Media Day: Offensive Staff Quotes

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KEVIN WILSON
On the decision to make Paul Thompson starting quarterback:
“Earlier in the summer, we as coaches went through some scenarios of what-ifs.' Especially after Ryan Reynolds was running around one day and just planted and was out for six or seven months.

"So we thought what we would do in our current quarterback situation, if there is a minor cramp, a glitch, a sore shoulder or ankle injury and a guy's out for a week or two. We had some alternative plans. We went through spring and gave Joey Halzle 15 practices a lot of work. But we've only got 15 days, where as Paul has had four years.

“When you go through the history of Paul, in his first year, he was brought out of a redshirt about midway through the year, five years ago, he played some games.

"In the 2003 season, the Sugar Bowl year, he played backup quarterback. His third year, he was the backup quarterback.Although we played another guy out of red shirt in mop ups, he was our No. 2 year three. In his fourth year, we go into a competition.

2006 OU Football Preseason Central

"Going through spring and going through summer, neither guy had jumped out to be the guy. The only time he wasn't our second team quarterback was last spring. We said, be a receiver, go have a great senior year' in fairness to him. But when the situation changed, we had plans to go to. This was our plan.

"We're not going to become a running team just because he is an athlete. We've got to throw the ball to win a championship and we think we have a great chance to be a championship team.

"Let's go in a direction where come early we can hit the field with some momentum and cohesion and have a chance to start fast as an offense. Let's play the cards this way and let's make it the best hand we can.

“Yesterday, he didn't look like a guy that hadn't played quarterback in awhile. He went the right way and when it wasn't there he didn't throw. He had no turnovers, no picks, and he was throwing the football on target and going to the right guys.”

“As I've said all summer and prior to any situation that has happened recently, I said from the first day. We will do what the quarterback can do and we will do what the line can do. And the first thing the quarterback can do is he's the first guy on the field that can beat our football team.

"We told Paul that we don't need him to put the team on his shoulders. We have a tremendous team. We're outstanding in defense and a lot of talent on offense.

"His job is to get in synch with us and manage the players around him. Yesterday, he was a very solid manager. Did he make some mistakes? Yes. But he didn't have critical errors that would have haunted us as we get in to game mode. That is the critical thing of that position.

"Yesterday's installation and plays we ran were exactly the same that it was on prior to Monday. We didn't change a thing. A week from now, we will try to settle in, sink in. This is the direction we truly need to go and what we're going to try to be.

"Fortunately, the situation has happened that it is a four weeks until our first game and nine weeks until our first conference game, giving us time to get in synch and be the best we can with this group. I think it has a chance to be really strong.

“We don't need you to win the game. How I've been raised in coaching, the team can win the game. Take what the defense has given you. Sometimes a nice pass is an incomplete one because you got blocked by coverage, you went the wrong way, the spacing wasn't there, the route got clustered or the protection wasn't in synch.

"There is very little that I have said to him or will say to him that would be different than any quarterback that I have ever dealt with. He has to be an extension of Coach Stoops and an extension of the offensive staff and what we're trying to do.”

On Adrian Peterson's role:
“The box is going to be loaded. It has been loaded; it was loaded when Jason White was here. We tried to stop the run when we played Texas Tech.

"Everyone is going to load the box. Not just on us, on everybody. Everybody needs to be able to stop the run to be a championship team. That's college football for the last 12-15 years. We're going to have run the ball in loaded boxes and we've had to since he's been here. We'll have to when after he's gone.

"Sometimes you have to run the ball. It's an attitude, a mindset, a toughness there's an approach to running the football. Adrian's a heck of a back and I'm going to feed him that ball as much as I can and I've felt like that since I saw him play his first game.”

On losing J.D. Runnels:
“That's been my largest concern is the loss of J.D. Runnels and the inexperience of Dane Zaslaw and Matt Clapp. That has been a bigger concern to me than our talent on the offensive line or the quarterback situation.

"Can we be a good two-back team? We'll go through camp and see. We need to get the pads for a few days and see the maturity and the development in some of those guys.”

On Thompson having experience as a receiver:
“I think there's an appreciation. He understands what it takes to run a route or the spacing. He understands what it feels like to be hung out to dry by that quarterback. There were a couple times yesterday when he thought he had a certain route that was about to go bad. But what he didn't do was he didn't throw it. He made smart decisions even if he made a mistake.”

On new adjustments in the offense:
“If you look back at the Jason White situation a few years ago, when he blew a knee out in the first quarter of the second game, we had a week to get ready. Now we've got a whole preseason to get ready.

"It isn't the situation we thought we had or expected, but we do have ample time to get us in a great place to play. Our goal, offensively, is to come out of the gate and be more efficient, more productive and start fast so when we get to conference play we have a chance to be a competitive, upper level team trying to make a championship run.

"We do not need to go through the first game searching, feeling and finding ourselves. That's another reason we have decided Thompson is our guy. It gives us a chance for two or three weeks to find ourselves offensively and put ourselves in the best positions. All the I-plays have been put in since I was here. That's an adjustment.

"We were different with Quentin Griffin than we were with Jason White. We've always adapted.”

On incoming freshmen:
“The freshmen class might be, across the board, one of the best classes. You'll see some other guys in the mix of depth. You might see two young freshmen receivers in the mix to be significant contributors. You'll see a very talented freshmen offensive class.”

CO-OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KEVIN SUMLIN
On the receiver's reaction to Thompson as quarterback:
“After meeting with those guys and talking a little bit, I know for a fact his being in that room amongst young players and being a senior, freshmen, even sophomores and redshirt freshmen had a huge impact. He was a leader last spring and last summer through workouts.

"Just talking with Paul a little bit, I think him even playing out on the perimeter even gave him an appreciation of what those guys do where spaces are and how they get to those spaces. They have a tremendous amount of respect for Paul. In the summer, the seniors kind of run the workouts and do things like that. He's a leader.”

On wide receivers:
“They are a really talented group of guys. The thing we're talking about with that position is maturity. What maturity really is, is being consistent.

"The big thing out of that group is what we talked about through spring is what we can count on day to day. Not a great play here and then the next day, dropping a bunch of balls. That's growing up and there are eight or nine guys there that have a lot of talent. It's going to be their ability to grow up and play at this level consistently that is going to give us a chance to win.

"I was really pleased with the start yesterday but it's just one day. Their challenge is going to be to play at that level consistently. We'd like to play six to eight receivers. It's about doing it everyday and being consistent. Let us know what we can count on from you and you will be rewarded by playing on Saturday.”

JUNIOR RUNNING BACK ADRIAN PETERSON
On how often he will carry the ball:
“However they (the coaches) say it's going to be before the game in preparation, it's their call. Thirty-five (carries) sounded pretty good.”

On Paul Thompson at quarterback:
“A lot of guys have faith in Paul to get it done. I'm pretty sure they're going to stay in the box anyways. He'll make it easy. Judging from yesterday's practice he looked pretty good. He's getting back in the groove fast.”

On his size:
“I'm up to 218 pounds and trying to get a little more toned. I'm feeling healthy and ready to roll.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors