Assistant Head Coach Bill Lynch met with members of the media prior to the first practice of the 2007 spring season. |
Assistant Head Coach Bill Lynch's Press Conference
March 20, 2007
Prior to the first practice of the 2007 spring season on Tuesday, March 20, Assistant Head Coach Bill Lynch addressed members of the media to talk about the state of the Hoosiers entering the spring season.
On the mood of the team:
"We just had a good team meeting and we are anxious and ready to go. Obviously, it's different than Sunday night when they all had just gotten back from spring break and we told them that [Head] Coach [Terry Hoeppner] was going to take the spring off. They are a resilient group that has a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Hep and they have obviously been through a lot with him. They know what he is going through and they are anxious to get him back. We went through all of that on Sunday night and today we emphasized football and doing all the things that Hep wants us to do."
On the team's reaction:
"We covered everything and all of us are close with this group of players, and as a staff we have been here for three years with these kids and we have a good relationship with them. Obviously, the relationship starts with Hep and, like I said, they have been through a lot with his situation over the course of the past [couple of] years. You go back to his first surgery last December and that was different for them, as they had heard about it before they were back on campus for second semester. Then with what happened during this past season, they are with Coach every single day, whether it's with recruiting or the winter program. Knowing that he has not taken any time off from a second surgery in the middle of the season is tough because coaching and then recruiting is a grind and it can wear you down."
On the role he takes now as the leader:
"We have a great coaching staff and it's spring. Spring is a time to teach and as a staff that's where we get to teach football. It's so much different than in-season where you are winning and losing on Saturday. Now we are trying to get better every day and coach these guys. We are going to come out here and execute the plans we have made for each and every practice. The staff is together and we all are on the same page so it really does not change anything."
On Coach Hoeppner's involvement during the spring:
"You know Hep - we are going to take practice film to him tonight. In fact, we have a young punter and Hep works with the punters and he wants to make sure there is a ground level [shot] so he can evaluate him. There is not a definite plan yet, but Hep will obviously know what is going on. He does need the time away to get his strength back."
On the spring season:
"Offensively we have all of our skill guys back and that is a reassuring thing. I think the spring is going to be really good for [quarterback] Ben Chappell because he will get a ton of reps. That's the great thing about spring, your 2s get as many snaps as your 1 and that's when you get better. In the fall, the 1 gets most of the snaps where the number 2 normally is just standing there watching. That's the beauty of spring and why all 15 practices are important. The other area is the offensive line where we have a lot of competition. We lost some good seniors in Justin Frye, Scott Anderson and Chris Mangiero, and even though we had some freshmen play last year, it is starting all over with them. The fall was probably a blur to those true freshmen that played offensive line in the Big Ten. We have all those young guys that Hep talked about when we recruited them a couple of years ago and they are getting older and their bodies look a lot different than the day they came in."
On any position changes from the fall:
"Blake [Powers] is going to go at tight end and since he is such a good football player we are going to get him involved in special teams. He is too good of a football player and too strong of a guy [to not use him]. We moved Justin Carrington from running back to linebacker, which we think is going to be a good move for Justin because he is a very good athlete, and going into his second spring practice there is an opportunity there for him and he has worked hard all winter. We are young at linebacker, whereas at running back we play a one-back set, so there is a not a lot of room and we have some pretty good guys ahead of him there. This will give him a chance. Those are the most significant changes."
On [offensive lineman] Charlie Emerson:
"The spring will really help him. He tweaked a hamstring right before spring break so he is not totally at full speed right now, but he will practice. He is a tough kid and it is really important to him that leadership and communication will be key. With him and [John] Sandberg back after playing next to each other last year, it will mean so much. [The value of] communication up front can't be measured."
On [wide receiver] James Hardy:
"That guy has worked really hard this offseason and he has a real determined look to him. He had to go through a little bit of offseason surgery that was minor. It was his thumb and now he is ready to go. I can't speak for him, but it was the first year that he was not actively involved in basketball and that allowed him to be in the weight room the entire offseason. He is maturing into a man and he has had two years of success, but not only does he want to be good, he wants Indiana football to be good and that's something that we are all really looking forward to as a team."
On the winter program,:
"[Strength Coach] Mark Wateska and his staff do a fantastic job since we are out recruiting. We were out the day after the Purdue game and then came back to see what they had done. They do a great job with the team and you see guys bodies change, especially the young guys. Guys like [Greg] Middleton, [Emile] Bass, [Deonte] Mack, both Burrus kids, Will Patterson, Mandela Roberts, Matt Mayberry, all the young offensive linemen. Those are guys that really jump out to me. Obviously Hardy, [James] Bailey, [Nick] Polk, [Demetrius] McCray and [Marcus] Thigpen are physical kids. It's going to be fun. That is the challenge of spring, carrying over what you did in the weight room indoors to playing football."
On the defensive unit:
"The biggest thing is finding what your best scheme is based on the players that you have. We are so young on defense. [Adam] McClurg obviously has some good experience, but McClurg was banged up and had some offseason surgery. He will be fine and he is going to practice, but we don't need to beat him up because we know he can play. Finding the fit with the linebackers and the safeties will be important. Finding the scheme with the people we have will be fun to see who fits, and overall our goal as a football team is to know who our top 50 are. That will change between now and August and you want to come out of the spring with a little assurance of who those guys are because you will go to war with those 50. That's what the spring is about, finding out who your guys are."
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