Instant Interview Replay: John Thompson (Oct. 21)

Instant Interview Replay: John Thompson (Oct. 21)

10/21/2003

ECU head football coach John Thompson was the guest on ECUpirates.com's exclusive Instant Interview on Tuesday morning. Following is the complete transcript of his responses from the live chat.

raleighpir8 : seeing that army put up 32 points on our defense, what changes need to be made to stop louisville on saturday?
John Thompson : We definitely have to make some adjustments to playing the run. Our run defense is not what it should be. We are working on it as we speak.

Ahab : Coach Thompason, congrats on your hard-earned first win as a college head coach! The Pirate Nation is happy for you and the kids to get this albatross off your neck! My question is about the offensive system we're trying to develope at EC. I was wondering, upon the availability of two healthy tight ends, if we'll begin to see the implementation of a two-tight end set from time to time? It seems that it grants a power-smash-mouth offense a menacing presence up front, and really gives you an extra push in the trenches. Thanks so much for all you do!
John Thompson : Thank you for your comments. If we had two big healthy tight ends, that would be good. We need more big bodied tight ends on this football team. When we get Josh Coffman back healthy and we keep recruiting, we'll get to that. Right now, that's not what we have.

zilla : what were the players reactions to there first win of the season, and do you think their confidence will carry over this week for louisville
John Thompson : Our players were excited and it was a joyful locker room. We have to build on this momentum. You never forget how precious winning is and you have to keep that feeling and build on it.

kevinfb15 : Congrats on the win at Army. I think that it is awesome what the team does on away trips as far as giving back to the community. What is the reason for this change on away trips?
John Thompson : I've felt all along that there's more to education and more to football than just the classroom and the football field. Football can provide all of us with an avenue for learning and developing in many, many ways besides just the obvious of reading a book or making a tackle.

ecu91 : With our ball control, short pass offense, why don't we throw the ball to the TE more?
John Thompson : Right now, we're trying to get the ball more to Tutu, but he is an undersized tight end. We need to get Josh Coffman back and healthy and that would help us.

Greg : Coach, Marvin Townes obviously had a great game last Saturday. Would you say that eventually you are going to have to get other running backs involved, i.e. Kevin Fain and Robert Tillman, in fear of running Marvin to death?
John Thompson : Yeah, we need to get a lot more people involved, Vonta included.

Piracy : What type of players are needed for Stockstill's ideal offense? Would you briefly describe the qualities of each position (OL, RB, QB, WR) that best suit his style of offense? Thanks and congrats on the win!
John Thompson : Our recruiting efforts will be to get the best athlete, no matter what style. We want the biggest, fastest, strongest and we will adapt our offense and defense to the talent we have. That is what we are doing at the present, also.

raleighpir8 : it was a suprise seeing the freshman bobby good out there on saturday, when did you make the decision to play good?
John Thompson : A couple of weeks ago. We're real proud of Bobby and what a great catch he made on a critical third down. Bobby is a hard-working competitor.

Hummell : Why do you always seem flustered on the sidelines?
John Thompson : I didn't know that I did! (grins) There are times that I am flustered, and there are times that I am happy. I'm an emotional person and throughout my whole life, I have had the problem of showing it immediately. That's the way I am. But I also show as much joy. Score points, win games, and I'll be real happy!

Steve (piranha) : Why the sweater vest? Obviously you couldn't wear it in Florida, so what made you choose wearing them?
John Thompson : I felt like it, it's comfortable, and I'm trying to help Russell Athletics out. I don't really know.

ecu91 : Coach, this team has obviously struggled this year. Do you think it is scheme or lack of execution? When will we turn the corner?
John Thompson : We're making progress, albeit some of it subtle. I see this team getting better day-by-day and week-by-week. We have a tough five-game stretch coming up, but I think you'll continue to see this team improve.

Greg : Coach, with Desmond being an option QB in high school and ECU being a team known for running a little option in recent years, why haven't we seen more of it? It seems the few times we've ran it we have had some mild success.
John Thompson : It's in our package and the key word there is mild. We've got to continue to get better. We had a couple of nice option plays Saturday and couple not so nice. We'll have to keep working on it.

Greg : Coach, regarding kickoffs, do we not have anyone capable of constantly kicking it deep? It seems like we're stuck on the "pooch kick" and we have been giving up good filed position on a majority of kickoffs.
John Thompson : Yes, Nate and Cam can kick the ball deep. We do it in practice; it just hasn't happened in the game. We've got to keep grinding.

Keng : Coach Thompson, are you considering of let anyone else returning punts beside Terrance Copper? He needs to fair catch the ball sometimes because he has been rocked on punt returning the last 2 games.
John Thompson : Terrance is a very good punt returner. We have to do a better job of protecting him and I am concerned about the new rule on being able to hit punt returners. It's dangerous and I think we as coaches and rule-makers need to take a look at that.

brbmba : What is the status of Tillman? How about Helms? Any of our injured Pirates besides Art Brown going to be medical redshirts?
John Thompson : We think Robert will be back this week. He practiced a little bit yesterday. Derek Helms, surprisingly, is making progress. I'm not sure about this week, but I feel confident in the next few weeks that he'll be back on the field for us. That is a testament to his hard work and character. Art and Garett Peterkin, at this point, look to be our guys that are out for the year.

zilla : How is recruiting doing? Do we have some top notch athletes interested in the pirate nation and are their comments positive?
John Thompson : Everything is going very well in recruiting. Great, positive comments from coaches and players. I am looking forward to a very good year.

Greg : Coach, would you say Erode Jean felt somewhat vindicated after making that INT after being "picked on" most of the game covering the much taller receiver?
John Thompson : Couple of things about Erode. One, he is a competitor. Two, as a cornerback, you just play every play. Yeah, he made a couple of big plays and the interception at the end zone was a huge momentum swing for our team. Erode played very well throughout the entire game on a very good receiver.

Don Mollenhauer : Coach, congrats on the victory, hopefully many more are on the horizon. Would you please inform us on the Louisville team we will be seeing this weekend. What are their strengths and (hopefully) weaknesses? Keep up the good work.
John Thompson : Thank you. We are playing a very talented Louisville football team. In my opinion, they are the second-most talented team we have played to this point. They are very balanced. They have a powerful running game with multiple big backs. They have a very effective and big-play passing game with a lot of speed and, as always, a great tight end. We need to keep getting better and have this momentum continue. We need to play our best and we're looking forward to Saturday and having the stands filled with purple. Thank you for your interest and support.

ECUpirates.com : That's all the time we have for this week's Instant Interview with Coach Thompson. Thanks for all the great questions!

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