Monday notebook: Dissecting the depth chart
First-year Temple head coach Stan Drayton held his first weekly press conference during a game week on Monday at Edberg-Olson Hall as the Owls prepare for Friday’s season opener at Duke.
Among other things, Drayton talked about the Owls’ preparation for the Blue Devils, his emotions heading into his first game as a head coach, and the thought process of the depth chart, which the program released Monday.
Injuries did affect some of the staff’s decisions when it came time to construct the season-opening depth chart. Previous starter Cameron Ruiz, listed third at one of the cornerback spots behind Elijah Clark and Dominick Hill, is coming off what Drayton described as a “pretty significant” leg injury he sustained before spring practice.
“He’s back and he’s ready,” Drayton said of Ruiz, who contributed 34 tackles and five pass break-ups last season after transferring to Temple from Northwestern. “You will see Cam on the field.”
“But it’s about who’s been the most consistent,” Drayton added, “and sometimes injury does play a little bit of a part in that, but it’s not like I don’t feel he’s not ready to go. He is absolutely ready to go. Very sharp, smart football player. And he brings versatility to that DB room. So he’ll play for sure.”
As for tight end David Martin-Robinson, who is listed third on the depth chart behind James Della Pesca and Jordan Smith, he is considered a gameday decision for Friday’s opener.
“We’re working on DMR’s health,” Drayton said. “He’s a guy who I think very highly of as a football player. He’s extremely intelligent. We’ll make some gameday decisions on DMR. But that tight end room, for the most part, has been solid from the moment we got here, and they’ve gotten better in spots. We’re really starting to settle into the role, for this particular gameplan for Duke, for where these guys will fit.
“What you see necessarily in the depth chart, it’s just names. Those guys are going to play, depending on what package we roll out there, what personnel group we roll out there can really have an effect on who starts.”
At the same time, it does seem clear that Drayton has begun setting the tone for the team, in part, with how he put the depth chart together.
“If they’re a starter, they’ve earned it,” Drayton said. “Nothing will ever be given to any player on this roster, and those guys have earned it. But, no one can relax at any given point in time. It’s just the type of culture that we want to build here, and we want our recruits to even see that as well. That if you’re going to come into this program, you’re going to have to compete. Not only that, but you have the opportunity to earn your job here, regardless of how old or how much experience you have. If you’re the best player here at Temple, we’re going to play the best players.”
At least for this week’s season opener, that means a young and relatively inexperienced group was prominently featured atop the depth chart.
You can listen to Drayton's full conversation with reporters here and read some excerpts from the interview below.
Drayton on the importance of a good start to the season:
“For us, we are going into a game situation for the first time together. We have a lot to learn together in that respect. Our time together has been on the practice field. We have been playing against Temple every day. It's important for us to get into a game situation playing against an opponent in their backyard and to see how we respond and how to handle that type of adversity. We have to play Temple and we have to make sure we can handle us. That comes with emotional swings, and when things go our way, how do we handle success and when it doesn’t, how do we handle that? Can we keep it going one play at a time? It's important for us to grow as a football family in a game atmosphere.”
Drayton on the emotions of being a head coach for a game for the first time:
“It's different. It's been rewarding in a sense that I can put my own personality on a program. I’ve been around some highly recognized head football coaches in my career and I've learned a lot. Thanks to the support in my staff, I feel that I am built for this and I am excited for the opportunity. I will be fighting my emotions on gameday. This is something that the people close to me know how important this is to me to get an opportunity like this.”
Drayton on which position groups have stood out:
“I like the leadership on the O-Line with Issac (Moore) and Adam Klein. Our defensive line has been putting in good production since spring. I’m excited for our safeties and corners to play. We have a really good system that fits their skill set and they have really bought into what coach (defensive coordinator D.J.) Eliot is coaching over there. Our running backs are a group that has improved especially this fall camp and with the addition of Jakari Norwood. He has brought another dimension to that group.”