Bill Snyder spoke with the media today as part of Kansas State's Football weekly Tuesday press conference. In our 'He said, we say," piece we break down what Snyder said - quote by quote - to look for meaning.
NOTE: There is some level of paraphrasing used on all of these quotes from Snyder. A full, accurate transcript will also be provided later.
Question: On quarterbacks...
He Said: I would anticipate both would play. Both played reasonably well in the course of the ballgame at West Virginia. It wasn't that going from one to the other was that Skylar was playing bad, we didn't have a touchdown on the board and needed to make some type of change. It wasn't Skylar's fault. We'll see who gets the start, but I anticipate, as always, both will be on the field.
We Say: This quote was pretty much word for word what I said Snyder would say about the QB situation on The Foundation yesterday.I believe he's had the way he talks about his quarterbacks pointed out to him, and to his credit he's adjusted. And, I think it was the right thing to say, in all honesty. He did well here.
As for the starter, the decision has been made and communicated to the team that Alex Delton will start. Wouldn't expect him to say it, of course, as he'd rather Texas didn't know who is going to start.
Question: On Sam Ehliinger...
He Said: He's a well rounded quarterback that can do a lot of things... They'll keep you on your toes. He's a big, physical guy who can run. The quarterback run game hurt us last year. He's versatile enough to impact all phases of the game.
We Say: Much better description of Ehlinger than Will Grier last week, he's got a great idea of what he's coming up against.
Question: On his involvement of the offense...
He Said: I don't fault anybody in particular, our players or our coaches. Everybody has improvement to make, and that starts with me. We all have to get better at what we're doing. When you consider the assignments of everybody on the staff it's different, and they're growing together. It's getting acclimated to it and continuing to make the improvement.
We Say: I don't have anything clever to add or talk about here, I'm impressed with the type of answers Snyder is giving today and the accountability he's showing.
Question: On Skylar being surprised he was taken out...
He Said: Skylar wasn't playing any worse than anybody else. He was doing okay. It wasn't his fault that we were behind the eight ball. We didn't have any points on the board and needed to do something and make some type of change. The other guy has been playing equally well, for the most part. Skylar played well, we just needed to try and do something to get a spark and get points on the board.
We Say: Again, the perfect answer in my estimation. Whether he really believes this or not can be up for debate in comparison to what we know about his opinion of the quarterbacks and what he's said in the past, but credit where it's due, I think he's saying all the right things today.
Question: On the six-inches comment...
He Said: If I recall correctly I say I'd take the responsibility for that, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. If the same situation arises next week, I'll do the same thing. It's because I have great confidence in them. It didn't happen, and there's some reason behind that. It's not because I couldn't coach them. I didn't mean that it was a team that couldn't gain six inches... I wasn't trying to challenge anybody. I was trying to show I have confidence in their ability.
We Say: Honestly, from the start I didn't have a massive problem with the six-inches comment. But it's hard for me to believe it wasn't used to motivate - or more likely (and understandably) - was just a coach frustrated by his team losing a football game. I don't quite buy, however, it was intended to show confidence at the time. That said, I believe his confidence is sincere and his stated purpose of doing the same thing again (going for it) is the right thing to say and do.
Question: General question about the team trying to bounce back...
He Said: I'm trying to get them to understand how close they really are. You watch the ballgame and think it's a bad team and what am I talking about, but look at the third and fourth down plays and what happens. We drop touchdowns, we have a fumble. There's more in there that we have total control over. It's not somebody beating you because they are much better than you are, it's us doing things incorrectly that we are more than capable of doing in the right way.
We Say: I don't think this is accurate; WVU made loads of mistakes and was clearly the better team, but I get and respect why you say this. Today is all about Snyder showing confidence in his team publicly, and I think that's a good strategy to take. His team needs that right now.
Question: On Jordan Mittie...
He Said: He's not just a guy who lines up and says, "it's me against you, and I'm going to knock you around." He's got a good understanding of the defense and how things are going to happen, how to react. He's been good in that regard.
We Say: I've been critical of Mittie's play at times, and I think I've been wrong about what he's capable of. I think he's been pretty good the last couple of games and is somebody who belongs on the field somewhat regularly.
Question: On offensive line changes...
He Said: I'm confident we have the right five guys on the field. We've dabbled at right guard with Beecham and Rivas, but Beecham has graded out better and is therefore on the field more. The other guys still have a shot to get better and to push for opportunities, they have them, but I have confidence in Coach Dickey and the right five are on the field.
We Say: All I really wanted to get out of this question was if Snyder believes the "best five," are on the field, and he offered it up without me using that term. I think it's key that K-State fully believes they have the best five out there, so it's a relief to hear it does.
Question: On Texas...
He Said: They have the capacity to do a lot of things, a lot like West Virginia in some ways. They're an odd-front team, so there's some carry over there. The quarterback can do a lot of different things. I think they're a team from an offensive standpoint that has running backs who run extremely hard and have good quickness to them. They'll run it downhill at you if you let them. They've played some very good football teams, TCU is a good football team, and I'd like to believe USC is a good football team.
We Say: Good description of Texas, although they've actually really struggled to run the football this year. Either way, perhaps he was just praising their running back skills in particular. Will certainly be a challenge, particularly against their run defense.
