UMass FB | Week 1 Press Conference with Don Brown | 06/26/24

hey how we doing everybody everybody good warwind coach couple thoughts on open the season and then we'll get some questions from the room yeah I mean uh after three plus weeks of uh preparation it's uh nice to be in game week you know uh and this in this week you know least historically is uh Gone extremely fast so uh guys have been working hard I mean I I I there were times I was looking for trouble you know just to get after them a little bit but uh they uh they took care of business worked really hard and I think we're you know we are really on course uh to be playing our best football this coming weekend for sure yes sir and so now in year three here I guess how do you feel like the team's Readiness for this upcoming week Compares with your first two years here [Music] um I I think the mental preparation um you know we've got some players now that have been here as long as we have uh and that that's hard to do in this day and age I'll I'll just be honest with you um but we've been able to hold on some of our key players and uh you know those guys you know are playing at a certain level and uh we're excited about the way they're going about doing their business but um you know I just think familiarity breeds success and uh our guys you know they've been around our coaches and myself you know as you said the third year but I I'm I'm far away from three years being here um so uh it's good though and uh you know I'm anxious for our guys to play in their in their first game and it's nice that we uh actually get to do it at home just G to ask you about that what does it mean that's a lot not only have home game to open the season but it's a it's an FBS opponent Y in in your in your home opener in your first game well you hit it on the head I mean it's an FBS opponent an SEC C uh team will come in here later on in the year and uh you know we've got uh you know the Mac Eastern Michigan will be here to start us off then you know we'll have Missouri here down the road so you you know it's it's nice when you have teams like that coming to this building and uh good for our players and like I tell people all the time you know when you have to get ready to play Missouri uh Mississippi State and Georgia you don't have to work real hard emotionally to get the guys ready to play they get themselves ready to play and uh youve got to focus on you know giving them the be best game plan that you can possibly give them did preparation for this week did it feel much different than preparation for the Mexico State last year uh not not really you know again um with you know with uh familiarity you know like we talked about but there's also we've got a degree of new guys that have been with us since February since May since July uh you guys get my drift what I'm telling you here um still the uh the portal business continues to roll and uh you know we've taken care of our business and and have gone about uh connecting with players that we feel would be uh you know good for us how's how ready is Tyson talk to us a little bit his summer and how he's gone this week non issue great summer uh has not um missed the practice uh has gone about his business you can tell he's confident uh putting both feet on the ground and and going where he's got to go and doing doing it as fast as he wants to do it so uh you know all good specifically with Eastern Michigan um talked with a couple of the veterans on the team during Camp about this uh that you know three straight losses to them um that they had had this game circled on their calendar uh did is it circled on your calendar as well the next game is the game circled on my calendar so you know I mean that's being honest as a heart attack you know we you take care of the game right in front of you give it you know you get prepare you give it your best sh you're making sure you're totally organized totally totally committed to giving the guys a good game plan then go play your heart out so then you move on to the next game you know it just that's just the way it is the last two years between Ellis and Kon you've had really Dependable backs who you've gone to a lot looking at the two deep that we have right now uh can you talk us through kind of the strengths and and how you're planning on utilizing your backs yeah I mean I think you you you've kind of hit it on the head you know we're going to play th those guys are each gonna play like in in different roles you know you know what I mean uh Jaylen John okay guy that I that I was familiar with at Arizona um uh bigger back 20 I'd say 18 19 pounds somewhere in there uh you know has the ability you know to hit hit a fifth gear um but you know I I look I Look to Him you you better you better hit him in the chin because he's going to he's going to bring it you know and he's going to bring it and bring it and bring it you know that's the beauty for him so I'm kind of excited about him Brandon Campbell uh God love him I mean he just got here and uh but he's been working and uh you know came in and and and was in really good shape it was finishing up some academic responsibilities has done that uh has been practicing with us and uh playing at a a solid solid level uh CJ was with us um early earlier in the summer and uh you know we anticipate him being being able to help us as well so I'm looking at those three guys I'm you know other guy you know other guys can help cookie can help us we know Cookie's a durable guy you know and uh he'll be a guy that can um you know make yards for us not the fastest guy in the world um but can pick them up put him down and and you know you better lower your pads when you go to tackle him because uh you know he's going to he's going to work you coach Easter Michigan they've lost their past four in a row Road games you guys last season were able to accomplish that with the victory put yourself in their shoes what do you expect from them as they come into am I me we're going to get their best shot it's their opener um you know obviously uh you know we've played them you know for a few years in a row now um you know uh you know they've got some issues too you know just like we do you know they they've dealt with the transfer portal at a high level um so that's a difficult deal you know because you're you're in a you're in a competitive situation trying to hang on to your guys not just coaching so you know that's what I see but you know they're uh they're going to have a number of new starters um and uh new uh new wide receiver who uh got some ability uh the quarterback position you know that's open too uh you know they you know they've got a couple guys here Tim Salem who's coach is a coach's son so and uh the young man from Buffalo so and we we kind of know about him a little bit so that that gives us some uh you know some uh that you know we kind of know what his strengths are so uh yeah you know we we just got to get ready to play you know uh you don't want to over complicated you know but what one thing that we've done a good job with is uh you know we're we're in a pretty good spot healthwise we there was a you know when you go through camp sometimes you have those couple days where you're kind of nervous because you know a couple guys get nicked here and there and how fast can you get them back and so forth but it they come back and uh you know we're we're anticipating a you know fullscale group as we uh move through the week for practice want to go a couple things about college football RIT large will you will you be having electronic communication between the quarterback and the side lines this year since the FBS is allowed to do that okay I'm not going to tell you how about I want I was really curious though about the time St you know no time outs uh you know on first down been practicing it and I was wondering how doesn't seem that hard I mean it just hasn't been that hard now the thing for us is is staying here right is you know we we're multiple I mean we play a lot a lot of packages so you know in in in the packages that we have the guy that's in essence the play caller or play receiver is in all packages but one so when we go to that one you know you'll see you'll see me go to a signal because that's the one I you know I mean we're not going to simplify so the answer was and then give him the call and then very next play 72 Eagle you know so but on the time question how does it change you I've gone on it and gone you know give them the call so say it's 72 we eagle and then gone hey tailbacks wide be ready for the slide and they've heard me so the thing is you you've got time to get it in in fact during the course of last week I I got comfortable doing it so not hard and the two-minute warning yeah is is it not a good thing you know is it turning it too much into the NFL because I know I talk I I I totally think it is but you know I I like the part that you can drop the hammer and give him the call but yeah you know folks we watched we really enjoyed watching Billy wooden for years here and you've got a guy that has been here now going on this fifth year in Aaron beckwood yep can you talk a little bit about def line and what the role might be for a guy like beckwood kind of entering that year for him to compete yeah he's playing you know in our defensive line uh in the two interior positions you know he's an interior guy you know but I I will tell you this he runs well for a big guy so we're we're we're kind of happy about that part of it um ET who uh came to us from Clemson by way of Georgia Tech uh similar in size and structure uh will'll play you know he'll play defensive end over the tight end um you know we we've got a number of guys there I'm just kind of I'll kind of take a peek here uh Jaylen uh Beckwith Tim Grant Randall uh this is a big game for him I mean he's an Eastern Michigan you know player former player so this will be a big shambre Jackson you know obviously uh loose Julian ET Wiggins I mean all I mean we feel like we're deeper than we've been so but with Beckwith you're getting a 300 pound guy that runs sub five flat that's what you're getting those guys are hard to find when when you think back to your first year as a head coach going into week one and think about where you are now feeling wise emotionally going into week one has anything changed for you personally about whether it be the anticipation the nerves the excitement about sort of an opening day oh yeah I mean if you you don't you don't get excited about this I mean you don't you only get one opening day every year here you know and I'm in I don't know I think I'm in year 46 so I say that and I just wow but uh yeah so you know it's an exciting time and you know the big the biggest thing that I I can tell you is the responsibility that's what I look at uh I just want to make sure I have the guys prepared have them uh ready to go say the right things day day of the game and uh let's play our best game Frank Ladson been watching him on the sideline all preseason came yep what's he dealing with and uh do you have an ETA on what he might be playing I don't I really don't you know I mean all I can tell you is he's fought injury you know things are going in the right direction will he have a chance to play I I I think he will but I don't want to make any promises couple from Zoom now yep uh Heyman all good thank you anyone else on Zoom all good Dean go for it hey coach uh this Saturday GNA be the first game you'll get to coach with Shane Montgomery the offensive coordinator what's it been like working with him over these past few months a total professional um hardworking um has done a great job of uh connecting with the players and uh you know we we've got a great professional that has a great way about him and and has been very good with the players so very excited about that higher and uh you know obviously the other thing there that goes kind of unnoticed is he he's got a lot of uh Mac you know type experience and we're playing Five Mac games anything else for coach on the zoom I have one more yeah buddy go go for it you mentioned year you mentioned year 46 as a head coach we heard you about a 100 yards away when you left your office and started coming down the hall to here what's your secret I don't know you know I really don't uh I love coaching uh I love being with young people um you know the the uh the challenge the football challenge you know all those things uh you know just kind of keep your keep your juices flowing you know like my wife said well what are you going to do retire and sit at home so you know uh long as I have the thirst for it and uh I'm able to Pro provide leadership and give it you know and and do a good job coaching the guys probably keep doing what I'm doing and uh you know if I feel I'm hurting the players time to go and uh yeah that's that's kind of my answer on that one than okay