The media gathering didn't break up until after 9 p.m. It was a late practice on a brisk Thursday night at Stanford.
Shaw
I"t was good. Offense bounced back a little bit. Defense had the upper hand Tuesday, but the offense did better today. But it was still back and forth. We had a red-zone period, a third-down blitz period, a team run period with all the runs and play-actions. We taxed them physically and mentally."
Alijah Holder won't play in spring game, but is "progressing really nicely. He's been practicing and looks great." Bryce Love on verge of 100 percent healthy, but no need to play him.
Cameron Scarlett
Before we really got started he said the offense was excited for spring game to show people what the unit can do and what he can do as well. I asked about last season and he said it always felt like they were one play away from turning a game around. Whether fans in the stands agree with that assessment, I take his word that there was a frustrated feeling at times among the offensive players trying to figure out how to turn things around.
"I feel like I've developed a lot. I think the biggest thing is understanding the playbook, my reads and what I'm supposed to be keyed into pre-snap and post-snap. I think that's allowed me to play faster and to my full potential, where I don't think I was playing my freshman year."
His ability to catch the ball, which Ron Gould said several weeks ago was a strength for Scarlett: "Last season it was tough because we had Christian who was basically a wide receiver for us. He's the best receiver and best running back in the draft. Yeah, I've always prided myself on playing receiver. In high school I used to play a lot of receiver. I split carries with the running back at Oregon State. So, that forced me to play a lot of slot and outside receiver. I like being out there and catching the ball.
"Especially with Bryce down, I feel like the coaches have trust in me to put me out wide from knowing the plays and running my routes correctly. It's definitely increased."
Evaluate Trevor Speights and Dorian Maddox: "I see both progressing and they're such good guys. We're all such a close-knit group in there. Trevor is so strong, quick, great feet. Dorian is powerful and low to the ground."
Pete Alamar
Your take on Collin Riccitelli and Jet Toner this spring?
They're very similar statistically through spring. We'll continue to push the competition. I think both have different strengths and weaknesses, different things they're working on still. I think it has been a really productive spring for both of them as far as settling in to first wear the role, and work on the fundamentals and techniques to bring them to the level that we've come to expect.
Talking about not calling a kicking competition in the spring brings to mind Conrad Ukropina's rocky spring game before his junior season: Kicking is very similar to sports that involve rackets and things like that. It's a temperamental thing and something you have to learn and grow. That was probably Conrad's defining moment was having a bad day. It let him understand, how do I handle this mentally? How do I come back? The lesson that he learned he learned it in the spring instead of the fall. We had a tough lesson at the end of spring and had a great talk about it. I think he did a great job of setting a course for himself, handling it and learning and growing from it. And that's what these guys are doing. We're trying to put them in as many experience situations as we can so that they can grow, too. When a guy misses a kick, what does he do on the next kick.
What is the next step for Jake Bailey to go from good to better?
Good to better for us as a directional punt team is learning how to put the ball consistently outside the numbers. It's not having 60 percent of my punts be distance and hang-time ratio, but 80 percent. For him it's fine tuning things. He's come so far and has had a really good spring. He's hit the ball very well. Good to great for him is just fine tuning now. He's at that point where he knows when something is off. He knows before I can say it.
The development of Brandon Simmons: The one thing that's fun for me is special teams oftentimes is a great opportunity for a young guy to get on the field and to grow and mature. To see that carry over into offense or defense is really cool to see. I think that some of the experiences that he had as a coverage guys has lent itself to confidence and wanting more. I'm excited for him.
Shaw
I"t was good. Offense bounced back a little bit. Defense had the upper hand Tuesday, but the offense did better today. But it was still back and forth. We had a red-zone period, a third-down blitz period, a team run period with all the runs and play-actions. We taxed them physically and mentally."
Alijah Holder won't play in spring game, but is "progressing really nicely. He's been practicing and looks great." Bryce Love on verge of 100 percent healthy, but no need to play him.
Cameron Scarlett
Before we really got started he said the offense was excited for spring game to show people what the unit can do and what he can do as well. I asked about last season and he said it always felt like they were one play away from turning a game around. Whether fans in the stands agree with that assessment, I take his word that there was a frustrated feeling at times among the offensive players trying to figure out how to turn things around.
"I feel like I've developed a lot. I think the biggest thing is understanding the playbook, my reads and what I'm supposed to be keyed into pre-snap and post-snap. I think that's allowed me to play faster and to my full potential, where I don't think I was playing my freshman year."
His ability to catch the ball, which Ron Gould said several weeks ago was a strength for Scarlett: "Last season it was tough because we had Christian who was basically a wide receiver for us. He's the best receiver and best running back in the draft. Yeah, I've always prided myself on playing receiver. In high school I used to play a lot of receiver. I split carries with the running back at Oregon State. So, that forced me to play a lot of slot and outside receiver. I like being out there and catching the ball.
"Especially with Bryce down, I feel like the coaches have trust in me to put me out wide from knowing the plays and running my routes correctly. It's definitely increased."
Evaluate Trevor Speights and Dorian Maddox: "I see both progressing and they're such good guys. We're all such a close-knit group in there. Trevor is so strong, quick, great feet. Dorian is powerful and low to the ground."
Pete Alamar
Your take on Collin Riccitelli and Jet Toner this spring?
They're very similar statistically through spring. We'll continue to push the competition. I think both have different strengths and weaknesses, different things they're working on still. I think it has been a really productive spring for both of them as far as settling in to first wear the role, and work on the fundamentals and techniques to bring them to the level that we've come to expect.
Talking about not calling a kicking competition in the spring brings to mind Conrad Ukropina's rocky spring game before his junior season: Kicking is very similar to sports that involve rackets and things like that. It's a temperamental thing and something you have to learn and grow. That was probably Conrad's defining moment was having a bad day. It let him understand, how do I handle this mentally? How do I come back? The lesson that he learned he learned it in the spring instead of the fall. We had a tough lesson at the end of spring and had a great talk about it. I think he did a great job of setting a course for himself, handling it and learning and growing from it. And that's what these guys are doing. We're trying to put them in as many experience situations as we can so that they can grow, too. When a guy misses a kick, what does he do on the next kick.
What is the next step for Jake Bailey to go from good to better?
Good to better for us as a directional punt team is learning how to put the ball consistently outside the numbers. It's not having 60 percent of my punts be distance and hang-time ratio, but 80 percent. For him it's fine tuning things. He's come so far and has had a really good spring. He's hit the ball very well. Good to great for him is just fine tuning now. He's at that point where he knows when something is off. He knows before I can say it.
The development of Brandon Simmons: The one thing that's fun for me is special teams oftentimes is a great opportunity for a young guy to get on the field and to grow and mature. To see that carry over into offense or defense is really cool to see. I think that some of the experiences that he had as a coverage guys has lent itself to confidence and wanting more. I'm excited for him.
