Highlights from Al Groh's Weekly Press Conference
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Al Groh comments from press conference, Sept. 25, 2007
Opening Statement:
After four games now as we go into the fifth week, I’d say we’ve pretty well established our routine with the team. It’s not very complex, but we try to spend a lot of time analyzing the previous game, (the) schemes, (the) execution, (and) target whatever it is in those particular areas that needs fixing principally or reinforcement. (We) try to take that into the practice week and most particularly with the intent to keep the team moving forward and keep their vision firmly on the upcoming opponent. (That) is certainly going to have to be very much the M.O. of this particular team. So far this team in the early stage of the season, which gives hopeful signs that it will be this way throughout, has shown very good discipline to be able to do that. That’s got to be part of one of the things that is a part of our makeup. If we lose our discipline and our focus on that particular thing, then probably we won’t continue to progress the way it is going to be necessary to build on this season.
Q: Are there any similarities to what’s happening to Pittsburgh’s defense as far as points being scored with them not on the field to what you went through at times last year? (Virginia had five interceptions returned for touchdowns last season, Pittsburgh has had two this season)
A: We can very much relate to that. Their defense is playing admirably; they’re in the top 25 in many categories this year including, I think, 11 in total defense. The defense is playing very well but is being put into some very difficult circumstances by turnovers. About 75 percent of their most recent points have occurred as a result of turnovers and some of them run directly into the end zone. Offensively there hasn’t been a game that they’ve played yet where the opponent has put together multiple long drives for touchdowns.
Q: Talk about Pittsburgh and what they do well.
A: What they do do well, as we mentioned a minute ago, is they are really good on defense. They don’t give anything easy.They’re very sound, they’re very physical, they keep everything in front, they set the edge well on defense, they don’t give up long drives and they don’t give up long plays. (That’s a) pretty good formula.
You can’t waste a down on them offensely because if you do you are going to have a hard time making it up on the succeeding downs, making first downs and keeping your drives going. That’s the way all four of these games have gone with the teams that they’ve played. It certainly sends a message to the defense, too, that if that’s the kind of game it’s going to be that for us defensively we’ve got to plan on keeping this down to a low number from the other side. (It’s a) very scrappy, very physical (team). They reflect not only Dave (Wannstedt’s) personality but his philosophy of playing that we’ve had significant exposure to, so it’s very much what we expect it (to be).
Q: What about their running game? They’ve got two pretty small shifty backs with a lot of speed.
A: I’ve stood next to LeSean McCoy and I wouldn’t call him small. He’s a pretty normal size running back, but he is exceptionally elusive. He was one of the top running backs in the country coming out in high school and broke his ankle early in his senior season. I don’t remember the timing of it, either before or after that, he committed to Miami, which usually has a run of top backs in the country. (He) ended up going to Milford Academy for a year and got into Pitt in January, so he had full spring practice to prepare for the season. as well as training camp. He runs like a veteran player; (he’s) very explosive. I remember watching his tapes and being at the school and we are very familiar with the player. What we are seeing on tape comes exactly as what we expected to see when we heard that he was in the lineup.
Q: Talk about Jameel Sewell. He played maybe his best game on Saturday and it seems like his development is really coming on.
A: It’s not something that I have to sense. I think it’s something that anybody who watched his performance last week can see. I know that he feels that he’s increasingly confident at what he’s doing and should as a result of the performance that he’s able to observe in himself. Like the rest of us he’s got a lot of progress to make, but he’s well on that road.
Q: Do you sense an extra bounce in the team’s step with a three-game winning streak?
A: The wins certainly put the bounce in anybody’s step. I know it put it in mine, but most particularly, I think the bounce comes from players and the confidence that they get from their own performance. Players see themselves performing well in the tasks that they have and performing increasingly proficiently; that upgrades everybody’s attitude. We believe pretty strongly in the psychology of results.’ Win and play poorly puts a small bounce in your step, better bounce in your step than not win. But win and play poorly maybe there is minimal bounce in your step. Play fairly decently and win, puts a little bit more bounce in your step. I think a lot of players can see their performance improving, which gives them confidence and from confidence comes, as you refer to it, that preverbal bounce in their step.
Q: This could be a good sign of how far your offensive line has come based on last year’s game with Pittsburgh.
A: I think that the team we played last week (Georgia Tech) has got a very good history of defense, but it’s really a scheme defense. This (Pittsburgh) defense is a lot different. There are not a lot of schemes involved. There’s some movement somewhat but if you are going to move the ball against these guys you’ve got to dig them out of there. They have some of those 6-2, 290-pound point-of-attack kind of guys and it’s hard to dig them out of there.
Q: You have a slew of players from Pennsylvania. Is this a good series and did you like scheduling Pittsburgh?
A: Yeah we did. It’s a program of great tradition. It’s one that is not on the other side of the world and it should be good for fans of both teams.