June 19, 2008
Senior Defensive End Josh Gaines
Q: As a captain, can you talk about the possibilities you can take with this team and what are you looking forward to this season?
A: To tell you the truth, I'm doing the same thing that I have always done. I'm trying to lead by example; if there is guy down I try to pick him up. I have been doing it since I got here. They voted me captain for a reason. So I'm just going to continue to do what I do. I won't let anyone slack or fall behind. We are a team. We need everyone to stick together. So I'm going to try to help as much as possible.
Q: Besides you and Anthony (Scirrotto), who else has stepped up in a leadership role for the defense?
A: Besides Anthony and I, Tyrell (Sales) has always been a talkative one. Abe (Karoma) talks a lot. He always speaks up after practice; he speaks a lot before practice. He's a guy that uses his mouth a lot and gets the team ready to go. Anthony and I are very much alike. We both like to lead by example; do the little things to get everything done. If there is a guy down around us, we try to pick him up. We are kind of the same player.
Q: You've probably seen that Maurice Evans is getting a lot of preseason first team All-American and first team Big Ten notice. Can you talk about him and tell how you have seen him grow as a player?
A: To tell you the truth, he has stepped up a lot in his workout habits. Before he used to come in and rely on his talent and athletic ability. Now he is starting to do more stuff off the field. He is now starting to do more stuff on his own. So you see that, and you see what he has done in the past season, and I'm excited to see what he does this year. I look at him as a little brother. I hope the best for him. The rest of the defensive line is working hard; we are moving back the yardsticks. We have those young guys, they're working hard. So I'm excited to see what we can do this season.
Q: Gerald Cadogan will be an important part of the offensive line. Can you talk about him and how important he will be to the offensive line this year?
A: Gerald is going to be a great player. He has actually taken more of a leadership role as well. There are a lot of seniors coming back. So everyone is doing what they can to help the team, with an opportunity to get better. He is taking more of a leadership role with the offensive line. A.Q. has always been there. But now Gerald has been up a lot more, he is starting to speak a lot more, he is starting to feel a lot more comfortable. I had a conversation with him the other day and he said he felt a lot better about who he was as a person and as a football player. He was excited.
Q: What are your expectations as a captain for your teammates on the field, as well as off the field?
A: Everyone goes into a season saying National Championship. Every team goes into a season feeling good about what they have. But it does not happen easy. You have to go out every day and play well. You have to work hard, play hard, and practice hard. You are only as strong as your weakest guy. As a captain, I try to help the weakest guys out. I try to help the slower guys get faster. As a senior, I have seen a 4-7 season and an Orange Bowl season. If we can bring back that same work ethic and bring that into this season that would be great.
Q: You talked about the work ethic of the 2005 Orange Bowl team. What can you do to carry that work ethic from the 2005 team into this season?
A; That season we had (Alan) Zemaitis, Mike (Robinson) and Paul (Posluszny) (as captains). They definitely stressed the little things, and getting the little things done. That is what we are trying to do this season. Our trainers are trying to do the same thing, they even remember the things from back then like touching the lines, and trying to get that extra rep, focus on the guys individually, trying to get ready.
Senior Linebacker Sean Lee
Q: I was wondering if the last two months have been any easier for you than the first week or so after you suffered the injury?
A: Absolutely. The first two weeks after surgery were really tough. I was on painkillers, I didn't sleep well at night. It was pain every day and about 10 days out, all of a sudden, the pain started going away. I got off the painkillers and ever since that, I don't have pain during the day. It's just really trying to get the range of motion back.
Q: We're getting a chance to talk to all the captains today. Can you just real quickly go one by one through them and just give us a brief glimpse of how they might be a little bit different as leaders?
A: I'd say A.Q., Anthony and myself, we lead more by example and as we've gotten older, we've started to talk more and be more vocal. The same with Josh Gaines. Derrick has always been loud and vocal. Ever since he got here, that's his personality. I think that's something we need and we thrive off of.
Q: Can you give an example of Derrick being vocal?
A: Before games, during practice, with Derrick around, he's always trying to pump guys up, get guys going. You know, a lot of us are just consistent. I think a common trait that we all work really hard but, I don't like to yell and scream. I like to get the work done. He likes to get it done by pushing people and screaming at them.
Q: How about A.Q.? He seems like he could get on people a little bit.
A: Oh, we all have our moments; believe me. But for the most part, I'd say Derrick is the most vocal.
Q: I know it was a difficult adjustment for you, knowing that you wouldn't be able to play this season but wasn't it also an adjustment for your teammates because they'd have to realize `Hey, Sean's not going to be there to get 12 or 13 tackles a game.' Did you get a sense that maybe they have, and particularly the guys on the defensive side of the ball, have determined to band to offset your absence on the field?
A: I think we have guys who have worked hard since the day they got here and have been ready to play for a while. They maybe not mentally saw themselves playing (much) this year but now they have the opportunity and this summer I've seen a lot of guys step up. I think by the (start of the) season, they're going to be ready to play and play really well.
Q: Coach Paterno often is talked about as the leader of the program, obviously. But I wanted to ask you about the two coaches that obviously have been a big part of your life, even before you stepped on campus. Tom Bradley, can you talk about the things that he's helped you with in your college life and on the field, and Ron Vanderlinden, maybe specifically from the linebacker position. Can you talk about those two a little bit?
A: Both of them have had great influence on me when it comes to the X's and O's of football knowledge. When I got here, I knew nothing front of coverages. I knew how to read keys and kind of read routes but when I got here they really taught me how to play football. I came in as a safety and had no clue how to play linebacker. I had no clue how to take on blocks. Coach Vanderlinden is a guy who stresses fundamentals, so is Coach Bradley. Both of them together have really made me the player I am.
Q: With the injury, you're not going to be able to be on the field. You said that you like to lead by example. I'd like for you to explain maybe you're changing your role as a leader now that you can't lead by example on the field. How you can take more charge in the locker room, maybe even off the field with the players?
A: Coming into this past year, especially last season in the spring, I did try to step up vocally and start speaking more. Now that I can't be leading by example, I still try to lead. If you come into the training room, I'm working harder in the weight room; I'm working as hard as possible. But you know for a lot of these guys, I'm just trying to give them advice on my experience, trying to get the guys ready to play, get them game ready and really be able to sit down and talk with them because I'm not going through a lot of the workouts with them and I'm not able to run with them. Today was the first actual workout I went into. And it's tough because I'm sitting on the side and I'm not actually in the workout with them, so in the free time, when I see them in the locker room, outside of football, I've tried to have an influence on the guys.
Q: Derrick said that you guys are bonding more off the field, outside of football this summer than maybe you have in the past. Could you give a couple examples of that?
A: I just think a lot more of the team; we hang out together more in certain situations because a lot more guys are on campus together and doing more stuff on the weekends. Being up here in the summer, we're obviously working hard all the time and it's kind of tough. A lot of guys get away on the weekends, but I think there's more guys up here and we're just hanging out more together outside of football, outside of workouts.
Q: Josh was talking about getting back to the 2005 type of caliber season. What does it take to get back to the way you guys were a couple years ago?
A: Last year we were a good team because we made good plays and some plays we didn't get done. But we have to make big plays in big games and you've got to turn a good play into a great play, you've got to take a pass break up and make that interception. I think that team (2005) had a knack for making big plays in big games and I think that came from leadership. I think guys like Mike Robinson and Paul and A.Z. stepped up and began (making plays), and we're going to need that.
Q: How much did those guys influence you maybe as how you view yourself as a leader or not? Do you find yourself kind of taking after some of the things they did on or off the field?
A: Yeah, I definitely, I've tried to. When I first got here, you don't know the guys and you're somewhat intimidated and they came in right away and they were extremely encouraging. I remember running 300's with the guys and Mike Robinson was encouraging all the young guys. And for someone who was a quarterback, he didn't have to spend time with us, but he did, and I saw that as something very special and that's why he was such a great leader. And I try to do that with the young guys and especially with the freshmen coming in.
Q: With guys like Justin King that left early, when you got hurt, was hindsight ever 20/20? Did you ever wonder what if you'd came out or were you always set on, even after the injury and dealing with it, coming back and finishing out your career at Penn State?
A: I just see this as a delay. I feel like I could be on the same path that I was. I feel like I'm going to be the same player, if not better, when I come back. It's just a matter of taking the time to get better. I want to have a senior year here just like my senior year in high school. I feel like that was an extremely special year. I'd like to have the same type of year here. The camaraderie with your friends, playing with the guys you've gone through college with, is something that I cherish.
Senior Safety Anthony Scirrotto
Anthony Scirrotto |
Q: After what happened last year off the field, did you feel it might have jeopardized your position? Being named a captain, were you surprised at all with the selection?
A: I wouldn't say surprised. I think at the point that they selected captains, that had gone by, that was part of the past. It's a great privilege; it's a great honor to be named captain. I feel that I got all the respect that I needed from my teammates and the coaching staff to be selected as captain so I don't really think I was surprised, more appreciative.
Q: Can you talk about the importance that you five guys have? How much does it really mean? How much do you guys, as captains, really do? And how much did those three guys in '05 do for you?
A: Well I'll start off with the guys in '05. Coming in as a new guy, as a freshman, seeing the qualities that they had, the leadership roles that they played on our team and towards our success, it's a huge responsibility and they did a great job. Michael Robinson, Alan Zemaitis and I believe Paul (Posluszny), and they were the best leaders we could have had and they were a big reason why we had the success that we had in '05. Now I feel where I'm a similar role, we've had a great year as freshmen and we went through some ups and downs throughout the process to get to our senior year and now its our turn to be leaders like they were and to step up and to fill the shoes of those guys because that's the way you've got to do it. You've got to lead on the field as well as off the field and good things will come if that happens.
Q: Can you just tell me a couple examples of things that you can do as a captain to make a difference? What can you really do?
A: You can be there for the underclassmen. A lot of guys have questions, specifically in your own position, to help them out any way. Also, you're expected to lead by example out on the field and push while we're doing drills and working out as hard as we can to get better and be successful. And if underclassmen see that, then that's a big help for them.
Q: Following up on what you were just mentioning, is it possible that you've already taught your first lesson as captain, going through what you went through last year during the off season? The adversity, and how you dealt with that? You dealt with it head on, not only with the media, but with your play on the field. In that way, maybe did you teach your first lesson as a captain even before becoming a captain?
A: Yeah, I think guys saw the way I handled it. I wasn't really vocal about the whole situation but they saw what I went through. They went through it with me as well because we're all one as a team, and I think they got a good idea of learning from what I went through and how to handle it and how you have to just put it beside you and focus on the things ahead and your team and your teammates. I guess it could have been a learning process and sort of a lesson for everyone, but hopefully we don't have to go through that again.
Q: Is there anything specifically that you learned in the '05 captains or even Paul in '06, something in the way they led that you could apply to this season?
A: At that time, I wasn't very close to all those guys, but you could just see it when you looked at them. The way they took on the role and they way they responded to adversity on the field. You could just tell they were the leaders, they were the guys you could look to when you're down, when you're fighting the score or when you're down and we needed a drive. Michael Robinson put it together and we scored a touchdown or we got points on the board. Then when we had to stop a team from driving and we had to hold them, Paul took over. And just watching them, you learned a lot of just how to play the game and a lot of respect for the game.
Q: Is there anything that stands out about one of the other four leaders on the team, personality-wise, that comes to your mind that makes them good for the position? Anything about Josh, A.Q., Derek? Just something that sticks with you.
A: We have, which is typical; there's the vocal leaders and the guys who lead by example. Derrick is the vocal leader. I'd say, Derek and Sean for the offense and defense. Then there's the other guy. I'm more of a quiet guy. If you have a question, then I'll help you out but I'm more of a guy who tries to just do it on the field. I think that's the case with all the seniors, though. Its really hard to say we're the only four or five captains on the team because our whole senior class fills in that leadership role and we have a lot of us back there and there's a lot of guys who can get the job done.
Q: What are your expectations of your teammates both on the field, and where you want to be at the end of the year, as well as off the field?
A: Expectations are high. They're always high going into a new season but the difference is we have a lot of experience. On the field we have just about everyone here this summer, first session, working hard. Running at 6:00 a.m. and lifting three or four times a week, and everybody's doing extra work in the afternoons and doing drills. When you're doing that, you're bonding as a team and putting things together this way, and when you come to camp, you're ready to go. And that all just leads into the season. Off the field we're doing a great job. A lot of guys are doing a lot of community service, doing great things, helping people out. A lot of guys are working, so it's real exciting to know what we've got going on and its exciting to see how everything pans out.
Q: There's been a lot made about the off-field incidents and so forth, I'd like for you to discuss, is that a very big issue for you guys actually in the locker room or is it kind of maybe even blown out of proportion by the media? And also, secondarily, with Paterno, I know it wouldn't affect you as much as a senior and the other captains, but do you get a sense from the younger guys that that's an issue, not having a clear cut path with him?
A: I don't think that it's an issue with Coach Paterno. I think he's going to be around as long as he wants to be and the guys know that he's our coach, he's our guy. So with that issue, that's all I can say about that. With the off the field stuff, I don't think that's a problem. Like I said, I think everybody's learned the lesson. There's been a lot of guys going through some situations that you don't really want to see, but all the underclassmen have learned through us and we all went through it together. Everybody supported everyone and we all had each others' backs. It's over now. We're looking forward; we're not worried about the past anymore.
Senior Center A.Q. Shipley
A.Q. Shipley |
Q: You really came together as an offensive line last year. Now national publications have your offensive front as one of the best this season. Can you talk about how you guys have evolved during your time?
A: My first year (on the offensive line), when I was a sophomore, we were considered one of the weak points before the season. And I think each year we have tried to work on that and grow upon it. We have a group right now where we all came in together. We have great continuity in the group. Gearld Cadogan, Rich Ohrnberger, myself, Mike Lucian all came in the same class. So we have been all great friends since then. We have had great recruiting so I think that builds on it as well. We have been going out a lot and working hard each day and pushing one another. We feel very good going into the season and we feel we could be a very strong point.
Q: Can you talk about how you are going to be a leader and how you compare to the rest of the captains on this team?
A: I think we all have separate styles. I think I am more of a vocal guy and lead by example as well. I try to go out everyday and get everyone else to follow by example. When I have to, I will get in some guy's face to tell them what they aren't doing right. That's my style and I think everyone has their own style. Sean is the type of guy that will get in your face. Josh and Anthony are the guys that will lead more by example. Derrick is the type of guy that will get in your face. So I think the five guys we have will provide some good leadership this year.
Q: Do you see any intangibles between this team and the 2005 team?
A: I think so. That was our first year of tasting what it is really like to win big. We saw what it takes to win and have great leadership. With Zemaitis, Posluszny, and Michael Robinson that year, I think they all did a good job. It definitely gave us a good taste of winning. We are trying to do everything we can to emulate that whole situation and provide leadership and go about it the same way those guys did.
Q: When you got to the end of last season, did you see anything that was missing when you lost those tough games and if so, what can you do to improve upon those?
A: I think the Michigan State game, when we were up and then we lost, hurt us a lot. We took a look back. We realized that we have to take advantage of opportunities. I think that is one of the big notes that we have wanted to stress this off-season, when you have an opportunity, you have to take advantage of it. You can't just take a lead and relax on it. You have to take advantage of every time you get the ball.
Q: When the season starts, everything is usually set in place. With leadership, is that more important to be set in the off-season for you guys?
A: Yea. These are the last three months before the season. You have to put all of your eggs in one basket right now, and that is to be the best you can be going into the season. I think that the approach the seniors are taking, and all the younger guys see that, they will follow by example. If the third guy is pushing the second guy, it will make the second guy work just as hard. As long as we have competition, everyone is going to be getting better.
Senior Wide Receiver Derrick Williams
Derrick Williams |
Q: Can you talk about how this off-season has been and how it may be more different from the last few?
A: I think we have tried to develop more chemistry with this team. I think the captains are more involved with how well we work out, how good everything is going. So I think this time is definitely the time we have to develop chemistry and the flow of how this season is going to go. This is an important time for us when the season is right around the corner.
Q: Besides you and A.Q., who else on offense has taken a leadership role?
A: Besides us, I think Darryl (Clark), Pat (Devlin), a lot of guys that have already played some time. I think that everybody that has been in the game has stepped up right now.
Q: Each of the last two seasons, the three senior receivers on this team have had 40 or more receptions. Most of those passes were thrown by Anthony (Morelli). With Darryl and Pat, do you guys feel like you will be as productive in developing the timing you had with those two guys?
A: Definitely. Darryl and Pat have done an excellent job in getting us out there, throwing to us, getting the timing down, and working on their chemistry with the receivers. Both of those guys are extremely talented. I see no problem with the three of us going out there and having the same success we have had before.
Q: Can you talk about how fast your first three years went at Penn State and how you may be doing anything different to prepare for your last season?
A: It went extremely fast. It seems like I just got dropped off the other day. Right now the only thing I am concentrating on is having a successful season as a team. We came in with a Big Ten Championship, and that is the way I am planning to leave here.
Q: What makes this season different from any of the last couple years?
A: I think what makes this season different is a lot of people have grown up. We have more experience; a lot of guys know what it takes. The guys that were on the 2005 team see what our captains were like. We are just working hard to do things. Out of these last two years that went by, our play has been different. We have the talent; we have the coaches that are good for a Big Ten Championship, and a National Championship. All we need are those one or two plays that can change the season around.
Q: Anthony Morelli as a captain last year took a lot of heat. How much can you take from how he handled that pressure and learning how you can be a captain this year?
A: Anthony had the toughest job of any quarterback. I think Anthony was a great captain. He definitely worked hard, he motivated a team, and he led by example. I think he did a great job, and I definitely learned from him.
Q: This will be your third time with a different quarterback. How long does it take you guys to get prepared and comfortable as receivers?
A: I think every receiver trusts both those guys. All of us have worked with both of those guys. We are definitely comfortable with them.