March 27, 2009
Senior Quarterback Daryll Clark
Last year you stepped into a situation where you had a lot of returning starters on the offense. This year it's a little bit different. How different is it? How much competition is going on for spots on the line with the receivers and what not?
There's competition everywhere. There are a lot of jobs that are up in the air right now. You miss a lot of the leadership from the veterans last year. It was kind of weird on Wednesday at practice not seeing them; Rich Ohrnberger, A.Q. Shipley, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood...but that's something we have to get used to. I think we're on schedule even though we've only had one practice. Wednesday's practice went pretty well for the most part. It's going to be real interesting to see how it turns out during spring ball.
Do you feel this is your team so to speak?
Yes, I do. Coming in I knew that a situation like this was going to happen sooner or later. It was important for me to get prepared for it, and now that it's here, I'm ready for it. I'll be able to do whatever I have to do to make sure everyone is ready. We have a lot of leadership besides myself with Sean Lee being back. He looks good. We're real excited about everything. There are a lot of young guys that really see the light and are ready to seize the moment.
How much time did you spend in the off-season with the offensive line?
A lot. We were throwing the ball at least four times a week, working on turns and all the routes. I think we worked at least two to three weeks before we started doing drills so that we could make sure everything was right with our timing. (Brett) Brackett, (Graham) Zug, Chaz Powell, Pat Mauti; all those guys have been working really hard. They know that they're going to have to step up.
With all the extra competition there probably isn't much competition for quarterback right now? What's that like?
I had a talk with Jay (Paterno) about that yesterday. He said naturally you don't have someone right behind you pushing you for the job. Naturally, you relax. It's important that I don't relax. I try to make sure that each and everyday I get better as a player and leader even though the competition isn't really that tight. I think I've done a pretty decent job trying to bring along Kevin (Newsome) to work really hard during conditioning and weightlifting. He had a pretty good practice on Wednesday and we are working together on this.
You already talked so much about how Mike (Robinson) influenced you. Would you like to have the same relationship with Kevin?
Yes, absolutely. One thing about Kevin that I really like is that he's always asking questions. "This read? That read? What coverage? What blitz?" All these things, it lets me know that he's interested in the game and really wants to learn. Whenever we throw the ball, he's there as well. I really like that in Kevin. He's a really hard worker.
You were able last year to lean on your receivers as a starting quarterback. The receivers this year have been here but don't have much playing time. Are they leaning on you? Are you able to help them and break them into the offense?
We're helping each other. We have a lot of guys who have played, just not as much. We would want them to have, coming into the season. We have a system now, working together as a unit. If they see some things that I have missed they'll tell me, and if I see some things that they've miss, I'll tell them. It works back and forth everyday and that's how we are going to get better. That's how we're going to gel offensively and I think it'll work out.
Is there going to be much difference offensively with other guys moving on?
No, at least not from what Jay's told me. Jay has a tendency of throwing in wrinkles here are there but we're sticking to basics. We have receivers who are capable of getting things done. The only thing that's different is that we had veterans with experience and reputation. In time that'll all go away. As of right now everyone's working at the same level whether it's catching the ball, running the ball, and running with the ball after the catch. No one has stepped out from the work that we've done, which is good, but it's still early on. Like I said, we haven't put pads on. I really don't want to evaluate myself or anyone else before we put pads on and have our defense really come at us.
How much of a challenge is going to be replacing a few starters on the offensive line and center?
With (Stefen) Wisniewski I don't think it's going to be a problem. He's had a little bit of experience at center. He knows every position on the offensive line. He's going to have to be quarterbacking upfront. With an offensive line you need time to gel. With Rich, A.Q. and Gerald (Cadogan) leaving, that'll take some time. It'll take a little time. Once those pads come on we'll see how everything goes with how they pick up blitzes and work with the defensive line. Our defensive line is pretty good this year.
Is it going to be different working with the taller receivers this year? Do they have the same kind of styles as the guys from last year?
The only guy that's really tall is Brett Brackett. He'll be a big target. Most likely he'll be one of our go-to guys. Everyone has their different style, but everyone is a go-getter. It's still kind of early to pinpoint what player has a certain type of game. In time, once we starting drilling and going 11-on-11, that is when everything will start to unfold.
What is the biggest thing that you guys took from last season going into this season?
Anything is possible. A lot of people counted us out at the beginning of the (2008) season, but we shocked a lot of people. We didn't shock ourselves. We knew what we were doing and we're going to take the same mindset going into this season. Obviously we have two bad tastes in our mouth -- Iowa and USC. Hopefully we'll take care of business and wind up out there in California again. Workouts have been going really well with conditioning and weight training. Spring training is going well, although we only have one practice under our belts so far. We have a practice this afternoon and another tomorrow morning before breaking on Sunday. It's moving along well.
How many reps or snaps did Stefen take last year at practice?
He really didn't take that many reps. A.Q. took most of the reps. We have a QB-Center exchange that we have before each practice where we take turns with each center getting a feel. That was pretty much the only time I repped with him. I remember when Anthony (Morelli) was here in 2007, Wisniewski was the No. 2 center and I was the No. 2 quarterback, so we took a lot of reps then.
Among the wide receivers, who are some of the players that could replace Butler?
We have a lot of speed. Obviously Brett Brackett can go up and get some balls. Chaz Powell has a lot of speed. I think he's our fastest guy this winter. Graham Zug has been our threat at the slot so far. He had a couple big catches this past season. Our coaches will do a good job putting those guys in the right spot that will make plays for us. Only time will tell.
In terms of improvement personally, what do you want to concentrate on?
The essentials. I still have to work on the footwork and getting the ball from the center, getting back as fast as possible, pre-screening the read and knowing where to go with the ball each and every time. While that's going on, you want to lead the team and make sure no one's getting down their game. You want to make sure everything is polished in your game as well. You don't want to become hypocritical. This is a time where some people would relax because of their position. As far as I go, you can never reach that peak. You can get better in everything you do. This is the time to fine-tune everything that you missed this past season and practices. There's a checklist that I go through everyday day, just like for every game. Just never get relaxed, because that's when bad things happen.
Does the checklist change?
The checklist does change everyday. It depends on what mistakes we made at practice the previous day.
The Rose Bowl game was a huge disappointment for everyone. How have you been able to turn that into something positive as far as motivation or fire going into this season?
We kind of forgot about it, but we didn't forget about it. We know what happened and understand that there was a lot of opportunities that we didn't take advantage of. We got going a little too late and the result happened. That has been motivation knowing that the National Championship is going to be out at the Rose Bowl this year. That is everyone's goal. We have a lot of the young guys in-tune with what we want to accomplish this year. It really showed during the winter workouts, everyone worked really hard this year. Everyone knows what we are trying to do this year. We are going to take one game at a time like we did this past season and hopefully we'll wind out in Pasadena on January 8th.
Mentally, do you think there's going to be a different approach this year? You've gone through an entire season and know what to expect.
I try not to beat myself up to ohard on mistakes, realizing that you have to shake it off and continue playing. Mistakes happen and as a leader you have to shrug it off because those guys are looking up to you to keep the spirit going through the ups and downs of the football game. I am well prepared to do that.
Senior Linebacker Sean Lee
What will they let you do this spring?
They want to keep me out of contact. I'm going to do all 7-on-7 agility drills, linebacker drills, and I'm going to do whatever they tell me to do. Whatever I'm going to do, I'll do it 100 percent. If they want to take me out, they'll take me out.
Do they have a plan on where they want to play you? Outside or inside?
I've been taking reps at both positions. Spring is the time to get the fundamentals straightened out. I don't think it's a big deal where you're playing, but I've been taking notes at both positions. I'm trying to prime myself to play each linebacker positions and so are the other linebackers.
Do you have a preference?
No. I like playing both. I like playing linebacker.
You talked about getting fundamentals straight. After being away for a season, where do you think you are?
It helped mentally taking reps last year and paying attention during the year. I stayed in meetings. Now it's just making my body do it physically. I felt good yesterday. It didn't seem like the game was too fast. It changes once you take reps and scrimmage a lot. I probably won't do that in the spring so I won't be able to tell, but right now I feel good.
How excited were you going in?
I was excited, kind of flushed and nervous a little bit, but it was nice to just be doing football, no rehab or anything and I felt good.
Was it tough to watch last season?
It was tough to watch when we weren't playing well and you wanted to be out there doing something. It was tough during the Rose Bowl when we started to lose and we went through that stretch in the second quarter when we started to not play well. I wanted to be out there and to try and help the team, but it was still exciting to see they guys out there that you came to college with be successful and play in the Rose Bowl, which is a dream come true for a lot of us.
How much depth and talent do you have in linebackers this year?
A lot. We have a lot of talent and depth. I feel like we have some of the best athletes on the team at linebacker. I feel like they'd be able to play on a lot of other teams. Some guys have experience on special teams who have played some last year. So it's definitely going to be a strong point on our team.
With all that talent do you think you'll be able to do different things defensively then we've seen in years gone by?
Yeah, I think we're going to look into several different options. The reason why we've been so successful is because we have great coaches who have been able to put the players in the right positions. I think we're going to be changing things up somewhat. We're going to be looking at several different looks. I know they are going to put the best 11 on the field. We're going to be ready to play Penn State Football come the fall.
Can you tell us about a couple guys who'll be at defensive back and on the defensive line?
Drew Astorino is a guy who has played a lot and is very talented. I'm looking forward to having him step up and having a big year. A.J. Wallace had one of the best winters and I think he's really ready to step up and be a great player because he is a great athlete. I think it's a matter of time before he's a great player. D-line wise, we had three guys who played last year who I think are going to be inside guys; Jared Odrick, Ollie Ogbu, and Abe Koroma. They are tough guys who work really hard and will set examples for the young guys.
A lot was made of the defensive line depth last year. Is that an option you guys still have this year or are you working on it?
I think we have the talent there; it's just a matter of getting them experience. Last year we had a ton of guys who were talented and had experience, now it's trying to get guys like Kevion Latham, Eric Latimore to get reps.
What's it like seeing Coach Paterno healthy again?
It's great. Here's a guy who's gone through two major surgeries in the last three years, in his 80s, and he's bounced back like he's 20 years old. He's an inspiration to us. He's had his own battles and he's never complained. He looks great. It's amazing to see how well he's come back from these surgeries.
Talking about coming back from surgeries, where are you in terms of trusting that leg?
Because I went through the winter conditioning without a brace, doing all the conditioning agility, I feel pretty comfortable. If the knee hurt and it was bothering me, then I'd be hesitant, but it feels normal. I said to myself that when I came back, I was going to go 100 percent. I'm not going to be hesitant because if you're hesitant, you're not going to be the same player.
Seeing the pain that Coach Paterno was in last year, did that help you? Seeing that he was toughing it out?
Yeah, to see him at his age being tougher than I was. You have to look at yourself and do a gut check. Things could be tougher or worse and he's not complaining. Just get the work done.
How long have you been feeling 100 percent?
I'd said about a month and a half where the knee doesn't hurt me after working out. I went through a phase where I'd feel normal after warming it up but then after the workout later in the day it hurt me. Now I can just run and feel no pain. The pain doesn't come in the afternoon.
Do you look forward to the day when people won't ask you about that?
Yeah, of course. Hopefully that'll happen after the first camp of the season. That's part of the deal. I know that the knee isn't any issue. In any play, if I don't play well, it's not because of the knee. The knee is 100 percent ready to go. I was out of the flow because I wasn't working with the team as much. They were running until they were almost puking. What are you going to do? Yell at them? You're not running. Now you can lead by example and be with them the whole time.
Assuming that you and Novarro Bowman have locked spots, how competitive do you think it will be for others?
I think it's going to be very competitive. Josh Hull has played a ton, Mike Mauti who's a great athlete and (Chris) Colasanti and (Nate) Stupar are all really good football players. There's going to be a battle, but that's what makes the spring fun. People start stepping forward.
What did you learn from last year as you stepped into the role of player/coach?
You get to see the game from a different perspective. I'm hoping that mentally I'll be able to pick up different looks from that and be able to see certain routes and be able to break on them quicker. I've played against a lot of the Big Ten teams for a while now. A lot of their looks are the same. Hopefully when I see certain looks I'll be able to act quicker.
With so much youth in the secondary, how much pressure does that put on the linebackers and you especially?
As linebackers, we want to be leaders and be on the front. We understand that we have to set the intensity level and play well. We pride ourselves on that. We came back from the winter and worked out right away because we wanted to set a tone. During the Rose Bowl we didn't play well as a team and that wasn't the type of team we were. I think that was some of the motivation during the winter.