Read & React: A six-pack of Dantonio quotes (and reaction)
Jim Comparoni • SpartanMag.com
@JimComparoni
EAST LANSING - A “Six Pack” of interesting Mark Dantonio quotes from his weekly press conference, and publisher Jim Comparoni’s reaction:
1. Dantonio on Brian Lewerke’s 2-for-14 performance against Maryland:
“Probably what I should have said last Saturday night was that we got great game management from our quarterback. Great scramble on the third down play, the first drive. Another quarterback run for a 25-yard touchdown. No turnovers. Got out of trouble another time on a scramble. Just couldn't throw the ball very effectively because of the weather.
“We only attempted four passes in the second half. That was by design. Again, we had a three-possession lead. It was bad out there. The footing was poor. So we just didn't go in that direction.
“But I have complete confidence in him. Think he can make plays. We've seen him make enough plays in 11 games that would indicate to me that he has a big, big future here, not just at this school but in this conference. I'm excited about that.”
COMP’S TAKE: I assumed it was self-evident on Saturday as to why Lewerke’s offensive numbers were off. It was the weather, obviously.
But I was surprised to hear a smattering of complaints around the internet about Lewerke’s play. I asked one guy, “Did you think the game was played in a dome?”
Anyone who attended the game knows how challenging it was to throw the ball that day. Anyone criticizing Lewerke’s play that day must not have been at the stadium.
The response to that from critics is that Maryland’s quarterback wasn’t bothered by the elements at the end of the game.
Well, the wind and snow died down quite a bit in the last five minutes.
And Maryland did work the sidelines for a handful of passes and hit Michigan State with a 20-yarder over the middle on a nice slant-and-go.
So they completed a handful of passes at a time when Lewerke was instructed to hand it off.
Considering the elements, did Michigan State attempt a few too many high-difficulty passes? Probably so. Maryland did a better job on its last two possessions of working the sidelines and flats.
As for Lewerke, he threw 12 incompletions.
In going back over those 12, I found three inaccurate passes that were on him (all to the short sidelines, early in the game, missing high).
The other nine:
* Two were thrown away due to no one being open in the final seconds of the first half (hence Dantonio’s “game management” compliment).
* Three were dropped (by Trishton Jackson, Gerald Holmes and LJ Scott).
The drops by the running backs probably could have been delivered a little more delicately. Those weren’t easy short catches to make. But still, they were drops.
As for Jackson, this is the second straight game he looked a little awkward turning back for the ball along the sideline. And he looked frustrated with himself after that drop. He needs to make some plays and get some confidence back heading into bowl practice.
* Three were affective by foot slippage due to the field conditions (two with Lewerke falling while throwing, and one with TE Matt Sokol having to tip-toe on an out cut, then diving for an incompletion. Sokol got a hand on the ball. Some would put this one in the “drop” category.
As for one of those QB-slip incompletions, it came on third-and-nine in the fourth quarter. This one was instance in which Lewerke did not exhibit good game management skills. The pass play had little chance to pick up first-down yardage. He threw it dangerously, and would have been a 50-50 type of ball if he had gotten it near the target. Maryland had just cut the lead to 17-7. A pick-six there was as likely as a completion for a first down. That was probably the only poor decision he made all day.
* One incompletion was a deep fade for Cody White on a second-and-10 in the second half. Seemed like a high-difficulty choice considering the elements. But Lewerke is ambitious and you have to like that about him.
* Add it all up and I have three inaccurate passes, and a fourth ill-advised pass.
And Lewerke was asked several times after the game about his 2-for-14 performance, as if it’s a free throw percentage or something. People, there were other variables involved.
2. Dantonio: “It’s been 10 weeks since our bye week, so we've been going at it for 10 straight weeks. Sort of grinding, everything. But I think our football team is ready to play its final game. We're looking forward to it.”
COMP’S TAKE: I’m usually the guy pointing out the lack of a bye week for reasons why teams can lose their fizz at this time of year.
I’m impressed that this team hasn’t shown many effects of a difficult scheduling run. Well, maybe it hit in the Ohio State game a little bit. Maybe some mental and physical fatigue set in as part of the problems coaches and players talked about in terms of being ill-prepared for Ohio State’s unbalanced lines and subtle formation changes. A little more energy, a little more recall in the film room, a little more fizz, and maybe a few of those out-flank situations wouldn’t have happened.
Michigan State still would have lost, but perhaps the Spartans would have shown up a bit better were it not for this string of eight, nine, 10 games without a bye.
So we’ll see how it works for them this weekend at Rutgers. One major difference between the two teams is that Michigan State seems genuinely amped up about getting to nine wins, whereas Rutgers is now out of contention for a bowl bid.
3. Dantonio: “We flipped 3-8 (from last year) to 8-3. It's rewarding to flip it. It's rewarding to see that, to see there's something that all your hard work comes to fruition and all the things you talk about and go through as a group, you see that sort of move forward. You don't want to take any shine off of this season.”
COMP’S TAKE: I like Dantonio’s use of a mantra for game week, this week. He’s a man of many mantras in the preseason. This “Flip It” battle cry is a good one. They’re into it. It’s important that they stay focused and finish this.
Hence “You don’t want to take any shine off of this season.” Another mantra.
I think that stuff works. And I expect it to help them get rally for a ninth win this weekend.
4. Dantonio: “I think one of the main things we keep talking about is momentum, continuing to keep momentum as we go into the bowl game. Relative to how the season has gone this year, to finish going like (upward) is very, very important. Our players believe that they can flip this back.”
COMP’S TAKE: There’s that mantra again.
Secondly, there’s a lot of merit to those comments. Michigan State has momentum this week as a team. And if the Spartans get to nine wins, there will be true momentum for the program.
Michigan State isn’t going to win the Big Ten this year. But I think fans have regained an appreciation for a nine-win season, and the quest for a 10-win season. Dantonio can talk in terms of accomplishments and momentum with an 8-3 record and it’s completely justified. That’s the sign of a healthy, grounded team, program and community. There is a feeling of security about the progress and the future, and having a realistic outlook on the chance to go 10-3, and what it means with so many young players.
That’s a much healthier state of being than the insecurity we’ve seen stall SEC programs. You lose one game in that conference and distractions make it almost impossible for a coach to keep a football army marching properly. I think the rabid nature of fan support at many of those schools has moved their needle past the point of diminishing returns. I’ll be interested to see just how attractive the job openings are in the SEC in the coming weeks.
5. Dantonio: “I don't think growth ever stops. We're finishing our 11th season, but there's still growth in this program. That's the impressive thing. Point of emphasis is what our seniors have been able to accomplish. Hopefully we have awesome momentum and it will carry us forward.
“That's something that we can point to, like I said before, a little bit of a life moment, a challenge for all of us as we move forward. Any time you go through something like that (last year’s 3-9 record) where there's a lot of frustration, you bounce back a little stronger.
“I think sometimes you have to go to those depths to find yourself a little bit, to reach down. I think people sort of find themselves. They really look at themselves a lot harder sometimes when they're not successful. Once they have some quiet time, some time to recollect themselves, critique themselves, we've done that as an entire program, you work at it.
“Football is a grind. You start working back in winter workouts, summer, spring ball, all these different phases you go through. Throughout every phase there's days, there's meetings, there's different people getting to you as a person. Our strength coach, position coaches, the different people in the program, the head coach, all these different people are touching our players. They got some time to sort of reflect. I think reflection probably is as much as anything in terms of what allows us to take that next step.”
COMP’S TAKE: The coaches gained reaffirmation that what they do … works.
In the process, they gained further confirmation that they had simply allowed some of the elements that built the program into a power become stale.
Dantonio tightened the screws in every aspect of the program, and we’ve seen improved quality control across the board.
What they do works. Now they will have better reason to keep doing what they do in off-seasons to come, and doing it with tight screws.
6. “Lewerke has guys that he can throw the football to. Then you compound that with the ability to run the football last week, which was needed. We needed to take a step in that direction, and we did. I think maybe we'll peak in our 12th game, maybe our 13th. I think we still have not peaked yet as a complete football team. Maybe you never do, I don't know.”
COMP’S TAKE: I think something close to a peak might be witnessed this week. Rutgers has been a run-oriented offense this year. Michigan State has stuffed most run-oriented offenses its faced this year, especially inside-zone teams like the ones Rutgers o-coordinator Jerry Kill usually fields.
It’s supposed to be sunny at 56 on Saturday at Rutgers. Lewerke should have good throwing conditions, good pass protection. The run game gained some traction last week and is ending the season in the soft spot of the Big Ten East schedule.
Conditions are in place for the Spartans to achieve a measure of offensive balance for the first time in a long while. The Spartans should be able to mix the run and pass and finish the regular season with everyone feeling good about the week’s accomplishment and the season’s accomplishments.
Then they can try to gear toward peaking against a quality opponent at bowl time. These are healthy, positive days … provided that they close this thing out properly on Saturday.
Mark Dantonio hugs his game manager after Saturday's victory over Maryland.
Jim Comparoni • SpartanMag.com
@JimComparoni
EAST LANSING - A “Six Pack” of interesting Mark Dantonio quotes from his weekly press conference, and publisher Jim Comparoni’s reaction:
1. Dantonio on Brian Lewerke’s 2-for-14 performance against Maryland:
“Probably what I should have said last Saturday night was that we got great game management from our quarterback. Great scramble on the third down play, the first drive. Another quarterback run for a 25-yard touchdown. No turnovers. Got out of trouble another time on a scramble. Just couldn't throw the ball very effectively because of the weather.
“We only attempted four passes in the second half. That was by design. Again, we had a three-possession lead. It was bad out there. The footing was poor. So we just didn't go in that direction.
“But I have complete confidence in him. Think he can make plays. We've seen him make enough plays in 11 games that would indicate to me that he has a big, big future here, not just at this school but in this conference. I'm excited about that.”
COMP’S TAKE: I assumed it was self-evident on Saturday as to why Lewerke’s offensive numbers were off. It was the weather, obviously.
But I was surprised to hear a smattering of complaints around the internet about Lewerke’s play. I asked one guy, “Did you think the game was played in a dome?”
Anyone who attended the game knows how challenging it was to throw the ball that day. Anyone criticizing Lewerke’s play that day must not have been at the stadium.
The response to that from critics is that Maryland’s quarterback wasn’t bothered by the elements at the end of the game.
Well, the wind and snow died down quite a bit in the last five minutes.
And Maryland did work the sidelines for a handful of passes and hit Michigan State with a 20-yarder over the middle on a nice slant-and-go.
So they completed a handful of passes at a time when Lewerke was instructed to hand it off.
Considering the elements, did Michigan State attempt a few too many high-difficulty passes? Probably so. Maryland did a better job on its last two possessions of working the sidelines and flats.
As for Lewerke, he threw 12 incompletions.
In going back over those 12, I found three inaccurate passes that were on him (all to the short sidelines, early in the game, missing high).
The other nine:
* Two were thrown away due to no one being open in the final seconds of the first half (hence Dantonio’s “game management” compliment).
* Three were dropped (by Trishton Jackson, Gerald Holmes and LJ Scott).
The drops by the running backs probably could have been delivered a little more delicately. Those weren’t easy short catches to make. But still, they were drops.
As for Jackson, this is the second straight game he looked a little awkward turning back for the ball along the sideline. And he looked frustrated with himself after that drop. He needs to make some plays and get some confidence back heading into bowl practice.
* Three were affective by foot slippage due to the field conditions (two with Lewerke falling while throwing, and one with TE Matt Sokol having to tip-toe on an out cut, then diving for an incompletion. Sokol got a hand on the ball. Some would put this one in the “drop” category.
As for one of those QB-slip incompletions, it came on third-and-nine in the fourth quarter. This one was instance in which Lewerke did not exhibit good game management skills. The pass play had little chance to pick up first-down yardage. He threw it dangerously, and would have been a 50-50 type of ball if he had gotten it near the target. Maryland had just cut the lead to 17-7. A pick-six there was as likely as a completion for a first down. That was probably the only poor decision he made all day.
* One incompletion was a deep fade for Cody White on a second-and-10 in the second half. Seemed like a high-difficulty choice considering the elements. But Lewerke is ambitious and you have to like that about him.
* Add it all up and I have three inaccurate passes, and a fourth ill-advised pass.
And Lewerke was asked several times after the game about his 2-for-14 performance, as if it’s a free throw percentage or something. People, there were other variables involved.
2. Dantonio: “It’s been 10 weeks since our bye week, so we've been going at it for 10 straight weeks. Sort of grinding, everything. But I think our football team is ready to play its final game. We're looking forward to it.”
COMP’S TAKE: I’m usually the guy pointing out the lack of a bye week for reasons why teams can lose their fizz at this time of year.
I’m impressed that this team hasn’t shown many effects of a difficult scheduling run. Well, maybe it hit in the Ohio State game a little bit. Maybe some mental and physical fatigue set in as part of the problems coaches and players talked about in terms of being ill-prepared for Ohio State’s unbalanced lines and subtle formation changes. A little more energy, a little more recall in the film room, a little more fizz, and maybe a few of those out-flank situations wouldn’t have happened.
Michigan State still would have lost, but perhaps the Spartans would have shown up a bit better were it not for this string of eight, nine, 10 games without a bye.
So we’ll see how it works for them this weekend at Rutgers. One major difference between the two teams is that Michigan State seems genuinely amped up about getting to nine wins, whereas Rutgers is now out of contention for a bowl bid.
3. Dantonio: “We flipped 3-8 (from last year) to 8-3. It's rewarding to flip it. It's rewarding to see that, to see there's something that all your hard work comes to fruition and all the things you talk about and go through as a group, you see that sort of move forward. You don't want to take any shine off of this season.”
COMP’S TAKE: I like Dantonio’s use of a mantra for game week, this week. He’s a man of many mantras in the preseason. This “Flip It” battle cry is a good one. They’re into it. It’s important that they stay focused and finish this.
Hence “You don’t want to take any shine off of this season.” Another mantra.
I think that stuff works. And I expect it to help them get rally for a ninth win this weekend.
4. Dantonio: “I think one of the main things we keep talking about is momentum, continuing to keep momentum as we go into the bowl game. Relative to how the season has gone this year, to finish going like (upward) is very, very important. Our players believe that they can flip this back.”
COMP’S TAKE: There’s that mantra again.
Secondly, there’s a lot of merit to those comments. Michigan State has momentum this week as a team. And if the Spartans get to nine wins, there will be true momentum for the program.
Michigan State isn’t going to win the Big Ten this year. But I think fans have regained an appreciation for a nine-win season, and the quest for a 10-win season. Dantonio can talk in terms of accomplishments and momentum with an 8-3 record and it’s completely justified. That’s the sign of a healthy, grounded team, program and community. There is a feeling of security about the progress and the future, and having a realistic outlook on the chance to go 10-3, and what it means with so many young players.
That’s a much healthier state of being than the insecurity we’ve seen stall SEC programs. You lose one game in that conference and distractions make it almost impossible for a coach to keep a football army marching properly. I think the rabid nature of fan support at many of those schools has moved their needle past the point of diminishing returns. I’ll be interested to see just how attractive the job openings are in the SEC in the coming weeks.
5. Dantonio: “I don't think growth ever stops. We're finishing our 11th season, but there's still growth in this program. That's the impressive thing. Point of emphasis is what our seniors have been able to accomplish. Hopefully we have awesome momentum and it will carry us forward.
“That's something that we can point to, like I said before, a little bit of a life moment, a challenge for all of us as we move forward. Any time you go through something like that (last year’s 3-9 record) where there's a lot of frustration, you bounce back a little stronger.
“I think sometimes you have to go to those depths to find yourself a little bit, to reach down. I think people sort of find themselves. They really look at themselves a lot harder sometimes when they're not successful. Once they have some quiet time, some time to recollect themselves, critique themselves, we've done that as an entire program, you work at it.
“Football is a grind. You start working back in winter workouts, summer, spring ball, all these different phases you go through. Throughout every phase there's days, there's meetings, there's different people getting to you as a person. Our strength coach, position coaches, the different people in the program, the head coach, all these different people are touching our players. They got some time to sort of reflect. I think reflection probably is as much as anything in terms of what allows us to take that next step.”
COMP’S TAKE: The coaches gained reaffirmation that what they do … works.
In the process, they gained further confirmation that they had simply allowed some of the elements that built the program into a power become stale.
Dantonio tightened the screws in every aspect of the program, and we’ve seen improved quality control across the board.
What they do works. Now they will have better reason to keep doing what they do in off-seasons to come, and doing it with tight screws.
6. “Lewerke has guys that he can throw the football to. Then you compound that with the ability to run the football last week, which was needed. We needed to take a step in that direction, and we did. I think maybe we'll peak in our 12th game, maybe our 13th. I think we still have not peaked yet as a complete football team. Maybe you never do, I don't know.”
COMP’S TAKE: I think something close to a peak might be witnessed this week. Rutgers has been a run-oriented offense this year. Michigan State has stuffed most run-oriented offenses its faced this year, especially inside-zone teams like the ones Rutgers o-coordinator Jerry Kill usually fields.
It’s supposed to be sunny at 56 on Saturday at Rutgers. Lewerke should have good throwing conditions, good pass protection. The run game gained some traction last week and is ending the season in the soft spot of the Big Ten East schedule.
Conditions are in place for the Spartans to achieve a measure of offensive balance for the first time in a long while. The Spartans should be able to mix the run and pass and finish the regular season with everyone feeling good about the week’s accomplishment and the season’s accomplishments.
Then they can try to gear toward peaking against a quality opponent at bowl time. These are healthy, positive days … provided that they close this thing out properly on Saturday.
Mark Dantonio hugs his game manager after Saturday's victory over Maryland.
