Cream and Crimson Postgame Quotes
4/13/2017 10:15:00 PM | Football
Cream and Crimson Spring Game
Postgame Quotes
April 13, 2017
Indiana Player Quotes
#80 Ian Thomas, Tight End
On being one of the first players drafted to Team Crimson…
"It gave me a lot of confidence especially knowing there were guys coming up next."
On the energy during the game…
"It was a lot of good hitting and competition. Team Cream played well but we just came out on top in overtime."
On Peyton Ramsey…
"He was stepping up in the pocket, scrambling around making extra time. That's something that a quarterback has to do, especially with his size and he has the ability to do it. "
On the first spring football game with Coach Allen…
"Coach is bringing intensity every practice, and the high energy so everybody is following along with it every practice and every day."
On his touchdown catch…
"It's one of those things where the safety broke off into the outside receiving and I just came across the middle."
#42 Marcelino Ball, Defensive Back
On getting the chance to play offense…
"It was fun. I want to try and get coach to let me do it again."
On how the spring game went…
"We still have things to work on. We have to stop the opponent in critical moments, which I think we did sometimes during the game but I feel like we could have done it more often. We also have to stop big plays and work on missed tackle. I feel like Crimson has some tackles that we shouldn't have missed."
On Spring practice overall…
"Spring as a whole, I think we have been getting better. The game didn't really show it, it just wasn't one of those days for me. I feel like spring as a whole I have grown mentally and physically."
#21 Richard Lagow, Quarterback
On preparing for the 2017 season…
"As you keep playing you get better. The experience is huge and coming with a new offense, being able to fully commit and dive in 100 percent has made me feel more comfortable. I feel good right now and excited to play."
On being a leader for younger quarterbacks…
"I think Peyton Ramsey is doing a great job. You saw tonight that he was able to make plays, and taking care of the football. It's a little bit different because I'm the older guy in the room and he is pretty young so there's still things that he looks to learn from me and my experience. Part of being a leader is teaching the guys beneath you the ropes and guide them in any way possible that you can. I'm trying to leave this place than I found it. I think the world of Ramsey and he has a really bright future."
On getting comfortable with the offense…
"We feel really comfortable where we are at and I think we are extremely confident where we are at. We still have a lot to put in. We didn't put the whole offense in with spring ball, its not realistic to do that so we have to continue to stay on top of things and make sure that we all have the offense down pat. I think the sky is the limit for this offense and I'm really proud of all of them."
On Jon Gruden being in attendance…
"It's always great having someone like him on campus. He has a lot of energy and is fun to learn from. Just getting to sit down, listen to him talk, and see how passionate he is about football was great."
#23 Alex Rodriguez, Running Back
On wearing down the defense…
"It was the offensive line and I was just running behind them. Coach is always telling me to run like a big back so I'm always trying to get behind my pads."
On his performance tonight…
"I feel like Indiana was showcased tonight, it's not really about me it's about the team. I think everybody competed well and did their own thing tonight."
On Peyton Ramsey's play…
"He is always calm out there. I tell him every day to just stay calm and stay poised out on the field because it makes it easier. Not having someone out there who is frantic just make it easier."
Indiana Head Coach Tom Allen
On having Jon Gruden here tonight…
"Amazing. He really has a genuine love for Bloomington and for Indiana. Sitting with him in here, doing the video sessions and talking to him… he is the same as when you see him on television, that is who he is all the time. He was insightful about some things, I talked to him as a head coach, got some advice about some things and we talked a little ball. We just enjoyed having him here with us, his dad and family too. We really appreciate him coming and doing this with us. He was pretty fired up. Like he said, he had not seen this place in 40 years. Obviously things have changed a little bit. He was very impressed with the facilities, the north end zone addition and what we have planned for the south end zone. Pretty special time for our program to have him with us."
On Peyton Ramsey…
"I am not surprised by his play at all. I watched him last year when he worked with the scouts as a true freshman. He is a coach's kid. He has a lot of confidence and toughness. He is a good decision maker and a really good football player."
On Ramsey pushing Richard Lagow…
"We all need that. We all need to be pushed. People need to feel that there is somebody on their heels. That keeps us sharp, keeps us focused. Again, I am not surpised at all with how he played tonight."
On the defense…
"We split the teams pretty evenly. We did not let them call a lot of things, which was by design. I do not think we tackled as well as we should have. We had a couple of offsides, where they [the offense] got us to jump, which I did not like. The kids competed. We do not have a ton of depth when you split the team up, so when the offense goes with tempo that becomes challenging. That is part of it, but we all knew that going into the game. I thought it was really competitive on both sides. It is interesting that the game ended in a tie, because when I went back and graded the draft, it came up even. Both sides had the same number of positions that I felt they had won. It was an even draft and an even game."
On the decision to go to overtime…
"No hesitation. I want to create as many game-like situations as we can, and to me, that was perfect. In fact, if you noticed, there was a call that setup that last touchdown that I told the officials to re-evaluate. I want to put us in tough spots. I want to be able to create that adversity, create that stress on both the coaches and the players and see how we respond. To me, that is where we want to be. We want to be finishing those types of games, when it is the fourth quarter, a call goes against us and we have to respond. We have to flush it and go play the next play. They did not score on that play, but we gave up a score right after that. It is about mental toughness and developing that. I was thrilled that it went to overtime."
On what he was looking for out of spring ball…
"I felt like we wanted to improve fundamentally, wanted to be able to experiment with some scheme, develop depth and end the spring as a better football team. I believe we accomplished those four things."
On Ricky Brookins…
"I feel that he is something, defensively, that gives us trouble. You try to get depths in your drops and they dump it down to the running back, he makes one guy miss in space and it becomes a problem. He is a good athlete, he has good hands and he is a tough, hard-nosed kid. He showed up in the bowl game, showed up in games that we needed him and showed up again tonight. I am proud of his effort, but once again, I am not surprised by his play."
On the availability of running backs...
"We had a couple of guys with Mike Majette getting hurt during spring and Cole Gest getting hurt last week. I really hoped to get those guys through spring and to play in this game but they'll be fine. We are definitely concerned with our depth. We have a couple of freshman coming in the fall. It just seems like no matter how many running backs you have, you can't have enough."
On Rashard Fant's injury...
"Don't really know for sure yet but he walked off and I feel good about that. I'm going to go and check on him."
On using Marcelino Ball on offense...
"The defensive staff was like ;If something happens to that guy.' So I said 'He has one play,' You saw the athlete he is so I wasn't shocked. I told him you don't palm the ball, he's not Deion (Sanders). He may get an interception which I'm sure he will and he's going to score. He's a gifted athlete and that's what they do, make plays."
On if they would ever do that in regular season...
"You never know. He looked pretty good didn't he?"
On RB Alex Rodriguez's performance...
"Big. Physical. Tough. In fact, if you noticed, he was the only back they had. He played every single snap and he took pride in that. He came to me and said 'Coach, I'm not going to let them sub me out.' Mindset, toughness, I love it."
On the offensive progress over the spring...
"I think you saw it tonight. They have a good grasp of basic concepts of what we're installing. They want to execute it in a game like situation. It was a lot of different players involved, we played a whole bunch of guys. I felt like they made a lot of progress, feel good with where they are at. Obviously, have a long way to go. Good start. Good foundation laid. Ready to go to phase two which is the summer phase."
On Simmie Cobbs...
"He did a lot of good things. He had the early drop, we have to make sure those don't happen. Big, physical guy. Still not 100 percent yet, he will be. Great to see him back out there. He cares a bunch and has worked so hard to get back. He has a presence about him. He is a huge part of what we have planned for the future."
On the Isacc James throw, trick play...
"We broke off the last practice and they got to practice cream and crimson, one indoors, one outdoors so they had privacy. I told them they get two trick plays, that's it. That put them in on Tuesday and ran them today. Sometimes you work on a play a whole bunch it doesn't work, sometimes you work on a play one time and you rush for a big play. I wanted to make it fun."
On the tempo of the game...
"I thought it was good. With the depth, we had to make sure we were controlling it a little bit. We are a temp team. We want to be aggressive attacking on defense, aggressive attacking on offense. That's the culture we have here and that's a part of our mindset, the way we train, practice, and the way we want to play on Saturday's."
On what positions to target in recruiting after 15 spring practices...
"I would say the depth of position. You go through spring and see where guys are a year from when they got here. Guys coming off of injury and seeing how he's progressing. I think that forces you to feel better about a certain position or go after a different one. It's all about depth and where you have needs. No question, our post spring evaluations will help gear the final numbers, but who you end up taking the final spots."
Postgame Quotes
April 13, 2017
Indiana Player Quotes
#80 Ian Thomas, Tight End
On being one of the first players drafted to Team Crimson…
"It gave me a lot of confidence especially knowing there were guys coming up next."
On the energy during the game…
"It was a lot of good hitting and competition. Team Cream played well but we just came out on top in overtime."
On Peyton Ramsey…
"He was stepping up in the pocket, scrambling around making extra time. That's something that a quarterback has to do, especially with his size and he has the ability to do it. "
On the first spring football game with Coach Allen…
"Coach is bringing intensity every practice, and the high energy so everybody is following along with it every practice and every day."
On his touchdown catch…
"It's one of those things where the safety broke off into the outside receiving and I just came across the middle."
#42 Marcelino Ball, Defensive Back
On getting the chance to play offense…
"It was fun. I want to try and get coach to let me do it again."
On how the spring game went…
"We still have things to work on. We have to stop the opponent in critical moments, which I think we did sometimes during the game but I feel like we could have done it more often. We also have to stop big plays and work on missed tackle. I feel like Crimson has some tackles that we shouldn't have missed."
On Spring practice overall…
"Spring as a whole, I think we have been getting better. The game didn't really show it, it just wasn't one of those days for me. I feel like spring as a whole I have grown mentally and physically."
#21 Richard Lagow, Quarterback
On preparing for the 2017 season…
"As you keep playing you get better. The experience is huge and coming with a new offense, being able to fully commit and dive in 100 percent has made me feel more comfortable. I feel good right now and excited to play."
On being a leader for younger quarterbacks…
"I think Peyton Ramsey is doing a great job. You saw tonight that he was able to make plays, and taking care of the football. It's a little bit different because I'm the older guy in the room and he is pretty young so there's still things that he looks to learn from me and my experience. Part of being a leader is teaching the guys beneath you the ropes and guide them in any way possible that you can. I'm trying to leave this place than I found it. I think the world of Ramsey and he has a really bright future."
On getting comfortable with the offense…
"We feel really comfortable where we are at and I think we are extremely confident where we are at. We still have a lot to put in. We didn't put the whole offense in with spring ball, its not realistic to do that so we have to continue to stay on top of things and make sure that we all have the offense down pat. I think the sky is the limit for this offense and I'm really proud of all of them."
On Jon Gruden being in attendance…
"It's always great having someone like him on campus. He has a lot of energy and is fun to learn from. Just getting to sit down, listen to him talk, and see how passionate he is about football was great."
#23 Alex Rodriguez, Running Back
On wearing down the defense…
"It was the offensive line and I was just running behind them. Coach is always telling me to run like a big back so I'm always trying to get behind my pads."
On his performance tonight…
"I feel like Indiana was showcased tonight, it's not really about me it's about the team. I think everybody competed well and did their own thing tonight."
On Peyton Ramsey's play…
"He is always calm out there. I tell him every day to just stay calm and stay poised out on the field because it makes it easier. Not having someone out there who is frantic just make it easier."
Indiana Head Coach Tom Allen
On having Jon Gruden here tonight…
"Amazing. He really has a genuine love for Bloomington and for Indiana. Sitting with him in here, doing the video sessions and talking to him… he is the same as when you see him on television, that is who he is all the time. He was insightful about some things, I talked to him as a head coach, got some advice about some things and we talked a little ball. We just enjoyed having him here with us, his dad and family too. We really appreciate him coming and doing this with us. He was pretty fired up. Like he said, he had not seen this place in 40 years. Obviously things have changed a little bit. He was very impressed with the facilities, the north end zone addition and what we have planned for the south end zone. Pretty special time for our program to have him with us."
On Peyton Ramsey…
"I am not surprised by his play at all. I watched him last year when he worked with the scouts as a true freshman. He is a coach's kid. He has a lot of confidence and toughness. He is a good decision maker and a really good football player."
On Ramsey pushing Richard Lagow…
"We all need that. We all need to be pushed. People need to feel that there is somebody on their heels. That keeps us sharp, keeps us focused. Again, I am not surpised at all with how he played tonight."
On the defense…
"We split the teams pretty evenly. We did not let them call a lot of things, which was by design. I do not think we tackled as well as we should have. We had a couple of offsides, where they [the offense] got us to jump, which I did not like. The kids competed. We do not have a ton of depth when you split the team up, so when the offense goes with tempo that becomes challenging. That is part of it, but we all knew that going into the game. I thought it was really competitive on both sides. It is interesting that the game ended in a tie, because when I went back and graded the draft, it came up even. Both sides had the same number of positions that I felt they had won. It was an even draft and an even game."
On the decision to go to overtime…
"No hesitation. I want to create as many game-like situations as we can, and to me, that was perfect. In fact, if you noticed, there was a call that setup that last touchdown that I told the officials to re-evaluate. I want to put us in tough spots. I want to be able to create that adversity, create that stress on both the coaches and the players and see how we respond. To me, that is where we want to be. We want to be finishing those types of games, when it is the fourth quarter, a call goes against us and we have to respond. We have to flush it and go play the next play. They did not score on that play, but we gave up a score right after that. It is about mental toughness and developing that. I was thrilled that it went to overtime."
On what he was looking for out of spring ball…
"I felt like we wanted to improve fundamentally, wanted to be able to experiment with some scheme, develop depth and end the spring as a better football team. I believe we accomplished those four things."
On Ricky Brookins…
"I feel that he is something, defensively, that gives us trouble. You try to get depths in your drops and they dump it down to the running back, he makes one guy miss in space and it becomes a problem. He is a good athlete, he has good hands and he is a tough, hard-nosed kid. He showed up in the bowl game, showed up in games that we needed him and showed up again tonight. I am proud of his effort, but once again, I am not surprised by his play."
On the availability of running backs...
"We had a couple of guys with Mike Majette getting hurt during spring and Cole Gest getting hurt last week. I really hoped to get those guys through spring and to play in this game but they'll be fine. We are definitely concerned with our depth. We have a couple of freshman coming in the fall. It just seems like no matter how many running backs you have, you can't have enough."
On Rashard Fant's injury...
"Don't really know for sure yet but he walked off and I feel good about that. I'm going to go and check on him."
On using Marcelino Ball on offense...
"The defensive staff was like ;If something happens to that guy.' So I said 'He has one play,' You saw the athlete he is so I wasn't shocked. I told him you don't palm the ball, he's not Deion (Sanders). He may get an interception which I'm sure he will and he's going to score. He's a gifted athlete and that's what they do, make plays."
On if they would ever do that in regular season...
"You never know. He looked pretty good didn't he?"
On RB Alex Rodriguez's performance...
"Big. Physical. Tough. In fact, if you noticed, he was the only back they had. He played every single snap and he took pride in that. He came to me and said 'Coach, I'm not going to let them sub me out.' Mindset, toughness, I love it."
On the offensive progress over the spring...
"I think you saw it tonight. They have a good grasp of basic concepts of what we're installing. They want to execute it in a game like situation. It was a lot of different players involved, we played a whole bunch of guys. I felt like they made a lot of progress, feel good with where they are at. Obviously, have a long way to go. Good start. Good foundation laid. Ready to go to phase two which is the summer phase."
On Simmie Cobbs...
"He did a lot of good things. He had the early drop, we have to make sure those don't happen. Big, physical guy. Still not 100 percent yet, he will be. Great to see him back out there. He cares a bunch and has worked so hard to get back. He has a presence about him. He is a huge part of what we have planned for the future."
On the Isacc James throw, trick play...
"We broke off the last practice and they got to practice cream and crimson, one indoors, one outdoors so they had privacy. I told them they get two trick plays, that's it. That put them in on Tuesday and ran them today. Sometimes you work on a play a whole bunch it doesn't work, sometimes you work on a play one time and you rush for a big play. I wanted to make it fun."
On the tempo of the game...
"I thought it was good. With the depth, we had to make sure we were controlling it a little bit. We are a temp team. We want to be aggressive attacking on defense, aggressive attacking on offense. That's the culture we have here and that's a part of our mindset, the way we train, practice, and the way we want to play on Saturday's."
On what positions to target in recruiting after 15 spring practices...
"I would say the depth of position. You go through spring and see where guys are a year from when they got here. Guys coming off of injury and seeing how he's progressing. I think that forces you to feel better about a certain position or go after a different one. It's all about depth and where you have needs. No question, our post spring evaluations will help gear the final numbers, but who you end up taking the final spots."
Players Mentioned
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