Temple first-year head coach Stan Drayton spoke to a small group of media members Saturday morning before Temple’s second spring practice of the season.
Drayton talked about some of the day one standouts, how he was adapting to being a head coach, and how he hoped the team would handle the adverse weather conditions of sleet, rain, and wind at practice Saturday.
You can listen to Drayton's session with reporters from Saturday morning here.
Here are some excerpts from that interview.
Drayton on how the first day of practice went Friday:
“Good first day. The one thing we just wanted to see was great attitude, great effort. I thought our kids came out and flew around. Science proves it nowadays. You got these catapults that can measure effort and all that good stuff. We had guys with high power loads really putting forth great effort.”
Drayton on how the quarterbacks have taken to the new offense so far:
“[Day] one was actually pretty impressive. You know, [D’wan Mathis] in particular, a guy who knew where the ball needed to go yesterday,.I mean, we're only talking one install, right? But he knew exactly where the ball needed to go. Not only that, what was impressive is that there were times where he had to make some adjustments on the run, that hit that on all cylinders. When you talk about an athlete like that, a guy who can extend the play with his feet, make plays with his feet. I mean, there's a lot of potential in that young man, and that group as a whole really commanded the offense, commanded the huddle. I thought they did a phenomenal job yesterday.”
Drayton on the defense’s performance yesterday:
“From a defensive standpoint, just tremendous communication going on. It's sounded good out there, sounded like real football. Guys were engaged. Coaches were coaching hard. Our players were responding. And, if we continue on practices like this, I think we're gonna be in good shape.”
Drayton on defensive lineman Xach Gill standing out yesterday:
“Xach Gill is a guy that's on the defensive line for us. You felt him out there. You hear him talking. He provides great leadership on that defensive line. And for me, it really starts with the D line. We talk in terms of Temple TUFF. We've got to be able to apply pressure on people from that position.”
Drayton on offensive lineman Adam Klein standing out yesterday:
“On the offensive line, you got Adam Klein who is a leader of that group. Again, there was great communication throughout the practice amongst that group. That started with him. Anytime you could sit there and say some good things about your offensive and defensive lines that played during the course of practice, then things are turning in the right direction.”
Drayton on if he felt like his first practice as a head coach took a weight off his shoulders:
“I don't feel weight. You know, I just feel excited about going and getting better, every single day. I don't feel that it's pressure. I feel that that's my job, you know? So, yeah, we put one together, put a good practice together yesterday. We got 14 more to go. So to sit there and say there's a weight off my shoulders, I don't feel that weight. But, I'm glad that we put one in the bank. Now, it's time to go get another one a day.”
Drayton on his relationship with the other coaches so far:
“It feels like I've been with those guys forever. There's great camaraderie, there is great communication there. We all love the development of the young man, both on and off the football field. So there's a connection that way, and they're great coaches, now. And what makes a great coach is watching how the players respond to them. There is some buy-in that's going on pretty early that I didn't expect to happen this early. So that's a credit to them and their character, their competence of football and just excited to have those guys on board. They're phenomenal for this program. They're Temple TUFF coaches.”
Drayton on if it feels weird to go from coaching one position group to a whole team:
“It feels absolutely weird, right? You know, I'm used to just really honing in and focusing in on five or seven guys, right? This position is really forcing me to have a bigger scope out there. My eyes are all over the field, which is interesting, and fun. It's amazing how this game humbles you.You never stop learning. And so in this position, for me to have an opportunity to see the big picture during a course of a practice setting, this has been a phenomenal learning experience for me, it really has. It is more focused on making sure the heartbeat is pumping ... at the right speed on all cylinders, making sure that guys have their drills organized. It's also making sure that managers are pushing water bottles at our guy's faces at the right times.”
Drayton on if he ever feels his eyes slipping to watching the running backs:
“Thank God for my Chief of Staff Everett Withers. He really fights me on that now. He tells me that I have to allow my coaches to coach, and that's what I hired him for. I's not hard once you get on the field with those guys and you realize how strong they are coaching our players here. I can really get my focus on the whole team, the big picture, not locked into a particular position group.”
Drayton on the impact of offensive line coach Chris Wiesehan:
“Well, he understands exactly what it means to be Temple TUFF. He was here when things were in great shape. They won a lot of ball games around here. So, just holding that standard, in particular for the offensive line, which I expect our offensive and our defensive line to be the leaders of the football team. And for him to be able to carry that standard from the past is something that's pretty special. I'm pretty lucky to have him.”
Drayton on how he hoped the team would handle the adverse weather conditions on Saturday:
"Yes, we're practicing and you know, the weather can be a distraction if we let it. So being Temple TUFF, we eliminate distractions. So we're just got to go out there and work.”
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