1st and 10: Winding down

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8/11 – Wakeup
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8/12 – Dog Days
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8/13 – Entitled to Nothing
8/15 – Back at It
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8/17 – 15 Down
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8/19 – Winding Down
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8/04 – Opening Day
8/06 – Media Day
8/08 – Emotion
8/09 – Resilience
8/11 – Wakeup
8/12 – Dog Days
8/13 – Contact
8/13 – Entitled to Nothing
8/15 – Back at It
8/16 – Doubleshot
8/17 – 15 Down
8/18 – Competition
8/19 – Winding Down
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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas head football coach David Beaty met with reporters following the Jayhawks’ final prep before Saturday’s Fan Appreciation Day.

KU will get a chance to show off in front of the Jayhawk faithful inside Memorial Stadium starting at 10 a.m. with autographs to follow from 12-1 p.m. Admission is free to all those wishing to attend.

Opening Statement:
“We had a really good week of work. We were able to get a lot of practices in and great situational work. It was really a good week of trying to become a smarter team – that has really been the focus. We believe a smart team is a hard to beat. The way you become a smarter team is you put them in situations so the first time they are in that situation that’s not the first time they have been there, they know how to act. We say it all the time, there are a lot more games lost than won. We want to be on the side of the groups that are winning games, not losing them. We put a lot of emphasis on becoming a smart football team. Situations is a big part of what we do. We very rarely just put the ball down and play. There is always something from a situation standpoint going on. I thought our team periods have been very physical. We have gotten enough physical work – we may back off here a little bit as we get closer to game weeks. I am pleased with what we have seen evaluation wise.”

On Dorance Armstrong’s return to practice:
“He has been back this week. He has actually been out there for a couple days now. I think today was his first full-padded day. He has been moving around pretty good for the entirety of the week. It is good to see him back out there.”

On the quarterback growth:
“Really continue to develop and understand what the defense is trying to do to them. We have gone for over two and a half weeks now playing against our defense, so they should be getting a good feel for what their coverages and fronts look like. I have really enjoyed watching those guys compete with one another. It is an interesting competition because they are all talented all the way down to the young freshman Tyriek Starks – he is a talented dude. I don’t know that he will get on the field this year, but if he does, we are pretty darn good because the rest of them in front of him are pretty good too. All the way down to Tyriek – I only say that because he is the newest – but he has got some talent now. He has a really good arm and great feet.”

On when the quarterback position will be decided:
“We won’t make that decision until we feel good about it. It could be all the way up to game time – it could be next week, or it could be more. It depends when I feel like it is time for us to make that decision. We have really good players. It would be a different deal if we didn’t have much to choose from, but those dudes are all really talented and they can throw it. I need some more evaluation. We are not completely done with our situations, so once we get through those we will have more of a composite look that will help us. I will be in zero hurry.”

On what needs to improve with the quarterback position, specifically with Montell Cozart and Ryan Willis:
“Not just those two, but the entire group. They need to do a better job of understanding the leadership piece of that position. They are young guys for the most part. Montell is the one guy that has the most snaps under his belt. The thing that we really have to do as a quarterback right now in our program is that we have to have a guy who can control the team. We have to have a guy who can manage the team. The leadership aspect is going to be huge for us. We have put a lot of work into body language and facial expressions, all the things that talk without talking. Not just managing themselves but managing the sideline. Quarterback position is hard just like the head coaching job. The head coaching job has more to it just like the quarterback job does. It has been really fun watching those guys learn how to do that. They are progressing well.”

On what quarterbacks he uses as examples to his group of QBs:
“No. 1 would have to be Johnny Manziel – he is as good as I have ever seen anywhere. His sideline demeanor and controlling of his team. We used a couple of examples with him constantly with how he has overcome a personal mistake and was able to come back the next play and refocus and get back at the task at hand. He was phenomenal at that. We have been around some really good ones. Todd Reesing was another one. That guy was just a sharp guy. He was never out of it. His body language was always in it. We could have been down three touchdowns and he would be telling Kerry (Meier) ‘hey listen you are going to hitch and go here and I am going to put you here Dezmon (Briscoe).’ He would be drawing up things in the dirt and we would be like ‘hang on here just a second. Can we just run our offense?’ He was an ultra-competitor. So those two guys really stick out to me.”

On if it took time for those specific quarterback to develop leadership or if they always had it:
“I wasn’t there when Johnny got there. The first year that he started though, I was there and he was pretty good at it from the get-go. I wasn’t here when Todd started as a freshman, but from what I understand, he was pretty good at it from the get-go and by the time I was here after the Orange Bowl, he was really good at it. We have been around some of the really good ones. Most of them have it in them and our guys do too. They are in the middle of a race here now which makes it a little tougher to step out of that independent contractor mode and into managing the whole job.”

On what he likes about the running back corps:
“Right now, they are hard to tackle. The first defense had a hard time making a tackle on most of those guys. I like their speed – every one of them can run. I like the way they are being coached. I think Coach (Tony) Hull has done a great job. They follow their blocks. They don’t do a lot of improvising, but when they do, there is a plan for that improvisation to help keep us from negative yardage situations. I love the way that those guys focus. They are not a real talkative group they just kind of go to work each day. Honestly, Denzell Evans has been a real calming force for us in that room in terms of helping those guys understand how to work. Taylor Martin has matured so much and is such a talented guy. Kahlil Herbert is ultra-talented. He is as good as some of the ones we have been around – he is really good. Ke’aun Kinner – he is healthy. He looks a lot different to me. He is hard to tackle right now and that is going to go well for us.”

On what it has been like to being back involved with the offense:
“Selfishly, it has been so fun to get back into that. I really can’t wait to get to practice every day. It is so much fun moving those pieces around. Selfishly, it is fun. It is also good to see our staff work together and the cohesion come together. This thing will never be about me. When we move this thing forward offensively, it is not going to be because David Beaty did it. It is going to be because Zach Yenser and his offensive line; Rob Likens and what he has done with our total offense. It is going to be about Jason Phillips and what his guys have done on the perimeter. It is going to be about all those guys and about all of us doing it together as a group. We are going to get there. I like the progression that we are making.”

On what it is going to be like to practice in front of fans tomorrow:
“It is a great opportunity for our kids to see that they are truly appreciated and valued by the Jayhawk Faithful. We have to give our fan base something they can be proud of. We can’t do that by snapping our fingers. We have to do that one day at a time. And we have been putting that work in now for a good year and a half now heading into our second season. We need to give them a reason why they need to skip a pottery class on Saturday and get to the stadium. We need to give them a reason why they should change their plans and get to Memorial Stadium. We need to give them a reason to get out there and fill the hill. The reason that is going to be is because we gave them something to be proud of. That doesn’t just happen overnight. We have made a lot of strides and I can’t wait to get them there tomorrow because they are going to see some improvement.”

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