Post by Bornthrilla on Apr 14, 2008 9:21:47 GMT -5
ncataggies.com/Football/2008%20articles/aggiesvspringgame.htm
FOBBS TALKS AGGIE FOOTBALL
GREENSBORO, April 12, 2008 -- The North Carolina A&T football team just concluded spring practice with an instrasquad scrimmage on Saturday at Aggie Stadium. The Aggies snapped the football approximately 70 times with veterans like Michael Ferguson and up and comers like defensive end Jarrell Herring. Fobbs liked the group tackling from his defense, but didn't like the turnovers his offense had on Saturday. Fobbs sat down for a Q and A to discuss Aggie football.
Q: What did you want to accomplish this spring?
A: “We wanted to establish a physical presence. We want to be more physical in every aspect of the game – offensively, special teams wise and defensively. If we get there, we feel like we’ll have a better football team. (Strength and conditioning coach) Cedric Walthaw’s training in the weight room has gone a long way in helping us get there. We just simply need a presence of toughness.”
Q: How many games were lost last season due to a lack of toughness?
A: “I felt like it cost us down the stretch in a lot of ball games. Our lack of a physical presence showed up a little bit late in games. I thought we were mentally defeated too. There were 3 or 4 ball games where we didn’t finish what we started. I think if we were mentally and physically stronger we would have completed the task.”
Q: What is the sign that you’re becoming mentally and physically stronger as a team?
A: “When we begin to do things we do and do them well. Being more physical is a state of mind. We wanted to instill that sense of mental toughness this spring through working hard, setting goals and accomplishing those goals. We you start hitting those benchmarks, you’re getting there.”
Q: What position was a major concern for you going into the spring and how did you address this spring?
A: We always have a concern upfront on both sides of the ball. I think every football team in the country is looking to improve upfront on both sides of the ball. For me and for every coach, you can never have enough depth and strength upfront. I think the next thing we’re looking into is team speed. We were able to bring some speed in and our off-season program has been great. Again, it goes back to coach Walthaw and his program. We’ve picked a little more quickness and a little more speed. And the kids we signed can really run.”
Q: What from today’s spring game did you enjoy watching?
A: The gang tackling from our defense was impressive. It’s always great when 11 men are going to the football, and your defense is showing toughness and meanness. I like the way we threw the ball, and I think we threw it better because our pass protection was better than we anticipated. I think we always have been able to run the football, but defensively hopefully we are coming around.”
Q: Running back Nigel Tomlin had a good game. Was there anyone else who impressed you during the spring scrimmage?
A: “I think there is no question Nigel had a good today. I thought (quarterback) Carlton Fears had a good day as well. We always knew Nigel had the tools to help this football team, but he really started to show it today and throughout the whole spring, really. I’m sure once we view the film and start grading people, there will be some more names to talk about. But without looking at the film, Carlton did some good things, and also Jarrell Herring played strong at defensive end.”
Q: How many reps did you want to see some of your veteran guys like running back Michael Ferguson and Herb Miller to take?
A: “Our intentions were to get Ferg enough snaps where he could build up a little sweat, but we certainly didn’t want to over do it. Ferg worked extremely hard during spring ball, but then again that’s what he always does. We just wanted to be careful with him and some of our other guys with the weather the way it was. We wanted Herb to get about 30 snaps. With guys like Herb and Ferg, you pretty much know what you’re gong to get, so we were really trying to see what’s behind them. We wanted to see some of the newer guys get the majority of the snaps.”
Q: How did the basketball player (Trahern Chaplin) look on the football field?
A: “He has only been out there a few days because the team was still competing in the (MEAC basketball)tournament. His time out there has been kind of spotty because of his class schedule. He eventually is going to have to get extra work in. Today, we used him as a decoy a couple of times. If he works the way he needs to work throughout the summer, he has tools to help the team. From what I understand, he was a very good football player in high school.”
Q: Did you see what you wanted to see from your defense today?
A: “I thought we did a good job versus the run. One of things you want to see is if you can put pressure on the quarterback without having to blitz. We got some pressure up front a little bit without the benefit of the blitz, which means we’re working hard upfront. I thought our corners had a good day. Simeon Platt and Deshaun Graham were able to play well at corner because we had a good push upfront. If we can get pressure on the quarterback in 2008, it’s going to help us on the back end. So we’re excited about some of the things we may be able to do against the opponents’ offense this season.”
Q: What kind of improvement did you see from your football team this spring?
A: “I saw some improvement in our depth. The kids we signed upfront on both sides of the ball can play. I continue to see some overall improvement in our offensive and defensive schemes. We stayed where we were doing concept wise, but we made some adjustments that are going to make us better. I think our overall hustle was better. We ran the ball better and we looked stronger. Now how that translates this fall we don’t know yet. But when I look at our lifts in the weight room, down the line, everyone has improved tremendously in almost every area. Kelvin Jackson and Tyre Glasper to name a few have shown a lot of progress in the weight room.
Offensively, we’ve shown more consistency. Before today, I would have told you we have not turned the football over a lot. Today, when we got out there on the game field, we turned over a couple of footballs today. We can’t turn it over; we can’t put our defense in difficult situations this season.”
FOBBS TALKS AGGIE FOOTBALL
GREENSBORO, April 12, 2008 -- The North Carolina A&T football team just concluded spring practice with an instrasquad scrimmage on Saturday at Aggie Stadium. The Aggies snapped the football approximately 70 times with veterans like Michael Ferguson and up and comers like defensive end Jarrell Herring. Fobbs liked the group tackling from his defense, but didn't like the turnovers his offense had on Saturday. Fobbs sat down for a Q and A to discuss Aggie football.
Q: What did you want to accomplish this spring?
A: “We wanted to establish a physical presence. We want to be more physical in every aspect of the game – offensively, special teams wise and defensively. If we get there, we feel like we’ll have a better football team. (Strength and conditioning coach) Cedric Walthaw’s training in the weight room has gone a long way in helping us get there. We just simply need a presence of toughness.”
Q: How many games were lost last season due to a lack of toughness?
A: “I felt like it cost us down the stretch in a lot of ball games. Our lack of a physical presence showed up a little bit late in games. I thought we were mentally defeated too. There were 3 or 4 ball games where we didn’t finish what we started. I think if we were mentally and physically stronger we would have completed the task.”
Q: What is the sign that you’re becoming mentally and physically stronger as a team?
A: “When we begin to do things we do and do them well. Being more physical is a state of mind. We wanted to instill that sense of mental toughness this spring through working hard, setting goals and accomplishing those goals. We you start hitting those benchmarks, you’re getting there.”
Q: What position was a major concern for you going into the spring and how did you address this spring?
A: We always have a concern upfront on both sides of the ball. I think every football team in the country is looking to improve upfront on both sides of the ball. For me and for every coach, you can never have enough depth and strength upfront. I think the next thing we’re looking into is team speed. We were able to bring some speed in and our off-season program has been great. Again, it goes back to coach Walthaw and his program. We’ve picked a little more quickness and a little more speed. And the kids we signed can really run.”
Q: What from today’s spring game did you enjoy watching?
A: The gang tackling from our defense was impressive. It’s always great when 11 men are going to the football, and your defense is showing toughness and meanness. I like the way we threw the ball, and I think we threw it better because our pass protection was better than we anticipated. I think we always have been able to run the football, but defensively hopefully we are coming around.”
Q: Running back Nigel Tomlin had a good game. Was there anyone else who impressed you during the spring scrimmage?
A: “I think there is no question Nigel had a good today. I thought (quarterback) Carlton Fears had a good day as well. We always knew Nigel had the tools to help this football team, but he really started to show it today and throughout the whole spring, really. I’m sure once we view the film and start grading people, there will be some more names to talk about. But without looking at the film, Carlton did some good things, and also Jarrell Herring played strong at defensive end.”
Q: How many reps did you want to see some of your veteran guys like running back Michael Ferguson and Herb Miller to take?
A: “Our intentions were to get Ferg enough snaps where he could build up a little sweat, but we certainly didn’t want to over do it. Ferg worked extremely hard during spring ball, but then again that’s what he always does. We just wanted to be careful with him and some of our other guys with the weather the way it was. We wanted Herb to get about 30 snaps. With guys like Herb and Ferg, you pretty much know what you’re gong to get, so we were really trying to see what’s behind them. We wanted to see some of the newer guys get the majority of the snaps.”
Q: How did the basketball player (Trahern Chaplin) look on the football field?
A: “He has only been out there a few days because the team was still competing in the (MEAC basketball)tournament. His time out there has been kind of spotty because of his class schedule. He eventually is going to have to get extra work in. Today, we used him as a decoy a couple of times. If he works the way he needs to work throughout the summer, he has tools to help the team. From what I understand, he was a very good football player in high school.”
Q: Did you see what you wanted to see from your defense today?
A: “I thought we did a good job versus the run. One of things you want to see is if you can put pressure on the quarterback without having to blitz. We got some pressure up front a little bit without the benefit of the blitz, which means we’re working hard upfront. I thought our corners had a good day. Simeon Platt and Deshaun Graham were able to play well at corner because we had a good push upfront. If we can get pressure on the quarterback in 2008, it’s going to help us on the back end. So we’re excited about some of the things we may be able to do against the opponents’ offense this season.”
Q: What kind of improvement did you see from your football team this spring?
A: “I saw some improvement in our depth. The kids we signed upfront on both sides of the ball can play. I continue to see some overall improvement in our offensive and defensive schemes. We stayed where we were doing concept wise, but we made some adjustments that are going to make us better. I think our overall hustle was better. We ran the ball better and we looked stronger. Now how that translates this fall we don’t know yet. But when I look at our lifts in the weight room, down the line, everyone has improved tremendously in almost every area. Kelvin Jackson and Tyre Glasper to name a few have shown a lot of progress in the weight room.
Offensively, we’ve shown more consistency. Before today, I would have told you we have not turned the football over a lot. Today, when we got out there on the game field, we turned over a couple of footballs today. We can’t turn it over; we can’t put our defense in difficult situations this season.”
