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David Cutcliffe Press Conference Quotes: Miami
11/26/2019 9:32:00 PM | Football
DURHAM, N.C. - Duke football head coach David Cutcliffe met with members of the local media on Tuesday afternoon for his weekly press conference inside Blue Devil Tower.
The Blue Devils are back at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium one last time in 2019 when they host Miami on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Wes Durham, Roddy Jones and Eric Wood on the call. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devils IMG Sports Network through the TuneIn app or goduke.com
David Cutcliffe Duke Football Head Coach
(Ref.: Opening Statement)
"Good afternoon. I'll tell you what I told our team this morning to start this first. There are no bad days. We tend to occasionally say 'we've had a bad day.' There is no such thing. There are events that occur that make a day a tough day. Unfortunately, there are at times tragic things that occur in a day that make it really difficult. But God doesn't make bad days. Adversity has been there. It is there, we still are facing it, but we're not going to say we've had a bad day. The only way that you let something become a bad day is you let the events define you. Those were the comments I gave to them. I deeply believe that. To say this recent run hasn't been difficult would be ridiculous to say. Yes, difficult. I told ya'll before I don't believe in the word frustrated. That means there's no answer. It has definitely been difficult.
"I'm very proud of these seniors because the fight on that practice field, their energy, their willingness to believe and to continue to work, has been outstanding. It will serve them well. I'm looking forward to celebrating all of those guys. I've told them to stand at the edge of that tunnel and shake a bunch of young men's hands. They're going to go in a lot of directions and do a lot of great things, so this is one of the more gratifying things in sports for me.
"To Miami. Miami is an extremely talented team. Look at their offense and the speed, the size of their front, and their quarterback's got great ability. They're a challenge physically for us. I look at their defense and their defensive front. It's frightening. Their linebackers will be the best pair inside that we've played in quite some time. Speed and athleticism in the secondary. You know if you don't prepare well, they're a very difficult team to play against. We had good work today, and that's just today. We look forward to good work tomorrow. That's where we are right now. Yes, it's emotional. I sat down with Dylan Singleton after practice on the steps today. Sometimes that's the best place to have a visit today, and it just about made me cry. You know just having two Singletons for example, and we talked about Deondre and how well he's doing. But it is an emotional time. These are things that you never forget."
(Ref.: On the team's run defense dropping off the last couple weeks)
"I go first to the Wake Forest game. They're different and unique. It's very difficult. Then I go back to the Notre Dame game -- a little bit of the same kind of style of blocking. We have to respond better to that. The Syracuse game, we didn't play very well. That's how I would chalk that one up. We can't afford not to play well against anybody we play. So, it's an emphasis. When you don't tackle, people are going to run the ball. If you will look at the Wake game where first contact was and say that was the end of the play. There was maybe 140 to 145 yards of less run game. So that kind of explains it, right?"
(Ref.: On the defensive lapses in fundamentals recently)
"I talked to our coaches about this. It's an interesting era of tackling. You know everybody does the 'rugby tackling' and the different thing from this fundamental is the fundamental I talk with the staff about -- you still have to hit with your shoulder and then grasp. We're reaching and then trying to deliver a blow. There's a huge difference. And Koby (Quansah) had a couple of real nice tackles in the last game and I pointed it out to the staff. Look where first contact is. It's with the shoulder, and then you lock up. It's not reach. We worked hard on that today. It's not a slippage of what you're teaching. Everybody has default mechanisms. I've coach quarterbacks for years, and you train them here and they see and they've got visuals and then they forget about what their body's doing. Same thing can happen in tackling. There's only a limited amount of time during the season with the team on the practice field. So, you've got to work really hard at those default mechanisms of being contact then lock, contact then lock. I take full responsibility for that. We can tackle better than we have. That's a fundamental that I'm concerned with."
(Ref.: On Casey Holman's return to the lineup)
"Yeah, I talked to his mom and dad that night, in the middle of the night. I talked to him briefly. He was in good spirits and you know surprisingly felt good. So, the next day when doc looked at him, he was very pleased. On Monday, all the rehab, all the work -- everything ended up being muscular. They're not just going to put anybody out there, you got to have full strength and full range of motion you know with your neck. He wasn't there Tuesday, so we didn't practice him Tuesday. But by Wednesday, he was at full strength and full range of motion. He was able to practice. He was all excited. What he felt and anybody that's ever played feels it, it's not pleasant when that nerve rips down your body and you know you pinched a nerve at some degree, you do lose feeling. I told ya'll the encouraging thing for me, because I've been around it a long time, was when I saw him scratch his nose when it itched. That's a good sign. Number one, that you can even feel your nose itch. I felt pretty decent there and I'm no doctor so I've listened to them, but that did encourage me, you know. You ever have a stinger? They hurt, don't they? If they're really bad they don't feel good. It is almost like paralysis."
(Ref.: On the holiday schedule – extra free time or stretching activities)
"It can't be the same week. Tomorrow we'll bump practice back a little bit because there's no class. That sleep will benefit them. Not a lot, because we have a staff to think about too, you have a routine with your staff. Thursday we will practice as we always do in the morning, and then we will all have a great meal together. After that meal they are free until Friday morning. Some of them that live really close go see their families. A lot of them get together. Certain parents are in town that may take a group somewhere. Some of the coaches have them over at their house that evening. You know, myself, I'll have family in town. It's okay to have some time off. I'm happy that people are going to be with their families. Friday morning, it's back to business. What we'll do Friday will occupy a bit of their time. We'll have practice and then we'll go to the hotel like we normally would. I've done it a lot of different ways. The best way is to realize that after we practice on Thursday. It's okay to celebrate family, our own, us, as a team, and then certainly their own families."
(Ref.: On the lack of explosive plays this season)
"I mean, we're not having near as many explosive runs. When people think of explosives, they think of long passes. In those circumstances, it's not been any one thing but a little bit of all of it. Dick Vermeil told me one time when I was a play caller, he said keep calling the run. You're going to have 70- and 60-yard runs, then your average is going to look a lot better. But because you have some two- and three-yard runs or one-yard gains don't quit calling the run. That was his advice to me. That's a very difficult thing. But we're not getting the benefits. A year ago, we had a long run, it helped us win the Miami game. We're not getting that. The second thing in the passing game here lately is we've had some difficult protection circumstances. We haven't hit balls. We had in the last game we played three opportunities for explosive pass plays, but we just didn't get it done. You know I go back and I'll look at practice gauges. I always look at myself, what I'm teaching, what we know and what we're trying to accomplish. To be quite frank, I've got to do all of that better. But you know, it's late in the season so the comprehensive studies you do, yes part of them are for Miami, but a big part is for moving forward. So yeah, we're addressing those things and the run game defense you mentioned and turnover ratio is the biggest, most glaring thing this team has. Let's put all that to fruition in the Miami game. That's where everything is focused right now. We're finally down to one game to maybe have a prize and the students aren't here for me to tell them. We got one game now. We're focused on if we win, we may go to a bowl."
The Blue Devils are back at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium one last time in 2019 when they host Miami on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Wes Durham, Roddy Jones and Eric Wood on the call. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devils IMG Sports Network through the TuneIn app or goduke.com
David Cutcliffe Duke Football Head Coach
(Ref.: Opening Statement)
"Good afternoon. I'll tell you what I told our team this morning to start this first. There are no bad days. We tend to occasionally say 'we've had a bad day.' There is no such thing. There are events that occur that make a day a tough day. Unfortunately, there are at times tragic things that occur in a day that make it really difficult. But God doesn't make bad days. Adversity has been there. It is there, we still are facing it, but we're not going to say we've had a bad day. The only way that you let something become a bad day is you let the events define you. Those were the comments I gave to them. I deeply believe that. To say this recent run hasn't been difficult would be ridiculous to say. Yes, difficult. I told ya'll before I don't believe in the word frustrated. That means there's no answer. It has definitely been difficult.
"I'm very proud of these seniors because the fight on that practice field, their energy, their willingness to believe and to continue to work, has been outstanding. It will serve them well. I'm looking forward to celebrating all of those guys. I've told them to stand at the edge of that tunnel and shake a bunch of young men's hands. They're going to go in a lot of directions and do a lot of great things, so this is one of the more gratifying things in sports for me.
"To Miami. Miami is an extremely talented team. Look at their offense and the speed, the size of their front, and their quarterback's got great ability. They're a challenge physically for us. I look at their defense and their defensive front. It's frightening. Their linebackers will be the best pair inside that we've played in quite some time. Speed and athleticism in the secondary. You know if you don't prepare well, they're a very difficult team to play against. We had good work today, and that's just today. We look forward to good work tomorrow. That's where we are right now. Yes, it's emotional. I sat down with Dylan Singleton after practice on the steps today. Sometimes that's the best place to have a visit today, and it just about made me cry. You know just having two Singletons for example, and we talked about Deondre and how well he's doing. But it is an emotional time. These are things that you never forget."
(Ref.: On the team's run defense dropping off the last couple weeks)
"I go first to the Wake Forest game. They're different and unique. It's very difficult. Then I go back to the Notre Dame game -- a little bit of the same kind of style of blocking. We have to respond better to that. The Syracuse game, we didn't play very well. That's how I would chalk that one up. We can't afford not to play well against anybody we play. So, it's an emphasis. When you don't tackle, people are going to run the ball. If you will look at the Wake game where first contact was and say that was the end of the play. There was maybe 140 to 145 yards of less run game. So that kind of explains it, right?"
(Ref.: On the defensive lapses in fundamentals recently)
"I talked to our coaches about this. It's an interesting era of tackling. You know everybody does the 'rugby tackling' and the different thing from this fundamental is the fundamental I talk with the staff about -- you still have to hit with your shoulder and then grasp. We're reaching and then trying to deliver a blow. There's a huge difference. And Koby (Quansah) had a couple of real nice tackles in the last game and I pointed it out to the staff. Look where first contact is. It's with the shoulder, and then you lock up. It's not reach. We worked hard on that today. It's not a slippage of what you're teaching. Everybody has default mechanisms. I've coach quarterbacks for years, and you train them here and they see and they've got visuals and then they forget about what their body's doing. Same thing can happen in tackling. There's only a limited amount of time during the season with the team on the practice field. So, you've got to work really hard at those default mechanisms of being contact then lock, contact then lock. I take full responsibility for that. We can tackle better than we have. That's a fundamental that I'm concerned with."
(Ref.: On Casey Holman's return to the lineup)
"Yeah, I talked to his mom and dad that night, in the middle of the night. I talked to him briefly. He was in good spirits and you know surprisingly felt good. So, the next day when doc looked at him, he was very pleased. On Monday, all the rehab, all the work -- everything ended up being muscular. They're not just going to put anybody out there, you got to have full strength and full range of motion you know with your neck. He wasn't there Tuesday, so we didn't practice him Tuesday. But by Wednesday, he was at full strength and full range of motion. He was able to practice. He was all excited. What he felt and anybody that's ever played feels it, it's not pleasant when that nerve rips down your body and you know you pinched a nerve at some degree, you do lose feeling. I told ya'll the encouraging thing for me, because I've been around it a long time, was when I saw him scratch his nose when it itched. That's a good sign. Number one, that you can even feel your nose itch. I felt pretty decent there and I'm no doctor so I've listened to them, but that did encourage me, you know. You ever have a stinger? They hurt, don't they? If they're really bad they don't feel good. It is almost like paralysis."
(Ref.: On the holiday schedule – extra free time or stretching activities)
"It can't be the same week. Tomorrow we'll bump practice back a little bit because there's no class. That sleep will benefit them. Not a lot, because we have a staff to think about too, you have a routine with your staff. Thursday we will practice as we always do in the morning, and then we will all have a great meal together. After that meal they are free until Friday morning. Some of them that live really close go see their families. A lot of them get together. Certain parents are in town that may take a group somewhere. Some of the coaches have them over at their house that evening. You know, myself, I'll have family in town. It's okay to have some time off. I'm happy that people are going to be with their families. Friday morning, it's back to business. What we'll do Friday will occupy a bit of their time. We'll have practice and then we'll go to the hotel like we normally would. I've done it a lot of different ways. The best way is to realize that after we practice on Thursday. It's okay to celebrate family, our own, us, as a team, and then certainly their own families."
(Ref.: On the lack of explosive plays this season)
"I mean, we're not having near as many explosive runs. When people think of explosives, they think of long passes. In those circumstances, it's not been any one thing but a little bit of all of it. Dick Vermeil told me one time when I was a play caller, he said keep calling the run. You're going to have 70- and 60-yard runs, then your average is going to look a lot better. But because you have some two- and three-yard runs or one-yard gains don't quit calling the run. That was his advice to me. That's a very difficult thing. But we're not getting the benefits. A year ago, we had a long run, it helped us win the Miami game. We're not getting that. The second thing in the passing game here lately is we've had some difficult protection circumstances. We haven't hit balls. We had in the last game we played three opportunities for explosive pass plays, but we just didn't get it done. You know I go back and I'll look at practice gauges. I always look at myself, what I'm teaching, what we know and what we're trying to accomplish. To be quite frank, I've got to do all of that better. But you know, it's late in the season so the comprehensive studies you do, yes part of them are for Miami, but a big part is for moving forward. So yeah, we're addressing those things and the run game defense you mentioned and turnover ratio is the biggest, most glaring thing this team has. Let's put all that to fruition in the Miami game. That's where everything is focused right now. We're finally down to one game to maybe have a prize and the students aren't here for me to tell them. We got one game now. We're focused on if we win, we may go to a bowl."
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