone, from the coaches to the training staff to the players on the field, I think they've done a great job of pushing us and holding everyone accountable."
"Just taking care of the ball. That's the biggest aspect … Not making the simple mistake and turning the ball over." Says that was by far his biggest area of growth.
"I was happy, but at the same time I've got to come out here and get better each and every day." Says that what is best for his teammates.
"I bleed garnet and gold when you cut me, so there was never a thought in my mind of leaving and going somewhere else." Says main focus has been just getting better each day.
"just being able to sustain drives and execute when we're a little winded, … being more sound in our techniques … I think we did a good job of cleaning up (mistakes) but we've still got a long way to go."
"The coaches are doing a good job of putting guys in position to take advantage of their skills. .. No matter what play we call we've got an automatic check, too, and I think that's a great outlet to have, to be able to check out of plays we don't like."
On O-line: "Guys who come out here and give their all and come out to work. … I see the same guys, and they're just getting more consistent with it. They've been doing real good and knowing their assignments … I think they're doing a great job … I think we're in a good position and going in the right direction."
That's it for Blackman. And that's it for the day.
We'll see you guys here tomorrow right around the same time.
Hope you guys had a great weekend, and like Blackman, I hope you make it your purpose in life to get 1 percent better every day. Go put in that work. Now!
Clark out.
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