The balance of Miami’s offense was on display on Saturday. Shannon Dawson met with reporters to recap the group’s performance:
On the tight ends: I thought they were very productive. The ball found almost every one of them multiple times. It’s what's been going on in practice every day. You hope that when you go play the game, the ball gets distributed like it has been in practice.
Balance is a word that people use now. Balance to me is like everybody touching the ball. That's a testament to Cam because of the way he views the game. The defense dictates a lot of times where the ball goes. He distributes the ball well.
On his first game calling plays for Cam: It was calming.He's comfortable out there. You can tell. He does a really good job of protecting plays when the play isn't there, and extending the play. In practice, whistles get blown. You don't really get to see the extensions of plays a lot at practice. The game is different because you’ve gotta get them down.He did a good job of extending plays in certain times. There were two or three times where he extended plays in the part of the field where it might have taken us out of field goal range. But he threw it away twice and one he threw it to Jacoby in the back of the end zone.
On the offensive line: The key part of our offense is the fact that there isn't a lot of pressure. There just isn't. Honestly, it was a key part of recruiting Cam. One of the bigger reasons he's here is because of those guys up front. They did a heck of a job. They did an unbelievable job in the run game, and [UF] is big up front. We got some bloody yards in the run game, which kept us in phase as far as methodically moving the ball down the field at times. I thought our run game was very productive with what we were going against.
On Cam’s mentorship of the young QBs: People talk about mentorship and that's fine. It's a good word to throw around. It's on them to learn. It's not just on him to teach. Everybody in the room is watching and listening to the same things. I think people are paying attention to the way he goes about business every day and the way he interacts with his teammates and the way he practices and the way he plays. I think that that is rubbing off on them. I would take advantage of it if I was them.
On the diversity of the offense: It’s what we've evolved to over the past eight years. It helps when you have a tight end room that you really don't really care where they line up at. I think that's crucial, because we can be in 12 personnel, 13 or 14, but we might line up in 2X2 or 3X1. It might be the single receiver, they could be the slot. It’s about having the ability to call a formation regardless of the personnel.
I don't really dictate where the ball goes. We have a plan. You go through the reads and the ball goes to who it goes to. The play that Arroyo caught over the middle before the first half, that play could have went to four other people. But it went to him, and so you better be ready and have your eyes around. Just calling plays and formations and letting people line up and play ball. Everybody understands that the way the pass game is set up, it doesn’t matter where you're at. Everybody knows the route tree based on the number they line up at.
On the communication technology: It was good.it cut out way more in practice than it did in the game. I don't think it cut out one time in the game. It cuts out at practice a lot. We were ready for everything when it came to communication.
We had a lot of systems set up, because that's the problem. I hear other people not using it because they worry about it cutting out. We have some fail safes in place where if it cuts out, we know what to do. I told our group going into the game, “I've never heard a crowd really loud when the opposing offense is executing.” If you execute, they're probably not gonna be too loud. And so we executed pretty early. The first drive, we took it down. I do think that executing helps with that.
On what he was thinking on the Jacolby George TD: I was thinking, “Don't get me out of field goal range.” And ultimately, I thought that he would probably throw it away, but he extended enough. It was a decent throw in the back of the end zone.
On the improvement in yards after catch: I think part of that is really practicing. We have certain drills that we've done for 20 years to get up the field fast. It's an element of the passing game that people overlook. What happens when you catch the ball? A lot of people go lateral. We focus hard on getting up the field fast. Just strain, being hard to tackle. We sell that every day. It's like, look, “Just be hard to tackle. Don't go down easy.” And our running backs are big, physical guys. If you have the mentality of don't go down easy, then defenses struggle.
On how much better the Ward/Restrepo connection can get: We're gonna keep repping and hopefully we keep getting better. Part of the process is not letting a little bit of success soften your mentality or differ your approach Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That’s what's been stressed here today.
We won the game, great, move on. Monday's Monday. We do have a lot of guys out there that we trust to make plays. And we're rotating more guys this year than we did last year because of that trust.
One thing about #7 is that dude has shown up every Saturday since I've been here. He shows up every day of practice, he does the same thing, and he makes plays. Players respect players, and that dude makes plays, and he makes plays in crucial situations. When you need him, he's just there. I can't say enough about him and his mentality, but he's a guy that's been extremely steady since I've been here.
Cam has been in a few places, he's played in a few systems. So he understands the level of connections, specifically, that skill guys and quarterbacks have to have. Those guys spent an enormous amount of time on Greentree, honing that and just developing that. That's a testament to them. In the summer, they're meeting together, they're in those meeting rooms together, they're out there throwing. It takes a long time to develop that rapport. But when you have the right people and the right leadership, then time is not a problem. Because really that's the biggest issue. You’ve gotta give your time. Nobody wants to give their time.
On how Cam Ward will handle success: He's a pretty even keel guy. He was the very first guy that threw the message out there of, “Look, man, look, enjoy it, but get over it quickly.” He's played enough football and been in enough games where he knows. It's no different than what I told our group. Everybody’s praising you now. Go out and play bad and see how those people talk. You’ve gotta be somewhere in the middle in this deal. We live in seven-day increments in college football. Those seven days went well. If you want the next seven days to go well, then prepare the same way. You've really got to have shor- term memory and just move on, good, bad or indifferent.
On Mark Fletcher: Dude's a stud. Even when he wasn't practicing, his leadership is unbelievable. He's just a great kid. The kid gets injured, and he has surgery, and they give you a timeline. Well, he blew that timeline out the water because of how he's wired, his DNA. It’'s a testament to him of how quick he came back. I don't think anybody would have thought that he would have been ready for that game months ago. He lived down there in the training room, and he did everything over and above to get back. Some people try to hide in that training room. He's trying to play. That's awesome for that kid.
On Dawson’s vision for Cam during the recruitment process: I did have a feeling of how he was wired, what he was made up of. It’s hard to believe, but quarterback's a very dependent position. You’ve gotta have certain things in place. Good luck playing at a high level without the five guys up front doing their job. Good luck doing your job without a guy like Restrepo working his *** off, getting open, and all the other receivers.
Cam had the mindset and talent of what I was looking for within our system. But I also knew that we were gonna surround him with really good players. I'm not asking you to come in here and be Superman. I'm asking you to come in here and be a part of this deal. Be a big part of it, but be a part of it. It was the same thing going into the game. I told him, “Trust your teammates. We’ve got good players out there around you. Check the ball down.” When the ball gets checked down, and he did, we do it to the running back in the flats a lot.
I said, “You trust your teammates and take care of the football and play smart football, we'll win the game and we'll win it by a few.” He understands that he's surrounded by talented dudes, and he's gonna trust them.
On the tight ends: I thought they were very productive. The ball found almost every one of them multiple times. It’s what's been going on in practice every day. You hope that when you go play the game, the ball gets distributed like it has been in practice.
Balance is a word that people use now. Balance to me is like everybody touching the ball. That's a testament to Cam because of the way he views the game. The defense dictates a lot of times where the ball goes. He distributes the ball well.
On his first game calling plays for Cam: It was calming.He's comfortable out there. You can tell. He does a really good job of protecting plays when the play isn't there, and extending the play. In practice, whistles get blown. You don't really get to see the extensions of plays a lot at practice. The game is different because you’ve gotta get them down.He did a good job of extending plays in certain times. There were two or three times where he extended plays in the part of the field where it might have taken us out of field goal range. But he threw it away twice and one he threw it to Jacoby in the back of the end zone.
On the offensive line: The key part of our offense is the fact that there isn't a lot of pressure. There just isn't. Honestly, it was a key part of recruiting Cam. One of the bigger reasons he's here is because of those guys up front. They did a heck of a job. They did an unbelievable job in the run game, and [UF] is big up front. We got some bloody yards in the run game, which kept us in phase as far as methodically moving the ball down the field at times. I thought our run game was very productive with what we were going against.
On Cam’s mentorship of the young QBs: People talk about mentorship and that's fine. It's a good word to throw around. It's on them to learn. It's not just on him to teach. Everybody in the room is watching and listening to the same things. I think people are paying attention to the way he goes about business every day and the way he interacts with his teammates and the way he practices and the way he plays. I think that that is rubbing off on them. I would take advantage of it if I was them.
On the diversity of the offense: It’s what we've evolved to over the past eight years. It helps when you have a tight end room that you really don't really care where they line up at. I think that's crucial, because we can be in 12 personnel, 13 or 14, but we might line up in 2X2 or 3X1. It might be the single receiver, they could be the slot. It’s about having the ability to call a formation regardless of the personnel.
I don't really dictate where the ball goes. We have a plan. You go through the reads and the ball goes to who it goes to. The play that Arroyo caught over the middle before the first half, that play could have went to four other people. But it went to him, and so you better be ready and have your eyes around. Just calling plays and formations and letting people line up and play ball. Everybody understands that the way the pass game is set up, it doesn’t matter where you're at. Everybody knows the route tree based on the number they line up at.
On the communication technology: It was good.it cut out way more in practice than it did in the game. I don't think it cut out one time in the game. It cuts out at practice a lot. We were ready for everything when it came to communication.
We had a lot of systems set up, because that's the problem. I hear other people not using it because they worry about it cutting out. We have some fail safes in place where if it cuts out, we know what to do. I told our group going into the game, “I've never heard a crowd really loud when the opposing offense is executing.” If you execute, they're probably not gonna be too loud. And so we executed pretty early. The first drive, we took it down. I do think that executing helps with that.
On what he was thinking on the Jacolby George TD: I was thinking, “Don't get me out of field goal range.” And ultimately, I thought that he would probably throw it away, but he extended enough. It was a decent throw in the back of the end zone.
On the improvement in yards after catch: I think part of that is really practicing. We have certain drills that we've done for 20 years to get up the field fast. It's an element of the passing game that people overlook. What happens when you catch the ball? A lot of people go lateral. We focus hard on getting up the field fast. Just strain, being hard to tackle. We sell that every day. It's like, look, “Just be hard to tackle. Don't go down easy.” And our running backs are big, physical guys. If you have the mentality of don't go down easy, then defenses struggle.
On how much better the Ward/Restrepo connection can get: We're gonna keep repping and hopefully we keep getting better. Part of the process is not letting a little bit of success soften your mentality or differ your approach Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That’s what's been stressed here today.
We won the game, great, move on. Monday's Monday. We do have a lot of guys out there that we trust to make plays. And we're rotating more guys this year than we did last year because of that trust.
One thing about #7 is that dude has shown up every Saturday since I've been here. He shows up every day of practice, he does the same thing, and he makes plays. Players respect players, and that dude makes plays, and he makes plays in crucial situations. When you need him, he's just there. I can't say enough about him and his mentality, but he's a guy that's been extremely steady since I've been here.
Cam has been in a few places, he's played in a few systems. So he understands the level of connections, specifically, that skill guys and quarterbacks have to have. Those guys spent an enormous amount of time on Greentree, honing that and just developing that. That's a testament to them. In the summer, they're meeting together, they're in those meeting rooms together, they're out there throwing. It takes a long time to develop that rapport. But when you have the right people and the right leadership, then time is not a problem. Because really that's the biggest issue. You’ve gotta give your time. Nobody wants to give their time.
On how Cam Ward will handle success: He's a pretty even keel guy. He was the very first guy that threw the message out there of, “Look, man, look, enjoy it, but get over it quickly.” He's played enough football and been in enough games where he knows. It's no different than what I told our group. Everybody’s praising you now. Go out and play bad and see how those people talk. You’ve gotta be somewhere in the middle in this deal. We live in seven-day increments in college football. Those seven days went well. If you want the next seven days to go well, then prepare the same way. You've really got to have shor- term memory and just move on, good, bad or indifferent.
On Mark Fletcher: Dude's a stud. Even when he wasn't practicing, his leadership is unbelievable. He's just a great kid. The kid gets injured, and he has surgery, and they give you a timeline. Well, he blew that timeline out the water because of how he's wired, his DNA. It’'s a testament to him of how quick he came back. I don't think anybody would have thought that he would have been ready for that game months ago. He lived down there in the training room, and he did everything over and above to get back. Some people try to hide in that training room. He's trying to play. That's awesome for that kid.
On Dawson’s vision for Cam during the recruitment process: I did have a feeling of how he was wired, what he was made up of. It’s hard to believe, but quarterback's a very dependent position. You’ve gotta have certain things in place. Good luck playing at a high level without the five guys up front doing their job. Good luck doing your job without a guy like Restrepo working his *** off, getting open, and all the other receivers.
Cam had the mindset and talent of what I was looking for within our system. But I also knew that we were gonna surround him with really good players. I'm not asking you to come in here and be Superman. I'm asking you to come in here and be a part of this deal. Be a big part of it, but be a part of it. It was the same thing going into the game. I told him, “Trust your teammates. We’ve got good players out there around you. Check the ball down.” When the ball gets checked down, and he did, we do it to the running back in the flats a lot.
I said, “You trust your teammates and take care of the football and play smart football, we'll win the game and we'll win it by a few.” He understands that he's surrounded by talented dudes, and he's gonna trust them.
