Notes from John Latina’s Presser: 8/9

Offensive line and assistant head coach John Latina was available to speak with the media on Thursday instead of Charlie Weis and here are some highlights from what he had to say.

• On what you can take away from practices without pads along the offensive line. “How much carry over from the last time you coached them, which was spring practice. Not only just assignments, but footwork as an offensive lineman, technique, understanding the big picture. Are they growing, getting out of just knowing their little assignment. Growing as a player and learning the big picture.”
• On juniors Michael Turkovich and Paul Duncan. “I think they’ve gotten lot better from fall to spring, spring to where we are right now. There’s a great deal of confidence – they’ve done it over and over and over again.”
• On the depth the offensive line this year. “We have more capable bodies now than we’ve had since we’ve been here.”
• On graduate assistant Shane Waldron: “I think he has a bright, bright future ahead of him. He’s been with us going on his third year so just like players getting more and more confidence and learning what they have to do, you see him grow as a young football coach.”
• Chris Stewart is a little bit ahead of a new offensive lineman coming in, but not that much since he spent the spring on defense: “It’s almost starting over for him, and rightfully so and expected to be that. In the fall you have a freshman and a fall camp and if he doesn’t get in your two deep, he’s out on the show team so he’s really not getting much work with you. The first time he’s getting he gets a lot of work with you as a position coach is the spring and that particular person was on defense.”
• On junior Paul Duncan: “He’s a big, rangy, athletic kid.” Latina also said that last year Duncan was a bit light but is close to the 300 lb range now.
• Latina mentioned that there is a lot of one on one in practice in the run and pass games and that it helps developing a line because it puts them in a spotlight situation. “The defense knows it’s not going to be a screen, the defense knows it’s not going to be a draw. They’re playing 3rd and 15 every time they snap the ball in that environment.”
• Latina was asked about whether not he can ease up on installing the attitude they want in the offensive: “Offensive line is a huge attitude, it’s a huge toughness. Just when you start easing up or thinking you’re good enough you’ll go backwards in a hurry. That’s got to stay on our mind every single day.”
• On the importance of creating flexibility amongst the linemen: “The more you can ask of your players mentally, the better they’re going to be even when they settle into one position.”
• On the benefit of creating position flexibility within the offensive line: “It gives you two things as a coach: it allows you when an injury occurs to put in the next best player in. I think that’s important. If you just go by strictly positions, your 10th best player maybe the second right tackle. Why would you want to be the 10th best player in if the 6th best player can play that position as well. You get a chance to put in the best player in that you have left after your top five plus it really makes them grow and challenges them to learn the big picture instead of just their little world.”