Instant Interview Replay: John Thompson (Nov. 4)

Instant Interview Replay: John Thompson (Nov. 4)

11/04/2003

GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Head football coach John Thompson was the featured guest this week on ECUpirates.com's exclusive Instant Interview. Following is a complete transcript of the live chat held on Tuesday morning:

Piratelooksat30 : Let's see some more no huddle coach. It seemed to work well against Louisville. Did we run it against Memphis? I didn't see the whole game.
John Thompson : We did run some against Memphis. It has been effective for us this year. It helps us keep a defense off balance and we'll continue to do it.

Todd..Va Beach : Where is the main focus of our recruiting going. Also how many scholarships will be available for next season...
John Thompson : We'll always go after the best player available, but we've really got to concentrate on linemen on both sides of the ball. We hope to be able to sign a full limit of 25.

Brian, Durham : With USF beating Cincy, what do you view as the main concern from their team?
John Thompson : They are a very physical team. They are very good on defense and very sound. They're a very aggressive team. We have to match that with us being physical and playing very, very hard.

Scott : Is James Pinkney officially the #2 qb and do you plan to get him in each of the last three games?
John Thompson : At this point, we are working both James and Paul. We are unsure if Desmond will be able to play. So both young men will have the opportunity to compete not only this week, but the rest of the season.

Chris : I have heard another JV game is going to be played in a few weeks. Is this true?
John Thompson : No, we plan on playing another one next year. Probably that rumor extends from the fact that we will have an open date scrimmage with freshmen, redshirts, and scout guys, but it will be an intersquad scrimmage.

ECUPIRATES : What do you hope to accomplish by using all our timeouts at the end of a game? It is not coaching it is prolonging the inevitable. If you are scoring 15 points a game you are not going to score 17 points in a minute and a half. Lets end it and let the kids go home.
John Thompson : I believe you compete and fight until the end. You finish the race to the best of your ability. You don't give in, you don't give up. I do understand mathematics can play a part, but there comes a time that you've got to establish some principles and I'm not going to give up.

Scott : How do the coaches feel about our offensive line for next year-do we have some quality linemen on board?
John Thompson : We are enthused about our young linemen. We've got some good fresh faces coming that will get a lot of experience this spring. But we've got to get in the weight room and need to have a great off season.

Charles Saunders : Hi Coach. I am sure I am burdening you with a question you have been consistently pestered by, but at this point in the recruiting process for 2004, how do you feel about where we are, and our prospects for landing some talent that can help us. Are you finding the BCS controversy a difficult hurdle in the process?? Thanks.
John Thompson : I am very enthused about the responses we're getting. Personally, last night on the telephone, I had the best night of the year. To be honest, the BCS never comes up. It is a factor and is something we will have to address and is out there, but right now, that's not what's on recruits minds.

Phil Garvin : It will probably be a few years before "your" players star to have an impact on this team. What can we do in the short run, the make this team more productive next year?
John Thompson : We're working every day. We continue to work with this team and continue to build. We've got to focus on getting better for this game.

piratepride : Do you think saftey R. Moton has stepped up to fill the shoes of starter A. Nealy?
John Thompson : Yes. I think Richard has played very well. I am proud of Richard in that he stuck to it and didn't give in when he wasn't getting a lot of playing time. He's playing well for us right now.

Keep working hard! : How excited are you about the recruits coming in next year and also the availibility of Patrick Dosh and Art Brown? Keep up the hard work coach...we're behind you!
John Thompson : I'm excited about recruiting because I enjoy that part and I know that that's how you win. But I'm also excited about practice today and working toward this weekend.

Seth : Having watched Patrick Dosh at Florida and now here, what is your opinion on how he will help us in the future?
John Thompson : Patrick is a tremendous competitor. He is helping us right now in running the scout team. He is fun to be around and fun to coach. He's already been a plus for this team.

David03 : I'am glade to see more true freshmen playing around this time of the year. Are we going to get a chance to see Kasey Ross and Eric Johnson start, also will Kyle Chase play any. Keep up the good job, I see a bright future!!
John Thompson : Those guys that you mentioned will all play and it looks like, right now, Kasey and Kyle along with Erode Jean, will all start in the secondary this week -- with the loss of Donald Whitehead to injury.

D-Row : Hello Coach. I wondered if you could touch base on this stat since you are a defensive minded coach. We have allowed points scored in 31 out of the 36 quarters that we have played in. That's only 5 quarters where we have not given up any points. Can you explain what steps need to be taken to stop teams or why this is taking place. Thanks and keep up the hard work. GO PIRATES!!!
John Thompson : Our defense and our entire team I felt have been getting better and better each week. I do not feel like we got better last week against Memphis. I've said all along that I thought we would get better and I am embarrassed that we did not last week. But we are going to get it fixed. To the man, we are going to get it fixed. That goes to our defense, our offense, and our kicking game.

baltimore_pirate : what are your comments on Pinkney's performance last Saturday? Will he see more action?
John Thompson : I was really proud of James stepping into his first college game. You could see him getting better with every snap. As I said earlier, he and Paul are both working right now and we'll just have to see who practices better over the next day or so if Desmond is unable to play.

ecu1999 : Hi Coach Thompson, Can you just comment on Special Teams and how they have improved since early September. Good luck Saturday and Go Pirates!
John Thompson : Thank you. We were real pleased with the improvement of our return game on Saturday. Damarcus Fox and our entire kickoff return obviously had a good day. But also, our punt return game finally added something to our team. The two touchdowns that we scored early were a direct reflection of returns. We spend a lot of time and there's a lot of hard work that is paying off. Sometimes you see the fruits of your labor and sometimes you don't.

Linda Smith : I know the freshmen need to be prepared for next year, but don't forget the seniors deserve their "last Hurrah". Do you agree
John Thompson : Absolutely. I certainly hope that our seniors understand that and we're playing to win this game. We are also building, but we'll never lose sight of the immediate future.

Frank : Coach Thompson, Our DB's has been constantly getting embarassed by the play actions and pump fakes, how do you address to the our secondary about that? Will Whitehead be playing this weekend?
John Thompson : First of all, Donald is out and will probably be out for the entire season, which is disappointing. Play action is always a concern, but you coach that by training where you look and training where you put your eyes. You work it every snap in every drill everyday. We'll continue to do so.

AlwaysApirate : Will that scrimmage be open to the public and when will that be?
John Thompson : Yes, we'll make that open to the public and try to make it a big deal. It'll be one day next week during our open date, but we haven't settled on exactly which date yet.

Seth : Coach, Now will Bobby Good out for the season, what other recievers are you calling out to step up? I'm hoping that Iverick Harris will, he seems to have a lot of potential. Keep the faith coach and we are all behind you and the team 100% for the long run.
John Thompson : Thank you. We need receivers to step up. Iverick is a talented receiver that can get the job done for us. He along with the rest of our guys need to help us.

Greg : Coach, what were your honest expectations going into the year record wise, and how would you say you have lived up to those expectations? Also, do you feel you have learned a lot about being a head coach the first season, and will that translate into a better year next year?
John Thompson : I actually had no idea how many games we could win going into the season, but obviously I am disappointed in our win total and lack of wins. Yes, I have learned more than I ever dreamed. It's something you have to do to understand that and only head coaches fully understand the day-to-day activities that go into it. No doubt, I will be a better head coach and our players will be better players next year. Let's face it, there are some things that go into change and transition. You want to speed up that curve as much as possible. Hopefully we have done that. Where perception and reality are in regards to our lack of success, nobody knows. But I can promise you this, nobody's going to work harder or be more determined than this team, this staff and myself to get this program back to where it deserves to be.

ECUpirates.com : That's all the time we have today. Thanks for all the questions that were sent in. Coach Thompson, any closing comments?
John Thompson : I think we're again at a very critical crossroads-type position in our season. With only three games left and us coming off a poor game, it's time to still keep our nose to the grind. We will not abandon the plan and we're going to do everything we can to win this week and the last two games.

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