Greg Schiano Talks Final Practice Ahead of Game Week -- #Rutgers Scarlet Knights Football

okay guys try to help you whatever I can want to ask you about the offensive line you bring a lot of guys back how much of a step forward do you think that group can take this year yeah if we can stay healthy we can take a step forward for sure we're gonna have to stay healthy um but flatz and his staff are doing a great job developing those guys and um yeah we're GNA we're GNA find out how much better they can get based on what you've seen in training camp what should rockers fans expect out of Athan cikmis this season and especially come gay one I'm encouraged you know I think Athan has grown a lot since he arrived here in January he's worked very hard with coach oraca and the staff um but it's going to be a growing process I mean he's he's playing with new teammates he's playing in a new program he's playing for a new head coach so there's a lot of a adjustment for him but uh I'm encouraged I think he's a he's a good quarterback he's a good leader exceptional person like he's got the he's got the makings he's got the stuff coach looking at the weapons that he has deir Miller and Company what's the chemistry looking like with Athan as we close in on the season yeah it's growing yeah they're getting more comfortable with each other spring was good um they spent the summer together throwing and catching and um this training camp has been it's been a tough training camp um so they've they've worked really hard just generally what did you think you'd learned about your team this training camp um they're willing to work very hard for what they really want they're very tough group of individuals we have good leadership I'll I'll give you the captains here in a minute so we've elected captains and I'm really proud of them but it was a very physical Camp so I'll also go over some injury stuff with you that is uh it's going to have an effect early in the year for sure and some of it for the whole year what is preparation tail now about a week before your first game well today was like a Wednesday of game week and then we'll have a Thursday of game week and a Friday of game week then we'll take a little break and then we'll come back and have another game week so the first game and the bowl game we usually do two full weeks because there's been a long layoff before you've played um that's just how I've done it for a long time talked a little bit about this a couple weeks ago just the inh helmet communication I guess since then how do you feel like that preparation's gone how do you feel like you know they're kind of making that adjustment so far good could it be better yeah I mean we're just not accustomed to it um you know even as people say well you were in the NFL but even as a head coach I wasn't calling plays so I wasn't talking to anybody um I think Kirk and Joe have done a good job of getting comfortable with it you know it's just different you're a player and you're subo in your in your helmet you know and then it's hard to hear sometimes when it's noisy so there'll be there'll be some challenges I'm sure that uh it won't be completely smooth neither will the neither will the iPads but you know everything you got to work through it you got to figure out best Solutions and I think we've worked very hard to do our best but until you go through it you don't always know what's what's on the other side what the running backs you have do you feel like you can go into this year and not put as much of a workload on Kyle and and how do you kind of manage that well you do whatever you need to do to win games um but that you do have a long-term or a season long plan if you have guys that are capable of of you know pulling their weight then it gives you more flexibility but at the end of the day it's about winning each individual football game you guys know we treat each each game as its own season um because you put so much work into each individual game you know the amount of work that the the staff and the coaches put into preparing and then the players U preparing and learning and practicing you know not to mention all this physical training and the mental develop development so it's a lot that goes into each game and um this one there's you know even more because we double up you mentioned injuries uh can you just how do you feel about the health of your team through the end of training camp and are there any injuries that you can that you can share yeah let me first go to the captains and then I'll go over the injuries um the captains I'm really you know thrilled with the guys that were were elected Captain by their teammates there could have been more I just have to find a a what I generally do is find a u a line of DeMar where there's a big jump in the in the number of votes but uh motter Kyle manangi Tyne Powell aan kianis Robert longerbeam and Joe lardi are the six captains but like I said this this this a experienced group there was a lot of guys who had received considerable votes but you know we we we cut it off there and um they'll do a great job leading the team now injury-wise you know I mentioned Mo first MO out for the year he tore his ACL so um we're going to you know we're going to get that fixed up and get him get him back but um yeah it's a it's sad he put so much work into getting ready for the year and uh but that's the game of football unfortunately there's there's things like that that happen and you know as a family we've we've surrounded them and we're supporting him and we'll we'll help him through the rehab and we'll get him back and get him you know reaching his his goals and aspirations so you know it's uh it's next man next man up at linebacker we keep we keep moving forward and we're fortunate that we have some good depth at the position and those guys will be ready to play Thursday what I guess what does it mean for the linebacker room not to have Mo and tym also potentially you know I'm not sure where his status is at um just what does that mean for like for like yeah we're we're going to see with tym uh what what he's able to do like I've said I'm not going to rush that so if he's not ready but I'm very pleased with the way DJ and Moses have attacked it uh very pleased with um Abram done a really good job Timmy Hein speeder has really matured and become a good football good linebacker so we have some depth at the position thank god um but it's going to get it's going to get challenged now for sure so that's that's one area um there's some other positions you know where you we may have some guys that aren't able to play opening game and maybe even more than that uh it was a very tough training camp we got a little bit unlucky on some guys um that you know they're not seizing ending things but they're definitely things that could keep them out of the game so it's all up to how they heal how they progress and it might be where you know some of the guys can come back and play but they can maybe play 15 20 plays they're not going to be able to play their normal workload so we'll see as the week develops but um again that's part of the game of football and we just got to be able to deal with it um no I'd rather not share them right now I think you know the season end the season ending injury I'm okay sharing those others you know why would I want to give a competitive advantage to our our opponent right now because they may play they may not so we'll keep that uh keep that inhouse but uh I know you got to ask two more Greg Athan being named captain can you speak on that because you know it's not usual for guy to come in that that quickly and and earn that status well I think like I've said all along he came in and just kept his nose down and worked so I think that gained respect amongst his teammates uh and as he did well in the spring and then summertime I've told you guys many times is where your team really formulates because there's a lot of time that they have together um it's not as busy a time of year as it is during the academic semester so they spend a lot of time together they do some work on their own in addition to what we do with them and I just think Athan became very much a guy that was in the mix with the leadership of this team and is seen that way and then the naturally the position of quarterback is a position of leadership or it needs to be a position of leadership and I'm glad that that our quarterback is a leader obviously you got two games before the bye combination so does that change how are you approaching those first two games before the bye no I'm not I'm approaching one game and it's Howard um and we have to you know all hands on deck you know we got to go find a way to win the first football game and we're you know we're a little beat up and that's just the way it is so you know you're not gonna cry about it you're G to figure out Solutions that's what we do and uh you know we'll we'll be ready to play and that what we who plays is going to have to be good enough because that's how we have to win the game with who plays so it'll be a big challenge but one that uh I think our our program is ready to attack and we're going to see how it turns out thanks guys [Music] hey hey hey