'Canes All-Access: Jeff Stoutland Press Conference Recap
Nov. 30, 2010
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami interim head football coach Jeff Stoutland met with members of the media Tuesday morning to discuss among other things, his new role, his philosophies on coaching and the team’s upcoming bowl preparation.
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A live chat recap and Part I of the full transcript is below. Part II will be posted later Tuesday.
Interim Head Coach Jeff Stoutland
November 30, 2010
Press Conference Quotes – Part I
On the emotions of the situation…
I received a phone call on Saturday night from Randy [Shannon] and my heart kind of dropped right there. I was very disappointed, very sad like we all were as coaches. If you’re in this business long enough, this will be something you go through more than once. This is the third time I have had to go through this situation. The last time I went through this situation my mom passed on Tuesday and I got fired on Thursday, so I would probably say I am in a little bit better situation than that.
Sunday morning I was asked if I would lead the team through the bowl game. Its bittersweet. Randy is a very close friend of mine and he brought me here four years ago. I was loyal to him and I never really wanted to be anywhere else.
To be honest with you right now, there’s a lot of our players that are shaken by the whole thing. He’s very close to a lot of the players and he’s very rough and disciplined with the players. I think ultimately a player wants to be coached hard and doesn’t want to be let to what they want to do. Ultimately at the end of the day, kids want that. That’s what he did and that’s how I am as a coach. I think that’s why he and I got along so well.
Our job and mission right now is to bring this group back together. When we finally do hit the field, come out with high energy and enthusiasm and really us as coaches, we are committed. We had this meeting together as a staff and addressed the players and let them know we are all in with all hands on deck and we are going to coach you for the remainder of the season. We are going to coach you hard, and we are going to coach you well, and we are going to give you all we have. We want to go out and win this football game. Whoever we play we are going to go about it with a lot of detail and a lot of enthusiasm and then what ever happens after that, happens.
On his future at Miami…
I did not ask that question, nor will I ask that question. I understand the business. Right now, honestly, my mind set is to do a great job the next three, four weeks down here. Whatever’s going to happen after that you have no control over.
On the assistant coaches deciding to stay on…
You have to remember we recruited these players. We sat in their homes; we sat in their high schools. We spent a lot of time with these kids. When they get here, we spend a lot of time with them. When you become emotionally attached to these guys, its hard to leave. When I was at Michigan State, I had chances to leave every year… I couldn’t leave. I could not leave. I could not look the players in the face. That’s just the way I am and all the coaches here are the same way. That’s why this is going to be special couple weeks here because we got a great group of coaches that number one, all came to me and said I’m right behind you for whatever you need… ‘I’m here for you’. And in the real world, that is not how it is. In the real world, there could be two or three guys out there that would want to be in this situation feeling differently. This is a great opportunity for me and I understand that and appreciate it. We’re going to go about it like I said. We’ve been meeting since this whole thing happened. We’ve been meeting and getting this whole thing organized for different scenarios. Number one is finish out the week. Study hall ends Thursday and classes end Friday. Then it becomes exam time and we are going to push right now because that’s the main focus right now. If we have to lock guys down, we’ll lock guys down to finish it out. We are going to finish this thing out the right way. Once its time for football, all the attention will be put on football.
On whether there was discussion to end the season now…
Not to my knowledge.
On why he was chosen as the interim head coach…
That wouldn’t be a question you would ask me because I do not know the answer to it. Again, I’m honored, it’s a privilege. This is something I have not done before. I will say this, I do coach five players out of the 11 [on offense] so I do have the opportunity every year to bring them together to work amongst those 11. So to me, I’m a candidate. This is kind of what I do, I bring guys together. I get them to work together and I’m excited about this whole thing. I really am.
On having all the assistant coaches on the same page…
Absolutely. That’s the first thing I made sure of. That’s why at the end when this is all over, its going to be sad because I work with some great people.
On the way he is going to coach…
My mission statement is this: I want to make this whole thing and whole experience right for the players. So what we do is we have a staff meeting about whatever the issue is. We’re about ready to have meetings on the media. How do we handle the media? Is it the same as its always been? We are going to have those discussions. Its already on my agenda. We’re going to talk about those things. We are going to talk about who you have availability to speak to. I am going to go through the whole thing. This is how I was raised in football. I’m a detailed guy, that’s the way I coach the offense line. We are going to talk about these things as a staff and we then we are going to run it by the administration to make sure everybody is on the same page. We’ll let you know. Ultimately, I’ll have to make those decisions. That’s the role I’ve been put in. And then we will go forward from there.
On who will start at quarterback in the bowl game…
When you have a chance to go to bowl games, you have an extra preseason. What I’ve always liked about it is that you can actually open things up from a position standpoint and competition is your greatest motivator. That’s why to have depth at each position is crucial. I’ve already told the players that I coach that its open season right now. There might be guys at the end of the year that did not play so good, so here’s an opportunity for a younger guy that has been developing as we go that might be able to crack into the thing by the time that we play the bowl game. To answer your question, and I’m not one to dance around questions, its going to be competition. I think that we have two really good quarterbacks and I think that they are very bright and I think they know this offense so that’s going to make it that much fun in the preseason of it, and we’ll evaluate the whole thing right to the end.
On the differences of being the head coach…
I think it would be to have the pulse of the team. I know the offensive lineman like the back of my hand. I can tell you prior to the game how we’re going to play. Believe me, I can tell you that. My new mindset is a lot of these players; I have not talked to a lot of these players at all. Linebackers, I haven’t had a chance to be around these guys other than coming off the field or talking to them in the weight room. So now its an opportunity for me to learn a lot because I spend a lot of time with the offensive linemen. If all of you guys were part of our staff, we’re all together as a staff. If I just sat here and dictated to everybody what you’re going to do, you’d do it. But if I ask you to this or that, then you get excited because you got to have a part of what’s going on here. Now everyone feels excited about the plan because you are involved. That’s how I think. I did not always think that way. I was a micromanager. I believe when everybody has a part in it, you get more out of everybody. Its more exciting and more enjoyable.
At the end, I have a vision of the team going out there to play with high energy, real detailed. You can tell when a football team is on the field and knows what’s going on and knows what they’re doing. You can just tell. You could be a fan and tell after the game’s over. The vision I have is to go out there and have a plan, practice well. I believe that when you’re enjoying yourself and happy you are more productive. I call them the fellowship of the miserable. When I walk down the street and see someone on the side of the street, I walk around to the other side of the street because I want to be around people [like that]. I’m fortunate because I happen to coach a group of guys that are like that and they are young guys too. My message to the team was that. I want to see energy; I want to see guys having fun playing football. If you’re not having fun playing, how could you be very good at it?
On whether his in-game responsibilities will change…
I thought this out. There is no question that Coach [Mark] Whipple and Coach [John] Lovett are going to run their sides of the ball like they always have. My role when it comes to offense will be the same as its always been. I’ll be coaching the offense line. I’ll be putting together the game plan with Coach Whipple like I always do. My biggest hurdle is going to be, when we come off the field, I get the players and go through the charts with the players. My biggest responsibly is going to be getting from the offensive line to getting to the sideline and take my role as the head coach. That’s probability the biggest hurdle I’ll have and I have not done it that way before. We never watch the defense. I don’t think I’ve watched one play of defense, maybe from the screen sometimes. Its going to be important to get to the sideline, but I need to cover the drive before.
On who will be in charge of calling timeouts, etc…
That will be me in conjunction with Coach Whipple. That is how its been done here before. Prior to the situation, we usually talk about it as a staff about calling timouts. That’s talked about anyway as a group. Two-point conversions and all that stuff. It doesn’t just happen. Its thought about on the headphones prior to that time.
Part 2
On what needs to change at Miami…
It’s a hard question for me to answer. It might be a question for the administration. I was asked to take the role as the head coach and to finish this season. In time, I may be able to answer that question. Maybe there will be something as a group and as a team that maybe will answer that question. I will say this – and I mean this from the bottom of my heart. When Randy Shannon brought me here four years ago and I arrived at the University of Miami, and as I stand here today I can tell you this… this program is in much better shape right now than when I came here. You can look at the record and judge all you want, but I am telling you. You know when you watch the game that we are a better team than our record is. I know that; we all know that. But this program is in much better shape than it was when I came here four years ago. Great kids here; these kids are great kids, and I mean that. I am not just saying that. There are a lot of wonderful kids on this team, and a lot of them are crushed right now. That’s got to change. I’ll say that. We have to get them back so that we can go out and have some real energetic practices and enjoy the game. Maybe that’s the answer – there you go. I knew it would take a little bit. You have to enjoy the game. I don’t know how many guys enjoy the game. That’s got to change – I will say that. The players have to enjoy the game of football. I mean really enjoy it because they love the game. Why not play it that way? I’m not saying that’s an every player thing. It’s like that everywhere. I’ve coached 26 years, and it’s like that everywhere. These kids have a rigorous schedule between school, study hall, classes and team meetings. There’s a certain point in time they get worn down. To me, there are certain players on this team that consistently like to go out and play football. It just shows in their game. It shows when you coach them. Then there are other guys you have to say “Let’s go! Let’s go!” I think that’s just an attitude thing – a mentality. Let’s go play. That’s how I am and that’s how I coach, and I would like that to rub off on everybody when I leave here.
On whether he has reached out to Randy Shannon for advice…
I already have. Absolutely.
On people reaching out to him with advice…
A lot of people. There are a lot of coaches [who have]. [I’ve received lots of] text messages. George DeLeone of the Dolphins is one of my dearest friends, and the minute this whole thing happened he gave me some great words of advice, and I’d like to keep that between him and me. He’s a person that I love with all of my heart. Whenever he says something to me, then I really stop and listen. He’s a very intelligent man and a lot of what I know about football I know from him. But there’s a lot of people; I can’t even tell you how many. The one common message has been “be yourself”. That’s the only way I know how to be anyways.
On whether he wants to stay at UM moving forward…
I am not the type of person that moves around a lot. In coaching, people will stay places a year or two and they try to look for the next job. I like the routine. I get into a routine and I like my routine and want to stay in it. I’m like that when it comes to my job. I would love to stay at the University of Miami – it’s a great place. My family loves it here. I was like this at Michigan State. I went through this for the first time and they retained me to stay and I was able to stay for seven years. That’s my idea of being a coach. I’m a simple guy. I just want to coach the players. The whole group of offensive linemen is talented, and especially the group we brought in this year. You get so close to them and their parents. I just want to think about what’s going on now.
On his offensive line…
There’s a whole group of offensive linemen that are working hard trying to get on the field. I always tell them “effort requires no talent.” If you just give all you have to your teammate, you’ll be a special player. You will be unique. You don’t have to be the most talented player. That’s what I’ve said when I coach from the beginning of time. The players that listen to that message and go about that way every day – I know who they are. They are special to me.
Joe Tate walked out of the Atlanta Falcons leaving the NFL because he wasn’t having fun anymore. He went to Afghanistan; that’s a special guy. He had to have IVs in him every day. He went full speed all the time.
The young guys have picked up the offense mentally and go out with the effort I’m talking about is incredible. I don’t know what they’ll be like down the road, but I think I do; they’ll be special. To me they are kind of like throwback players. Old school type players. They don’t talk a lot. There’s not a lot of fanciness to them. They are not real sexy. They just go out and play every day. They practice hard every day and they compete every day. Allen Bailey and Seantrel [Henderson] go at it every day in one-one. I have a whole reel of those guys. It’s pretty exciting to watch.
On whether he knew the players supported him as the right guy to lead the program right now…
No, I wasn’t aware of that. I did not know. Honestly it means a lot. It means a lot to anybody. Anytime anyone is complemented it feels good. I am just who I am as a coach. The one thing that I am is that I’m a hard coach. I push; I grind; I demand a lot. But I’m always fair. The one thing I can say from anywhere I’ve been is that I love the players that I coach. I think that’s probably why I am able to get away with so much. Orlando Franklin and I have been nose-to-nose at times, and I was hoping he didn’t snap. We’ve had our fair share of fights, but he knows I love him. So he’ll deal with you and go the extra mile at times. That will never change with me.
I think that a lot of you guys don’t really know who I am because we don’t really talk too much. I was born in New York City and my mom and dad are from there. My dad played for the New York Yankees organization. My dad growing up was my hero. Everywhere I went, I heard that my dad was the best baseball player to come out of Staten Island. I never knew that because he would never talk. He was quiet, modest, humble, and you would never know that he played baseball. Growing up and to this day, that’s my hero. He would say something to me and a week later it would happen. I was like “how did that happen!” and then he’d say something else and it would happen. I thought this guy was magical or something; I don’t know how they happened. Your work ethic, your life and how you conducted yourself – I owe that all to him, and my mom too. There were four of us. My Mom used to joke that “we found you in a basket'” and would bust my chops because I was the youngest. Sometimes I got a break for being the youngest, but sometimes I didn’t. I miss my family. I don’t get to see them much. Since my mom passed, my dad lives alone in Pennsylvania. I try to bring him to the bowl game every year. In coaching, there is not much free time.
He was the first guy who came down to see me when I got sick this summer. Randy [Shannon] was there right away, and said if I come back to work he’ll fire me. He said he wanted me ready for August 3rd. “You do not go near that place until then.” I’d sneak in and he would find out and call me, and said he was not joking around. He cared enough about me as a person, and that means a lot to me and goes a long way because at a lot of places they’d have a gun to your head to get back to work.
On his health…
Thank God that whole thing happened because I don’t know where I would be today. I walked in and took the stress test. They wouldn’t let me go anywhere and put me in a wheelchair and said I could not move. I just came off a plane from recruiting. They said “do you understand your are 99 percent blocked in your widower vain?” I don’t even know what that it is, but it doesn’t sound good. The rest is history. If you ever need to have triple bypass, go nowhere else than that hospital [University of Miami]. Dr. Cohen, Dr. Williams, and their staff worked as a team. Dr. Cohen said that if they hit any piece of plaque on here, you will not survive. We have to do the real thing. Dr. Williams showed up and had a meeting with me. He’s a Cornelian, and I coached at Cornell and we hit it off quickly. He was like a guy with swagger; a real confident guy. He said he would have me out of there in no time. I felt great about that. President [Donna] Shalala was in the hospital throwing out commands to the nurses, “Take care of my coach!” You couldn’t have it any better. Thank God it happened because I never would have known about that. The only way I knew about it was because when I was working out, I wasn’t feeling right. Coach [Andreu] Swasey said to go get it checked out, and I was like maybe I should get it checked out. The next thing I knew – the doctor said you did not waste your time coming in. It’s been an interesting year, so to speak. I guess that puts the whole thing in perspective in life and how I see things. It’s made my relationship with my wife and kids better. In coaching, I get so much tunnel vision that I don’t pay attention to my kids. Here we are today with a situation on hand with the team and to finish strong. That part of it is going to be exciting because I think the coaches and the support staff know that nobody in this building could be here. It’s a last stand, so speak. We want to go out together and do this thing the right way. When you have everybody on deck you can do that.
