Wednesday Presser 11-25-15: Tim Drevno Comment Count

Adam Schnepp

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[Fuller/MGoBlog]

Looking at what John Baxter’s done on special teams this year, obviously you guys opened against Northwestern with that kickoff. What has he brought to special teams for you guys?

“John’s done a great job. He’s a really detail oriented coach and puts guys in great position. Everywhere he’s been he’s always been top quality on special teams. There’s three phases of the game: offense, defense, and special teams so you’ve got to be clicking on all three to have a good football team.”

Jim says the approach is going to be the same as any other game in terms of preparation and how you go about things, but is there a little extra energy in the building this week?

“I mean, anytime you’re getting ready to play any game you’re excited. I think there’s a lot of things going on. Everybody’s thankful for Thanksgiving; their families are coming to town. We’re going to get a loaded stadium. But in terms of preparation, this is just a normal week for us. We’ve got our next opponent and we’re trying to get these guys read to go and perform at a high level.”

Does having gone against a really good pass rush last week help you in any way in preparation in being able to look at what you did against them?

“Yeah, that’s- I think the last couple weeks we’ve had good pass rushers. That helps us quite a bit, just helps us in preparation for that. And being in those hostile environments like Penn State’s a loud place, very good rushers- I think they led the nation in sacks. So, I think confidence level will be up because of that. When you’re performing at a high level it makes you feel good, makes you feel that you’re doing a good job at it.”

[After THE JUMP: How to make your offense dimensional]

Nothing’s perfect, obviously, but have you been pretty pleased with the way the pass pro’s continued to get better each week?

Yeah, I’ve been very pleased with it. I really think the linemen are doing a good job, the backs are doing a good job of protection, and Jake’s getting us in the right protections but in terms of the pass game, just the rhythm and the timing, the ball delivery- there’s a lot of other things that go into it and I’m very pleased with where we are with it and where we’ve taken these strides and excited about it.”

MGoQuestion: To piggyback on that, what kind of development have you seen in De’Veon Smith’s pass protection this year, and how have you helped him with that?

“You know, Tyrone’s done a nice job with it. I think it’s just him getting comfortable with our protections and doing a good job preparing them through the week of making sure we’re getting the right looks. He’s done a really nice job. He’s really picked up his physicality and, you know, probably one of the hardest things for a running back to do is protect. That’s a hard thing for him to do because we’re always putting the ball in his hands to run, and it’s just about a drive and a want-to to be good at it, and we’re lucky we have those guys in our locker room. And we’re lucky we have Tyrone Wheatley coaching them.”

Any concern that the running backs haven’t been very productive the last few games?

“No concern. There’s a softening process to everything. You look back, there’s probably nine different times we could have handed the ball off last week [and] we decided to throw it because that put us in the best successful situation, so no, not at all. You know, the neat thing about it is the pass game’s going and it makes you dimensional. Not one-dimensional, dimensional, and that’s when you know you’ve got things going. You can pull a lot of different things out and be successful at it. It’d be hard to sit back- ‘Oh, he’s just got to run the ball [or] he’s just got to throw it.’ I believe that we can do both.”

How much has the development of Jehu Chesson really through the season- I mean, these last few games he’s been extremely productive.

“Very explosive. Jehu Chesson’s an outstanding football player. You wish you could put him in a cookie cutter and get more of him. The way he competes, and it’s not just- he runs routes, has got really sure hands, he’s got great top end speed, but the way he blocks…I mean, if you guys turn on film to see him go down across the field to go chop block somebody, he’s got a want-to. That, to me, is a complete receiver. He reminds me of a guy like Hines Ward; a guy who wants to be great in all facets, so we’re excited about him.”

Is that more his drive? Is that something you coach, or…?

“Yeah, Jedd’s done a nice job with him. I think it’s a want-to inside. I think you turn on the film the next day, you watch practice, you watch a game and everybody’s sitting around, we watch it together, and you hear, ‘Hey man, look at Jehu there! He’s doing a heck of a job!’ and everybody gets excited. It was the block that popped the play. You can see the dividends that it pays and the excitement and the want-to to do it and people buying in.”

How much has Kalis grown since you got him in January or February or whatever it was?

“A lot. He really has. You can see it in his eyes. He’s done a nice job learning what we’re trying to do. He’s playing with great physicality, and he’s really got a great feel for what’s going on and control of his body. He’s done a better job of playing with his cleats in the ground, with ankle flexion. I think he’s a heavy handed guy, especially in pass protection and coming off the ball. Especially in offensive line play you want a guy that’s heavy handed, you know, being able to put your mitts on him and snap a guy back.”

Mentally, have you seen the game slow for him? That was always a thing for him in the past?

“Yeah, he’s done a good job. His football lens is opening. It’s not here [/makes tiny circle], it’s real wide and you can give him a lot of different information. And he’s doing a good job of fixing problems and communicating with us in the room in terms of, ‘Hey, what do you think of this? What do you think of that?’ ‘That’s a good idea, let’s go do that.’ So, absolutely. Mentally he’s really boughten in and we’re thankful for him.”

Harbaugh says he likes Jabrill Peppers a lot as a running back, that it could get crazy next year. Your thoughts on his potential as an offensive player?

“Well, number one, if coach Harbaugh says that we’ve got to agree with him. But nah, I agree with him 100%. Jabrill’s an explosive football player. He can makes plays for us, and he’s a guy that you want. I mean, you put the ball in his hands, he can make great things happen. He’s a special football player. He’s got that DNA in him that’s very special. You know, he’s an NFL player playing at the college level.”

Going back to the O-line, I think it was earlier in the season Kyle said you taught them things that they’d never known about before. Coming here and the development, what exactly did you need to teach these guys that made them so much better this season?

“I don’t know, I think it’s just them buying into what I teach and trusting one another. That’s very nice that Kyle says that about me, but I’m thankful for them and what they’ve done in the room, how they’ve bought in and everybody, the whole coaching staff. I don’t know what I’ve done. I just be me every day and walk in and give a great days work and be better that we were today than we were yesterday.”

Do you feel like Jake [Rudock’s] shown a gear that maybe he hasn’t shown yet? These past three games the stats have been incredible.

“Yeah, and it’s been really good. It’s been exciting to watch, but we knew that. We knew that when we got him that he had that. It’s just him getting comfortable. He’s progressed every week and is doing a good job.”

This is your first Michigan-Ohio State week. What stood out about this week to you so far?

“Stood out? I’ve been in a lot of different rivalry games. I think that it’s really been the same. There’s nothing different. I know that Coach did the walk through the cemetery last night and hearing different things and the great tradition here and the Bo Schembechlers and the Woody Hayes and all that, I respect the tradition of this game and every place I’ve been, but this is special. This is Michigan-Ohio State, so this is a special, special game.”

You see a lot of seniors playing in these rivalry games. What have you seen at different stops of yours, what have you seen it mean to them?

“I think you’ll see at different times you’ll see a guy make a play or do something special in a big time game. That’s usually what happens. Seniors, it’s their last game playing against the team, Ohio State, so it’s special for them. It’s Senior Day and there’s a lot of different things going around it.”

You say it’s special. It seems like there is sort of a special feel with this team. What has been that touch this season?

“I think we’ve just got great leaders in the locker room, and they’re competitive, they’ve got a want-to, they’ve got a drive to be good, and there’s not a day that’s not wasted that they don’t want to get better. That’s all you can ask for as a coach. And they’re good people. And they’re good students, and they go to class. They want to get a great education from this great institution. They’re well rounded.

“We’re big on, ‘Hey, you’re doing the right thing outside this building. You’re doing the right thing in the building. You’ve got to live your life clean and be clean and talk clean.’ and that’s our job as coaches. Develop young people. We want to be their father away from home. They come in as young men, they leave as grown men. We teach them life lessons and that’s what I’m called to do. Number one is be a good coach and be a good mentor.”

How well-versed were you in the Michigan-Ohio State rivarly? Did you cram and watch a bunch of clips or the HBO special or anything like that?

“Yeah, I mean, I read about it and when I have time watch something on TV and things. It’s special, but I’ve got a job to do and I’ve got a job to coach the offense and the offensive line, so I don’t want to get emotionally unraveled or anything like that. Our next game is Saturday and we’re ready to go.”

Graham Glasgow was one of the guys, fifth-year seniors, playing his last game in the stadium. Coach Harbaugh put it in fairly stark terms after spring ball about him even being able to play this year. Talk about his journey and what he’s done for you guys this fall.

“He’s done a great job being a leader. I think very, very highly of Graham. He’s a very respectable young man. Very intelligent. Will do great things after this game, after he leaves this game. Really has boughten in. Really has led the offensive line. He’s gone through some different things in his life but his true colors have come out. He’s a great person, a great leader, a great young man and he’s just really battled back, which is really neat. You want kids to- sometimes people go through tough times in life, but it’s how you come out and how you learn from it, the lessons, and not allow it to happen again. We’re really pleased with him.”

Comments

Coldwater

November 25th, 2015 at 4:53 PM ^

I’ve been in a lot of different rivalry games. I think that it’s really been the same. There’s nothing different.





Really? I know he has no past with Michigan or Ohio State, but you would think Harbaugh would've told him that this is kind of an important game and it special.

MGoBlue Eeyore

November 26th, 2015 at 6:35 AM ^

Given what we've seen of Harbaugh's handling of the press, I have to think he wants to keep people focused on the intensity of play, not the emotions associated with The Game. Soundbites in the press to get people riled up probably just distract from it, and the coaches are modeling the behavior they want the players to show.

Reader71

November 25th, 2015 at 6:44 PM ^

Good effort by the reporter in trying to get him to talk ill of the previous staff. But it ain't gonna happen.

They're colleagues. They might work together one day, they might work a camp together, they might want someone from that tree. These people are professionals.