Nov. 15, 2004
Coach O'Leary MAC Teleconference
November 15, 2004
Q: "Have you ever played on a Tuesday night? What are your thoughts on playing on that day, and your general philosophy on mid-week games?"
O'Leary: "Not on a Tuesday night. I've played on Thursday night, but not a Tuesday night. I think the game was originally scheduled as an ESPN2 game when I first got here. Other than that, I don't know why you would play on a Tuesday night."
Q: "Unless it's for TV, would you prefer to play on Saturday?"
O'Leary: "Oh yeah, I have no question about that. You can't get people to the game if you move it to a Tuesday. It's just not very accommodating for your fans. The schedule was already set when I got here. It was handed to me as an ESPN2 game, but that disappeared very soon once the schedule was printed."
Q: "I don't know if you have had a chance to see Josh Cribbs, what kind of challenge does he present to defend?"
O'Leary: "He's a very very good football player. There are guys that make plays, and he does more than that. He's an outstanding football player that creates a lot of match-up problems because of what he does. He's just very creative with what he does, and they have a great scheme that really accentuates his athletic ability. It really makes everyone else around him better because of what he can do.
Q: "It's very hard to simulate what Josh Cribbs can do on the field, how do you prepare a team for something like that?"
O'Leary: "We've faced quarterbacks that have had the same type of athletic ability. What has impressed me with Josh is that he is not only quick, but he runs very hard. He's always going forward, and he's picking up a lot of hidden yardage. I don't know if you simulate. I think what you have to do is get someone that can move their feet, and really make your defense aware of the speed he's going to attack you with. You hope that you can someway get that done in practice. It's not usually a quarterback. It's a defensive back or wide receiver that has some quarterback experience from high school that can give you an idea of the speed, and what he can do in a game."
Q: "Does Josh remind you of anybody you coached or played against in the ACC?"
O'Leary: "I think that he is a lot faster than Joe Hamilton. Joe was quick, and made the first guy miss. I think that Josh has both of those. He makes your first guy miss, and has the good speed to outrace the rest of them. Josh has more physical tools than Joe. What Josh does is create a lot of situations that aren't even in the call system. He can beat you with his legs, and they keep the passing game where you get a lot of one-on-one coverage because teams are trying to get extra people on him."Q: "Have you seen teams trying to spy Josh? What have you seen on film?"
O'Leary: "I see a lot of people missing him. He beats most first guys unless you have help coming. I think that Doug (Martin) has done a masterful job with the offense. Their running back (Alston) does a good job of going north and south. I think that they really make use of the talents of the quarterback. The key to that game is that you have to tackle. You can't miss tackles because both of those guys can get into your secondary real quick. If you are going to spy him, you have to put someone on him that can catch him, and the ability to tackle him in the open field."