Texas Offensive Coordinator Greg Davis Gives Pre-Spring press conference

Longhorns Offensive Coordinator Greg Davis pre-spring practice press conference

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Offensive Coordinator Greg Davis

On improving to the running game: As we sit and evaluate and look at the players that we have, one of the things we felt we did in the second half against Ohio State was we got under center and we came downhill some. Most of it was out of a fast tempo, so we want to be able to continue to do that. We also want to be able to mix it up some. We’ll install some two backs in the spring. How much we use that in August, in the season, will be determined by how we are at it and the different personnel and groupings we can get in. I think the biggest thing I think that you have to do on either side of the ball is make sure, one, you’re putting your best players on the field and that you’re giving them the opportunity to be successful. As we went back and evaluated all aspects of the ‘08 season, many of what goes down as passes are runs in our mind. One particular one, we threw 38 times and we completed 36 of them and averaged six yards of completion so that’s a pretty good run play. But at the same time, we want to be able to run the ball more effectively when we want to run it and when the game dictates it.

 

On whether the running game execution depends on the offensive line or the running backs: It’s always on all of them. It’s on the [offensive] line to get us to the second level and the backs to see the holes right to make four yards when there’s very little there and to make a bunch when we’re able to put them into the second level. It’s not one guy, one position or any of that. Usually, that’s a combination of things.

On if he wants a staff of running backs like in 2008 or one running back to emerge: I would like somebody to emerge. I would like to have a guy, as we have had most of the years we’ve been here, that was the guy, and then have a third-down specialist that was a great receiver and a good blitz pickup in that kind of situation. At the same time, until that guy emerges, we will continue to try to look at all of them. One thing about backs is in most cases, as Fozzy [Whitaker] missed some time last year, Vondrell [McGee] missed some time and Chris [Ogbonnaya] probably stayed as healthy last year as he has in the years he’s been here, you need multiple backs to be able to play in the Big 12.

On who will play at the running back: If you played tomorrow, it would be Fozzy Whittaker, because he has done it the most and he’s the most comfortable with the whole game from blitz pickups to playing wide receiver if we go to empty. He’s a little bit like Chris Ogbonnaya in that regard. He can play a lot of different places for us. We do think Tre [Newton] did some things at the end of the season and in practice that we’re really encouraged about, and obviously he’s played in an offense in high school where he was in the shotgun and had a lot of blitz pickup work.

On the blocking schemes and why they work: I think people get too carried away with man schemes and zone schemes because a lot of times when you’re in two backs, you’re manning on one side and you’re zoning on the other so it’s not a whole man scheme. A lot of the two backs that many of the pros run, it’s based on zone principle. You’ve got to be able to do both. In a one back offense, you’re set up in a better position to zone than you are man scheme because you obviously lost a blocker. So any time you want to man a one-back play where you want to double a three technique back to a backside backer, now you’re in a situation where the numbers have to be right. You’ve got six blockers up there with a tight end, you’re going to double a three back to a backside backer, you can pull a guard for the front side backer and that play, that power play and man scheme play, only works if you’re looking at a 4-2 front. The moment it becomes a seven-man front, you either have to check that play, you either have to throw the ball or whatever. The short answer is it fits the one-back [play] that we’re in so much of the time.

On what he wants Colt McCoy to work on during the spring: He was in yesterday and I pointed out several things I want him to work at. As a quarterback gets older, you get more picky. When they’re young, you just hope they can get a team out of the huddle. As they get older than you become more picky. One of the things I told him is there was a couple of different routes that we run that I thought he did a poor job of getting the ball back to number three, to the third choice. I want him, in the spring, to work on making sure he’s getting the ball down to the third choice. I want him to continue to work on when he extends a play. There’s a way to extend a play and have positive results, even if that result is throw it way. There’s a way that you can extend it and bad things happen. He made great strides on that from his sophomore to his junior year.

On the tight end injuries impacting the offense’s spring practice: I would say it is as big of a concern we have offensively. I am concerned about it. Blaine [Irby] will not be in the spring. Josh Marshall can only go through the second part of the spring. The good thing about that is it gives you a chance to give Greg Smith, Ahmard Howard and D.J. Grant a bunch of snaps so we can evaluate where we’re at. There’s no question that having to play as much 10 personnel as we had to play last year was also a factor in the run game. Not totally and not trying to dismiss it, but it is a factor because you lose a surface up there in terms of which way to run the ball. So we have to find out this spring if one of those guys, two of those guys, are going to be able to do the things that we want done. D.J. Grant is obviously moving to another position. We’ve had great success with that at the tight end, taking a big receiver and moving him inside. Greg Smith went into fall camp last year as a center. His weight is down to 265 so he’s in a little bit of a better tight end body than he was before. But it’s a concern. There’s no question about it. I’m much more concerned about that than the running game.

On finding a complete tight end: I don’t know if we’ll be able to find a complete tight end, the Jermichael Finley, the Bo Scaife, the David Thomas. They were complete in that you could run anything you wanted to. Obviously, they were better in some areas than others but at the same time you could run anything. You could flex them, you could have 11 personnel in the game and all of sudden you’re in empty formation so they gave us a lot of flexibility there.

On losing Quan Cosby: Quan was a heck of a player. There’s no question about that. We’re going to miss Quan as much off the field, and this is a big statement, as on the field. He was a great leader. He had great maturity. He was great in the wide receiver room. He was great in the offensive huddle. He brought a mature, professional if you will, attitude to practice every day. We’re going to miss that. Obviously, we’re going to miss the catches and 1,000 yards. I feel like with Brandon Collins and James Kirkendoll coming on, then Malcolm Williams and Jordan [Shipley], who won’t go through spring but we know what he can do, we’ll be okay.

On Jordan Shipley missing spring training: Jordan is a guy that if you had to pick one of the receivers to miss, Jordan would be the one because he’ll be going into his sixth year in the system. He can play in the slot. The only disappointing thing for me and for Jordan is that we were going to look at him some as a single receiver on the backside. He’ll be able to do that in the fall, but we were going to take a look at that some in spring training and we won’t be able to do that. But it does give you a great opportunity for the Dan Buckner’s, the Malcolm Williams’, the Brock Fitzhenry’s and the DeSean Hale’s. They’re going to get a lot more snaps with quality throws with Quan being gone and Jordan being out.

On his relationships with Will Muschamp: It’s great because Will and I spend a lot of time in each other’s offices. He’ll walk over and say, “What you do you think about this versus a one back, weak side zone?” I’ll do the same thing. “What does this route do versus quarters match or not do to you?” During the week is where we prepare for the ball game. We’ll be real upfront about what he thinks of the opponent and I try to do the same thing. I think one of the things that Will did at the end of the Ohio State ball game was brilliant. They were moving the ball, and I am sitting in the box and I’m thinking, “Gosh Almighty, Will. If they’re going to score, let them score now so we’ve got some time.” And what he did and what he told Mack was we’re going to run blitz and we’re going to need to stone it or they’re going to puff one. If they puff one, we’ve got more time. It was a heck of a plan. But we spend a lot of time talking to each other and visiting about philosophical things. I’ve been fortune enough to have nice relationships with all the ones [defensive coordinators] that have been here. I think that knowing Will as a player and competing against him as a coach, I knew coming in exactly what he was going to bring to the table. He brings such a high energy to the field that it makes us all better.

On spring practice: Every practice in spring, we try to do some kind of different, change-of-pace gadget play. One, so the defense can see it. Two, some of them we like and some of them we end up not using. The kids love it and it’s good for both sides of the ball.

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