Press Conference (Billy Fessler) Elite Edition August 2

games both on the field but also i think it's just as important to play that in your head you know we talk to those guys all the time that we're laying around at bed and maybe watching some film and you know, look at a clip and it'll be, okay, what would I do here on this play? What would I do here on this play? And constantly challenge your mind to play with an imagination, even when we're not out there on the field, doing it, um, is an opportunity to grow.

It's an opportunity to get better.

And, and maybe somehow mentally I can put myself in that position.

So if I do get a look that hadn't shown up on tape all year long, but they give us a different look on defense than maybe they've shown.

I'm ready for that moment.

What's that? Well, number one, um,

You know, he's an iron buckeye, which is pretty incredible.

Obviously, we know that's a big deal around here.

And his work in the weight room was tremendous.

So as an athlete, we've definitely seen that.

And then, you know, on top of that, we've seen him grow as a leader.

He's more vocal.

His presence is felt.

I think he's playing with a little bit of an edge to him, which is good to see.

I think you have to play that position with a little bit of an edge without – you know, ever getting too high or too low.

And that's contagious.

So we're seeing that right now from Lincoln.

And then, you know, as far as mechanically it goes, you know, we're definitely seeing Lincoln get the ball out quick.

I think he's accurate.

You know, I think that his base has improved.

There's been, you know, a couple of things that in the spring he was working on with his footwork.

And we've seen some drastic improvements that way.

With Leland specifically, you know that he's got the black jersey on and a lot of the teams that love him get taken away by blowing the play dead and things like that.

How do you see him as an athlete in that regard while also not being able to see it as much on the practice field since he's not live?

Yeah, I mean, you know, you definitely can't see it to the full extent as though you go live.

But we still see it.

You know, we still see it.

You know, there's times when he's extending plays or stepping up through the pocket and taking off and going.

And, you know, there's no question Lincoln's a great athlete.

And that's got to be something that he plays through his strengths.

You know, it's got to be something that his game has in it.

which he's shown to do a great job of.

You know, he's made a couple plays throughout spring where he's extended the play and kept his eyes on field and made some great throws.

So, you know, although we can't see that quite as well because we're not going live, there's still definitely a feeling for that.

There's a lot of that athleticism in regard, and I'm sure there are things that Julian does really well.

How do you make sure that those guys are trying to win the competition on what they do well, but also making them get out of their comfort zone so they're being thrust into positions that maybe they're not super comfortable with to show you guys that they can do those things?

Yeah, I mean, you know, as we as we script practice and we go through it, we try to be extremely detailed in the different reps that everyone's getting.

And it's not like, you know, we would ever script a certain play on purpose because it fits someone's strengths better.

You know, we want them to run the offense.

You know, the offense is always going to adjust.

to the skill set of the players that are in the entire offense.

But at the end of the day, the offense is going to be the offense.

So from a decision-making perspective, from a throw perspective, those guys are going out there and getting those reps and competing in it.

Joey, I assume at this point of training camp, you're not really thinking in terms of who's ahead.

At what point do you need to start thinking that way? Or are you just right now

just pure developmental?

Yeah, right now we're just we're just taking it day by day and really period by period on the field meeting by meeting off the field, you know, and, you know, the one thing that's pretty cool is those guys are very competitive and they push each other hard and they're, you know.

They're ultimately really good for each other because they both make each other uncomfortable because they're both very good players.

And Tavian's right there with them, included in that mix.

And above all of that, they're still friends.

I think what's pretty cool right now is just you walk into that quarterback room and you've got a bunch of really, really good guys that all get along well.

And, you know, are willing to help each other out and give each other pointers and tips if they see something.

And, you know, it's it's a it's an enjoyable environment to be around every day.

But but ultimately, those guys are competing.

You know, they're going out there and they're trying to win the job.

And I think they realize that every moment is important and every period is important.

And they're going out there trying to get done.

When you talk about a quarterback getting the ball out quicker.

How much of that is efficiency of mechanics and how much of that is mental? How quickly they see something to then get the ball out faster?

Definitely a combination of both.

I think when you look at a concept, how quick can I process the information I'm getting from the defense? And the way that I can process that information quickly is where are my eyes? Are my eyes in the right spot? If I'm looking at the right thing and I can anticipate what that defender is going to do and make a decision and get the ball out, right, that's a major, major factor in it.

And then there's also a piece of it, right, that comes down to the mechanics as well.

But I think more than anything, you know, it's about making sure my eyes are in the right spot, making sure that I'm trusting what my read is and making sure that I'm getting the ball out and making a great decision with the football.

Coach Fessler, thank you very much.

Thanks, guys.