Head Coach Bobby Petrino
Q: How was practice today with the rain showers?
A: “We did get a good rain. I considered going inside, but I saw the fans here and I wanted to do everything I could to stay out for them. I was listening to the players. Some of the defensive players did a nice job with their leadership and making sure everyone was concentrating and doing what they needed to do. It was wet, there is no question about that. We didn’t throw and catch the ball like we needed to in the rain. I thought the defense had a good practice, but offensively I’m not real happy with it.”
Q: How do you feel the guys played in practice today?
A: “It was the first time we were in full pads. We did a nice inside run and I thought our offensive line did a good job on inside run as well. I like our linebackers coming downhill to the run. There was some good pad-popping. It was fun and I know they enjoyed it.”
Q: Talk about the contact today.
A: “We didn’t tackle to the ground. Everything else was pretty much full-speed except for the tackling.”
Q: How is Jerious Norwood doing in practice?
A: “Jerious is doing a good job running and catching the ball and catching it. He still needs to improve on his pass protection. He’s working hard at it and is certainly getting better. He has the speed and the ability to go all the way any time he touches it.”
Q: How is the play from your top draft picks?
A: “I like what I’ve seen from Jamaal (Anderson) since we’ve been back. I think he’s in better shape and he understands the tempo and pace of practice. He’s shown that he knows the difference between run and pass. When he knows it’s a pass, he’s a very good pass rusher. I think he’s made some big strides. (Justin) Blalock is doing a nice job and he’s going to be a good player for us at left guard for a long time. Chris Houston keeps getting better. He keeps learning and he pays attention when other guys are out on the field. I think he’ll get ready to contribute right away.”
Q: Where are you guys looking to play Josh Mallard?
A: “He’s been rotating around. He’s a good pass rusher and he can really come off the ball with his height and size. It’s difficult for the big tackles to get down and block him. I really like his efforts and he gives you everything he has on every play.”
Q: Did you have open practices when you were coaching at Louisville?
A: “Yes we did. We had it open for the first week and then we closed it up. We did have a little test to see if there would be Kentucky fans when we first came in. When I was there we always opened with Kentucky. (Jokingly) We had snipers on the roof and we made sure there was absolutely no blue.”
Q: Do you ever have any concern that there might be some spies out there?
A: “Sure, there probably is. You just keep it with your base and what you are doing. The rule is you don’t charge to come and they are not supposed to come and watch us. When the Redskins started charging (fans) a few years ago everyone was there. We are definitely not charging for the fans to come and watch us.”
Q: Has the team gotten to the practice tempo that you like?
A: “No, I don’t think we are there yet. I think we were there during our OTAs. It’s new for me that these guys have a month off and then we come back and practice. Our tempo and conditioning need to improve. There is no question that it has gotten better during each practice, but there is a period when the heat and humidity come out and we’ll probably take a step back for a while. It’s been pretty easy on them right now. We’ve had three practices where it hasn’t been very hot or humid.”
Q: How is Alge Crumpler and how is his knee responding?
A: “It’s great to see Alge out there. He is a really good player and there is no question about it. He knows his trade very well and he’s got a tremendous amount of energy when he’s out there. We are really trying to manage his knee so he’s only practicing once a day. He doesn’t do the two-a-days. I’m really excited to see how he fits and how he makes this offense better. I’ve really liked what I’ve seen so far.”
Q: How are the tight ends doing?
A: “The tight ends are doing well so far. (Dwayne) Blakley has done a nice job and he had really good OTA practices. He did better yesterday and today. I still like (Martrez) Milner and he’s doing a really nice job. He can both run block and catch the ball. I feel good about the position, especially when Alge (Crumpler) is out there with us because he makes us better.”
Q: Has the team made any recent roster moves?
A: “We had to release one player today (Fred Gibson) and it was just a football decision. We wanted to go in a different direction.”
