WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - As head coach Ryan Walters prepares to lead the Purdue Football team onto Rohrman Field at Ross-Ade Stadium, the first-year head coach met with the media ahead of the season opener against Fresno State on Saturday.
Below is a transcript from the press conference:
I just want you to give us your thoughts on getting ready to coach your very first game as the man?
"Geez. There's a ton of thoughts. Right now, I am just focusing on the game plan and trying to help out where I can offensively, defensively and special teams. Really just excited. Excited for our guys that have really put in the work to be able to reach this point and be ready to go play a game. I'm excited to see them play against another opponent, instead of hitting each other everyday in practice. I know they're excited to get out in front of the fans at Ross-Ade and showcase what we have been working on."
What do you think you learned most about your team in camp?
"I think we have established ourselves from an identity standpoint in all three phases."
Talk about Hudson Card's potential this season?
He has played in practice through spring ball and fall camp. You see a guy that's extremely accurate with a big arm that gets the ball out quickly and throws a nice, catchable, tight spiral. A guy that's athletic and that can extend plays and make you miss on the ground. I think what's most important and most impressive from my vantage point is his poise. He's got a calm confidence to him. He understands the scheme and can get the ball out quickly and go through his reads on time. He's a great quarterback and he's one of the best I've been around in person. I'm excited to see him play this fall."
What's just the importance of trying to get off on a good start in week one of the season?
"I think you obviously want to start fast and don't want to ease into the season. Our schedule doesn't really allow for that anyway, and we have set up summer workouts and set up the way we have practiced this fall to be able to hit the ground running. It's important to get off to a good start, to build confidence and build comradery and chemistry with a group of guys that is a veteran group, but don't have a whole lot of experience playing with each other."
Ryan, there's no easing into the season and with your schedule you just mentioned, but Fresno State has won their last nine games last year, got an experienced quarterback. What are the challenges going into this and knowing we are going to be tested going into the opening snap?
"I think it speaks volumes to the culture that Coach Tedford has created there, and really has created his whole career in his profession. To start one-and-four and to win ten games in a conference championship and end it on a nine-game winning streak, tells you how tough they are, how together they are in that building. So, it'll be a challenge but it'll be a challenge every week anytime you put pads on and put the ball down to go kick off. Anything can happen on any given Saturday, so we got to be prepared and handle adversity when it comes, because that is guaranteed. Ultimately, just to do our jobs and have faith in each other and confidence in the plan and go play.
Were you optimistic that Garrett (Miller) and Gus (Hartwig) were going to be able to play this first game, but I don't see them on the depth chart. Are you just going to ease them into it?
"No, that was all the plan from the rehab standpoint from the start."
Last thing, Dillon Thieneman is a freshman and looks like he's going to start. What has he shown you that he basically came in here and obviously made himself a name already?
"He's earned his position on the depth chart and on the roster. He's got tremendous speed. I think he's like the second fastest kid that we have on the team. You look at him as a freshman, but he's six-foot and some change. He's 205 pounds. He's really muscular and has done a great job with Coach Ro (Kiero Small) and the strength staff. He understands what we are trying to do schematically and he's got no fear. I think, because of that, he's earned the respect of the guys in the locker room. He's really impressed the staff, and he's earned the right to be a starter."
Who is the fastest kid on the team?
"Deion Burks."
Is it close?
"Yeah, they go back-and-forth. They would race all of the time in the summertime, but Deion's a little bit faster and he's a freak. I'm excited to watch him play this season."
How has it been as your first time as a head coach, actually preparing for a game as opposed to a coordinator?
"It's been different. Obviously, you're looking at different phases. You're allowing members of your staff, that you've hired, to do their job. Interject where you see fit and setting up practice. Having a pulse on what the team needs to do more of or less of and how you can have that balancing act of preparing, but also making sure we are fresh going into game day. Those are all things that I am learning and will continue to learn."
You have a lot of different receivers, different options there after the departure of Charlie Jones last season. Do you think you'll maybe look outside of the receiver room for targets? You have a former receiver in the running back room once Garrett Miller comes back you'll have a great tight end. What do you think the dispersion there might be?
"I think we got guys that we are really confident in. I know Graham (Harrell) likes to spread the ball around. You look at what he did at USC, and I think he had four receivers at all went close to 1,000 yards in one season. So, I think we won't be as centric on one individual as they were here a year ago. We got capable guys that are comfortable with the scheme, and the scheme allows for the ball to be spread around. So, we will get our playmakers the ball and space, and let them go to work.
Do you have any burning questions you want to get answered this week?
"No."
Have you made any decisions on who may redshirt so far?
"No, not – you get four games to try to figure it out, and my philosophy is the best teacher, in my opinion, is experience. So, if guys are capable of helping us out on gameday, regardless of age, then they're going to play. We're not going to waste an opportunity to get experience and help us win. So then we'll make those decisions as the season unfolds and who's available, and who's ready."
You mentioned them a second ago, but just how impressed are you with some of the guys you brought in to make up your staff?
"The staff, you're talking ab--? I've been really impressed with everyone to a man. We were thorough in the process of figuring out and identifying who we wanted to bring in the building, not only from a positional expertise, but just the type of guys we wanted to bring in, the type of personalities. So, I've been really impressed with the chemistry we have on the staff, the knowledge that they have on the staff, and with the way they've interacted with and mentored our players."
We saw you guys come out of Tiller Tunnel the other day for the mock game, have you visualized what it's going to look like and feel like with Ross Ade full?
"Just briefly, there's so much to get done on a daily basis. There's not a whole lot of time for daydreaming, but every time I do, I get goosebumps, and you try to put yourself in those moments so they don't surprise you. I don't think there's anything I can do from a mental standpoint to capture what that moment is going to feel like when it comes in real time."
Do you know what the official capacity is of Ross-Ade? They're not saying it, do you know the number?
I don't know the number, I think there's some people in this room that might know that number, but I do not know that number."
Why not, does that fall outside of your realm of doesn't really matter…?
"I haven't asked. I'm sure if I asked, they'd share that information."
Do you think you have a hookup? Like you'd have that information or….?
"I think so, I'm sure we'll all find out here shortly."
So no burning questions you want answered this week, why not? I would think you'd say something like, 'Well I'd like to see what receiver will step forward' or whatever, is that because you think you know what you have?
"You know, I watch every rep at practice. I watch every rep of individual drills. I think I have a pretty good pulse on who our guys are and what our team's about. So, no real questions. I think I've got things that I want confirmed, but I don't think I'm trying to find anything new out or think I'll get any new information. I think that's just the way that most coaches are – to be thorough, to learn, and to be able to teach."
How long does that take, if a practice is two hours, to go back and watch that film, what's that process like?
"It varies, it depends on how good of a practice it was, but it takes what it takes."
And then last question, you seem off watching (inaudible) practice for a game, none of us have that much in games, are you this way? You don't seem very fiery here. What are you going to be like? What are we going to see? Do you know what we're going to see?
"We're not competing right now, so that's why it's not fourth-and-one all the time. But if we were playing Monopoly, I'dl try to kick your butt. But on game days, I do try to be calm. I think as a leader, you don't want to ride the ebbs and flows of momentum swings, I think when you're calm, it calms your team. I'm competitive and I'll rally the troops when I need to rally the troops, I'll push them forward when I need to push them forward, and I'll hold them back when I need to hold them back. I'm not walking around like it's game day all the time, I think I'd go crazy and be stressed out."
Just a quick follow up to Sam's question with the true freshman, is there any philosophical incentive nowadays to keep those guys as engaged as possible and make sure from a player retention standpoint that you have the same team from year to year?
"You know, I can only answer that for me and what I would do. I won't be playing freshman because I want to appease them. I'm only playing guys that deserve the right to play, and that is done through competition, and we tell the guys all time, 'your spot on the roster or your spot on the depth chart isn't owned, it's rented, and rent is due every day.' And so the guys that compete and the guys that consistently show that we can trust them and that can make plays to win games at this level and in this conference, those guys will be on the field."
So you said, you've seen every rep, you have a pulse, how would you compare some of the position groups and some of the players on this team to teams that you've coached in the past?
"It's different. We're better in some areas, we're not as good in some areas, and the team as its entirety is its own team right now. I'm confident in our abilities and I'm excited to watch these guys play, I'm excited to go compete with them on Saturdays. I have all the confidence in the world with these guys. I've seen the way they work, I've seen the way they prepare, and I see the confidence that they have in each other."
Ryan, when you're evaluating your staff, how do you decide who's in the press box and what is the importance of having the coordinators on the sideline with you?
"It's a discussion I've had with both coordinators, to divvy up. First from a legality standpoint of who is allowed on the headset and where they're allowed to be. And then depending on what certain coaches are looking at during the course of the game and what the coordinators need on each perspective side of the ball – that's how we've divvied up and decided who will be where."
Below is a transcript from the press conference:
I just want you to give us your thoughts on getting ready to coach your very first game as the man?
"Geez. There's a ton of thoughts. Right now, I am just focusing on the game plan and trying to help out where I can offensively, defensively and special teams. Really just excited. Excited for our guys that have really put in the work to be able to reach this point and be ready to go play a game. I'm excited to see them play against another opponent, instead of hitting each other everyday in practice. I know they're excited to get out in front of the fans at Ross-Ade and showcase what we have been working on."
What do you think you learned most about your team in camp?
"I think we have established ourselves from an identity standpoint in all three phases."
Talk about Hudson Card's potential this season?
He has played in practice through spring ball and fall camp. You see a guy that's extremely accurate with a big arm that gets the ball out quickly and throws a nice, catchable, tight spiral. A guy that's athletic and that can extend plays and make you miss on the ground. I think what's most important and most impressive from my vantage point is his poise. He's got a calm confidence to him. He understands the scheme and can get the ball out quickly and go through his reads on time. He's a great quarterback and he's one of the best I've been around in person. I'm excited to see him play this fall."
What's just the importance of trying to get off on a good start in week one of the season?
"I think you obviously want to start fast and don't want to ease into the season. Our schedule doesn't really allow for that anyway, and we have set up summer workouts and set up the way we have practiced this fall to be able to hit the ground running. It's important to get off to a good start, to build confidence and build comradery and chemistry with a group of guys that is a veteran group, but don't have a whole lot of experience playing with each other."
Ryan, there's no easing into the season and with your schedule you just mentioned, but Fresno State has won their last nine games last year, got an experienced quarterback. What are the challenges going into this and knowing we are going to be tested going into the opening snap?
"I think it speaks volumes to the culture that Coach Tedford has created there, and really has created his whole career in his profession. To start one-and-four and to win ten games in a conference championship and end it on a nine-game winning streak, tells you how tough they are, how together they are in that building. So, it'll be a challenge but it'll be a challenge every week anytime you put pads on and put the ball down to go kick off. Anything can happen on any given Saturday, so we got to be prepared and handle adversity when it comes, because that is guaranteed. Ultimately, just to do our jobs and have faith in each other and confidence in the plan and go play.
Were you optimistic that Garrett (Miller) and Gus (Hartwig) were going to be able to play this first game, but I don't see them on the depth chart. Are you just going to ease them into it?
"No, that was all the plan from the rehab standpoint from the start."
Last thing, Dillon Thieneman is a freshman and looks like he's going to start. What has he shown you that he basically came in here and obviously made himself a name already?
"He's earned his position on the depth chart and on the roster. He's got tremendous speed. I think he's like the second fastest kid that we have on the team. You look at him as a freshman, but he's six-foot and some change. He's 205 pounds. He's really muscular and has done a great job with Coach Ro (Kiero Small) and the strength staff. He understands what we are trying to do schematically and he's got no fear. I think, because of that, he's earned the respect of the guys in the locker room. He's really impressed the staff, and he's earned the right to be a starter."
Who is the fastest kid on the team?
"Deion Burks."
Is it close?
"Yeah, they go back-and-forth. They would race all of the time in the summertime, but Deion's a little bit faster and he's a freak. I'm excited to watch him play this season."
How has it been as your first time as a head coach, actually preparing for a game as opposed to a coordinator?
"It's been different. Obviously, you're looking at different phases. You're allowing members of your staff, that you've hired, to do their job. Interject where you see fit and setting up practice. Having a pulse on what the team needs to do more of or less of and how you can have that balancing act of preparing, but also making sure we are fresh going into game day. Those are all things that I am learning and will continue to learn."
You have a lot of different receivers, different options there after the departure of Charlie Jones last season. Do you think you'll maybe look outside of the receiver room for targets? You have a former receiver in the running back room once Garrett Miller comes back you'll have a great tight end. What do you think the dispersion there might be?
"I think we got guys that we are really confident in. I know Graham (Harrell) likes to spread the ball around. You look at what he did at USC, and I think he had four receivers at all went close to 1,000 yards in one season. So, I think we won't be as centric on one individual as they were here a year ago. We got capable guys that are comfortable with the scheme, and the scheme allows for the ball to be spread around. So, we will get our playmakers the ball and space, and let them go to work.
Do you have any burning questions you want to get answered this week?
"No."
Have you made any decisions on who may redshirt so far?
"No, not – you get four games to try to figure it out, and my philosophy is the best teacher, in my opinion, is experience. So, if guys are capable of helping us out on gameday, regardless of age, then they're going to play. We're not going to waste an opportunity to get experience and help us win. So then we'll make those decisions as the season unfolds and who's available, and who's ready."
You mentioned them a second ago, but just how impressed are you with some of the guys you brought in to make up your staff?
"The staff, you're talking ab--? I've been really impressed with everyone to a man. We were thorough in the process of figuring out and identifying who we wanted to bring in the building, not only from a positional expertise, but just the type of guys we wanted to bring in, the type of personalities. So, I've been really impressed with the chemistry we have on the staff, the knowledge that they have on the staff, and with the way they've interacted with and mentored our players."
We saw you guys come out of Tiller Tunnel the other day for the mock game, have you visualized what it's going to look like and feel like with Ross Ade full?
"Just briefly, there's so much to get done on a daily basis. There's not a whole lot of time for daydreaming, but every time I do, I get goosebumps, and you try to put yourself in those moments so they don't surprise you. I don't think there's anything I can do from a mental standpoint to capture what that moment is going to feel like when it comes in real time."
Do you know what the official capacity is of Ross-Ade? They're not saying it, do you know the number?
I don't know the number, I think there's some people in this room that might know that number, but I do not know that number."
Why not, does that fall outside of your realm of doesn't really matter…?
"I haven't asked. I'm sure if I asked, they'd share that information."
Do you think you have a hookup? Like you'd have that information or….?
"I think so, I'm sure we'll all find out here shortly."
So no burning questions you want answered this week, why not? I would think you'd say something like, 'Well I'd like to see what receiver will step forward' or whatever, is that because you think you know what you have?
"You know, I watch every rep at practice. I watch every rep of individual drills. I think I have a pretty good pulse on who our guys are and what our team's about. So, no real questions. I think I've got things that I want confirmed, but I don't think I'm trying to find anything new out or think I'll get any new information. I think that's just the way that most coaches are – to be thorough, to learn, and to be able to teach."
How long does that take, if a practice is two hours, to go back and watch that film, what's that process like?
"It varies, it depends on how good of a practice it was, but it takes what it takes."
And then last question, you seem off watching (inaudible) practice for a game, none of us have that much in games, are you this way? You don't seem very fiery here. What are you going to be like? What are we going to see? Do you know what we're going to see?
"We're not competing right now, so that's why it's not fourth-and-one all the time. But if we were playing Monopoly, I'dl try to kick your butt. But on game days, I do try to be calm. I think as a leader, you don't want to ride the ebbs and flows of momentum swings, I think when you're calm, it calms your team. I'm competitive and I'll rally the troops when I need to rally the troops, I'll push them forward when I need to push them forward, and I'll hold them back when I need to hold them back. I'm not walking around like it's game day all the time, I think I'd go crazy and be stressed out."
Just a quick follow up to Sam's question with the true freshman, is there any philosophical incentive nowadays to keep those guys as engaged as possible and make sure from a player retention standpoint that you have the same team from year to year?
"You know, I can only answer that for me and what I would do. I won't be playing freshman because I want to appease them. I'm only playing guys that deserve the right to play, and that is done through competition, and we tell the guys all time, 'your spot on the roster or your spot on the depth chart isn't owned, it's rented, and rent is due every day.' And so the guys that compete and the guys that consistently show that we can trust them and that can make plays to win games at this level and in this conference, those guys will be on the field."
So you said, you've seen every rep, you have a pulse, how would you compare some of the position groups and some of the players on this team to teams that you've coached in the past?
"It's different. We're better in some areas, we're not as good in some areas, and the team as its entirety is its own team right now. I'm confident in our abilities and I'm excited to watch these guys play, I'm excited to go compete with them on Saturdays. I have all the confidence in the world with these guys. I've seen the way they work, I've seen the way they prepare, and I see the confidence that they have in each other."
Ryan, when you're evaluating your staff, how do you decide who's in the press box and what is the importance of having the coordinators on the sideline with you?
"It's a discussion I've had with both coordinators, to divvy up. First from a legality standpoint of who is allowed on the headset and where they're allowed to be. And then depending on what certain coaches are looking at during the course of the game and what the coordinators need on each perspective side of the ball – that's how we've divvied up and decided who will be where."