Kirby Smart Tuesday Press Conference prior to Vanderbilt
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 Good morning, everybody.
00:01 We'll go straight to questions today.
00:04 If you want to raise your hand,
00:06 we'll get one of the remote mics, Steve.
00:09 And there'll probably be a press box
00:10 that's open if you need to spot some work.
00:13 And a reminder, watch for any briefings.
00:17 All right, let's fire away so I can get to work.
00:20 Two days in, how has practice been so far this week?
00:26 Been good.
00:27 They practiced good yesterday,
00:29 and I thought a good practice today.
00:32 Some highs and lows and some ups and downs,
00:35 but like I always say, it's like a broken record.
00:37 If it's cool outside, we tend to practice better,
00:39 and if it's hot outside, we tend to struggle.
00:41 But it was cool today, and they had good spirits,
00:45 and I thought we had good prep.
00:49 Coach, obviously it's an 11 a.m. local kick.
00:51 I'm curious what the game day schedule's going to look like.
00:53 How do you get your guys up and ready to play?
00:55 Exactly like we do everything.
00:56 So it'll be 8 o'clock pregame meal Eastern time,
01:00 7 o'clock their time.
01:04 Steak and eggs, get ready to go play.
01:05 I mean, we've done it before.
01:07 We got to do it again, and we'll do some biorhythm prep
01:14 the day before and try to get them up early,
01:16 consecutive days, and get them used to it.
01:19 And they're young, and they can handle it.
01:23 Yeah, Kirby, with Dalyn, I mean, confidence is something
01:26 you've mentioned with him a lot.
01:27 I mean, how have you seen him continue to grow his confidence,
01:29 and how hard can that be for a corner in this league
01:32 continuing to develop that confidence?
01:34 Well, I think if you don't have confidence,
01:36 you'll never be a corner in this league.
01:38 Like, you better have some confidence,
01:41 and whether you play well or not, you better have it,
01:43 because they're going to keep coming at you.
01:45 They're going to challenge you.
01:47 There's great wide outs and throwers.
01:49 Throwers and catchers in this league are elite.
01:51 So, you know, you're going to have some plays you don't win.
01:54 You got to believe you're going to win them all.
01:56 And I think he has a very quiet confidence about him.
01:59 He's a very intelligent young man.
02:00 He works really hard.
02:02 You know, he's in a tough competition, too,
02:03 because Julian Humphrey has played well
02:06 and done a good job.
02:07 I mean, every day out at practice,
02:09 I thought Julian had a really good practice today.
02:10 So we want to continue to get those guys better
02:12 and let them compete.
02:14 Through six games, what have you thought
02:23 of how your secondary has played and developed,
02:26 and what areas do you want to see improvement going forward?
02:28 I'd like to gain some more depth,
02:31 disguise better, tackle better, punch out more balls.
02:37 Coach, I want to ask about Robbins real quick.
02:41 He looked like he was out of his boot during the game.
02:43 How is he progressing right now?
02:45 He is getting closer, dry land running, weight-bearing running,
02:50 but doubtful for this game.
02:52 But he is closer.
02:54 I mean, he's out there running around.
02:56 He's not practicing with us.
02:57 Kirby, Mark Stoops was talking about NIL yesterday.
03:04 I'm not sure if you heard about those comments.
03:06 He said, "I can promise you, Georgia,
03:07 they bought some pretty good players.
03:09 You're allowed to these days.
03:10 We could use some help."
03:11 Is that a fair assessment?
03:12 What's your reaction to that?
03:15 No reaction.
03:16 There's much to do about nothing, really.
03:18 I mean, I think Mark's trying to garner interest
03:23 and money from his fan base for his collective,
03:27 and we're all trying to do the same
03:30 in terms of trying to get money for our collective.
03:33 I mean, Mark and I talked about NIL pregame,
03:36 and we talk about it in our meetings.
03:38 So I'm not biting on that.
03:42 You're slowly getting healthier.
03:48 You're talking about Rod.
03:49 Kendall came back at the running back position.
03:51 How does this affect Dylan Bell, if any,
03:53 or does he continue on that track of --
03:56 He mentioned last week he loves the idea
03:58 of being a dual-role player.
04:01 Yeah, it's just a matter of where we are at back.
04:04 We do have Kendall back,
04:06 and he seems much more healthy, and De'Jion back.
04:09 But Dylan gives us a lot of versatility
04:13 to do other things.
04:15 He's gotten better in his protections,
04:16 picking things up, IDing things,
04:19 understanding jet protection,
04:20 understanding slide protections.
04:21 He's getting better at those things.
04:23 So we want to continue to grow his arsenal of plays
04:27 and continue to use him as a wide out.
04:30 So that's probably not going to stop,
04:31 regardless of who's there.
04:35 Yeah, Coach, just to continue on areas of growth,
04:37 where do you want to see Carson Beck continue to improve
04:39 at the quarterback position, his play specifically?
04:43 Mobility, getting in and out of the pocket,
04:45 decisions when to tuck it down and run
04:48 versus stand in and throw.
04:50 And, you know, some design runs probably wouldn't,
04:55 you know, hurt him around the red area
04:56 and things that he can do.
04:57 He's a good athlete.
05:00 And the one or two plays a game that he puts us at risk,
05:03 you know, removing that is the most critical thing,
05:05 decision-making.
05:08 Kirby, let me try on disconcerting signals again.
05:12 I talked to Steve Shaw.
05:14 Okay. I talked to Steve Shaw today.
05:16 I did some research. LSU, Missouri,
05:18 there were three of those, but they were all clapping.
05:21 Alabama did it against you in the championship game.
05:23 That was clapping.
05:25 Your two have been not clapping.
05:27 Do you think they got it right,
05:30 or is it too open to interpretation?
05:34 No, they probably got it right.
05:36 But there's been ones that we got right, too,
05:39 and, you know, they weren't called.
05:42 So it's a matter of doing it the way you're supposed to do it,
05:45 and that's what our kids are coached to do,
05:46 to do it the way you're supposed to do it.
05:48 And sometimes the kids overdo it,
05:51 and that draws a penalty.
05:54 But I don't know.
05:56 I saw some LSU, Missouri plays that weren't clapping,
06:01 so I don't know if that's exactly right
06:03 in terms of clapping.
06:04 But clapping is the most often way it happens,
06:06 but they don't get that either
06:07 because Auburn clapped five or six times,
06:10 and they didn't get it.
06:11 That's one of the hardest things to officiate
06:14 in all of sports is that,
06:19 and that's sometimes very subjective,
06:21 so it's complicated.
06:24 Coach, what have you seen from Rah-Rah?
06:25 He had a big game, big catch the other night,
06:27 just on his development
06:28 and his picking up with the offense.
06:31 He's gotten better every week.
06:33 You know, he probably struggled a lot in the spring.
06:37 He grew a lot during camp.
06:39 He went through some hamstring issues.
06:42 He learned how to work his way through our practices
06:46 and how many reps and physical
06:49 and the way we go about things,
06:51 and he's learned how to play special teams.
06:53 I mean, it's like all this world of stuff coming at him,
06:56 and that's what he said he wanted when he came here.
06:58 He wanted to learn to be a complete wide-out
07:00 and play special teams and learn in a pro-style system,
07:04 so he's doing that step by step.
07:07 And to the kid's credit, he's getting better every week.
07:13 Hey, Coach, you've mentioned many times
07:14 the importance of establishing depth.
07:16 I just wanted to know your evaluation of your team
07:18 at this point in the season.
07:19 Which position groups do you think need the most help
07:20 in terms of establishing depth?
07:23 Are you talking about because of injury
07:25 or just a healthy roster?
07:28 In general, just having guys ready to get game reps.
07:33 I'm really confused.
07:35 I mean, we have more depth at some positions than others.
07:38 We're thin at some positions.
07:39 We're thin at some positions because of injuries,
07:43 and we're thin at some positions
07:44 because of not recruiting enough guys
07:47 or enough guys that are playing winning football.
07:51 So that varies for different reasons.
07:54 So I wish we had more depth at every position,
07:58 but some are better than others.
08:00 Kirby, any rhyme or reason for the lack of forcing fumbles
08:03 from the defense, or is it just kind of lucky?
08:06 I don't know.
08:07 I don't know if we have less snaps.
08:08 I would love for that to be my excuse,
08:09 that we get off the field on third down
08:11 so we don't get as many opportunities,
08:13 but we still have a lot of snaps that we get an opportunity.
08:16 We forced one.
08:17 We didn't get it.
08:18 You know, David Daniel punched it out,
08:20 and we didn't recover it, but we give rewards in points.
08:25 Kids compete each week for points,
08:26 and we give points for strip attempts.
08:29 So since we've started going up on those point awards,
08:33 they all compete to have the highest points.
08:36 The strip attempts have gone up, but the fumbles haven't.
08:39 So we continue to chop wood,
08:42 and usually those things come in bunches,
08:45 and if you keep doing it, doing it right,
08:47 it's kind of like our offense, you know?
08:49 You keep working, you keep improving, you keep doing it,
08:51 and they come when you need them.
08:54 Coach, last week when we talked to you,
08:55 you mentioned Andrew's interest in football.
08:58 Doesn't have to necessarily be Andrew,
08:59 but in general, if your child
09:01 wants to maximize their potential in the football world,
09:04 how do you go about approaching that as a parent?
09:09 Depends on the age, you know?
09:11 If we're talking about a six-year-old,
09:13 I don't know that we're going to get there at that age.
09:16 If we're talking about a 14-year-old,
09:18 he better be well into it and like contact
09:22 and like the toughness it requires to play the sport.
09:25 So I think there's stages in development,
09:28 and there's a lot of places in the state of Georgia
09:30 that have unbelievable youth football programs,
09:33 and that's usually a good sign for us
09:35 because they develop talent,
09:38 and kids choose to stay in football
09:40 when they have good coaches.
09:41 Kids choose to leave football when they have bad coaches.
09:44 So I think the biggest thing is
09:46 who are the coaches developing your child?
09:49 Yeah, Raylan Wilson picked up a half sack last week.
09:51 When he has a chance, and not just him,
09:53 but other young players have a chance
09:55 to get those reps late in game,
09:57 how important is that for them with them
09:58 obviously also trying to contribute on special teams
10:00 and do other things to maybe not move their way
10:02 up the depth trap or still grow their game?
10:04 Yeah, they get confidence.
10:05 I think they get a reward
10:06 for what they work on in practice.
10:08 I think so many young players,
10:10 in my experience of being the places I've been,
10:13 especially at the higher end,
10:15 there's a misconception that I'm going to walk in
10:19 and take over the world
10:20 because everybody's told me how good I am.
10:21 And I've signed, or we've signed in Alabama and here,
10:24 and everywhere I've been, FSU, LSU,
10:26 there's been unbelievable players we've signed.
10:28 And very few, very few have instant success.
10:31 So they have to go through that process of failure
10:33 and failure is good for these kids
10:36 because it's going to be hard in life
10:38 and it's going to be hard what they do.
10:40 And I'm proud of a lot of the freshmen
10:42 getting some opportunities in these games
10:44 we've had leads in,
10:45 but they got a long way to go
10:47 to be ready to contribute like a starter.
10:50 And it starts in the meeting room,
10:52 not taking notes or taking notes, walk through.
10:54 They don't walk through like the older guys.
10:56 I showed 10 minutes of tape today
10:57 that was, look at this guy walk through
10:59 and look at this guy walk through.
11:00 They're doing the exact same play.
11:02 One's a senior and one's a freshman.
11:04 Look at this guy's intentional way he walks through
11:07 and he shows his eyes and he puts his hands on people.
11:09 And then you got a guy that's a freshman
11:11 who's just casual and just like,
11:12 it doesn't matter because he doesn't think he's going to play.
11:14 Well, the difference in that is just stunning.
11:18 So I think learning how to be a good player
11:21 is part of the process.
11:23 - It seemed like, correct me if I'm wrong,
11:27 I know you will,
11:27 it seemed like Marvin Jones Jr.
11:31 played considerably fewer snaps this past week
11:34 than he did the previous week at Auburn.
11:36 Is that a fact?
11:37 And if so, why?
11:38 And how's his development coming out of there?
11:40 'Cause obviously you have a lot of players to choose from
11:43 at that position in particular.
11:44 - No, he's doing great.
11:46 Marvin was dealing with an ankle injury.
11:47 He sprained his ankle on Tuesday of,
11:51 maybe it's Wednesday, Tuesday or Wednesday,
11:52 he sprained his ankle and stepped on,
11:55 him brought collided and stepped on it.
11:57 He rolled his ankle,
11:57 couldn't practice Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
12:01 It felt like he could go Saturday.
12:02 We took him out to warmups and he thought he could go
12:05 and he was able to go a little bit.
12:06 He played some,
12:07 he really pushed through the pain really well,
12:10 but it just wasn't,
12:11 he didn't get a lot of reps in terms of it.
12:13 And probably wasn't quite a hundred percent,
12:16 but played more in the previous games.
12:19 But he's had a run of tough luck with two games
12:23 almost missed with different things.
12:25 And he's done a great job in practice
12:27 and he's got a really bright future.
12:28 He's a very talented player.
12:30 He's very smart.
12:31 He's one of the guys that we can say,
12:32 he knows the defense inside and out
12:34 and can go out there and execute it at a high level.
12:36 - Kirby Vanderbilt's undergone some stadium upgrades.
12:41 Have your organization,
12:42 have they checked on like how that might affect
12:44 your game day, what you do in terms of pregame,
12:47 during the game, et cetera?
12:48 - Yeah, we've got some different things
12:49 that they've handled with our ops people
12:51 in terms of where we arrive, where we go,
12:53 where we change, where we go to at halftime,
12:55 all that stuff's changed.
12:57 We went and site visited, saw it over the summer.
12:59 Other teams have done it already.
13:00 They've told us about it.
13:01 I mean, we're well aware of it
13:03 and we've made the players aware of it.
13:05 - Yeah, at that edge position,
13:07 obviously Jaylen Walker plays that in a third down roll.
13:10 Given some of the depth issues that you guys have had there,
13:12 is there any consideration of maybe
13:14 in a first or second down roll,
13:15 maybe giving him some more snaps there?
13:18 - No, that's not his position.
13:20 That's not quite how the game works.
13:21 He's 235, 245 pounds.
13:25 He could be an outside backer and play outside backer,
13:28 but we're developing as an inside backer
13:31 'cause we have other outside backers.
13:32 And there are certain plays
13:35 and when the tackle's six, six, 340 pounds,
13:38 you don't ask a guy that's 240 pounds to play on that guy.
13:42 If they're gonna pass it every play,
13:43 that'd be a great idea,
13:45 but they don't do that in our league.
13:51 - We have two more, anybody?
13:53 All right, thank you.
13:56 - Appreciate it, good job.