Boston College Athletics
Post-Scrimmage Quotes
March 28, 2015 | Football
BOSTON COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Post-Scrimmage Quotes, March 28, 2015
Head coach Steve Addazio
On the passing game:
"We just threw the ball a lot more today, even in this weather. We will throw it more. Darius (Wade) has a really good arm. He's accurate. It's hard to throw it in this (weather). He had some throws that looked effortless, really, considering it is cold, wet, snowy and nasty. Other than driving rain, this was the most extreme conditions you can have. We'll have the ability to throw it more."
On the format and what he can take away from today:
"How do you play a spring game with seven and a half linemen? It's impossible. You have to have 10 guys. It's as simple as that. Next year, we will have that. You just can't do it; there's no way, no how. You try to mix and match it around, throw a little seven on, let them wrestle around. They get exhausted. They're doing double duty and you just can't to it. We have to get our depth - our numbers - balanced back out, which we will next year. Hopefully we will be able to go back, divide the team, have a draft. That's always fun. The Spring Game is about letting them have a little fun. Your work is done in the body of spring practice. They had fun today. They were having a great time. That's where we want to be and that's what we want to do. We'll get there. It'll happen."
On what he saw on offense:
"We have good backs. We can still piece together a physical line. We're going to be able to run the football. I'm really encouraged watching us throw the football right now; even today, even in this. Last Saturday, we had a great day throwing the ball; long balls down the field which I really like to see. I'm excited about that."
On having spring football earlier:
"A lot of people throughout the country are going early. I like the early practice because if anybody gets hurt, you still have five months for recovery. That's really important. Secondly, you get another cycle of training before the school semester ends which you really need. It helps your recruiting. It's really a new wave."
On the positions he saw improvement in:
"I feel better about the O-line. I'm not telling you that we're where we need to be up front yet or where we've been the last two years, but I feel better. I feel better at quarterback but I'd make the same commentary. It's still unknown. The funny thing about that position is the dynamics of being in a real stadium with real crowds and pressure matters. You can't assess that but I feel better about our talent level and what we were able to do in the spring. I see evidence of really good things happening."
On what he sees in the team:
"I really like our team's effort, attitude, enthusiasm, coachability, love of the game; and I love all of that. When you have that, it's only a matter of time. Eventually, it'll all come together. We have enough talent here now and enough coming in; it's just young. It's really young. With that comes this roller coaster ride. Our job is to smooth it out as fast as we can. Fifty-eight players are going to be first or second-year players. That's a lot."
On the defense:
"We have a chance to be pretty good on defense. We are faster and more athletic on the back end. We have really good run stoppers inside. I really like our linebackers. I think the biggest question mark is if we can create a good pass rush with a four-man rush as opposed to bringing five or six. That's the big question and I don't know if we have that answered yet. I really like where we are. We are a faster defense and we have veteran guys that have played a lot of snaps."
Rising senior defensive back Justin Simmons
Talking about the spring season:
"I'm very happy. The only hiccup I this we have defensively is we come out kind of slow. It's kind of been the thing around spring practice. It's just how we start. We have to pick that up get the motor going a bit.''
Difference offense this year and last year:
"It's a learning curve. Harris (Williams) is doing a great job leading that offense (line). I think Darius Wade is doing an amazing job stepping up in his new leadership role and leading the offense by making plays with both his legs and his arm. The biggest thing is the transition. A whole bunch of new guys are stepping into new roles. I think Darius has a great supporting cast as far as all the skilled players helping him out. And the O-Line will get better and better.
Speed of the defense:
"I was just talking to Coach (Don) Brown about it today. This defense is probably the fastest defense we have had as far as running to the football and getting all 11 hats to the football.''
Redshirt freshman quarterback Darius Wade
Difference in the offense this year:
"We want to keep things kind of the same. We didn't want to branch away too far. We pretty much kept the same foundation. We will switch things up introducing the passing game a lot more now. We were' trying to see how that works now in the spring. We but we want to keep a balanced attack.''
Settling in with the new receivers and lineman:
"There're been a lot of growing pains ... especially in the spring, our defense has a lot of returners coming back ... they are experienced and they know the defense. They were moving fast. The first week and second week, we struggled a lot ... we had a lot of growing pains. We were just trying to get our footing, but we definitely developed in the spring. We feel a lot more confidence and comfortable ... it's a lot better.''
Talking about playing in the snow:
"Quarterbacks are normally not fond of playing in the snow. It was my first time playing in the snow. It was interesting.''
Redshirt freshman quarterback Troy Flutie
Throwing in the conditions:
"(The conditions) weren't perfect but it kind of makes you focus a little more. I'm used to this weather so it's nothing different for me.''
New offensive parts:
"When I was in the fall camp last year, I feel like now in the spring we are so much more ahead. I feel like we have a good hold of it right now.''
