Instant Interview Replay: Coach John Thompson (Sept. 2)

Instant Interview Replay: Coach John Thompson (Sept. 2)

09/02/2003

GREENVILLE, N.C. -- East Carolina University head football coach John Thompson participated in a live Instant Interview on ECUpirates.com, the official web site of ECU athletics, Tuesday morning.

Following is a complete transcript of his responses:

Scott Newby, (Pirate Pride) : Coach, Thanks for showing up and taking questions today. I know it was a tough loss for the guys and you. What do you focus on to get better offensively with West Virginia coming in Saturday? Go Pirates!
John Thompson : I appreciate the comment. We've got to face a lot of things. First, we've got to get better in the running game and that should create some other things for us. We've got to better at the line of scrimmage.

Pirate-in- MN : Morning Coach. Tough opening game. Will you take a more hands on approach with the defense? What were the positives from the game that the team can take and build on for the rest of the season?
John Thompson : The positives are that we've got a team that's not going to give in. We're in the process of building and we know that we've got to work harder and find a way. We were surprised at some things that happened yesterday, but we're not discouraged and we'll just pull up our boots and go back to work. As far as the defense, we're not going to change anything. Our defensive staff is doing a good job and we've just got to do better there.

76Pirate : Can you explain the illegal defensive substitution calls?
John Thompson : Poor communication. That is our fault. We've got to do a better job at getting our personnel aware of the situation. From sideline to the huddle, on and off, there's no excuse for that. That's something that must be corrected.

94 Piratefan : Coach, reportedly we have a veteran, experienced offensive line, One of the best line coaches in the business, a decent strength coach, and outweighed Monday's opponent by an average of 35 pounds. Yet Monday, our line opened no holes for our backs and couldn't have blocked my grandmother. Whats the deal??
John Thompson : I didn't see your grandmother out there ... but I saw a good defensive line, and we did not block a good defensive line yesterday. All of those things have to improve. We're not happy with the production that we had at the line of scrimmage. But you're right, we've got good coaches and we're working on it right now.

Dave Englert : I thought we had regrouped well on defense in the second quarter after some good running by Cincinnati early. The TD right before the half was a tough one. Was there a mixup in the coverage there? Good luck vs. WVU!
John Thompson : Thank you. No, we just took our eyes off the receiver. It wasn't a bust, we just got our eyes caught in the backfield and the guy ran by us. I agree, that was a big blow and really established more momentum. It just goes back to discipline and training our eyes.

PIRATE4LIFE / Jonathan : Coach...we scored 26 points agains Cinc last year and only 3 this year. With the majority of our offense back, what do you think the reason for the big difference is? And, what hope is there for improvement?
John Thompson : That's also a good question. We've got to find a way to move the football. We did not do that because we got zero rhythm in what we were doing. We would have 2nd and six, then lose a couple of yards, and put ourselves in long yardage situations. That's just not how you win football games. That was two different teams from last year.

Paleales : Did you see anything in the game that would warrent a change in starter at QB?
John Thompson : I thought Paul performed well. We put him in a tough position. Both QBs have got to continue to improve. We have got to get more from both of them. They know that, Rick Stockstill knows that ... right now we don't forsee any changes.

big daddy : i don't think the tight end should have been responsible for blocking #90 all game. how did tight end. grade out. and the rest of the offensive line grade out.
John Thompson : No. 90, Trent Cole, is a very good player. We tried a lot of things on him. He had a real good game. We've got to be better all across the line of scrimmage.

Michael Aho : Coach - great work so far! I appreciate your hard work building traditions. Do you have plans to include alumni in game days moreso than in the past?
John Thompson : We hope to. We certainly would encourage them to be involved in the Pirate Walk and we've said all along that everything that we do is about the entire Pirate Family. We've got a tradition to uphold because of the alumni.

Jamie Ewing : Obviously our recruiting has not been great over the past 2-3 years. Do you feel that the players we have are of the caliber and mold that you look for in your style of play? Also, the conditioning seemed to be a factor as well, do you think we are at the proper level for the start of the season? Thanks
John Thompson : Our players are our players. We have got to develop the people that we have here. We can't lose sight that we are building, we can't lose sight that the most important aspect of building is both the players here and recruiting and upgrading. But, at no time, can we look and say we don't have this and we don't have that. That just gives you an excuse. We have to develop the players we have here now and keep recruiting as hard as we can.

Pirate Kevin : Where was the running game??????
John Thompson : We thought we would be able to run the ball better. We were surprised that we were not able to. Studying the tape, being at the game, it all comes back to the same thing. We got outplayed up front. We've said that that should be a strength of ours and we've got to continue to make that so. That will be a major emphasis this week and every week. Without our running game going, it puts too much pressure on our quarterbacks, receivers, defense, everything.

D-Row : Yesterday was a tough one. I like the fire and intensity you bring on the sideline. I know we will get better as the year rolls along. What can we do to prepare for WV?? They played a really good Wisconsin team close. Do we have a chance at stopping their running game and moving the football against their D?
John Thompson : West Virginia is a physical team. We've got to do something to get more physical. Again, we've just got to channel our energy in the right direction and deal with adversity. We're going to get through this because we're going to do it the right way. We've got a building process.

Johnny Johnson 76' : What positive points can we take from yesterday's game and how is the team's morale getting ready for WV
John Thompson : All of our team was lifting and running at 6:30 a.m. this morning. I talked to every player and nobody is happy about our situation, but I feel a determination and we look forward to getting on the field this afternoon and begin to grow some more.

Pirate Steve : Coach, ECU has always won with speed and in the past been under sized but made up the delta with speed. We now seem to have size but Cinci ran past us on both sides of the ball like we where standing still. Do you think team speed is part of the issue the last couple of years?
John Thompson : I know that Cincinnati did run us down yesterday. We have got to find a way to get the edge on teams like that. I was surprised at the difference in how fast they were and where we were. I know we can be better.

Matt from Raleigh : Coach, I have to miss Saturdays game due to a wedding. Is there any chance that you could make a public service announcement or commercial that discourages such irresponsible and inconsiderate planning? I am serious. Good Luck on Saturday.
John Thompson : I've always wondered about people that scheduled weddings in the fall. They'll have trouble their whole life -- with the date, not the marriage! Best of luck and hopefully we can give you a good present.

Greg : Coach, did you feel both Paul and Desmond focussed too much of their attention on getting Terrance the ball and not looking at any of the other receivers?
John Thompson : They've got a lot of confidence in Terrance. Our other receivers have got to step up and snatch some of that confidence for themselves. With 11 catches and everyone else just getting one, I would expect major triple and double coverage this week and the other guys have to step up. When you're under the gun, you go to what you believe in.

Richard Worthington : Coach, unlike a lot of people I've spoken with, I saw a lot of defensive improvement yesterday from the past couple of years. And hopefully that will get even better. But we could and did not control the ball on offense and our scheme was beyond predictable!! (If I can call the play many many times before it is run, I know the other team can!) What can we do to address the issues of execution and play calling on the offensive side of the ball? We didn't look good at all on the offensive end. Having said that, I'm looking forward to Saturday and will be there screaming my head off!! Good luck!!
John Thompson : Thank you. We are concerned about us being out of sync. We totally got out of rhythm on offense and we feel like it was because of the lack of running game production. We've got to get that fixed and that opens up so many other things for us. We were behind the chains and coming from behind and right now that's not the makeup of our team to be able to do that. We're working on that right now.

brian, Durham, NC : will we be a lot more physical this coming saturday? I think the defense showed a lot of potential....too many missed tackels.
John Thompson : We will be more physical this week. How much more depends on how much progress we can make. That is our No. 1 priority. Obviously, it's hard to do in a short week, that's why we had our players here this morning. Hopefully we will have a better practice this afternoon. We will have a physical practice tomorrow. Then we'll have to gear down so we'll be fresh for Saturday. I believe our team will respond.

Matt from Raleigh : Coach, Were you impressed with the number of fans that made the trip to Cincinnati?
John Thompson : I appreciate everybody making that trip on a holiday and all the support. We need you now more than ever. This team is not going to give in; this coaching staff is not going to give in. None of us Pirates will give in. I do appreciate all the people that were there.

Pirateguy : Hi Coach. I'd like to see more of Leach blocking from the fullback position to open some holes. Will we see that?
John Thompson : Yes. Vonta had a good game. He did a good job and we've got to continue to have that. I'm really pleased with how Vonta played.

Pirate Kevin : The players seemed to slip up a lot yesterday on that turf. Did they have the right shoes on for that kind of turf???
John Thompson : We tried a couple of different styles of shoes. We did slip. That style of turf you can wear regular grass, turf, or tennis shoes. We did have some problems with that and whether that was our shoes and/or a combination of the turf, we've got to make sure we've got the right shoes.

Tracy - Raleigh : Coach, we ask a lot of you and the team in terms of performance each week .. what can we do to make you home opener extra special this weekend?
John Thompson : Just be there to support us. I appreciate your question and just stay in the boat with us. This team will give it, this coaching staff is going to give it, and we're going to get through this. We're in this for the long haul and we're going to get this done. We need your support. Thank you.

ECUpirates.com : Thanks for joining us today, Coach. Any closing comments?
John Thompson : Thanks for your support this morning. I appreciate it. As I have said before, we were surprised with some of the things that happened yesterday. We know to correct them will take a lot of hard work. We got out of rhythm on both sides of the ball because of the running game. But now, we just have to channel our energy and how we deal with our issues and adversity and make sure that we know that we're into building and developing. I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of people at our home opener on Saturday. Please don't forget about the Pirate Walk at 5 p.m. behind the baseball stadium.

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