A reminder that Tulane did not practice today. Tomorrow's practice, which is the equivalent of a Monday practice in a normal week, will be open to reporters unlike the actual Monday practices during the rest of the season.
We talked to Tulane's offensive coordinator earlier this week. Here's what he said.
CRADDOCK
On how he feels about the offense right now:
"Right now we've got a lot of weapons. We've just got to find the best ways to put guys in certain spots that helps their skill set and take advantage of what they can do. We've had some guys we felt were more deep ball threats, and they're not. We've had to get those guys more underneath stuff and try to get them touches and let them use their wiggle and go on the outside, and then some guys are deep threats. There's been a lot of mixing and matching in training camp, and I think we've finally found the right lineup at receiver, and we're excited about that. Obviously we have a really good running back who I think is different from last year. Last year you saw him break some big runs and get run down from behind. This year he's a lot faster, he's a lot quicker. He's definitely physical. He's shown that definitely in training camp, and the biggest thing is we have to keep continuing to find who that next guy is with more consistency at the second spot. And then the O-line has been really solid. We've had a couple of bumps and bruises along the way, but getting some guys back healthy is definitely going to help. We gotta continue to develop chemistry up front with those five guys, so it's been a good training camp. I'd still like to see us a little bit farther ahead from a detail standpoint. We've got a lot of offense in, which is a good thing. Now this next week and a half we've just to really focus on the details, splits, alignments and assignments to know exactly what we're doing."
On Troy's Kimani Vidal having 297 carries (the most for any back in the country) for 1,661 yards last year and possible similar numbers for Hughes:
"We had a really good running back last year at our last spot. Kimani Vidal is playing really well right now with the Chargers. He was a guy that made our offense go because if you can run the ball, you open up a lot of things on the back end, so really excited about him and where he is from last year to this year."
On how deep they can go at receiver:
"A couple of bumps and bruises. I'd like to see the second-rotation guys be a little more detailed in what they're doing, but I'm really excited about the talent. Behind those first couple of guys we're young, and those guys have to come on quick because it's a next-man-up mentality. If someone needs a breather, somebody's got to go in, so there can't be any drop-off. We talk about that all the time. They have to be locked in, focused and know exactly what to do if their number's called."
On experienced offensive line:
"That's what makes it all go. You can have a good running back, but if there's nowhere to run, you don't have anything going, so having those guys up front, the chemistry with those guys is going to be crucial. A few have missed some practices, and we've held guys just to get them back healthy for the long stretch of the season, so just developing that chemistry leading up to game 1 and even through game 1 will be critical for our offense."
On Shaadie Clayton-Johnson's hands:
"Yeah, he catches the ball well. Makhi's really worked on his hands as well. Jamauri's got good hands. Duda's got good hands. He's had a couple of drops here and there, but he can still catch the ball so I'm really excited about all of our running backs being able to catch the ball. Shaadie does give you a little bit different dynamic in that he can split out and play slot receiver and be in the backfield. A lot of times when you empty the backfield, he's like an extra receiver out there that people are going to have to pay attention to and they can't just man him up with a linebacker."
On Mario Williams:
"Here's the deal with Mario. He came in and had to learn a whole another offense than what's he used to his whole college career. He's done a very good job of learning how to be a pro and what it takes to learn and study at night. He's gotta continue to develop that because it's a different system for him. I keep telling him, like look dude, the more you know, the more I can move you around, the more I can get you touches in different ways and not just have you in one spot stationary all the time. I've obviously challenged him with that a lot because the more he knows and the more he can move around, the more different things I can do with him."
On Yulkeith Brown as a route runner:
"He's one of our top guys. He's doing a great job as well. He's probably been the more consistent of the older guys, and he's very versatile in what he can do. There's a lot of different ways we can get him the ball as well."
On the tight ends and Alex Bauman:
"He is proven, but he's a different kid right now. He had an offseason procedure that I think has really helped him. He moves better than he ever has. He's one of our most skilled ball catchers, and we've got to do a good job and I've got to go back to my roots from several years ago when I was the tight ends coach about how we can utilize him in the passing game. What's I say about Alex is he as all-around tight end that can run block as well. In our staff meeting yesterday I was watching (video of) Alex cut off the backside, and I was like that's pretty dadgum good. Not only is he a good pass catcher, but he's also a good run blocker and I'm excited about how he looks right now coming out of missing spring training. He looks like a completely different player."
On guys around him helping QB make transition to being full-time starter:
"That's definitely crucial. When I talk to the quarterbacks all the time, there's been several days when you see a guy try to win the job on every single play. Sometimes they put the ball in jeopardy or make a poor decision trying to be Superman. You don't have to be Superman. You've got plenty of people around you that can help you. This is all about distributing the ball and making sure you are playing within the system and getting the ball where it is supposed to go and letting your playmakers make plays. Having the weapons around those guys will definitely help, and as long as they know the game plan and know where the ball is supposed to go, their job should be very easy in my opinion. Quarterback is a very hard position, but when you have a talented group around you, it's about making the right decisions, not putting the ball in jeopardy and distributing the ball where it's supposed to go to the playmakers we have on the outside and the inside."
On if he would be comfortable using more than one quarterback:
"It's all about how you practice. That's what we've talked to all those guys about. Whoever we run out there in game 1 may not be the guy that finishes game 1. Everything's written in sand. You don't want a guy to feel like, oh, I've got to win my job on every play or keep my job on every play, but also you have to go execute. You have to execute within the system, make plays that are there, and if they're not, be smart with the ball and throw it away and live to play another down. If you practice well and you deserve to play, we are going to try to find a way to play you, and if you don't practice well and you have a bad week, then there's really no reason for you to play. We talk about that all the time in that room. Look, whoever we run out there in game 1, this is a long season. We're going to need everybody to be ready at any time, and if you practice well you deserve to get some time. I think coach Sumrall and I are on the same page with that. If we decide like, hey, this guy deserves a chance to go play, let's play him. We don't have a guy that's a proven starter at the position, so how do you do that? Well, you may say third series of the game this guy's going to go in, fourth series this guy's going to go in no matter what to get those guys the reps they deserve if they've proven it in practice and see what they'll do. Like we've told them, if you get your shot, don't ever let us bring you out. Go score the ball and make it very hard for us to put the other guy back on."
We talked to Tulane's offensive coordinator earlier this week. Here's what he said.
CRADDOCK
On how he feels about the offense right now:
"Right now we've got a lot of weapons. We've just got to find the best ways to put guys in certain spots that helps their skill set and take advantage of what they can do. We've had some guys we felt were more deep ball threats, and they're not. We've had to get those guys more underneath stuff and try to get them touches and let them use their wiggle and go on the outside, and then some guys are deep threats. There's been a lot of mixing and matching in training camp, and I think we've finally found the right lineup at receiver, and we're excited about that. Obviously we have a really good running back who I think is different from last year. Last year you saw him break some big runs and get run down from behind. This year he's a lot faster, he's a lot quicker. He's definitely physical. He's shown that definitely in training camp, and the biggest thing is we have to keep continuing to find who that next guy is with more consistency at the second spot. And then the O-line has been really solid. We've had a couple of bumps and bruises along the way, but getting some guys back healthy is definitely going to help. We gotta continue to develop chemistry up front with those five guys, so it's been a good training camp. I'd still like to see us a little bit farther ahead from a detail standpoint. We've got a lot of offense in, which is a good thing. Now this next week and a half we've just to really focus on the details, splits, alignments and assignments to know exactly what we're doing."
On Troy's Kimani Vidal having 297 carries (the most for any back in the country) for 1,661 yards last year and possible similar numbers for Hughes:
"We had a really good running back last year at our last spot. Kimani Vidal is playing really well right now with the Chargers. He was a guy that made our offense go because if you can run the ball, you open up a lot of things on the back end, so really excited about him and where he is from last year to this year."
On how deep they can go at receiver:
"A couple of bumps and bruises. I'd like to see the second-rotation guys be a little more detailed in what they're doing, but I'm really excited about the talent. Behind those first couple of guys we're young, and those guys have to come on quick because it's a next-man-up mentality. If someone needs a breather, somebody's got to go in, so there can't be any drop-off. We talk about that all the time. They have to be locked in, focused and know exactly what to do if their number's called."
On experienced offensive line:
"That's what makes it all go. You can have a good running back, but if there's nowhere to run, you don't have anything going, so having those guys up front, the chemistry with those guys is going to be crucial. A few have missed some practices, and we've held guys just to get them back healthy for the long stretch of the season, so just developing that chemistry leading up to game 1 and even through game 1 will be critical for our offense."
On Shaadie Clayton-Johnson's hands:
"Yeah, he catches the ball well. Makhi's really worked on his hands as well. Jamauri's got good hands. Duda's got good hands. He's had a couple of drops here and there, but he can still catch the ball so I'm really excited about all of our running backs being able to catch the ball. Shaadie does give you a little bit different dynamic in that he can split out and play slot receiver and be in the backfield. A lot of times when you empty the backfield, he's like an extra receiver out there that people are going to have to pay attention to and they can't just man him up with a linebacker."
On Mario Williams:
"Here's the deal with Mario. He came in and had to learn a whole another offense than what's he used to his whole college career. He's done a very good job of learning how to be a pro and what it takes to learn and study at night. He's gotta continue to develop that because it's a different system for him. I keep telling him, like look dude, the more you know, the more I can move you around, the more I can get you touches in different ways and not just have you in one spot stationary all the time. I've obviously challenged him with that a lot because the more he knows and the more he can move around, the more different things I can do with him."
On Yulkeith Brown as a route runner:
"He's one of our top guys. He's doing a great job as well. He's probably been the more consistent of the older guys, and he's very versatile in what he can do. There's a lot of different ways we can get him the ball as well."
On the tight ends and Alex Bauman:
"He is proven, but he's a different kid right now. He had an offseason procedure that I think has really helped him. He moves better than he ever has. He's one of our most skilled ball catchers, and we've got to do a good job and I've got to go back to my roots from several years ago when I was the tight ends coach about how we can utilize him in the passing game. What's I say about Alex is he as all-around tight end that can run block as well. In our staff meeting yesterday I was watching (video of) Alex cut off the backside, and I was like that's pretty dadgum good. Not only is he a good pass catcher, but he's also a good run blocker and I'm excited about how he looks right now coming out of missing spring training. He looks like a completely different player."
On guys around him helping QB make transition to being full-time starter:
"That's definitely crucial. When I talk to the quarterbacks all the time, there's been several days when you see a guy try to win the job on every single play. Sometimes they put the ball in jeopardy or make a poor decision trying to be Superman. You don't have to be Superman. You've got plenty of people around you that can help you. This is all about distributing the ball and making sure you are playing within the system and getting the ball where it is supposed to go and letting your playmakers make plays. Having the weapons around those guys will definitely help, and as long as they know the game plan and know where the ball is supposed to go, their job should be very easy in my opinion. Quarterback is a very hard position, but when you have a talented group around you, it's about making the right decisions, not putting the ball in jeopardy and distributing the ball where it's supposed to go to the playmakers we have on the outside and the inside."
On if he would be comfortable using more than one quarterback:
"It's all about how you practice. That's what we've talked to all those guys about. Whoever we run out there in game 1 may not be the guy that finishes game 1. Everything's written in sand. You don't want a guy to feel like, oh, I've got to win my job on every play or keep my job on every play, but also you have to go execute. You have to execute within the system, make plays that are there, and if they're not, be smart with the ball and throw it away and live to play another down. If you practice well and you deserve to play, we are going to try to find a way to play you, and if you don't practice well and you have a bad week, then there's really no reason for you to play. We talk about that all the time in that room. Look, whoever we run out there in game 1, this is a long season. We're going to need everybody to be ready at any time, and if you practice well you deserve to get some time. I think coach Sumrall and I are on the same page with that. If we decide like, hey, this guy deserves a chance to go play, let's play him. We don't have a guy that's a proven starter at the position, so how do you do that? Well, you may say third series of the game this guy's going to go in, fourth series this guy's going to go in no matter what to get those guys the reps they deserve if they've proven it in practice and see what they'll do. Like we've told them, if you get your shot, don't ever let us bring you out. Go score the ball and make it very hard for us to put the other guy back on."
