Quoted: Preseason Camp – Oct. 15
10/15/2020 1:15:00 PM | Football
Quoted: Preseason Camp – Oct. 15
Below are partial transcriptions of Zoom press conferences with Indiana defensive line coach Kevin Peoples, DL James Head Jr., DL Jovan Swann and DL Michael Ziemba on Thursday, Oct. 15.
Defensive Line Coach Kevin Peoples
Q: On Jovan Swann…
PEOPLES: He is a better player when you put pads on than when you are walking through. We spent a lot of time without shoulder pads, but he has really been impressive the last week and a half or two weeks. You can see a drastic improvement from him. I think it has been a little adjustment for him because he did not go through spring ball, which a lot of guys did not. He has been a really pleasant player and his progress has been what we are looking for. We are looking very, very much forward to what he can do when next Saturday comes.
Q: On Jonathan King…
PEOPLES: I think he found a home at defensive end. He is right around 260 [pounds] and he is an athletic guy. He has got some strength and some size. He is doing a really good job playing the run and the pass. His athleticism, at that weight, for us is what we are looking for. He is going to be able to play in both situations and I am pleased with where he is at. We think we found a home for him.
Q: On the pass rush…
PEOPLES: I think we are doing a good job. That is obviously a point of emphasis for us. We have got several guys that have stood out, pass rush wise. I do not want to name every single one, but Michael Ziemba has done a really nice job. I think he has improved his pass rush ability. We have some inside guys that can pass rush. The biggest thing that we know that we are going to have to do, whether it is four or five guys, is we have to rush as a unit. We have to work together, keep the quarterback in the pocket, keep them contained and get them off a spot. That is the biggest thing we are trying to do, win one-on-one battles, but at the same time, it is four guys rushing as one. When we do that, we think we have a chance to be successful.
DL Jovan Swann
Q: On improved play over the last week…
SWANN: I listened to the coaching points. It is hard to come in having played in a base 3-4 defense, having limited practices, camp was cut short. I took in the coaching points, honed in on the little things and I am taking it one play at a time. I was stressing out trying to be a dominant player up front in a 4-3 base defense. I was trying to be that guy on day one, but I know that it is a process. I tried to slow things down for myself.
Q: On the differences between a 3-4 and a 4-3 defense up front…
SWANN: It is a little bit of a variation. Playing in a shade has definitely been an adjustment for me. I did a little bit of that at Stanford, but coming here and knowing that I will be in a shade on every down, it changes your mindset. You have to strike a man first instead of reading him, attack and reach as well as call it. Being able to play in that style, but also being able to play in the react-attack style, trying to hone both of those in has been a slight challenge. Coach Kevin Peoples has helped me every step of the way.
Q: On fitting in with the rest of the line and learning from others…
SWANN: First of all, on fitting in with the guys, I thought I fit in back in December when I took my visit. I met some of the guys during the bowl prep and I felt right at home, honestly. Nobody had a big ego, everyone was working for the common goal, and that was something that I wanted to embrace and bring into my game. In that way, I appreciate the room and how accepting they are. As far as being a veteran in the position I am in, I have played a lot of football, but I also have to learn from the guys that have played a lot of football here. I have been trying to bounce ideas off of them and taking their knowledge and what they know about the game. I am trying to impart some of my wisdom, but mostly we are all here to play the same game. At the end of the day, it is just X's and O's. If I can demonstrate that it is not more than just playing your technique at a high level, it will be simpler from the top down.
DL Michael Ziemba
Q: On James Head Jr.'s development…
ZIEMBA: That man is raw. He is raw, I am not going to lie. He is making plays every day. We all are. I feel that we have all gotten so much better. He is about to have a huge year. He definitely is.
Q: On the bowl loss being a motivating factor…
ZIEMBA: We are definitely trying to get back to a bowl game, but you have to go one game at a time. We are not just trying to get back to one, we are trying to win it this year. We are trying to win every game. It is definitely motivating. We are definitely trying to get back to one and win it this year.
Q: On Jovan Swann…
ZIEMBA: He brings that professional mindset to the table every day. He comes to work, he gets the job done, and he works hard every day. For a guy like him to come here, he is trying to lead by example. He is a pro. He is doing his job every day.
DL James Head Jr.
Q: On Jovan Swann…
HEAD: With Jovan, the first day he came in you could see his big stature. He is smart. His football IQ is off the chain. Whenever something is on the screen that he could see, he will let me know. His football IQ has been helpful for me all of the time.
Q: On last season's successes and areas of improvement…
HEAD: I liked my motor. I feel like I went hard on every play. I need to focus on the details. That is what Coach Peoples is focused on. He is worried about technique all of the time. Working on my fundamentals, getting back to square one and working on my fundamentals.
Q: On the pass rush/sack totals…
HEAD: I do not want to say it is a goal, but we are trying to get as many sacks as possible. Every time the quarterback drops back to pass, we are trying to get a sack. However many times that quarterback steps back to pass, that is how many sacks that we want.
Below are partial transcriptions of Zoom press conferences with Indiana defensive line coach Kevin Peoples, DL James Head Jr., DL Jovan Swann and DL Michael Ziemba on Thursday, Oct. 15.
Defensive Line Coach Kevin Peoples
Q: On Jovan Swann…
PEOPLES: He is a better player when you put pads on than when you are walking through. We spent a lot of time without shoulder pads, but he has really been impressive the last week and a half or two weeks. You can see a drastic improvement from him. I think it has been a little adjustment for him because he did not go through spring ball, which a lot of guys did not. He has been a really pleasant player and his progress has been what we are looking for. We are looking very, very much forward to what he can do when next Saturday comes.
Q: On Jonathan King…
PEOPLES: I think he found a home at defensive end. He is right around 260 [pounds] and he is an athletic guy. He has got some strength and some size. He is doing a really good job playing the run and the pass. His athleticism, at that weight, for us is what we are looking for. He is going to be able to play in both situations and I am pleased with where he is at. We think we found a home for him.
Q: On the pass rush…
PEOPLES: I think we are doing a good job. That is obviously a point of emphasis for us. We have got several guys that have stood out, pass rush wise. I do not want to name every single one, but Michael Ziemba has done a really nice job. I think he has improved his pass rush ability. We have some inside guys that can pass rush. The biggest thing that we know that we are going to have to do, whether it is four or five guys, is we have to rush as a unit. We have to work together, keep the quarterback in the pocket, keep them contained and get them off a spot. That is the biggest thing we are trying to do, win one-on-one battles, but at the same time, it is four guys rushing as one. When we do that, we think we have a chance to be successful.
DL Jovan Swann
Q: On improved play over the last week…
SWANN: I listened to the coaching points. It is hard to come in having played in a base 3-4 defense, having limited practices, camp was cut short. I took in the coaching points, honed in on the little things and I am taking it one play at a time. I was stressing out trying to be a dominant player up front in a 4-3 base defense. I was trying to be that guy on day one, but I know that it is a process. I tried to slow things down for myself.
Q: On the differences between a 3-4 and a 4-3 defense up front…
SWANN: It is a little bit of a variation. Playing in a shade has definitely been an adjustment for me. I did a little bit of that at Stanford, but coming here and knowing that I will be in a shade on every down, it changes your mindset. You have to strike a man first instead of reading him, attack and reach as well as call it. Being able to play in that style, but also being able to play in the react-attack style, trying to hone both of those in has been a slight challenge. Coach Kevin Peoples has helped me every step of the way.
Q: On fitting in with the rest of the line and learning from others…
SWANN: First of all, on fitting in with the guys, I thought I fit in back in December when I took my visit. I met some of the guys during the bowl prep and I felt right at home, honestly. Nobody had a big ego, everyone was working for the common goal, and that was something that I wanted to embrace and bring into my game. In that way, I appreciate the room and how accepting they are. As far as being a veteran in the position I am in, I have played a lot of football, but I also have to learn from the guys that have played a lot of football here. I have been trying to bounce ideas off of them and taking their knowledge and what they know about the game. I am trying to impart some of my wisdom, but mostly we are all here to play the same game. At the end of the day, it is just X's and O's. If I can demonstrate that it is not more than just playing your technique at a high level, it will be simpler from the top down.
DL Michael Ziemba
Q: On James Head Jr.'s development…
ZIEMBA: That man is raw. He is raw, I am not going to lie. He is making plays every day. We all are. I feel that we have all gotten so much better. He is about to have a huge year. He definitely is.
Q: On the bowl loss being a motivating factor…
ZIEMBA: We are definitely trying to get back to a bowl game, but you have to go one game at a time. We are not just trying to get back to one, we are trying to win it this year. We are trying to win every game. It is definitely motivating. We are definitely trying to get back to one and win it this year.
Q: On Jovan Swann…
ZIEMBA: He brings that professional mindset to the table every day. He comes to work, he gets the job done, and he works hard every day. For a guy like him to come here, he is trying to lead by example. He is a pro. He is doing his job every day.
DL James Head Jr.
Q: On Jovan Swann…
HEAD: With Jovan, the first day he came in you could see his big stature. He is smart. His football IQ is off the chain. Whenever something is on the screen that he could see, he will let me know. His football IQ has been helpful for me all of the time.
Q: On last season's successes and areas of improvement…
HEAD: I liked my motor. I feel like I went hard on every play. I need to focus on the details. That is what Coach Peoples is focused on. He is worried about technique all of the time. Working on my fundamentals, getting back to square one and working on my fundamentals.
Q: On the pass rush/sack totals…
HEAD: I do not want to say it is a goal, but we are trying to get as many sacks as possible. Every time the quarterback drops back to pass, we are trying to get a sack. However many times that quarterback steps back to pass, that is how many sacks that we want.
Players Mentioned
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