Canes Spring Practice Report: March 5
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Hurricanes were back on the Greentree Practice Field on Wednesday as spring drills continued at Miami.
After Wednesday’s practice, first-year defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman, offensive lineman James Brockermeyer, defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor, and offensive lineman Ryan Rodriguez spoke with reporters and shared their thoughts on the day’s drills.
Here’s some of what they had to say after Wednesday’s practice, in their own words…
Defensive Coordinator Corey Hetherman
On how he would assess the first two days of practice:
“You know, I think day one, you know, [we] kind of came out, we’ve got to play a little bit faster, we can communicate better. Day two, I think we saw some strides. Guys are starting to communicate; guys are starting to play faster. We’re starting to swarm to the football. But every day, we’re talking about just getting a little better every day, making sure we’re better than we were yesterday.”
On helping the secondary come together after some new additions joined the group:
“I think right now it’s interesting. Like, everyone’s new. … Whether you’ve been here two years, you’ve been here three years, it’s a different defense. It’s a different style just for everyone. Getting to know one another, getting to know the rooms, getting everyone to connect, that’s what it’s all about. Getting the DBs to play with the linebackers, the linebackers to communicate with the D-line. Everyone’s got to fit in at every single level. And their communication’s been great. And I think the guys, whether it was down at the beach [workout] on Friday, hanging out, learning to connect, or in practice getting through some things … Really, the first two days, we’re taking those steps, but it’s not where it needs to be right now. We’re going to continue to push it. We’re going to continue to make sure the standard is the standard. We’re going to continue to elevate that every single day.”
On the process of getting to know the players and coaches on staff, since arriving earlier this year:
“Just getting here initially, getting to meet the players, meeting everyone one-on-one, going through the process, having new staff members meet staff members that have been here currently on the staff in the past season, just getting to know everyone. … We did an activity as a team on Friday, getting to know the guys in that setting, getting to know the guys in the building, how they compete, how they learn. Everyone learns a different way, whether it’s down through a walkthrough or it’s through a meeting or it’s in practice … learning from the reps on film. So, it’s been really good trying to relate to the guys, trying to figure out who each guy is and where they’re from. But one thing I’ve learned so far is we have awesome guys. There’s great people here at Miami. Everyone off the field, on the field, in the building. And then, the players love to compete. That’s the biggest thing and that’s what tells me our guys will continue to grow every single day, because they love football, and they love being here.”
On the defensive coaching staff:
“It’s awesome. I think we have really good football coaches. Everyone, the support staff, the full-time staff, every guy that we have here, they do an outstanding job. And the biggest thing is … hearing from someone else’s perspective. I didn’t play that position. I’ve worked with that position, I’ve coached on defense, but to me, it’s like, ‘Okay, why did you teach that? Why did you want the hips like that? Why did you want your hands to go there? What is the counter off it?’ and then hearing and just learning. For me, every single day, I come in the building, whether it’s from our secondary coaches, or from other guys off the field, talking to me about linebacker play. It’s guys on the D-line constantly learning from the guys around us. And I think everyone on the staff just continuously, the more we work together, and the more we communicate, the better the staff will be. But we have outstanding people and then every day, the ideas they bring to the table and then the way our guys attack it every single day, has been great. And I think that’s going to continue to get us better on the field and off the field.”
Center James Brockermeyer
On why he chose to transfer to Miami:
“First of all, we’ve got great players here that I’m excited to play with, and along with that, we have an excellent coaching staff. [Offensive line coach Alex] Mirabal has been great to work with and I think my game’s really going to go to the next level with him and being around the players that we’ve got. I think that’s also going to complement me a lot as well. And I think I provide a lot of value to them as well.”
On working with offensive line coach Alex Mirabal:
“He’s got a ton of juice. He’s fired up every day. He is definitely not a guy who’s going any sort of issue getting out of bed in the morning to come to work. … He’s very genuine and has a deep, deep passion for what he does and it’s awesome to watch and be someone who can benefit from it.”
On getting to know Miami’s offensive linemen:
“They’ve been great. I mean, not only are they excellent football players, but they’re also very smart and that’s great to be around, because I can come in and pick their brain and they’re going to shoot me straight and tell me how we do things here. My job is to come in and complement them. They make me better and I can make them better.”
On getting to know quarterback Carson Beck:
“I’ve gotten to know him pretty well. He had us over to his house for the Super Bowl, which was really cool. He took the time, got us food and it was awesome. Anytime a quarterback does something like that for us, we’re very appreciative of him. And we’re excited for the future with him.”
Defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor
On getting to know new defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman:
“He knows a lot. He’s a technician. Some of my friends know him as well, because I have friends at Rutgers and they love him, too. I love him. I love his defense and I’m excited to see what he’s got for us.”
On moving back to defensive end:
“I love it. I’m naturally a defensive end. I do like playing 3-technique as well on passing downs, but I’m happy to be back outside and I’m excited to see what Coach Hetherman has got for us.”
On playing with Rueben Bain Jr.:
“Man, playing with Rueben on the end, me and him at the end, I think it’s going to be different. I think it’s going to be a game changer. I love Rueben. Rueben’s my guy. We work together all the time. I can’t wait to show you all what we can do.”
Offensive lineman Ryan Rodriguez
On the experience along the offensive line:
“I think this is year four for [Anez Cooper]. It’s year three for [Francis Mauigoa], year four for Matt McCoy and I’ve been here for five years. … I’ve been here for a minute. We all have chemistry. We all know how things go around here. We know Coach Mirabal’s style of teaching, style of play. James [Brockermeyer] is fitting in well; he’s learning how to do things. … Markel Bell’s done a great job of fitting in and learning our system. He’s going to have a great breakout year.”
On getting to know quarterback Carson Beck:
“I think Carson’s great. He welcomed us over for the Super Bowl, brought us in, and obviously, it’s hard to transfer and just connect [in a snap]. But he’s working at it and we’re trying to build relationships, trying to get on the same page. And that’s all you can really ask for, slowly but surely.”
