Boston College Athletics
Media Day Quotes: Coordinators
August 03, 2017 | Football
Offensive Coordinator Scot Loeffler
Q. Coach, there's been kind of a new philosophy when everyone talks about tempo. Can you talk about what that means? Does it mean not necessarily going fast, but can you talk about what that might mean for a rhythm in the offense or how everybody might play a different role in that type of mentality?
"Yeah, it's taking the approach that a lot of these tempo teams are. You have the ability to go super fast. You have the ability to slow it down. We were trying to make ourselves unique in terms of having the ability to have multiple groupings, multiple formations on the field. So yeah, the tempo, it's great. There's definitely a place for it, but at the end of the day, like anything, it comes down to execution. You've got to block. You've got to know your assignment. You've got to do your job. You've got to break tackles. You've got to block on the perimeter."
"The tempo is great, but at the end of the day, we've still got to teach technique, and the thing that you worry about whenever you're going super fast is that you lose the mentality and continue to teach technique, and that's not going to change here. We're going to make sure the quarterback is taking the right drop, we're going to make sure that our wide receivers are stock, blocking, getting the right releases, the linemen can tag to the right proper backer. So there is an advantage to it. There's a place for it. But at the end of the day, you still have to play great technique and do your job."
Q. Just comment on having a guy like Jon Baker in the middle of your offensive line to develop your young quarterbacks and you get a ground game going, as well.
"No question. You know, Darius is older, AB is young; however, they both haven't played -- Darius has played a limited role before he got hurt, played in the Florida State and I believe the Howard game, and then AB hasn't played yet. It's really important regardless who the guy is out there that the foundation always begins with the offensive line, which then trickles down, obviously, to the other positions. Those guys out there, they're going to be out there for the first time. They're expected to do their job, but as you well all know, as much as it starts with us, we've got to make sure that there's people around them doing their jobs to help them along with their inexperience. Is that an excuse? No, absolutely not. Our job at the quarterback position is to go out and play well, but also that's where the criticism comes in whenever everything goes great, you get way too much credit. Whenever things go bad, you get major criticism. So you need to make sure there's people around him doing their job, also."
Q. Just talk about Jon at the point of attack.
"Yeah, it's awesome. He's got experience. He's got size. He's a super-smart kid. He's going to be able to help with the protections in terms of making sure that our quarterback is ID'ing it correctly. Yeah, he's a veteran. He's a guy that has shown tremendous leadership so far on our offensive unit."
Q. Seemed like it took a while last year for Tommy Sweeney to get into a groove with Patrick. How do you see the tight ends' role this year?
"Well, you know, I've been in the one and done for the last -- I think the last quarterback that I've coached back to back years was Chad Henne. Whenever you're bouncing from quarterback to quarterback to quarterback to quarterback, there's a reason New England is good besides Tommy. There's continuity. The guy has been in the system for 17, 18, whatever it is, 19 years, and any time that you're able to practice and stay within the same system for a period of time, everything gets better. That's what you've seen."
"There's more rhythm. There's more timing. We look like we know what we're doing much more just because of the simple fact of time."
Q. Keeping along the lines of the tight ends, how much versatility do they give you, whether it's in a blocking role versus a receiving role?
"Yeah, our tight ends are excellent. They're able to play multiple positions, which creates match-up issues, and they'll be used."
Q. Switching to the running back game, what have you seen so far out of your incoming freshmen, and how have they impacted the battle at that group?
"Yeah, they're both good football players. Both are different, but both have a skill set that we're all going to like. They're both tough. They're both smart. They're both fast. AJ is obviously just a little bit bigger. Travis does some different things that you can do out of the backfield. But they're both really two young, good football players, and we're really -- they did a great job recruiting Brian White. Coach Addazio did a great job recruiting those guys, and our staff did a great job recruiting those guys. I think we're all going to be really happy with the young players, and our older players at that position are pretty good, too. It's a good feeling to have depth at that position because those guys go through a lot of banging, and you need more than one. You need more than two. We're very fortunate right now at that position. There's a lot of really good depth and talent in my opinion."
Q. Steve was just talking about kind of the jobs you've taken over the years and kind of turning things around in different spots. He said, he's had some tough --
"Yeah, it's been fun. It's been a great experience. Every place that I've been, from Michigan to the NFL to Florida to with Steve at Temple, everywhere you learn. I've made some mistakes, and I've learned from mistakes, and I've done some really good things."
"You always look at what's happened in the past. You look at the good. You look at the negative, and you just try to keep improving and doing a better job."
"Every place that I was at, I loved. I mean, there were some great places that I've been, and I've been very fortunate for my age to have had some great jobs, and this place fits me. There's a blue-collar mentality with Steve. I love the discipline. I love the kids. Very excited and very humbled to be a part of this, and just like I said, I think Steve has done a great job recruiting. He's a great head coach. But I really, really like our players. They're really cool, and this is a special, unique place."
Q. Coming out of the bowl game, talk about what you saw with the system --
"Yeah, there was a debate the day that we came to Boston College as if we should go tempo, and we totally changed the throw game, and there was a ton of learning, and we were very, very -- to be quite honest, very simple last year just because we were working on getting in the right splits. It was all new."
"Now, again, just like I say, it's a year ahead. We're much more ahead. We're much more comfortable with the system, and we'll play more consistent because of, again, those kids have heard the same things for more than 30 days, you know, like it was last year."
"It's an exciting time. We've got to get better. We're much improved. We're not where we'd say it's perfect yet, but we're on the right track."
Q. (Indiscernible).
"Yeah, there's no question. Just like I said, this profession -- you know, we had a great year at Temple because they did a great job before we got there. They did a great job with recruiting and what have you, and in this profession, there's a lot of timing to it and all that other stuff, but I don't get into all that. I'm super excited to be around these guys, and you really see where this thing could take off. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, but that's the business, to answer your question. There's sometimes that you walk into things that are perfect, it's ready to go, and there's other times that it takes a little bit of time, and sometimes you get to be the guy that was part of it, and sometimes you got it ready for someone else. That's part of it. To answer your question, yeah. Timing."
Q. (Indiscernible).
"Good. You know, we keep going -- feels like EJ has been around here for three years now, but he really is a true freshman that should be coming off his baseball season and heading into the summer, to summer school. But he's been here since January. He's got a lot to learn. There's this tremendous upside. A lot of new things for him. But he's doing a good job."
Q. You mentioned offensive line; could you talk about Chris Lindstrom, his development, and as a leader and obviously size-wise, does he have more motivation having a younger brother in the room now as a leadership role?
"Yeah, Chris, it's funny, you watched the last job that I was at, you watched always the crossover film, and you see this 255-, 245-pound guy that's trotting out there that should be redshirted, but you saw a lot of fight. You saw that he was athletic, and he was one of those guys that unfortunately had to play way too early, and now he's 300 pounds plus. He's athletic. He can move. He's smart. He's tough. He gets it. That's the crazy thing about college football; sometimes you're asked to play when you're really not ready to play. You'd have loved to have had the ability to redshirt him, but that experience that he had being at 260 pounds, being undersized, he realized that he had to get a heck of a lot stronger, a heck of a lot bigger, and sometimes you have to go through a little bit of hell to get to where you need to be, and that guy has embraced his first year and has really worked his tail off to do a great job, and he's one of our better players, there's no question."
Defensive Coordinator Jim Reid
Q. With Truman and Johnson and Milano gone, you lost 181 tackles I believe it is. Talk about trying to fill those gaps this year and keep at least the run-stopping game consistent.
"Well, first of all, maybe what I'll do is give you a brief overview of everything and I'll come right back to that. Last year the highlight was those last three games, and the bowl win was terrific. One thing that never, ever, ever stopped was the great effort by our entire team. That North Carolina State win with Cam Moore making that really huge play in the end zone, and then it just kept building and building, and it went right straight through, as Coach Addazio said, right straight through to now."
"We lose some really good players. We've got a lot of really good players coming back, and we've got some -- we'll mention some that have been here, but there's going to be some surprises, some really -- you can see it develop on the field."
"Inside you've got Ray Smith and you've got Harold Landry coming back for his senior year, and Wyatt Ray. Zach Allen has had like four great practices in a row, and he had a great spring. And we're developing some depth there, as well. Gosh, we're just really excited to watch these guys develop, and if you're going to develop as a defensive lineman, there is no one in the country, in the entire country, and since the United States most of the time plays football, then I'll say the world, and just in case there's other places in the universe, that can develop talent like coach Paul Pasqualoni. This is my fifth year with this guy. He's an amazing coach. To watch how he works with his players and develops his players and the respect that he has for them and the respect that they return to him is pretty terrific."
"He's coached some great pass rushers in his pro career, and he's doing a tremendous job, I think, with all of the guys that I mentioned, both the inside and the outside guys."
"I know what he's teaching because he taught me these things when I was at Miami with him and he was the defensive coordinator there. So I mean, it's been fun to watch everybody develop. I'm just going to tell you that I've done this for 40-some odd years. I don't want to say 46 because then you'll think that I'm a little older. But anyway, just so you know, I'm telling you, I've been around no one with the intensity and the desire for their players to improve like I have Anthony a.m. pa Nelly. Gosh, you watch that guys works them, and the players love it."
"You're going to miss somebody, but Isaac has done great. I already mentioned Cam, and Mehdi and Taj Torres has really had -- he had a great spring, and he's had four great practices so far. Will, Lucas, I mean, you name all of them, and they're all working extremely, extremely hard, not just on the football field but in the meeting room, as well, and on -- they've just had a -- it's on display every day, so we're really, really excited, and the guys that I coach, Connor Strachan, I can say this with surety: He's in the best shape of his life. The guy is just terrific, and he's leading very well. And you've got Ty Schwab, as well, and Kevin Bletzer is doing a terrific job out there. I'll go through the whole roster and I'm just going to tell you that these characters are just working just as hard as they can. It's terrific to watch."
Q. Coach, a little bit about the cohesion between the linebackers and the defensive line; how important is it for them to play off one another in the scheme that you run?
"Huge, and this is exactly what we tell the linebackers, just so you know. Any time I've coached any linebackers at all, the defensive line never makes a mistake. They never make a mistake. They're four yards in front of us, and we expect them to be aggressive. Most of the time they'll be in their gap exactly the way they should be, but when they're not, we have time, if we understand the scheme, then we can help just play off of them. So when you talk about the cohesion, not just on the field, but let me tell you what, these guys here, they talk football all the time. You go down to the locker room and they're talking about -- they're not talking about the Red Sox or the Bruins or the Celtics or anything of that nature. What they're talking about is, hey, what about the zone scheme, and what are the tips and what are the leans and things of that nature. I mean, it's marvelous to watch. It's just exactly the way it was when I left here way back in 1994. Tremendous young men, highly motivated in every phase of their life: Football, academics, socially, and then taking advantage of all of their opportunities, not just here but also with each other. It's just really a fun group to be around."
"Did that answer -- okay, all right. So what I'm saying is they have to be best friends, but also, secondary has to know what the linebackers are doing. So that closeness helps in all phases of the game. Yep, good question."
Q. My question is about taking you back in time to the day you learned that Harold was going to come back and how much that affected you and how that affects the program.
"Well, I get a little emotional when I think of that, and I just want you to know that in a lot of instances, probably most ever, that a young man would seize the opportunity because he did have a good draft grade, to leave, and why he didn't, I think, is why Boston College is a very special place. He wanted to graduate from here. But he loved his teammates, and he didn't want to leave them with one more year left."
"And then the other thing, too, is, I honestly believe he felt he got a lot better with Coach Pasqualoni, and now another year with Coach P, you just don't know what's going to happen. But there's a special bond here. You know, it's hard to describe unless you've gone to school here, but there's like mindedness. When you walk around here, everybody is focused on getting a great education, and they're focused on real good, clean living so that they can progress in their lives, not just socially but with faith and with all the extracurricular, you know? And there's a great support system. Every time you walk into a classroom, they're your classmates, and there's a special respect there that everybody has for each other. I mean, it's really wonderful."
"It's a great environment to be in if you're an athlete here. It's what I felt back in 1994. It's still here. So it's the school and it's the environment, and it's the way it's run. Integrity and honor have a lot to do with that, and you feel it every day. And guys don't want to leave it, and I believe that that was one of the reasons."
"But I'll tell you what, I was fired up. I still have my Twitter message and he tweeted me back. It was great. It was just really, really fun. Yeah, I know how to use Twitter. I know that smile."
Q. You've seen a lot of football over the years. What do you see in Harold? Who does he remind you of?
"Well, you know, I'd like to probably say Jason Taylor. You know, he's a guy that can get off the football, that uses his hands well. But you know, the one thing that Harold has developed very well, and I think that Coach Pasqualoni will tell you this, is a great understanding of how to study film, you know, and how to practice and the intensity of it and the environment and the awareness."
"Okay, now, I might be lined up on this end, but what's the split of the wide receiver and what's the backfield set? We say down and distance all the time, 1st and 10. You guys are sitting up in the press box with me, and we say, yeah, it's 1st and 10. You get on the field, you run, you hit, you get a little bit hurt and all, you've got to have awareness; is it 2nd and 1, 3rd and 5? Those escape guys. You've got to have great focus there."
"I'll tell you the guy, Jason Taylor had a long reach. I coached him. Coach Pasqualoni was the defensive coordinator, and I coached the rush ends on the outside and the linebackers. He's that type of guy."
"And you know what, Jason Taylor was also the NFL Man of the Year, I think, like three or four times, maybe five. So I would also include that as part of the evaluation of what you just asked me to do because Harold Landry I think is a really great man. Great, great, great young man."
Q. Coach Addazio talked about Isaac at the cornerback position, the speed he brings and the experience. I covered him in high school, he was fast then. Could you talk about his speed and his experience and what he brings to the outside of the defense?
"Isaac Yiadom? Yeah, let me tell you this: This guy has developed, all right. Isaac has developed so greatly here under Anthony that -- today it was amazing. Yesterday. Every day this young man has an amazing, athletic play, and the reason he has an amazing athletic play is because he's in great position to be able to make it."
"You stand up there and you watch, oh, look at that, this guy missed that. There's a lot that goes into what we do. A ton that goes into what we do. And unless you're totally focused and highly energized, I'll tell you, it's hard to get in the right position all the time because the other guys, they're getting coached, too. They're good players, too. They have scholarships, too."
"And Isaac has just hit a different level of preparation. I guess we call it maybe maturity, but in order to have that maturity, you've got to have some great focus and understanding and you've got to want to do that, and you've got to want to do that all the time. So I mean, you know, we're really excited about how he's playing. Really excited about how he played last year and again how he's playing in spring as well as these first -- just four, but he's been outstanding."
Q. Coach, there's been kind of a new philosophy when everyone talks about tempo. Can you talk about what that means? Does it mean not necessarily going fast, but can you talk about what that might mean for a rhythm in the offense or how everybody might play a different role in that type of mentality?
"Yeah, it's taking the approach that a lot of these tempo teams are. You have the ability to go super fast. You have the ability to slow it down. We were trying to make ourselves unique in terms of having the ability to have multiple groupings, multiple formations on the field. So yeah, the tempo, it's great. There's definitely a place for it, but at the end of the day, like anything, it comes down to execution. You've got to block. You've got to know your assignment. You've got to do your job. You've got to break tackles. You've got to block on the perimeter."
"The tempo is great, but at the end of the day, we've still got to teach technique, and the thing that you worry about whenever you're going super fast is that you lose the mentality and continue to teach technique, and that's not going to change here. We're going to make sure the quarterback is taking the right drop, we're going to make sure that our wide receivers are stock, blocking, getting the right releases, the linemen can tag to the right proper backer. So there is an advantage to it. There's a place for it. But at the end of the day, you still have to play great technique and do your job."
Q. Just comment on having a guy like Jon Baker in the middle of your offensive line to develop your young quarterbacks and you get a ground game going, as well.
"No question. You know, Darius is older, AB is young; however, they both haven't played -- Darius has played a limited role before he got hurt, played in the Florida State and I believe the Howard game, and then AB hasn't played yet. It's really important regardless who the guy is out there that the foundation always begins with the offensive line, which then trickles down, obviously, to the other positions. Those guys out there, they're going to be out there for the first time. They're expected to do their job, but as you well all know, as much as it starts with us, we've got to make sure that there's people around them doing their jobs to help them along with their inexperience. Is that an excuse? No, absolutely not. Our job at the quarterback position is to go out and play well, but also that's where the criticism comes in whenever everything goes great, you get way too much credit. Whenever things go bad, you get major criticism. So you need to make sure there's people around him doing their job, also."
Q. Just talk about Jon at the point of attack.
"Yeah, it's awesome. He's got experience. He's got size. He's a super-smart kid. He's going to be able to help with the protections in terms of making sure that our quarterback is ID'ing it correctly. Yeah, he's a veteran. He's a guy that has shown tremendous leadership so far on our offensive unit."
Q. Seemed like it took a while last year for Tommy Sweeney to get into a groove with Patrick. How do you see the tight ends' role this year?
"Well, you know, I've been in the one and done for the last -- I think the last quarterback that I've coached back to back years was Chad Henne. Whenever you're bouncing from quarterback to quarterback to quarterback to quarterback, there's a reason New England is good besides Tommy. There's continuity. The guy has been in the system for 17, 18, whatever it is, 19 years, and any time that you're able to practice and stay within the same system for a period of time, everything gets better. That's what you've seen."
"There's more rhythm. There's more timing. We look like we know what we're doing much more just because of the simple fact of time."
Q. Keeping along the lines of the tight ends, how much versatility do they give you, whether it's in a blocking role versus a receiving role?
"Yeah, our tight ends are excellent. They're able to play multiple positions, which creates match-up issues, and they'll be used."
Q. Switching to the running back game, what have you seen so far out of your incoming freshmen, and how have they impacted the battle at that group?
"Yeah, they're both good football players. Both are different, but both have a skill set that we're all going to like. They're both tough. They're both smart. They're both fast. AJ is obviously just a little bit bigger. Travis does some different things that you can do out of the backfield. But they're both really two young, good football players, and we're really -- they did a great job recruiting Brian White. Coach Addazio did a great job recruiting those guys, and our staff did a great job recruiting those guys. I think we're all going to be really happy with the young players, and our older players at that position are pretty good, too. It's a good feeling to have depth at that position because those guys go through a lot of banging, and you need more than one. You need more than two. We're very fortunate right now at that position. There's a lot of really good depth and talent in my opinion."
Q. Steve was just talking about kind of the jobs you've taken over the years and kind of turning things around in different spots. He said, he's had some tough --
"Yeah, it's been fun. It's been a great experience. Every place that I've been, from Michigan to the NFL to Florida to with Steve at Temple, everywhere you learn. I've made some mistakes, and I've learned from mistakes, and I've done some really good things."
"You always look at what's happened in the past. You look at the good. You look at the negative, and you just try to keep improving and doing a better job."
"Every place that I was at, I loved. I mean, there were some great places that I've been, and I've been very fortunate for my age to have had some great jobs, and this place fits me. There's a blue-collar mentality with Steve. I love the discipline. I love the kids. Very excited and very humbled to be a part of this, and just like I said, I think Steve has done a great job recruiting. He's a great head coach. But I really, really like our players. They're really cool, and this is a special, unique place."
Q. Coming out of the bowl game, talk about what you saw with the system --
"Yeah, there was a debate the day that we came to Boston College as if we should go tempo, and we totally changed the throw game, and there was a ton of learning, and we were very, very -- to be quite honest, very simple last year just because we were working on getting in the right splits. It was all new."
"Now, again, just like I say, it's a year ahead. We're much more ahead. We're much more comfortable with the system, and we'll play more consistent because of, again, those kids have heard the same things for more than 30 days, you know, like it was last year."
"It's an exciting time. We've got to get better. We're much improved. We're not where we'd say it's perfect yet, but we're on the right track."
Q. (Indiscernible).
"Yeah, there's no question. Just like I said, this profession -- you know, we had a great year at Temple because they did a great job before we got there. They did a great job with recruiting and what have you, and in this profession, there's a lot of timing to it and all that other stuff, but I don't get into all that. I'm super excited to be around these guys, and you really see where this thing could take off. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, but that's the business, to answer your question. There's sometimes that you walk into things that are perfect, it's ready to go, and there's other times that it takes a little bit of time, and sometimes you get to be the guy that was part of it, and sometimes you got it ready for someone else. That's part of it. To answer your question, yeah. Timing."
Q. (Indiscernible).
"Good. You know, we keep going -- feels like EJ has been around here for three years now, but he really is a true freshman that should be coming off his baseball season and heading into the summer, to summer school. But he's been here since January. He's got a lot to learn. There's this tremendous upside. A lot of new things for him. But he's doing a good job."
Q. You mentioned offensive line; could you talk about Chris Lindstrom, his development, and as a leader and obviously size-wise, does he have more motivation having a younger brother in the room now as a leadership role?
"Yeah, Chris, it's funny, you watched the last job that I was at, you watched always the crossover film, and you see this 255-, 245-pound guy that's trotting out there that should be redshirted, but you saw a lot of fight. You saw that he was athletic, and he was one of those guys that unfortunately had to play way too early, and now he's 300 pounds plus. He's athletic. He can move. He's smart. He's tough. He gets it. That's the crazy thing about college football; sometimes you're asked to play when you're really not ready to play. You'd have loved to have had the ability to redshirt him, but that experience that he had being at 260 pounds, being undersized, he realized that he had to get a heck of a lot stronger, a heck of a lot bigger, and sometimes you have to go through a little bit of hell to get to where you need to be, and that guy has embraced his first year and has really worked his tail off to do a great job, and he's one of our better players, there's no question."
Defensive Coordinator Jim Reid
Q. With Truman and Johnson and Milano gone, you lost 181 tackles I believe it is. Talk about trying to fill those gaps this year and keep at least the run-stopping game consistent.
"Well, first of all, maybe what I'll do is give you a brief overview of everything and I'll come right back to that. Last year the highlight was those last three games, and the bowl win was terrific. One thing that never, ever, ever stopped was the great effort by our entire team. That North Carolina State win with Cam Moore making that really huge play in the end zone, and then it just kept building and building, and it went right straight through, as Coach Addazio said, right straight through to now."
"We lose some really good players. We've got a lot of really good players coming back, and we've got some -- we'll mention some that have been here, but there's going to be some surprises, some really -- you can see it develop on the field."
"Inside you've got Ray Smith and you've got Harold Landry coming back for his senior year, and Wyatt Ray. Zach Allen has had like four great practices in a row, and he had a great spring. And we're developing some depth there, as well. Gosh, we're just really excited to watch these guys develop, and if you're going to develop as a defensive lineman, there is no one in the country, in the entire country, and since the United States most of the time plays football, then I'll say the world, and just in case there's other places in the universe, that can develop talent like coach Paul Pasqualoni. This is my fifth year with this guy. He's an amazing coach. To watch how he works with his players and develops his players and the respect that he has for them and the respect that they return to him is pretty terrific."
"He's coached some great pass rushers in his pro career, and he's doing a tremendous job, I think, with all of the guys that I mentioned, both the inside and the outside guys."
"I know what he's teaching because he taught me these things when I was at Miami with him and he was the defensive coordinator there. So I mean, it's been fun to watch everybody develop. I'm just going to tell you that I've done this for 40-some odd years. I don't want to say 46 because then you'll think that I'm a little older. But anyway, just so you know, I'm telling you, I've been around no one with the intensity and the desire for their players to improve like I have Anthony a.m. pa Nelly. Gosh, you watch that guys works them, and the players love it."
"You're going to miss somebody, but Isaac has done great. I already mentioned Cam, and Mehdi and Taj Torres has really had -- he had a great spring, and he's had four great practices so far. Will, Lucas, I mean, you name all of them, and they're all working extremely, extremely hard, not just on the football field but in the meeting room, as well, and on -- they've just had a -- it's on display every day, so we're really, really excited, and the guys that I coach, Connor Strachan, I can say this with surety: He's in the best shape of his life. The guy is just terrific, and he's leading very well. And you've got Ty Schwab, as well, and Kevin Bletzer is doing a terrific job out there. I'll go through the whole roster and I'm just going to tell you that these characters are just working just as hard as they can. It's terrific to watch."
Q. Coach, a little bit about the cohesion between the linebackers and the defensive line; how important is it for them to play off one another in the scheme that you run?
"Huge, and this is exactly what we tell the linebackers, just so you know. Any time I've coached any linebackers at all, the defensive line never makes a mistake. They never make a mistake. They're four yards in front of us, and we expect them to be aggressive. Most of the time they'll be in their gap exactly the way they should be, but when they're not, we have time, if we understand the scheme, then we can help just play off of them. So when you talk about the cohesion, not just on the field, but let me tell you what, these guys here, they talk football all the time. You go down to the locker room and they're talking about -- they're not talking about the Red Sox or the Bruins or the Celtics or anything of that nature. What they're talking about is, hey, what about the zone scheme, and what are the tips and what are the leans and things of that nature. I mean, it's marvelous to watch. It's just exactly the way it was when I left here way back in 1994. Tremendous young men, highly motivated in every phase of their life: Football, academics, socially, and then taking advantage of all of their opportunities, not just here but also with each other. It's just really a fun group to be around."
"Did that answer -- okay, all right. So what I'm saying is they have to be best friends, but also, secondary has to know what the linebackers are doing. So that closeness helps in all phases of the game. Yep, good question."
Q. My question is about taking you back in time to the day you learned that Harold was going to come back and how much that affected you and how that affects the program.
"Well, I get a little emotional when I think of that, and I just want you to know that in a lot of instances, probably most ever, that a young man would seize the opportunity because he did have a good draft grade, to leave, and why he didn't, I think, is why Boston College is a very special place. He wanted to graduate from here. But he loved his teammates, and he didn't want to leave them with one more year left."
"And then the other thing, too, is, I honestly believe he felt he got a lot better with Coach Pasqualoni, and now another year with Coach P, you just don't know what's going to happen. But there's a special bond here. You know, it's hard to describe unless you've gone to school here, but there's like mindedness. When you walk around here, everybody is focused on getting a great education, and they're focused on real good, clean living so that they can progress in their lives, not just socially but with faith and with all the extracurricular, you know? And there's a great support system. Every time you walk into a classroom, they're your classmates, and there's a special respect there that everybody has for each other. I mean, it's really wonderful."
"It's a great environment to be in if you're an athlete here. It's what I felt back in 1994. It's still here. So it's the school and it's the environment, and it's the way it's run. Integrity and honor have a lot to do with that, and you feel it every day. And guys don't want to leave it, and I believe that that was one of the reasons."
"But I'll tell you what, I was fired up. I still have my Twitter message and he tweeted me back. It was great. It was just really, really fun. Yeah, I know how to use Twitter. I know that smile."
Q. You've seen a lot of football over the years. What do you see in Harold? Who does he remind you of?
"Well, you know, I'd like to probably say Jason Taylor. You know, he's a guy that can get off the football, that uses his hands well. But you know, the one thing that Harold has developed very well, and I think that Coach Pasqualoni will tell you this, is a great understanding of how to study film, you know, and how to practice and the intensity of it and the environment and the awareness."
"Okay, now, I might be lined up on this end, but what's the split of the wide receiver and what's the backfield set? We say down and distance all the time, 1st and 10. You guys are sitting up in the press box with me, and we say, yeah, it's 1st and 10. You get on the field, you run, you hit, you get a little bit hurt and all, you've got to have awareness; is it 2nd and 1, 3rd and 5? Those escape guys. You've got to have great focus there."
"I'll tell you the guy, Jason Taylor had a long reach. I coached him. Coach Pasqualoni was the defensive coordinator, and I coached the rush ends on the outside and the linebackers. He's that type of guy."
"And you know what, Jason Taylor was also the NFL Man of the Year, I think, like three or four times, maybe five. So I would also include that as part of the evaluation of what you just asked me to do because Harold Landry I think is a really great man. Great, great, great young man."
Q. Coach Addazio talked about Isaac at the cornerback position, the speed he brings and the experience. I covered him in high school, he was fast then. Could you talk about his speed and his experience and what he brings to the outside of the defense?
"Isaac Yiadom? Yeah, let me tell you this: This guy has developed, all right. Isaac has developed so greatly here under Anthony that -- today it was amazing. Yesterday. Every day this young man has an amazing, athletic play, and the reason he has an amazing athletic play is because he's in great position to be able to make it."
"You stand up there and you watch, oh, look at that, this guy missed that. There's a lot that goes into what we do. A ton that goes into what we do. And unless you're totally focused and highly energized, I'll tell you, it's hard to get in the right position all the time because the other guys, they're getting coached, too. They're good players, too. They have scholarships, too."
"And Isaac has just hit a different level of preparation. I guess we call it maybe maturity, but in order to have that maturity, you've got to have some great focus and understanding and you've got to want to do that, and you've got to want to do that all the time. So I mean, you know, we're really excited about how he's playing. Really excited about how he played last year and again how he's playing in spring as well as these first -- just four, but he's been outstanding."
Players Mentioned
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