Coach Cooper talks about Spring Practice – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/23/1998 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 23, 1998
Q. Coach, what are your goals for spring practice?
A. “To me, spring practice is a time to work on fundamentals and the basic overall improvement of your football team. So we will spend a lot of time working on the basics. It is also the time to get your best football players on the field, so we will do a little experimenting to make sure we have the right people in the right places. We also want to be more productive in the running game this fall, so that will be an area of emphasis this spring.”
Q. Last year you had to replace 14 starters. This year you have 17 starters returning. Does that change the way you approach spring ball?
A. “No, it really doesn’t. We take the attitude that you can always get better through hard work and repetition. So even with 17 starters back, you concentrate on the same things, like eliminating penalties, fewer mental mistakes, no turnovers, scoring when you are in the red zone.”
Q. Spring is traditionally a time for experimenting. Have you got a few things in mind in terms of some position switches?
A. “I am really not in favor of wholesale position changes and I don’t see us making any major switches this spring. We will, however, try to get some of our young players in position to compete for playing time. We want, and need, to create more competition on both the offensive and defensive lines.”
Q. Who are some of the young players on this squad, guys that were either redshirted or who didn’t play much last year, that have a chance to really make a name for themselves in the spring?
A. “We have some awfully good young players, who I believe will contribute in the fall. There are really two categories – the guys who played a little last year and showed us that they could play at this level, and the players who for one reason or another were redshirted. The former category includes Rodney Bailey, who had a very good freshman year, and players like Courtland Bullard, Tam Hopkins, Derek Combs, Sean Penny, Na’il Diggs, Ken-Yon Rambo and Reggie Germany, all of whom played enough to show us they are for real. The latter group includes Jim Massey, Henry Flemming, Eric Smith, Paris Long, Jason Ott and Darnell Sanders, just to name a few. We expect great things from all of them. Another guy, too, is Jimmy Redmond. He has worked really hard since his injury (broken leg against Wyoming) and I think he could have a great year.”
Q. What, in your opinion, will be the strength of the 1998 team?
A. “I really like our skill people. We appear to be very solid at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, linebacker and the secondary. The defense has a chance to be very good. We have nine starters back and some very good young players waiting in the wings.”
Q. What about the weaknesses and what are your concerns?
A. “Well, we need more depth on the offensive and defensive lines. We need to get tougher on the offensive line, both mentally and physically, and we need to find a No. 2 quarterback.”
Q. Ohio State has won 24 games the past two years using two quarterbacks. Now that Stanley Jackson is gone, will you go back to just one quarterback this year, or is there a possibility that we could still see two?
A. “The way I see it right now, Joe Germaine is the man. He will start out as No. 1 and we will see what happens. Joe is certainly our most experienced quarterback, and is very gifted passer.”
Q. Offensively, it is hard to imagine a team with a better group of receivers.
A. “We have had some awfully good wide receivers here the past few years and this year is no exception. David and Dee are enormously talented and have already proven what they can do. What we need to do in the spring is get Reggie Germany and Ken-Yon Rambo more involved. They will both get a lot of reps. So will Jimmy Redmond.”
Q. A year ago, the offensive line was young and inexperienced. Four of the five are back this year. Talk about what you expect from this offensive line. What are its strengths and weaknesses?
A. “We are a veteran group up front, but believe me there is still a lot of room for improvement. We gave up way too many negative-yardage plays last year. That has to change this year for us to be an outstanding football team. An offensive line has to have a certain mind-set. We didn’t always have that last year. We need to develop it this year.”
Q. With an experienced line, a veteran quarterback and a very talented group of receivers, is there a temptation to really open it up this year in terms of throwing the ball?
A. “You win football games by controlling the line of scrimmage and running the football. But we will throw the ball, too. We would be foolish not to take advantage of the tools we have. I think we will continue to get a lot of big plays by passing the football, but I don’t see us going to a wide open Florida type of attack. The weather in the Big Ten is too much of a factor.”
Q. You have said “Defense wins championships.” With nine starters back from a unit that was seventh nationally in total defense last year, you have to feel pretty good about this group.
A. “I feel very good about what our defense did last year and the players we have coming back. We need to continue to play with reckless abandon, the way we have the last two years, and we need to force more turnovers. We got a lot of interceptions last year, but I would like to see us force more fumbles. One of the things I like about this defense is its speed. We have some players who can run to the ball.”
Q. In linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer and Antoine Winfield you have two of the top defensive players in the country. What makes them so special?
A. “You can throw Damon Moore into that group, too. I think their work ethic, their desire to excel, their competitive desire, and their willingness to study game film, combined with great athletic ability, is what makes them so special. Andy’s speed and ability to close on the ball separate him from any linebacker I have ever seen. Antoine is always around the ball and is one of the most versatile cornerbacks I have ever coached. All three are outstanding leaders.”
Q. The kicking game can drive a coach crazy. But you have two very dependable players in punter Brent Bartholomew and place kicker Dan Stultz.
A. “Brent did a great job of punting the ball last year and Dan had a good first year and showed an awful lot of promise. But there is a lot more to the kicking game. We need to do a better job on our coverage units, we need more kickoffs out of the end zone, we need more blocks. We will spend a lot of time working with special teams in the spring.”
