On last week’s offensive positives going into this week…
“When we executed, we really clicked. I think there is still some guys out there that still making some mistakes and guys really see that. It’s the mental toughness that we make sure we’re executing every snap. It’s that mental toughness aspect of the game. Just going out there and playing is not going to work for you. You have to be mentally tough and disciplined for every snap. When we are able to do that, we can go out there and make some plays. Taking some shots down the field certainly helped open some things up. We did a decent job at times converting on third down during the course of the game. I think that helps us get into a better rhythm on offense.”
On A.J. Jefferson, Kivon Coman, Brandon Holloway and others that missed due to injury last week…
“I expect everybody back.”
On Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett…
“He is so explosive off the ball. He has a great length. He can get in the backfield in such a hurry, it will get you off rhythm in your pass game. Anytime you create tackles for loss, you are out of rhythm on offense, you end up in second and long situations. When you’re putting a game plan together, you have some calls, but you rather stay out of second and long situations. On third down, you’re trying to convert. When you get into second and long situations, they know you have to throw the ball, so having dynamic pass rushers makes life pretty easy for them.”
On Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin’s offenses …
“I think he is a really good offensive coach. They do a nice job of trying to be innovative with trying to spread the field, utilizing players the same way we do and not afraid to think outside the box, and not afraid to tweak and change around the players that he has had. I think that’s a sign of a good coach. You have a system but your system is going to be able to adapt to the personnel that you have from year to year, and he has always been able to do that.”
On Malik Dear and Keith Mixon’s progress…
“They are guys that we want to try and get the ball in their hands. There’s a lot of different ways to do that whether it’s in the run game or the throw game. You just want to make sure they get their hands on the ball. We go into a game plan and we have a bunch of different ways to get them the ball. We want to continue to do that moving forward whether it’s screens, passing game or running game. We want to put the ball in the hands of guys who can score. Malik brings a little bit more thump and Keith brings a little bit more quickness.”
On how elite quarterbacks process information and make decision…
“Maybe Dak last year not three years ago. It’s probably easier with a Tom Brady, a Peyton Manning or Drew Brees or guys who have done it for 15 or 16 years. They have just had so many different reps at things over and over. They key question of asking quarterbacks is why? Why are you doing this? Not what should I do, why are you doing this because you are the one making decisions out there on the field. The more experience they have, the more comfortable they are with that why. It doesn’t mean they are always going to make the right decision. As long as there is a good reasoning why they are doing what they are doing, they have a chance.”
On the role of seniors on an inexperienced team…
“Your seniors set the standard. You are going to be as good as your seniors play. If your seniors play at an extremely high level, you are probably going to have a pretty good season. They are setting the bar for the rest of the team.”
On freshman Leo Lewis leading all SEC freshmen in tackles …
“Leo is trying to learn how to not just play hard but learn how to be a football player and put himself in a position to make reads and make plays. One of the things, you look at his attitude. He loves the game. He loves to play. He works hard at the game. In the long term, it is going to make him a really good linebacker. In the short term, you get to see flashes of him doing great things. As he learns the defensive system more and more, as he learns what offenses are trying to do more and more, he will make even more plays. It’s a lot easier to make a play when you know what the other team is already going to do, you know what you are going to do and you know how I am going to use what I use to win. The more experience he has, the more you will see him make plays.”
On when he first saw Nick Fitzgerald’s toughness…
“We saw it in high school. He’s a guy that played multiple positions. He played receiver. He did whatever the team needed him to do. Those are the things you look for in physically and mentally tough people.”
On appreciating winning…
“I love winning. I guarantee you, nobody puts more pressure on themselves or loves winning or hates losing more than me. I am sure there are 75,000 people on Twitter disagreeing with that factor, but I can guarantee you that’s not the case. You want to enjoy it. It’s not easy. It’s not easy to win football games. When there is no enjoying in winning, I don’t know when you are going to put a smile on your face when you are doing what you are doing for a career.”
On senior linebacker Richie Brown…
“He’s very studious, intelligent in the classroom. He’s already graduated and he’s working on a master’s degree. There are lot of things even beyond football that are important to him. Being married and a very mature young man, he’s a guy that’s going to have great success in his life whether it’s in football or in other facets.”
On keeping young players optimistic…
“We view things very much in a reality sense. Here’s where we are. Here’s why we win. Here’s why we lose. Here are the plays that you did well. Here are the plays that you did poorly. I’ll be honest with you, with the exception of eating a better dinner at victory dinner last night and everybody walking into the team meeting with a big smile on their face, we are exactly in the same position this Sunday as we were in the Sunday before. The game’s over. We have a new opponent, a very good opponent that’s got a lot of talent on their team. It’s the second straight week we are playing a team that has only one loss late in the season. Better buckle it up and get ready to get back to work. When the young guys realize that, you don’t have a lot of time to dwell on what’s happened. If you do, we are going to put ourselves in a bad position for this week’s game.”