Tag Archives: David Cutcliffe

Duke Football

Duke Football Notebook #1

Football is in the air as the Duke Blue Devils take to the practice field where they'll prepare for their season opener in South Bend, Indiana against the 10th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The Blue Devils head football coach, David Cutcliffe, and players addressed the media today via Zoom where they discussed the many challenges ahead. Here are a few thoughts in the first BDN football notebook for the coming season.

Is the Quarterback Position Wide-Open?

If you listened to Duke head football coach David Cutcliffe via Zoom as he addressed the media you might think the quarterback position is wide open. All offseason, incoming freshman Chase Brice has gotten the most hype but Cutcliffe clearly wants competition at the position. He mentioned that Chris Katrenick had shown vast improvement in understanding the nuance of the position and the way it needs to be played at Duke.

He also mentioned his walk-ons and Gunnar Holmberg while saying little of Brice. Reading the tea leaves on this one still tells me Chase Brice is the person the staff trust most but that he and others have to produce not just in understanding the game on paper, but that it must translate to actual play on the field.

I think the ACC's longest-tenured coach is trying to stabilize a solid backup option while continuing to teach the Duke system to the position.

Safety is a Priority

Duke is adjusting to not only new facemask protection but testing and implementing ever-changing precautionary measures with concern to the COVID virus. He is also allowing his players to wear monitors with concern to conditioning and avoiding soft tissue injuries as they work back into shape. He mentioned a concern with his athletes getting back into shape in the summer heat after so many people have spent time inside.

... but the good thing is...

Cutcliffe said that 98% of his players came back in the shape they had hoped. Duke implemented many a session for training via Zoom, and or, other technologies.

Duke Loses Two to Opt-Outs

Curtcliffe shared with the media that OL Jacob Rimmer and long snapper Ben Wyatt have opted out and both have the blessing of the team and university. He also sounded as if both could be replaced and that he had players ready to step up. Considering he has lost just two players thus far I would say that is the best they could have hoped for.

Cut's comments on the whole

He definitely sounded excited about playing football, but he also shared the following. He said today's practice went off pretty well and that they would adjust as they go. He also mentioned that team spirit was high and that he witnessed good habits during the first practice.

Overall, he sounded pleased where his team was at despite being just 36 days out from their opener at Notre Dame. He also said he was pleased with the kicking game and or how they worked. That is big news considering Duke has new players at the position.

Cut also mentioned his veterans three times during the chat where he is pleased to have some experience. He mentioned the offensive line and seemed to hint at battles for the starting spots while developing depth.

Also mentioned was that players are adjusting to him calling plays and that there were some changes on the offensive end. There was little mention of some of the new staff with the exception of Greg Frey, the OL coach.

A Few Schedule Thoughts

Duke more or less replaced Pitt and Miami with Syracuse and Florida State. With the struggles versus Pitt, this could be a good thing or is it? Syracuse blistered Duke in Wallace Wade last season, so we can hope the Blue Devils will seek revenge in the Carrier Dome. Considering Duke whipped Miami and rarely play Florida State, I think this is a good swap for Duke as well. Duke gets the Seminoles in late November for their last game of the season.

The Blue Devils have a program on the rise in UNCC a team that went bowling on the schedule. That may actually be one of the leagues' tougher outside opponents. In-state opponents are always dangerous and this will be the first meeting between the two schools. Duke lost Middle Tennessee State and NC A & T or Elon. One more note, the Blue Devils play UNCC on Halloween on Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Opening at #10 Notre Dame will certainly be a major challenge for Duke and the two teams played not that long ago. But maybe cathing the Irish early is better than late. The Duke program will also have a lot of the nation's eyes on them with this opener and that can be a good thing.

Stay tuned into Blue Devil Nation as the season approaches for our Duke Football Notebooks will continue as we near the opener. Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter for the latest breaking information and visit our Facebook Group.

Duke Football

A Program Win for Duke Football

The end of the first quarter came to a close in Blacksburg last evening and Duke trailed Virginia Tech 3-0.  The Blue Devils could not even manage ten yards of offense and there was not a single first down on the ledger.

What happened next has people talking about Duke Football and David Cutcliffe for the Blue Devils went on to outscore the favored Hokies by a score of 45-7.

When the dust cleared, Duke had dominated Virginia Tech in Blacksburg 45-10 in a game that served notice to the nation.  The Blue Devils won their ACC opener in grand style before a nationally televised audience on ESPN.

The Blue Devils were so dominant that they sent Virginia Tech fans to the exits with their first score in the third quarter. Duke also spoiled the Hokies white-out party where former head coach Frank Beamer and player Michael Vick were on the sidelines.

This was one of David Cutcliffe's finest moments, but it was also one for the program on the whole.  Duke not only won by their largest margin on the road ever under their long-time coach, but they handed a traditionally strong program their worst defeat since 1950.

It is hard to know where to start when talking about the positives from the win.  Quintin Harris was once again solid accounting for three touchdowns as the new leader of the team.  He gained a team-leading 100 yards in rushing including an explosive back-breaking 42-yard jaunt to go with two passing touchdowns.

Tight end, Noah Gray caught two touchdown passes.  The first came on a one-play drive after a turnover.  Turnover was a sweet word on the evening.  Duke recovered a fumble which led to a score and a momentum swing and the secondary got their first interception on the season from Leon Johnson.

True freshman wideout, Jalon Calhoun connected on a double-pass trick play to Deon Jackson for a score.  And this is where I mention Duke offensive coordinator Zac Roper called a near-perfect game for three-quarters.

And on defense, the Blue Devils held the Hokies offensive attack to 259 yards.  But a closer look shows that if you take away two plays, a 45-yard run and a 72-yard touchdown pass the Hokies gained a mere 142 yards.

Duke limited explosive plays while making some of their own.  And when their strategy failed them in the first quarter, they made adjustments that drove their opponent mad.  The change of pace on offense and the personnel packages was quite simply masterful coaching.

And then there was the special teams play.  Josh Blackwell almost broke a return save a slip.  AJ Reed stayed perfect on the season with a 31-yard field goal.  And punter Austin Parker rolled for 28 yards on a fake punt, which interestingly gives him bragging rights for the highest yards per carry of any player on the team this season.

Back to the defensive side of the ball, Duke senior linebacker Koby Quansah was stellar.  He recovered that key fumble and was a part of 13 tackles and a half of a sack.  On a night when Duke managed a single sack, their secondary played well shutting down Hokies quarterback Ryan Willis for all but a handful of plays.

Another highlight for Duke was getting backup quarterback Chris Katrenick some snaps.  And he wanted in on the fun as well as witnessed by his 9-yard run for a score to mark the final margin of victory.

While Duke got off to a miserable start, they showed off some maturity that has not always been there in the past.  The players were clearly tougher, more physical and quicker than their opponent and they let it show.

I cannot help but wonder if David Cutcliffe wanted to show the nation more about Duke football on a Friday night to remember.  Duke dressed in their black uniforms played the tough guy role on this occasion and did so with authority.

It is no secret Daniel Jones has had a great NFL debut, but some in the media felt the need to take shots at Duke Football when speaking of him.  Nevermind the team has been to 6 bowls in the last 7 seasons.  So, perhaps last nights performance will make some of them come around as they did with the aforementioned Jones.

Wins like the one over Virginia Tech cannot help but gain some attention and Duke likely helped itself with any possible recruits watching or seeing the result.

So, this was a program win.  Duke Gang should be proud as should the fans who ought to turn out in appreciation next Saturday when the team takes on Pitt.

While this is an ultimate feel-good moment for Duke alumni, family, friends and fans, the Blue Devils will soon need to go back to work to continue to build on their most recent accomplishment.  That is, of course,  after some well deserved weekend celebration.

Duke has a two-game homestand coming up in Wallace Wade Stadium on Brooks Field and fans will hopefully turn out to support the team.  The next step in the journey is to solve one of the most physical teams in football -- the Pitt Panthers.

As David Cutcliffe likes to say, "Are you ready for some football?"

Duke Football

David Cutcliffe Addresses the Media

DAVID CUTCLIFFE: We obviously realize how difficult a task it is to go to Miami, and not only to play well, but to win. Extremely athletic team. A team that plays really well at home. We've had good preparation. I think our minds are in the right place. We're trying to overcome getting -- beat ourselves, and a huge challenge and one that we need to challenge ourselves to be able to be successful.

I'll take your questions.

Q. A little off-the-wall question for you. Who was your athletic idol growing up and why?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Mickey Mantle because I saw the Yankees more than anyone else. They certainly were on TV, baseball Game of the Week. I could go out and simulate being Mickey Mantle by myself, throwing the ball up and swinging in the air, and I was a switch hitter, so that helped.

Q. Did you wear No. 7?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Absolutely. The other one was Joe Namath, quarterback, No. 12. I had many of them. Listen, it changed, you know.

Q. From season to season?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Well, yeah, season to season. You know, the basketball was a little different, a little more removed. There was one game a week. Bill Russell -- I worked on my left-handed hook shot because of him.

You're bringing up good memories, I can tell you that.

Q. Miami's defense seems like they are growing every year into an elite defense. What do you have to do to not put play that fourth ball to those guys and put that turnover chain thing back on?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: They do a lot of things that create turnovers. First of all, they lead the country in tackles for losses, and that's a big part of creating turnovers, creating bad down and distance. You can't be desperate. You have to be smart and patient. You can't play afraid or cautious, but you have to play smart to play a team like that -- we call them havoc plays, and their defense, as we view, it leads their country far and away in havoc plays.

Q. How do you prepare for two quarterbacks or whatever? How do you prepare for that?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: They really don't change their offense. I think one quarterback may run more than the other, but they have so many weapons that surround the quarterback position that you'd better focus on that. So that's not as problematic as you might think.

Q. Covered your game in Atlanta and you guys looked so good. I thought you had a pretty good shot at winning the division. Would it be fair to say you're kind of surprised to be where you are now, two weeks later?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Yeah, I mean, there's no question that this team is not the same team. We have been challenged. You hesitate as a coach to ever say these things, but we've been as many as 12 starters down and it just continues to take its toll. That's something that we are hopefully turning the corner. We still have a lot of people not making the trip to South Florida, but we also know that this team is the deepest team we've had.

So my job is to get our young people playing better, and that's the biggest issue that we have faced are inconsistencies. You saw us in Atlanta, we were able to create some turnovers. In the three games we have lost, we have not created a single turnover. We've lost the turnover margin 4-0 in those three games, and we're playing a team that thrives on it.

You know, it's not a secret. If you're going to win, you've got to do the things that winning teams do. Our young people have got to not be young people right now. We've got a lot of them playing that we didn't think we would be playing with, but we are playing with them. So as I said, my job is to have them ready.

Q. Do you have a guess at who the top team in the league is, or in the division as of this week?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Obviously right now Clemson is playing at an extremely high level. They are left on our schedule. But the Coastal Division, it's just very difficult to say.

The team we're playing this week is extremely talented. But Virginia has played really well. Virginia has played very opportunistic and solid.

But I wouldn't call a winner right now. It's a horse race that you can't call. Too close to call.

Q. Can you put your finger on what's made the division so balanced?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: I think the coaching has just continued. Paul Johnson and I have been in this league the longest, and we know the kind of job that he does. Georgia Tech has been really impressive here of late and just really, year after year.

Then you start looking at what Justin Fuente has done to follow up a legend in Frank Beamer.

And then Bronco Mendenhall is just an outstanding coach and got Virginia playing well.

Mark Richt is at Miami and got Miami playing well.

Pat Narduzzi at Pitt; you want to talk about physical football, and Pitt football teams have been that way for as long as I can remember.

Larry Fedora at North Carolina can score on anybody. They have just hit over the last two years a rash of injuries and circumstances.

I think I've covered the Coastal there. I just have great respect for the coaches, both in the Atlantic and the coastal, and I think our league is terrific right now.

Like I said earlier and somebody else asked a question, it's no secret. You have to do the things -- if you're normal, if you're not just overly talented compared to everyone else, you've got to do the things that win football games, and that's no secret. There are four or five things that a team has to do and embrace together to be a winner, and we haven't done it as well as we needed in the three losses.

It was very disheartening in Pitt that we kept giving up when we'd get two or three scores up. That's my job is to get us over that hump and we're going to find a way to do it.

Duke Football

David Cutcliffe Bye Week Q & A

COACH CUTCLIFFE: This open date has obviously come at a good time for us with the number of injuries that we've had to starters. We still, right now, have six out that will return.

We've got both Mark Gilbert out for the season and Marvin Hubbard. But it's come at a good time. And also obviously at a tough time, when you get beat and you go into an open date, sometimes the reaction that you have can be panic. And this team's not that way. I think this team understands it's got to play well to win but it knows how to go about its business.

And we've practiced really well to this point. We'll practice again tomorrow and give them the weekend off and then start preparation for Georgia Tech Sunday evening.

Q. Ricky Walker didn't pop off the stat sheet Saturday night. But you made a point to praise him in your postgame remarks. What makes him so difficult to block?
COACH CUTCLIFFE: Well, he's obviously -- he's really strong. He's big. Not necessarily tall. But you know he's just a big upper-bodied guy that has extreme quickness. He has great hands. So he's a penetrator. He's what I call a disrupter.

Anybody that can penetrate your line of scrimmage as much as he's done against us, he certainly has given us many problems. I think there's no question he's an all-conference performer and I voted him that way every year.

Q. I know it's early in the conference season. Do you suspect that the parity this year is just as strong or maybe even stronger considering the rise of Syracuse and BC and your team, too?
COACH CUTCLIFFE: Yeah, I think in 11 seasons that I've been in the league, that this is as balanced as it's been, but it's been coming this way, and more and more so.

There's not a game anybody's going to play that you're going to ignore anybody; that you can ignore as a game you already got it in the left-hand column. You've got to play well. And you're going to have to play hard for 60 minutes.

And we didn't play well Saturday. And Virginia Tech did. People kind of looking at what happened. We got beat. That literally was the fact of the matter that they just played better than we played. And I thought we had prepared well. And when this parity in this league -- I told our team, welcome to the next seven games you're going to play. Every ACC game is going to be the same. It's going to require that you play as well as you can possibly play.

Q. I know after the game you talked about the frustration of not being able to run the ball as consistently as you had last week. When you look back at the tape, was that something that they did, something that you did, and how much of an emphasis have you placed on trying to get back to more consistency in the run game during the bye-week practices?
COACH CUTCLIFFE: I think probably the most (lost audio) there was a lot of eight-man coverage that they were playing. We couldn't run the ball. There were various reasons. Everybody takes credit, but it starts with me. You gotta schematically do things right. And that's my responsibility and we didn't do that as well as we should.

Then you have to physically win some battles. And at times we weren't doing that as well as we could. We got really good byes and we're better in the offensive front. But to run the football, what you have to do is be consistent. And that means everybody. That means quarterback making the right decisions, that means the head football coach making sure we're in the best position possible to get it done and then all five linemen at tight end usually somebody involved, also receivers.

I told our team: This open date next week, next week, a lot of that (indiscernible) football is just doing one thing and that's blocking well. And so we've got to continue to grow in that regard as well.

Q. Just reevaluate your team after the first five games, what did you like and what (inaudible) your team?
COACH CUTCLIFFE: We love the resiliency of our team. We love our team speed. It's very evident that we've got a lot of people that can run. We've been consistent for the most part all year long. We're not going to let one game -- we didn't play as well as we could have played in any form at Virginia Tech, but we didn't play awful. They just played extremely well and we didn't play well enough.

I think our team can find a way to be consistent. We've got a lot of weapons on both sides of the ball and we've got outstanding leadership.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

Duke Football

Today’s Q & A With David Cutcliffe

DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Obviously this is our biggest test to date and the best team we've played, a team we're very familiar with, a program we're very familiar with. I don't think there's anybody that you can respect more than the way they do things, have done things. I think Justin Fuente has just been tremendous there. Bud Foster is an icon in the business.

This is the thing -- the benchmark. This is where you find out what kind of program you've got. Our guys have practiced hard. We'd better, because we're going to be in for a big challenge, obviously, this Saturday night.

I'll take questions.

Q. Bud Foster and obviously the stability that he's brought to the defensive coordinator's role, you had some stability there with Coach Knowles. How would you evaluate how you guys have transitioned with Ben and Matt in those roles this season?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Well, it's a unique circumstance, and I realized that as I did an evaluation -- Jim Knowles and I talked a lot about this when Jim -- when he was offered the job at Oklahoma State, he and I were on the road together recruiting. You know, I did a lot of thinking.

But the reason that we went co-defensive coordinators is the quality of the people that we have in Ben and Matt and the quality of the rest of the staff, Derek Jones and Lanier Goethie. So we're at a point where we're still growing in that regard, but we clearly defined their roles. It is a transition, but our players were very familiar with both coaches. We have had a lot of stability in this program, so that helps a great deal.

We certainly wouldn't be the same without Jim Knowles. There's no question about that. But we have continued to try every year to grow and build on what we're doing, and I think Ben Albert and Matt Guerrieri have done a great job of doing that.

Q. Is one of the biggest challenges they and you have faced is the injury situation in the secondary, just having to plug different guys in and switch roles and such?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Yeah, it was the most unique thing. It started, obviously, at Northwestern, and then it escalated at Baylor. It's been unique. It's a great tribute to our assistant coaches. They've recruited well. We do have some really good young players in the secondary, and they're performing at a high level. They hopefully have -- when you come in here, you develop great practice habits, and so if it does happen, that makes it a little easier to adjust.

But very proud of our -- not only our staff in that regard but proud of our players, you know, just managing adversity. And there will be more to come, not only here playing football but in life. I am proud of them. We've just got to continue along that path.

Q. I'm writing a story about the nomadic lifestyle of assistant coaches, and wondering if there isn't a little bit of a trend toward giving a little more security to assistants by longer contracts, and a second part of the question, do you think there's -- have you ever seen anything really unusual happen within the style of jumping from one program to another?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Yeah, I think it's been a long-standing trend for certain people. When I was a younger assistant, a young assistant at the University of Tennessee, we were working without contracts, period, not one year. Just no contract. We had a pretty revolving door. I was there for 17 years, and the number of different assistant coaches that I worked with was in the upper 30s.

I never -- I think that's sometimes personal preference. I think there are a lot of people -- I think it's problematic to people because I do think, and I tell young coaches this all the time, be where your feet are. I've known a lot of people in the industry that were always trying to get the next job, spending more time trying to get the next job than doing a great job with the one they've got.

I do believe that if you have assistant coaches that are committed to your program, they're doing what they should be doing, I think they should earn longer term contracts. Two- and three-year contracts are becoming more commonplace. Buyouts are now more commonplace for assistant coaches because with that security goes a price with it, and if the university is going to commit to that, most universities now are going to require some form of buyout where people don't just jump.

So it's an interesting era in football. It's changed quite a bit since I got into it.

Q. Anything really unusual that stands out to you that happened along the way, like owning three houses at one time or --
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Well, I mean, I can tell you this: It was interesting, guys I worked with that came from California that sold houses were shocked what they could buy out east. They were in mansions in my mind. That certainly happened. But I know Derek Jones on our staff, between being a graduate assistant for us at Ole Miss and then kind of jumping around, he had a couple of homes and was -- you're trying to lease homes and you're not there, and it certainly can end up being a nightmare.

I've always -- I guess maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but I've always liked being in a place, particularly when our children were young, trying to raise our children in some form of normalcy. So it's an interesting study. I think that's a great idea to write an article about.

Q. If you look at the way they struggled defensively in the secondary against Old Dominion, when you're looking at that, are you seeing schematic breakdowns, guys just getting beat, or what did you make of that?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Well, I would say for the biggest part, it's an outlier, and that's taking nothing away from ODU. Good gracious, they made great plays and they were ready and well-coached. But everything just kind of fell right. I mean, literally just fell right. You hate to call anything luck, but it was like, okay, you play zone, they scrambled and then just found a way to make a gain to keep a drive alive. You play man, the ball just dropped down right in the exact right spot. I mean, it literally was like that.

I've watched Virginia Tech defense for a long time now. It is storied, as we all know, its excellence in athletes, its excellence in coaching strategy and scheme. So it's just one game. Really, honestly, that's the honest answer I can give you.

Q. As you watch them, No. 94, their defensive end, who they dismissed from the team, are there moments that you're prepping for a game and you see him and think, man, I'm glad he's not going to be somebody I have to deal with?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Well, I've got too many -- there's 10 others, 11 others that you're worried about. I think he was a really fine player. I don't know the young man at all. But there's no question he was an outstanding football player.

Q. I'm just wondering if there's maybe a right word or description to kind of nail down the energy or vibe amongst your guys just going into a national TV game? I'm sure they obviously know what's at stake, but if there's one thing you've taken away from their energy this week.
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Yeah, I think that's a really good point because I have watched it. I think our program has grown from different points where we had big games that you worried about getting too hyper, too into the moment as opposed to preparing for a ballgame. I think right now what I would say is focused. These kind of games should create focus, but that's what I've seen, and hopefully that carries over into Saturday night.

Duke Football

Q & A with David Cutcliffe

Opening Statement -

DAVID CUTCLIFFE: I think it's been good for us, really a shorter August than maybe we're used to having in years past with 25 practices, but I think because of the opponent, the quality of Army, a team that won 10 games and it's no accident, and our players have been intense, they've worked hard at preparing well, I do believe they're ready to play. I know they're ready to play a game. They're tired of hitting each other. It's going to be difficult with the offense they run. They led the country a year ago in 3rd down conversions and 4th down. Got to get stops where we can, and then offensively we'd better be efficient when we have it.

Q. To speak on the wide receivers, Johnathan, T.J., Chris and company, just what you can say coming through fall camp with the weapons that are out there for Daniel Jones and what you're taking away from the wide receiver group?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Well, I'll tell you, they're veteran. Obviously, you just mentioned three seniors, Aaron Young, a junior, is a big strong target who has had his best camp. Johnathan Lloyd has had probably the best camp of all of them. But T.J. coming back is the leading receiver in the ACC in the number of catches. It's just veteran people.

What I like the most, Gerad Parker is a veteran coach, but they really set a tempo on the practice field, all of them. We've got some talented young people in Scott Bracey and got three talented young freshmen, but their work ethic has been outstanding.

I think Daniel is excited about the amount of time they got together during the summer on their own. So it looked -- I mean, they really, you can tell they look very comfortable with Daniel, and Daniel is very comfortable with them.

Q. I know that you and I have spoken about Daniel a lot, but you've worked with so many different quarterbacks, so many different calibers and talents and whatnot. What can you say about working with Daniel Jones? And with all of the work that you've had with quarterbacks around this country that have had a lot of success, where does he stand out and kind of stack up in your opinion with all of the work that you've done?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Well, the physical parts of it, he is really physically gifted. He's got a big arm. He's got great brains, he's got a great touch. His accuracy is really, really good. I think he's learning at a rate that most of our guys have learned. It's been fun to have him two years as a starter. It's not an accident. He's had some really big wins. He's played hurt. He's tough. He is a very smart young man. I think his football IQ is really growing. As he's played more, he really understands some of the things you've got to do to be successful consistently.

And then one of the things that I think you always look for in your quarterbacks and as a third-year starter, he certainly has taken charge. He is much more demonstrative, and he knows how to run our offense, but he also knows what to expect from his teammates, and I think we'll benefit from that this fall.

Q. What's your assessment of your run defense heading into that game against the Army rushing attack?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Well, that one is so different. A year ago, we did a solid job against them. We held them scoreless the second half. They only scored 14 points on us. I think we're better than we've been up front physically. We've got very veteran linebackers, but it doesn't make it any easier. They've got a new quarterback that probably will throw it a little more. They've got their fullbacks back, which makes it -- that's where all option attacks start, and in my opinion, they do the best job of all the option teams attacking you with their fullback and with their quarterback. So they minimize their mistakes.

So when you get right down to it, what you just said is the most critical question: Can we defend them? We can't count on getting any gifts from them, but can we be physical, defeat blocks and make tackles? We'll know more about that after Friday night, but I think we are more equipped than we've been.

Q. I know you've talked in the off-season about your confidence in both the offensive and defensive lines being better this year for you. How have you seen both of them progress through the fall, now that the season is ready to start?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Yeah, I've had good conversations with Ben Albert and Jim Bridge as we've competed with each other. I've gone to a lot of those drills, and we've spent a lot of time against each other, a lot of inside drill work, a lot of broken-down live work, where it's full speed pass rush but one-on-one, full speed run blocking half line. It's been fun because it's been a war.

We are more physically physical. We're stronger, and it very much shows. Our strength staff has done a great job. We made an emphasis -- we went to a four-day lift week, and we did it through our entire cycle, and in trying to become more physical. We play in such a physical league. I'm anxious -- it's hard to tell when you evaluate it against each other, but it certainly looks and feels more physical, and I'm hoping that is true when we get on the field with Army Friday night.

Q. Daniel Jones is already getting a lot of talk about a potential round 1 guy if he comes out in the draft this year. What do you see of his ability to shut that noise out and kind of focus on the task at hand?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Well, he's an unusual young man. I promise you, he doesn't hear any noise. He is so tuned in to being a teammate. Daniel has never really been about himself. Every bit of his being is about being a part of the team. And that's really our program. We've got other guys that are underclassmen that that may well happen. If it does, I've been around it a lot before. We'll help them make what is the best decision for them. But we don't have to worry about that for a while. The fastest way to make that not happen is to be distracted, and so I think he has been tremendous this spring.

Another thing I would tell young players all over this country, if you play this game trying to keep from getting hurt, you're going to get hurt. I've seen it too many years. I've done it a long time. We've met about it with all of these guys, or I did, met with them back in May after spring practice, and we feel great about where we are with that.

Q. You're the elder statesman of the conference, and I hope this doesn't happen for a while, but when you finally hang up that whistle for the last time, in one sentence, what would you like your legacy to be as a person and as a coach?
DAVID CUTCLIFFE: Well, I would hope that maybe if there's one sentence, it would just be that he did things the right way. I don't know that you have to kind of get beyond that, but that's what we've tried to do, and that we've cared about people. I think probably through the years, what I would -- the other part of it is trying to raise young coaches because they're going to affect a lot of folks; boy, he had a lot of good people work for him, and that is important to me as a legacy.