Kirby Smart press conference, Talks Michigan Investigation
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00:00 Okay, raise your hand, we'll get started.
00:02 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:05 >> Two days in, how's practice been this week?
00:08 >> Been good, a little slow with the warm fuzzies, we called them yesterday.
00:13 It was really gone.
00:14 Three days, I guess, Friday, Saturday, Sunday without the pads popping.
00:19 So it was a little slow to get going yesterday, but
00:23 I thought they were better today.
00:25 They've had good energy, good spirits.
00:28 I think they really respect this rivalry.
00:31 We got quite a few kids from the state of Florida,
00:33 they take a lot of pride in going back down to Jacksonville to play.
00:36 And they seem excited, so they had good energy.
00:41 >> Yeah, cuz we're just curious how you've seen this football team undergoing,
00:46 if you're developed over the last 18 months to two years.
00:49 >> Yeah, I think they've recruited well, we recruit against them.
00:56 They've recruited well, recruit hard.
00:58 They have good schemes, they have good coaches.
01:00 They have great facilities and a great organization.
01:04 So when you have that recipe, it's just a matter of time.
01:08 You build it through hard work and discipline.
01:12 You can see that in his players.
01:13 You can see those guys playing with toughness and discipline.
01:17 Their brand of football is very respectable.
01:21 Play a lot of the same similar schemes, defensively and offensively,
01:26 to what we do, things you believe in.
01:28 So I got a lot of respect for Billy and the job he's done.
01:31 And I have no doubt that Billy's gonna do a great job.
01:33 >> Yeah, Kurt, you mentioned confidence.
01:37 We're dealing with it a lot.
01:38 With Julian Humphrey, how have you seen his confidence continue to develop as he
01:42 gets more and more snaps alongside Dillon?
01:44 >> Yeah, he's gotten a lot of work.
01:46 Like I said, in the last three to four weeks of practices,
01:49 he's gotten a tremendous amount, probably 60 to 70% of his reps have come with ones.
01:54 And he gets a lot of work in there with those guys.
01:58 And he gets better.
01:59 He used to go against better competition doing that.
02:02 I think that's great for his development.
02:04 He's a talented football player.
02:06 He's got really good speed, good football instincts, and
02:10 plays the ball well in the air.
02:11 >> Kirby, you mentioned yesterday about knowing some of the guys on Florida's
02:15 staff, what do you remember about what Austin Armstrong brought to this program?
02:19 And working with Russ Calloway in Alabama?
02:22 >> Yeah, I worked with a lot of those guys on our staff.
02:24 I think they're really good coaches.
02:25 They have a great pedigree and they work really hard at what they do.
02:29 I have a lot of respect for Russ and his family.
02:33 And Coach Calloway was here when I first got hired.
02:36 And Russ is a tremendous coach.
02:39 Knows football inside and out.
02:40 And he's a great husband and father as well.
02:43 And then Austin was here with us and he was a really good idea guy.
02:47 Always looking for a better way to do things.
02:49 He didn't feel limited by his role.
02:53 He wasn't afraid to speak up and have good ideas,
02:56 which I think makes a good young coach when you think that way.
03:00 >> Fonda, having Xavier and Marius do so far this week?
03:07 >> Yeah, both guys have been able to take some reps and work.
03:10 Xavier probably ahead of Mims, which is what we expected.
03:14 But I was really pleased with Mims.
03:16 He pushed really hard today and got out there, got some work in.
03:20 And trusts has been out there both days.
03:22 [BLANK_AUDIO]
03:28 >> Kind of a defensive schematic question here.
03:31 I'm just curious about, they're a pistol football team.
03:34 Were they on an even pistol set?
03:36 How do you set the strength to that?
03:37 Or do you?
03:39 >> Well, it depends on a lot of things.
03:41 The call, number one.
03:42 The rest of the formation, because the pistol part of it doesn't necessarily set
03:48 the strength, the formation does a lot of times.
03:50 And they change their strength motion a lot, and they shift a lot.
03:54 I have a lot of window dressing on plays and set plays up with that.
03:58 So we don't worry about the setting of the strength based on the back
04:04 as much as we do other things.
04:07 [BLANK_AUDIO]
04:09 >> We're talking to Kamari later today.
04:11 What did you see from him as a veteran presence in the quarterback group?
04:15 >> Leadership, he's a kid that's been committed to excellence his whole life.
04:19 Comes from a great family background, a really tough, hardworking family.
04:23 And he kind of came up through the mud, man.
04:27 He didn't get anything given to him.
04:29 Was not a super highly recruited guy.
04:31 And he's made himself into a really good player through work ethic.
04:37 He just won't be outworked, he won't be out competed.
04:41 And you love that about a football player.
04:43 [COUGH]
04:46 >> What have you been able to see from Marvin Jones and
04:48 Damon Wilson in this past, since really the bye week,
04:50 in terms of getting them further up to speed in plays where they can help this
04:53 defense?
04:53 >> Well, I think they're in two different spots.
04:57 Marvin's a year into the system.
04:59 He understands it really well.
05:00 He can play Sam Jack, could probably play off the ball back or two if he had to.
05:06 He's got very good instincts and has gotten physically stronger and tougher.
05:12 He's had two weird deals where he missed games due to injuries.
05:16 But other than that, he's been really consistent.
05:18 Damon's younger and has shown great promise.
05:22 I mean, he's a player that has ascended in the last two to three weeks in our eyes
05:27 because he's worked so hard.
05:29 I mean, he's down there on the scout team and they're coming in every day being
05:32 like, "Damon's playing so hard down there.
05:34 He's given so much effort and he's given us great look.
05:38 We rewarded him and played him more against Andy because of the work that he
05:42 did and he continued that into the off week and this week.
05:47 So he's doing a good job.
05:48 >> Coach, where do you stand on trying to steal signals?
05:57 And I know you see on your sideline you work hard to hold up a sheet and
06:01 doing everything else.
06:02 And is it within the game?
06:06 Is it acceptable, ethical?
06:09 What are your feelings on that and what do you see?
06:14 Have you had a situation where you feel like your signals have been stolen and
06:19 you knew they were?
06:21 >> Are you referencing the going to people's games?
06:24 Or are you talking about within our games?
06:27 >> Actually both.
06:28 >> Yeah, I never heard of anybody going to games to watch and film and
06:31 do all that old stuff that's going on, everybody's talking about.
06:33 >> Right. >> I don't know anybody that's ever
06:35 done that or I've never been asked to do that as a young coach or
06:39 known anybody to do that.
06:40 I've never heard of that.
06:42 In high school football, I grew up with my dad.
06:44 We would go watch other teams play.
06:46 That was part of what you did.
06:47 You didn't watch the other team play.
06:48 You sat up there with four other coaches and
06:50 you drew up their plays while they were doing it.
06:52 That's pre cell phone and probably pre signals because they were sending people
06:57 in with the coach would send them in with the signals.
07:00 That was a long time ago.
07:01 But as far as in game, I think people try to do that.
07:06 It has to go on.
07:08 As a signal caller, when I had to call defenses, it confused me.
07:11 If I had to sit there and try to wait on somebody to tell me what they thought
07:14 they got, and I'm trying to think about what the best call for the situation is.
07:19 And you're relying on misinformation or something that's not very reliable.
07:24 So I don't know.
07:26 I mean, there's times that people have said they've had our signals in game and
07:31 they knew this or that.
07:32 And you talk to the team that you played last and sometimes when you're not gonna
07:37 play that team again, they share what they might have had on you and
07:40 things like that.
07:40 So I've heard of it in game.
07:43 But a lot of times you can know the signal and still not do it right.
07:47 It's kind of the joke we have is, you know a play's coming and you mess it up.
07:51 And I've laughed with coaches about that before.
07:54 [BLANK_AUDIO]
07:59 >> I guess the necessary follow up, that's obviously coming about Michigan.
08:02 You played Michigan.
08:03 You aware, in retrospect or at the time, of anything unusual?
08:09 >> No, I didn't notice anything or know anything.
08:12 Nobody we talked to warned us or anything like that.
08:14 I mean, I think everybody we play, they say, they steal your signals.
08:17 I mean, we play somebody else, they're great at stealing your signals.
08:21 But what they're referencing is different than stealing them.
08:25 I mean, they're talking about people coming to film them.
08:29 That's completely different.
08:30 But we've tried to hide the signals, hold the calls, put signs up, do all that.
08:35 But there's nothing I remember about the Michigan game that makes me think that.
08:39 [BLANK_AUDIO]
08:46 >> What do you make of the development of Arian Smith this season,
08:49 how he's played?
08:50 >> Yeah, Arian probably had more opportunities earlier in the year as we
08:56 were down on wide outs for a couple games.
08:59 Got a guy out, guy out, guy injured last inning and out.
09:01 He's played a lot of the same spots as Ladd.
09:04 And for whatever reason, he probably hasn't had as many opportunities.
09:09 Lately, he's had some opportunities that he didn't capitalize on it, and
09:13 he'd be the first to tell you that.
09:15 But I'm really proud of him and the role he's played on our team in terms of
09:18 leadership.
09:19 He's taken ownership in some special teams units.
09:22 He's been elite at Gunner.
09:25 And he's part of the reason that we have not given up many return yards.
09:29 He's been a big major factor in that.
09:31 And he works really hard after practice on developing us a lot now.
09:36 [BLANK_AUDIO]
09:42 >> Coach, you hadn't asked about Daris Biff lately.
09:45 How's the situation right now?
09:47 >> Yeah, same as we talked about before, he's just not with us right now.
09:50 [BLANK_AUDIO]
09:53 >> Kirby, do you like the college replay review system, or
09:57 have you guys on the Rules Committee talked about maybe going to a challenge
10:02 system?
10:02 >> What would be the advantage of a challenge system?
10:06 >> NFL, less.
10:07 >> But now it's on me.
10:10 >> Yeah. >> So now you're gonna criticize me.
10:11 And I gotta make the call.
10:13 >> I'm gonna criticize me.
10:15 >> Not really.
10:16 You can't criticize me now because they review your play.
10:19 >> Well, the point is, is that slowed down?
10:21 >> Yes, 100% it slows down again.
10:23 That argument is correct.
10:24 But the flip side of that for the coaches is, so you want me to decide, and
10:29 you want me to decide when to do it, and you want me to burn one of my timeouts, and
10:33 I don't have the same information that you have.
10:35 They have the information out there.
10:37 They have the ability to review every play.
10:39 Now, should they review every play?
10:41 A one yard spot in the first quarter for five minutes, or
10:45 they give us the numbers, 53 seconds average review time.
10:49 Is it worth that for that one yard?
10:51 Probably not.
10:53 But if you're telling me I gotta go throw that flag or
10:56 not like the NFL does every time, I don't know.
10:59 It would definitely speed the game up to not review.
11:03 But you would have a lot of controversy after the game is what you would have.
11:06 And theirs get reviewed for the critical plays, inside two minutes,
11:10 scoring plays, all those things.
11:12 And once you add all that in, every turnover,
11:15 it's kinda like they're reviewing the ones anyway.
11:18 And then it gets off the challenge flag.
11:21 It would just keep us from having to review, I don't wanna say things that
11:25 aren't relevant, but things that might not affect the outcome of the game.
11:30 >> Hey Coach, when you're watching a Florida's offense on tape,
11:32 I was just wondering if you had any inclinations on what they do well
11:36 offensively that you guys feel the defense can take away the most.
11:41 >> Yeah, they run the ball really well.
11:42 They have great backs.
11:43 They have a quarterback that's extremely hot and accurate.
11:45 He knows exactly what he's doing in the system.
11:48 He understands how to do it.
11:49 They've gotten their tight ends involved in the last couple weeks and
11:51 done a great job.
11:52 Now, they block physical on the perimeter.
11:54 They take shots down the field.
11:55 They're set up through their play action.
11:57 And they spread you out and do a really nice job.
12:00 So they're a complete offense.
12:02 It's not like, if we take this away, they're one dimensional.
12:06 They have good wide outs.
12:07 They have a really big physical offensive line.
12:10 They got a quarterback that really understands, okay,
12:13 if this is not there, I'm doing this.
12:15 And he can run.
12:16 So they're a very complete offense.
12:19 And they're very methodical.
12:21 It's not like they're sitting out there on 100 miles an hour.
12:25 They know what their plan is and they execute it.
12:27 [BLANK_AUDIO]
12:29 >> Yeah, Coach, I'm curious with your consistent buy every year and
12:33 for it being this week every year.
12:36 With that level of consistency,
12:37 do you think it provides any type of advantage to your program?
12:40 We know when our buy is gonna come, type of a deal?
12:42 >> I don't see how it can provide an advantage cuz you know when you're buying.
12:47 I mean, I think everybody kinda knows when their buy is.
12:49 The years I was in Alabama, it was before LSU.
12:52 I mean, it's not an advantage.
12:55 You might argue it's an advantage if you have a buy and
12:58 someone you're playing doesn't.
13:00 I've had that strategy before, but you've also, you could say, you lose rhythm.
13:04 You worry about your guys getting out of shape because they're gonna take a break
13:07 over that weekend.
13:08 So you get your legs back, but you also may have six guys come back in overweight.
13:12 And that can be a detriment to your rhythm of your team.
13:16 So I don't put a lot of thought into where the buy falls cuz I don't have a lot of
13:21 control over it.
13:21 >> Any other questions?
13:25 All right, thank you.
13:28 [BLANK_AUDIO]