Tulane's practice at the Saints indoor facility this morning was closed to reporters--we got the word last night--so I did not see it. When they returned to campus, Willie Fritz, Tyrick James and Dorian Williams talked. Jojo Dorceus had been requested but did not show, with Williams replacing him.
FRITZ
"We are always very appreciative of the Saints allowing us to go out there. We had a great practice. It was nice and cool, 72 degrees. We did some team periods. We worked a period with the punt block and punt return unit. We worked some kickoff return, did some seven-on-seven, some one-on-one, a little inside period. It was good. We got a lot out of it today."
On scrimmage in retrospect:
"For a first scrimmage guys tackled well. Usually the first scrimmage it gets sloppy, but the guys did a nice job with their approach to tackling and maintaining leverage and using their arms to tackle. A lot of times defensive guys, particularly in that first scrimmage, think they are an offensive player and they're blocking guys instead of tackling. That was probably the No. 1 takeaway for me."
On Dorceus being productive at 6-0:
"He's got built-in leverage. I talk all the time about playing with your eyes at throat level of your opponents. He's already there most of the time. He does a great job of contorting his body and getting skinny, and he's got great explosion. From here to there he's really fast and quick."
On transfer from Memphis:
"His mom's from here. He lived here until Katrina, then he went to Houston. He wanted to come back home and play his last year here. After he got in the portal, he contacted us and came over this way. There really wasn't much recruiting. This was where he wanted to be so he could be close to home."
On need for getting lineman like Dorceus in portal:
"We're always going to probably over-recruit on the offensive and defensive line. It's just so hard to really project guys, and it usually takes them a little bit longer, particularly with the offensive linemen, to develop,. We have a good group of defensive linemen right now, some big guys, but we'll always take a great player if we can get him."
On Super Seniors coming back this year (seven who played for Tulane last year returned for the COVID year)
"I stayed out of it. It was a long, stressful season last year with the COVID protocol we had to follow. I used to wait until the season got over and then came back in January and a bunch of guys felt great about it. It had to be their decision. It wasn't going to work if it wasn't their decision. Most all of those guys have already graduated. Some of the guys have timed it up where they're maybe only taking three hours in the fall. Other guys are getting their master's. A couple of guys are getting their MBA in December. They'll be finished with that. It's a great advantage for them academically, professionally, getting a job having this extra degree, and then also some of them want to show they can play at the next level and get a little more tape out there. It was great to have them back. In 15, 20 years they are going to be very happy they did it. You only have a small window to play football and they all got themselves an extra year to do that."
On if he watched NFL preseason games:
"I saw a little bit of the Saints game. I watched Christian Montano. Jalen McCleskey is injured with the Saints, but I watched Christian and he played there at the end. I saw some highlights One of our coaches on our sports staff puts together all the guys who played, and I saw Patrick Johnson make some plays, a big sack by Cam Sample at the end of the game, Darius Bradwell had a touchdown. There were some other guys who did some good stuff, too. It's always fun to watch those guys at the next level play. I'm sure our guys talked to some of them since that game and visited with them as well."
DORIAN WILLIAMS
On practice at Saints facility:
"It's always a different type of energy when you go out there to the Saints. You get to see the guys, Cameron Jordan, some of those guys that you look up to growing up playing football. We go a lot to the Saints and it's a nice facility. You get real comfortable with it, the turf and how you cut. It's nice."
Thoughts on scrimmage:
"I felt like everybody played pretty hard. We've got some guys get back there to the quarterback. The backers are going to be able to run. The guys on the back end are covering. We're all doing pretty well. We're pretty happy with this defense. We need to clean up a couple of little things with assignments and schemes, but we are pretty happy with the defense right now."
On Dorceus:
"Jojo is a character. He is just so fast, so quick off the line. He's not going to be a two-gap guy, but as far as getting back in the backfield and creating havoc, if you don't account for him, he'll wreck the entire play scheme."
TYRICK JAMES
On how he got so open on opening possession of scrimmage:
"It was really just the play call from coach Long. That's really all it is. That's how I got open. We just had the right play call for the defense. I just happened to get open."
On learning Chip Long had coached tight ends when he arrived:
"It felt great. It's the same thing with coach Hall. He and coach Hall have the same type of background and scheme. They are big tight end guys and put tight ends on pretty much every play that they have, so once I found out we were getting coach Long and I found out they were college roommates, I was like, 'Wow.' it's really all God's timing. God put coach Hall here to put things in and coach Long here for us to really execute the plays and take it to the next level."
On getting used to Long's personality:
"Not really much (of an adjustment). Everybody wants somebody to push them to be great, and that's what coach Long comes out here and does. He might joke off the field a little bit, but when it's time to nut down and get on the field between those sidelines, coach Long is all about business. He's ready to go."
On what he is looking for this year:
"Everybody hopes to have a great year. I wouldn't down myself, so I'm hoping to have a fantastic year. Hopefully every ball that comes my way, I'll catch it and get what I get for my team."
On what does best:
"I'm an all-around player. I have my spurts here and there. I block good at times and I don't block good at times. I catch good at times. It's mostly all-around."
Where needs to improve the most:
"My blocking down the perimeter, being more physical on my blocking because I tend to get beat a lot, so I try not to."
On experience helping him:
"A lot. We have a lot of young guys up under me and also I have Will (Wallace) next to me to help me with the young guys. We have the experience now. It's time to take it to the next level. I feel great about us. We are going to take our unit to the next level."
FRITZ
"We are always very appreciative of the Saints allowing us to go out there. We had a great practice. It was nice and cool, 72 degrees. We did some team periods. We worked a period with the punt block and punt return unit. We worked some kickoff return, did some seven-on-seven, some one-on-one, a little inside period. It was good. We got a lot out of it today."
On scrimmage in retrospect:
"For a first scrimmage guys tackled well. Usually the first scrimmage it gets sloppy, but the guys did a nice job with their approach to tackling and maintaining leverage and using their arms to tackle. A lot of times defensive guys, particularly in that first scrimmage, think they are an offensive player and they're blocking guys instead of tackling. That was probably the No. 1 takeaway for me."
On Dorceus being productive at 6-0:
"He's got built-in leverage. I talk all the time about playing with your eyes at throat level of your opponents. He's already there most of the time. He does a great job of contorting his body and getting skinny, and he's got great explosion. From here to there he's really fast and quick."
On transfer from Memphis:
"His mom's from here. He lived here until Katrina, then he went to Houston. He wanted to come back home and play his last year here. After he got in the portal, he contacted us and came over this way. There really wasn't much recruiting. This was where he wanted to be so he could be close to home."
On need for getting lineman like Dorceus in portal:
"We're always going to probably over-recruit on the offensive and defensive line. It's just so hard to really project guys, and it usually takes them a little bit longer, particularly with the offensive linemen, to develop,. We have a good group of defensive linemen right now, some big guys, but we'll always take a great player if we can get him."
On Super Seniors coming back this year (seven who played for Tulane last year returned for the COVID year)
"I stayed out of it. It was a long, stressful season last year with the COVID protocol we had to follow. I used to wait until the season got over and then came back in January and a bunch of guys felt great about it. It had to be their decision. It wasn't going to work if it wasn't their decision. Most all of those guys have already graduated. Some of the guys have timed it up where they're maybe only taking three hours in the fall. Other guys are getting their master's. A couple of guys are getting their MBA in December. They'll be finished with that. It's a great advantage for them academically, professionally, getting a job having this extra degree, and then also some of them want to show they can play at the next level and get a little more tape out there. It was great to have them back. In 15, 20 years they are going to be very happy they did it. You only have a small window to play football and they all got themselves an extra year to do that."
On if he watched NFL preseason games:
"I saw a little bit of the Saints game. I watched Christian Montano. Jalen McCleskey is injured with the Saints, but I watched Christian and he played there at the end. I saw some highlights One of our coaches on our sports staff puts together all the guys who played, and I saw Patrick Johnson make some plays, a big sack by Cam Sample at the end of the game, Darius Bradwell had a touchdown. There were some other guys who did some good stuff, too. It's always fun to watch those guys at the next level play. I'm sure our guys talked to some of them since that game and visited with them as well."
DORIAN WILLIAMS
On practice at Saints facility:
"It's always a different type of energy when you go out there to the Saints. You get to see the guys, Cameron Jordan, some of those guys that you look up to growing up playing football. We go a lot to the Saints and it's a nice facility. You get real comfortable with it, the turf and how you cut. It's nice."
Thoughts on scrimmage:
"I felt like everybody played pretty hard. We've got some guys get back there to the quarterback. The backers are going to be able to run. The guys on the back end are covering. We're all doing pretty well. We're pretty happy with this defense. We need to clean up a couple of little things with assignments and schemes, but we are pretty happy with the defense right now."
On Dorceus:
"Jojo is a character. He is just so fast, so quick off the line. He's not going to be a two-gap guy, but as far as getting back in the backfield and creating havoc, if you don't account for him, he'll wreck the entire play scheme."
TYRICK JAMES
On how he got so open on opening possession of scrimmage:
"It was really just the play call from coach Long. That's really all it is. That's how I got open. We just had the right play call for the defense. I just happened to get open."
On learning Chip Long had coached tight ends when he arrived:
"It felt great. It's the same thing with coach Hall. He and coach Hall have the same type of background and scheme. They are big tight end guys and put tight ends on pretty much every play that they have, so once I found out we were getting coach Long and I found out they were college roommates, I was like, 'Wow.' it's really all God's timing. God put coach Hall here to put things in and coach Long here for us to really execute the plays and take it to the next level."
On getting used to Long's personality:
"Not really much (of an adjustment). Everybody wants somebody to push them to be great, and that's what coach Long comes out here and does. He might joke off the field a little bit, but when it's time to nut down and get on the field between those sidelines, coach Long is all about business. He's ready to go."
On what he is looking for this year:
"Everybody hopes to have a great year. I wouldn't down myself, so I'm hoping to have a fantastic year. Hopefully every ball that comes my way, I'll catch it and get what I get for my team."
On what does best:
"I'm an all-around player. I have my spurts here and there. I block good at times and I don't block good at times. I catch good at times. It's mostly all-around."
Where needs to improve the most:
"My blocking down the perimeter, being more physical on my blocking because I tend to get beat a lot, so I try not to."
On experience helping him:
"A lot. We have a lot of young guys up under me and also I have Will (Wallace) next to me to help me with the young guys. We have the experience now. It's time to take it to the next level. I feel great about us. We are going to take our unit to the next level."