Adrian Peterson Quotes

Adrian Peterson said that...

Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said...

This was done over two interviews. One in a one-on-one setting at Big 12 media days and one on a conference call.

CFN: Are there any positives that can come out of what happened last year losing four games?

Bob Stoops: No. We’ve got to be more disciplined and tougher as coaches, and they have to accept it as players to be a championship team.

CFN: In what ways are you a better coach now than you were when you first started having all your success?

BS: How to handle you guys (the media) better. I don’t know how to answer that. It’s like whatever profession you’re in, you get more experience and you learn something all the time. I can’t get give any specifics, but maybe I feel more comfortable in my position. .

CFN: Are there any specific plans on how you’re going to use Adrian Peterson this year so he doesn’t wear down and is fresh and stays healthy?

BS: (sarcastically) Yeah, we’re going to run him five or ten times a game and then turn him loose in the big ones. No, we’re going to try to get him the 2,000 rushing yards he had his freshman year and another 500 or so receiving yards. We’d like to see the guy make a lot of big plays. I don’t know what you’re insinuating by your question about staying fresh and staying healthy. I can’t help it if someone falls down on him and hurts his ankle and has a high ankle sprain. Was that running him too much?

CFN: How does Peterson compare to other backs you’ve seen?

BS: I can’t compare him to anyone else; I haven’t seen anyone like him. He’s a powerful, explosive back with great speed and great style. He’s a tough, physical runner. Bottom line, until he was hurt, he’s had a lot of success. It’s not his fault that he got hurt. We plan to give him the ball a lot and hopefully he has a great year. He’s incredibly physical. He’s a guy who can run a 4.3 and weight 220 pounds. He absolutely destroys a weight room.

On getting over what happened last year losing four games.

BS: I was smart enough to know what the problems were and what some of our limitations were and why we lost. We’ve got to change that kind of behavior, and hopefully those things change in practices and when we’re on the field. I didn’t like that we didn’t have success, but we’re not going to abandon ship and we’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing. You always look inward to our approach and what we might be missing. I gave the staff a pep talk. We’re not going to change our approach. We’re going to limit our mistakes and some selfish behavior. We’ll grow through this.

On getting a coach’s challenge for instant replay.

BS: I like it. I thought a year ago we were all against it because we didn’t have, and still don’t have, video monitors in our coaching booths. There was no way to get a good look on what we should challenge. I don’t need to name any games, but all of us have been in games with plays that were not reviewed. Many coaches burn timeouts to get a review. When we realize that what we were supposed to do failed at times, we needed the change. Our Kansas game, we have two guys tie up on the goal line. Our guy ran off the field with the ball, and the official spotted the ball at the six inch line. I had to call a time out, and fortunately they reversed the call.
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Is he comfortable about this year’s team being ranked so high?

BS: No I’m not comfortable with it. For us and a staff and a program, we’re used to it, but we pay no attention to it. Our guys are fairly young still, and hopefully they realize that by no means have we earned that position yet. It shouldn’t take that long considering what happened last year and where we were projected. If they have any sense whatsoever that should be pretty simple to understand.

On preseason polls and if they should come out early.

BS: I don’t care one way or another what the magazines do, but I don’t think we as coaches as a poll should do anything until after we’ve played a couple of games. That’s not going to happen since they sell too many newspapers with it. They’re going to make them, but they don’t matter.