Kansas Quarterbacks Meet With Media Monday
April 5, 2010
Kansas football fans can follow the Jayhawks on the internet through KU’s official website, as well as get behind the scenes looks through the official Kansas football blog.
On Monday after practice the Kansas quarterbacks visited with the media for the first time this spring. In addition, offensive coordinator/quarterback coach Chuck Long also spoke.
Offensive Coordinator Chuck Long
On the quarterback competition:
“Quarterbacks gain leadership by gaining confidence. They need to start knowing what they’re doing and getting a feel for the system. That’s when quarterbacks start to come forward and some do it better than others. I thought today was one of their best days so far. They are finally showing that they are starting to get it down now.”
On Jordan Webb’s performance:
“Jordan is playing well. He played well today, he has a good, strong arm and a good head on his shoulders. He knows the game.”
On Kale Pick’s performance:
“Kale has speed. He has the foot speed that a lot of guys on the team don’t have. Each quarterback brings a different skill to the table and by the end of the spring, I should have a good feel for how to play to each strength when the time comes.”
Kansas Junior Quarterback Quinn Mecham
On the competition between quarterbacks:
“So far the competition has been really good. We’re trying to help each other, and just compete and get the offense down the best as we can.”
On whether the number of reps matters right now:
“It’s just like coach tells us, ‘Don’t count your reps, make your reps count’ so that’s what we really try to do is just make our reps count until our time ends and it’s the next guys turn.”
On how he feels about his position competing with five other quarterbacks:
“We’re all quarterbacks competing right now. You can’t try to compare yourself to each of the other guys. It’s just all about competing and trying to do the best that you can right now.”
Kansas Sophomore Quarterback Kale Pick
On the competition between quarterbacks:
“All of us have been taking reps, we all get our fair share. It’s competitive, but we also have fun with it. We don’t take it off the field or anything and we stay pretty talkative to each other. It’s going good so far.”
On if he thinks he has an advantage with being a running quarterback:
“I don’t focus on it much. In high school I was always a throwing quarterback, but now I got a few good runs here so everyone thinks I’m a running quarterback. Now I just have to show that I can throw it too. I can run the ball, but I can really throw it too.”
On what coach wants from whoever wins the position:
“Win ballgames. I don’t think he cares how we play as long as we get a W.”
On there being six guys competing for the position of quarterback:
“It’s weird, but I think we’ll see who starts to get more reps as we go along and just go from there. It’s been different with so many of us, but right now we’re not counting our reps, but making each rep count. Coach tells us that every day.”
Sophomore quarterback Conner Teahan
On why he decided to try out for the team:
“It was one of those things where, coming out of high school, I always wondered what it was like to play college football. It was one of those things that I always thought about doing, but then got the opportunity to play Kansas basketball. I decided to go with that, but now the situation kind of changed—they got a new coach, obviously Todd (Reesing) is gone and they are saying they might need some help at the quarterback position. I thought I might as well give it a try and not regret it five years from now. That was the main factor.”
On his goals:
“I’m a competitor, I’m obviously trying to get out there. I did not come here to sit on the bench like I do in basketball. I want to come out here and play and I’ve had that mentality and attitude the whole time. Obviously, my number one goal is to get out there and be a quarterback for the Kansas football team.”
On the hardest part right now:
“I’d say it’s probably 60-40 studying the playbook and actually getting the football in my hands. I really hadn’t been throwing much and throughout last week my arm was pretty sore. I just hadn’t been going that much or throwing that hard. I’m not really that worried about the throwing, because that will come back to me with practice. As a quarterback, you have to know what everyone is doing, not just what you’re doing. That’s definitely the hardest part, but I feel like I can do it.”
Freshman quarterback Jordan Webb
On standing out on offense:
“Well, we are all out here working hard. I’ve made some plays that may have stuck out, but we are all out here competing and working hard.”
On the first week of practice:
“Everything is kind of fast. We’re moving fast and learning this new offense, but we’re having fun. It’s been nice.”
On competing with five other quarterbacks:
“We all have our strengths, but I think whoever wins is going to give us a good chance to win games.”
