Kevin Sumlin
Terry Price
Spencer Nealy
Texas A&M Football
"Practice started off good then after that we kind of lulled and then it was better at the end. I think for the players it’s been a complete change in structure, practice schedule, meeting times, how we do things in a two-a-day schedule and that takes a little getting used to. We have one tomorrow and we’ve got some guys and we get to practice 7 or 8. There are some guys that are dragging, no matter what kind of shape you’re in. It showed today. That’s where we have to develop leadership. We need to get our players leading instead of coaches yelling and screaming.
"Players need to be leaders and not just get themselves through practice. We’ve got enough guys on this team that have played meaningful football that can do that. Things are so different for them right now, they don’t know where they’re going next. We’re getting better. I think we’re getting the ground work in for our guys to have a chance to scrimmage Saturday."
"It takes some time to get used to that. That’s normal. It’s been my experience that it goes that way. Next week they should flatten out a bit. It’s our job to push them to that point then you start the recovery period before the game."
"As a coach it’s your nature to try to make people perfect. You get through times in camp with new faces, and I‘m not saying the expectations are higher, they’re just different. We want you do it the way we want you to do it, and there are some growing pains with that. I think you’re seeing that with some guys leading camp."
"Certain kickers like certain holders and they’re comfortable with them. We try to put them in situations with pressure. It’s like when you’re playing golf and you go out with your buddies and you’re comfortable hitting the ball. You go out in a professional environment and it’s a lot different, you’re worried about hitting someone with the ball and your mind wanders. I think kicking in the stadium with people around, with a clock and a rush, I think it’s important."
"Nealy will the first to tell you he’s not the most talented guy but it’s been hard to keep him off the field because he plays hard. He knows what he’s doing and because of that he’s effective. He’s a classic example of the style of play and effort of play we’re looking for."
"We’ve got some guys people will be anxious to see, especially since our first game is on the road. It’s a chance for them to not listen to me all day, which they’ll be happy about especially if there are a lot of people here."
* It’s been tough not having all of his guys out at practice because of different injuries and whatnot. Sometimes you have to change the lineup every day in order to make things work. If nothing else, it allows all the guys to get an opportunity to show what they can do, and it’s up to them to take advantage of it. Consistency has been a problem because of injuries, but there are a bunch of guys who are working hard and being unselfish when asked to change positions. Because of this situation, the staff is finding out a bunch about the defensive line and is able to figure out who can play what positions if need be.
* He’s very excited about the freshman class even though they had one player not qualify academically. The kids that are here are working hard and are a very athletic group. They all have a great work ethic and are kind of being baptized by fire with the amount of injuries the group has.
* His SEC background helps the team some, but most times, the SEC speaks for itself. It’s a dominant league, and he’s been blessed to coach in it for 18 years. The coaching staff is well versed in the game of college football, but any tidbits of information he has will be given when applicable.
* Ivan Robinson is a guy who has made a lot of improvement and progress since the spring. He’s put on about 10 pounds of weight which is good, but ideally he would put on around 40 pounds or so. He’s explosive, physical, tough and is doing his best on the interior of the defensive line. He has the body and size of a defensive end, but because of their depth situation he has to play inside right now. He’s competing hard and working his butt off to hold up as best he can on the interior.
* This time of year, it’s important to have someone in your group that takes charge and gets the group going every day. Spencer Nealy has done that every day for them and comes ready to work every day. After the first few days when everyone is sore and tired, Nealy continues to bust it and work as hard as ever out on the field. He’s definitely what you look for in a defensive lineman, and he’s proud of what he’s done so far.
* Having a worker like Nealy helps develop the younger guys who are looking to the older players like Nealy for guidance. They see how positive he is on the field and how hard he works, and they learn from it. They gain good habits by watching Nealy practice every day.
* Damontre Moore is working hard. He’s done everything asked of him thus far and is working on getting things down from a scheme and technique point of view.
* All of the freshmen are the biggest workhorses that he has ever seen. Julien Obioha goes 200 miles an hour on every play, Tyrone Taylor is about as fast as anyone off the edge and Polo Manukainiu and Alonzo Williams are both going to be really good players.
* He’s definitely taken it upon himself to talk to the new guys and help them get accustomed to the tempo at which things are run under Coach Sumlin. The tempo isn’t too bad for them anymore, and they are definitely starting to get the hang of things.
* Coach Sumlin takes his breath away during practice with the pace of the workouts and the amount of running that they all do. Today wasn’t too bad, however.
* DaMontre Moore is the superstar of the defensive line. He’s going to get the big plays and is doing a phenomenal job of getting to the quarterback thus far. Going against Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews is a test that no one wants to take every day, but Moore has done a decent job thus far.
* Luke Joeckel is absolutely amazing and is so good at what he does. He’s not surprised that Joeckel is being named to different preseason All-American lists. Going against Joeckel makes the defensive line a lot better. If they are able to beat him on a certain play, they feel really good about themselves and it gives them a major confidence boost. Joeckel definitely can have a little bit of a mean streak in him here and there when need be.
* When people talk about the lack of depth on the defensive line, they definitely take that as a challenge. They know that they are probably the weakest unit on the team right now with the least amount of depth, partially due to the move from the 3-4 to the 4-3. They definitely have people stepping up and are determined to not be the weakest part of the team this year.
* The team has stacked two pretty good, full-padded practices in a row now, and they are definitely on the right track. Hopefully they can keep stacking good practices on top of each other in order to get the team where it needs to be in three weeks.
* He’s definitely a lot more confident now than he was at this time last year. He wasn’t nearly as strong or technically sound as he is now, which gives him the ability to compete with better guys on a more regular basis.
* Coach Price’s SEC experience and his knowledge of the league is heard by the players every day. They have a lot of contact with the other players during practice, and he lets them know that they better get used to being banged and bruised after games. He knows what it takes to compete in the SEC and lets the players know everyday which is a great learning tool for them.
Fall Camp Day #6: Sumlin, Price, Nealy
Kevin Sumlin
On practice today…
"This time of year, this time during camp, it’s starting to hit us. This is the first two-a-day practice this morning, it’s warm out there tonight. Did a little bit of live stuff, had our live tackling circuit which we put everybody through and I think it’s important. We’ll probably do that again another time before camp’s out. This is just so with every type of tackle, whether you’re on offense or defense, it gives us a chance to look at some guys. We actually did some live red-zone on four or five plays and took some guys to the ground."Practice started off good then after that we kind of lulled and then it was better at the end. I think for the players it’s been a complete change in structure, practice schedule, meeting times, how we do things in a two-a-day schedule and that takes a little getting used to. We have one tomorrow and we’ve got some guys and we get to practice 7 or 8. There are some guys that are dragging, no matter what kind of shape you’re in. It showed today. That’s where we have to develop leadership. We need to get our players leading instead of coaches yelling and screaming.
"Players need to be leaders and not just get themselves through practice. We’ve got enough guys on this team that have played meaningful football that can do that. Things are so different for them right now, they don’t know where they’re going next. We’re getting better. I think we’re getting the ground work in for our guys to have a chance to scrimmage Saturday."
On whether or not he expected some fatigue at this point into fall camp…
"That’s everywhere, that’s the case. We’re on practice 7 and our guys have been running 2-plus hours a day. It’s hot and that’s the first time these guys have gone through that. We got here a week ago, we’ve got a scrimmage and Sunday we’ve got a day off, and then next week will be pretty grueling with three two-a-day practices."It takes some time to get used to that. That’s normal. It’s been my experience that it goes that way. Next week they should flatten out a bit. It’s our job to push them to that point then you start the recovery period before the game."
On rising player leaders…
"I sat back and was quiet during team meetings. Our coaches are doing a great job pushing guys and demanding. It’s hot and guys are irritable. We’re trying to prepare our team, we’re not in the business of doing anything that’s reckless or torture. We’re trying to prepare us for what’s coming. It’s human nature, and I know it sounds crazy and philosophical, it’s human nature to do the least possible and get away with it."As a coach it’s your nature to try to make people perfect. You get through times in camp with new faces, and I‘m not saying the expectations are higher, they’re just different. We want you do it the way we want you to do it, and there are some growing pains with that. I think you’re seeing that with some guys leading camp."
On the kicker/special teams situation…
"Today we did some work in the red zone and we kicked some field goals and made them so from my perspective it’s pretty good. I think we missed just one in the spring during scrimmages at Kyle Field and I judge things that go on in those types of situations. We’ve got good competition, we’ve got to find a whole operation that we’re comfortable with. We’ve got to find a kicker, holder and snapper. The competition right now is wide open at snapper and we’ve got to develop some holders."Certain kickers like certain holders and they’re comfortable with them. We try to put them in situations with pressure. It’s like when you’re playing golf and you go out with your buddies and you’re comfortable hitting the ball. You go out in a professional environment and it’s a lot different, you’re worried about hitting someone with the ball and your mind wanders. I think kicking in the stadium with people around, with a clock and a rush, I think it’s important."
On the punters…
"We’ve had good days and we’ve had bad days. We’ve been inconsistent there. We have guys that are capable. We’re not looking for a 60 yarder and a 28 yarder. If we get a 38-42 yarder with hang time, I’m happy with that. Coach Polian’s working hard at it and we’re charting everything. We’ve got competition across the board, and we’ve got a lot of positions like that, and I think that’s healthy. It keeps guys on edge and I think it’ll generate more fire when people are trying to fight to earn their spot."On Spencer Nealy…
"Spencer Nealy’s something else. He’s moving all over the defensive line. I’ve seen him moved inside recently with Mathis hobbling around a bit. He’s a guy that plays hard. If anything can be said, and it’s a thing we’re trying to establish, is a level of play. The greatest compliment you can give a team, when you turn on the tape regardless of the outcome, is those guys play hard."Nealy will the first to tell you he’s not the most talented guy but it’s been hard to keep him off the field because he plays hard. He knows what he’s doing and because of that he’s effective. He’s a classic example of the style of play and effort of play we’re looking for."
On fan appreciation day and support Saturday…
"We’ve had a deal in the spring for fans. We had a little camp out there for the kids. I think it’s good for our players for fan appreciation to meet people and sign things. It’s also good from a competition standpoint, putting more pressure on skill players and kickers. It’s a good situation for everybody because practice is closed and it gives them an idea in an hour and a half."We’ve got some guys people will be anxious to see, especially since our first game is on the road. It’s a chance for them to not listen to me all day, which they’ll be happy about especially if there are a lot of people here."
Terry Price
* Being back at A&M is hard to describe. He’s loving every minute of it and is excited to be back because it’s something he’s always wanted to do. That first step back onto campus was a great feeling, but after two or three days, you realize that it’s still a job and that there is work to be done.* It’s been tough not having all of his guys out at practice because of different injuries and whatnot. Sometimes you have to change the lineup every day in order to make things work. If nothing else, it allows all the guys to get an opportunity to show what they can do, and it’s up to them to take advantage of it. Consistency has been a problem because of injuries, but there are a bunch of guys who are working hard and being unselfish when asked to change positions. Because of this situation, the staff is finding out a bunch about the defensive line and is able to figure out who can play what positions if need be.
* He’s very excited about the freshman class even though they had one player not qualify academically. The kids that are here are working hard and are a very athletic group. They all have a great work ethic and are kind of being baptized by fire with the amount of injuries the group has.
* His SEC background helps the team some, but most times, the SEC speaks for itself. It’s a dominant league, and he’s been blessed to coach in it for 18 years. The coaching staff is well versed in the game of college football, but any tidbits of information he has will be given when applicable.
* Ivan Robinson is a guy who has made a lot of improvement and progress since the spring. He’s put on about 10 pounds of weight which is good, but ideally he would put on around 40 pounds or so. He’s explosive, physical, tough and is doing his best on the interior of the defensive line. He has the body and size of a defensive end, but because of their depth situation he has to play inside right now. He’s competing hard and working his butt off to hold up as best he can on the interior.
* This time of year, it’s important to have someone in your group that takes charge and gets the group going every day. Spencer Nealy has done that every day for them and comes ready to work every day. After the first few days when everyone is sore and tired, Nealy continues to bust it and work as hard as ever out on the field. He’s definitely what you look for in a defensive lineman, and he’s proud of what he’s done so far.
* Having a worker like Nealy helps develop the younger guys who are looking to the older players like Nealy for guidance. They see how positive he is on the field and how hard he works, and they learn from it. They gain good habits by watching Nealy practice every day.
* Damontre Moore is working hard. He’s done everything asked of him thus far and is working on getting things down from a scheme and technique point of view.
Spencer Nealy
* The first day of two-a-days wasn’t too bad. They didn’t have to wake up as early as they used to with Coach Sherman, but they were still pretty sore after the day was over. His groin was bothering him some this morning, but the workouts today were able to stretch it out and make it feel a little better.* All of the freshmen are the biggest workhorses that he has ever seen. Julien Obioha goes 200 miles an hour on every play, Tyrone Taylor is about as fast as anyone off the edge and Polo Manukainiu and Alonzo Williams are both going to be really good players.
* He’s definitely taken it upon himself to talk to the new guys and help them get accustomed to the tempo at which things are run under Coach Sumlin. The tempo isn’t too bad for them anymore, and they are definitely starting to get the hang of things.
* Coach Sumlin takes his breath away during practice with the pace of the workouts and the amount of running that they all do. Today wasn’t too bad, however.
* DaMontre Moore is the superstar of the defensive line. He’s going to get the big plays and is doing a phenomenal job of getting to the quarterback thus far. Going against Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews is a test that no one wants to take every day, but Moore has done a decent job thus far.
* Luke Joeckel is absolutely amazing and is so good at what he does. He’s not surprised that Joeckel is being named to different preseason All-American lists. Going against Joeckel makes the defensive line a lot better. If they are able to beat him on a certain play, they feel really good about themselves and it gives them a major confidence boost. Joeckel definitely can have a little bit of a mean streak in him here and there when need be.
* When people talk about the lack of depth on the defensive line, they definitely take that as a challenge. They know that they are probably the weakest unit on the team right now with the least amount of depth, partially due to the move from the 3-4 to the 4-3. They definitely have people stepping up and are determined to not be the weakest part of the team this year.
* The team has stacked two pretty good, full-padded practices in a row now, and they are definitely on the right track. Hopefully they can keep stacking good practices on top of each other in order to get the team where it needs to be in three weeks.
* He’s definitely a lot more confident now than he was at this time last year. He wasn’t nearly as strong or technically sound as he is now, which gives him the ability to compete with better guys on a more regular basis.
* Coach Price’s SEC experience and his knowledge of the league is heard by the players every day. They have a lot of contact with the other players during practice, and he lets them know that they better get used to being banged and bruised after games. He knows what it takes to compete in the SEC and lets the players know everyday which is a great learning tool for them.
Never miss the latest news from TexAgs!
Join our free email list
