Army West Point Athletics
Jeff Monken Press Conference Quotes: Rutgers
November 17, 2015 | Football
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Army West Point football head coach Jeff Monken met with members of the local media on Tuesday afternoon for his weekly press conference inside Nowak Auditorium. The Black Knights are preparing to host Rutgers on Saturday afternoon at Michie Stadium.
(Ref.: opening statement)
"Good afternoon everybody. I know most of you were here on Saturday and, what a finish to the ball game it was. We found a way to battle back and we had it tied at the end, but we just couldn't find a way to keep them from scoring that field goal. That is the second time that has happened this year, having a ball go through the uprights as time expires. It's a tough way to lose, but I don't know if there is an easy way to lose. We were certainly disappointed, but we turn our sights to Rutgers, which may be the most talented team we face all year. They have a bunch of great players and I know Coach Flood coaches his team really tough and it will be a challenging game for us. They have experience playing the option, they've played Navy several times over the past few years and they played an Army team recently. We were watching that game in the staff room the other day. The plan that they will have is one that they have worked on and developed over the last couple of years.
Offensively, they have some good skill players, very big guys on the offensive line and those physical matchups are some things we have to play really close attention to. They have a receiver who is as good as any in the Big Ten and a kick returner who is as good as any in the Big Ten so we will have a lot to work on. We will practice again today. We practiced on Sunday night and today, tomorrow and Thursday and hopefully we will have our team prepared to play on Saturday. It will be the last game at Michie Stadium for these seniors and we would sure like to send them off with a victory."
 (Ref.: do you feel the team is moving in the right direction despite the losses)
"Sure, I do. When we blocked the punt and returned it for a touchdown on Saturday, nine of the 11 guys on the field were freshmen. Kenneth Brinson played most of the game on Saturday and he wasn't ready to do that early in the season, or even in the middle of the year. I think that is great progress for him. We moved the football and put ourselves in great positions to score. We didn't score a couple of times when we had it in scoring position, which is disappointing, but we had it in position. Defensively we gave up some big plays. We gave up the big pass play on third down and gave up some big run plays there and it's not 11 guys, its one guy on those particular plays. There's no question that our team has gotten better and our team is moving in the right direction. It's not a quick fix project, it takes time to build a championship organization, but I have no doubt that is where we are moving."
(Ref.: on Ahmad Bradshaw's passing heading forward)
"I think everybody loves to try to come up with reasons on why the passing game would help us win, but once again, I don't know that that's the answer. I think the answer is that we have to be able to move the football, whether we're running or passing. If we can't run the ball, it's not going to be good for us. And I think that's the case for every team. There aren't too many teams that win championships that can't run the ball. It's encouraging to see Ahmad throw the ball because he hadn't thrown a ball all week until Saturday. When he's healthy, he has the ability to be an accurate passer, and he's done that some this year. We're not going to ask him to throw it 25 times a game, but when we're able to throw it, we want it to be accurate and take advantage of run-stopping defenses. We have to do a better job protecting the passer."
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(Ref.: on whether you've seen the team progress throughout the season)
"I think we're learning lessons. You learn something from every game and every experience. We learn about our players and their abilities and personalities. We learn what buttons to push with each guy and how to motivate and inspire them. Those are things all of us learn when you go through a season."
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(Ref.: The lessons learned and battling discouragement)
"I hope everybody, not just the players but coaches, managers, and everybody that touches our program, I hope they are learning things that will be lessons for them in their life. I was having this same conversation with one of our seniors yesterday, who I know has been very discouraged that this season hasn't going the way he had hoped and this class had hoped and our whole team had set our sights on. As I told him, there are going to be stretches in your life when things don't go your way. If you just get discouraged and hang your lip and feel sorry for yourself, they're never going to get turned around. You're going to wait for somebody else to turn your life around or to turn your luck around. You got to get rid of disappointment and discouragement and get to determination and be determined that you're going to turn it, that it's going to get better, and to keep fighting. I don't know if there is a better lesson for our guys. They're going to lead other men and women. There may be times when things don't go their way. If they let discouragement creep in, then they're going to continue to lose the fight. But if they stay determined, and they can inspire and motivate other people to stay determined and continue to fight, then they'll have a chance to win. I think that's the same lesson we're teaching guys here.
We may be going through some tough times right now and it may not look like it's going our way. But if we remain determined and continue to fight, it's going to go our way. We're going to turn the tide and I don't have any doubt about that. It's why I'm not going to get discouraged and I'm not going to grow weary of the fight. I hope those guys will too. Everybody in their life experiences rough patches. In their marriage, or a sickness in their family or themselves, you can throw in the white towel or get discouraged and feel sorry for yourself or you can fight. I choose to fight and hopefully the guys in this room that meet with us every day and go on the practice field are learning to fight too. I think just the way we have handled disappointments this year, defeats, and comeback and battled the next week, there hasn't been a time where effort has been a problem or attitude has been a problem. That has not been it at all. I'm proud of this team and proud of the effort and resiliency they've shown. Those are the things I hope these guys are learning."
(Ref.: whether or not Army has an advantage with Rutgers not having prepped for the option)
"I'm sure that Coach Flood and his staff is going to have a very good plan for our offense. To be able to pull the film out of previous games, playing against option teams, and their players being able to watch guys in Rutgers uniforms execute those defenses and the coaches talking their language about how that correlates to the things that they do each week against traditional offenses, I think that they will have a good plan and I think that their kids will be able to execute. They're going to be talented enough and physical enough that, even if they haven't practiced those things over-and-over throughout the year, they're going to be able to make up for a lot of that, just because of who they are and who we are."
(Ref:. Challenges rushing against Tulane)
"Tulane played a defense that we had planned all week for. They played Georgia Tech earlier in the year and played a 4-3 defense, and when they came back and played Navy a few weeks later they were in something completely different. They were much more successful in executing their defense against Navy so we anticipated that was what we were going to see, and that's what we got. It was tough to run the ball inside because they had every one of our offensive linemen covered and two linebackers in the box with a double-eagle defense. If we were a lot bigger, we would just line up and block them, knock them off the ball and run the fullback in there, but that's not our deal. We had some plays designed that we thought would open up the fullback, and we weren't able to knock them out of there on double teams. They were big and strong; 328, 304, 290 (pounds). We don't match up very well in the guard box against guys like that. They did a good job defending us inside, but that allowed us to get the ball on the perimeter. We hit some bigger plays pitching the ball on the perimeter which was encouraging."
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(Ref:. Rutgers' Big Ten opponents)
"Rutgers' last four games against Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin are four really good football teams and great football programs. You're talking about teams that have played in the BCS National Championship Game, have won national championships and have the history of their programs. That sounds like murderer's row. All those teams are outstanding, well coached, physical and fast so Rutgers being in that league and competing with those teams playing them tough indicates what kind of players and personnel they're going to have."
(Ref.: Senior class and what they've meant to the program)
They are a special group of guys. I think I appreciate them so much more after going through the season that we've had and seeing the fight and resiliency that they still have being 2-8. There are a lot of teams that may have just folded the tents and said enough is enough, but I don't think our guys have done that. It is attributed to the leadership of the senior class and the determination they've had to get this program turned. They may not leave here with the record they would have hoped they would have earned, but they are doing things right now to build this program to a championship level that we will reach in the years to come. There is little satisfaction for those guys because they won't be here to be a part of those championship seasons which I have no doubt will come our way. I commend those guys for their effort. They want to win and you've got to create a way to make each game matter. You talk about the season when it's done, but you should talk about the next game and creating a culture where you think about the next play, not the next series or quarter, but doing the best on this next play. You do your very best each time the ball is snapped and we challenge our guys to do that every day here. We are not evaluating ourselves on our previous 10 games, but on this weekend against Rutgers. I think these guys have been able to do that and I am proud of them for their effort. There are some guys that have played a lot of football in this senior class that we will certainly miss next year and the years to come."
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(Ref.: opening statement)
"Good afternoon everybody. I know most of you were here on Saturday and, what a finish to the ball game it was. We found a way to battle back and we had it tied at the end, but we just couldn't find a way to keep them from scoring that field goal. That is the second time that has happened this year, having a ball go through the uprights as time expires. It's a tough way to lose, but I don't know if there is an easy way to lose. We were certainly disappointed, but we turn our sights to Rutgers, which may be the most talented team we face all year. They have a bunch of great players and I know Coach Flood coaches his team really tough and it will be a challenging game for us. They have experience playing the option, they've played Navy several times over the past few years and they played an Army team recently. We were watching that game in the staff room the other day. The plan that they will have is one that they have worked on and developed over the last couple of years.
Offensively, they have some good skill players, very big guys on the offensive line and those physical matchups are some things we have to play really close attention to. They have a receiver who is as good as any in the Big Ten and a kick returner who is as good as any in the Big Ten so we will have a lot to work on. We will practice again today. We practiced on Sunday night and today, tomorrow and Thursday and hopefully we will have our team prepared to play on Saturday. It will be the last game at Michie Stadium for these seniors and we would sure like to send them off with a victory."
 (Ref.: do you feel the team is moving in the right direction despite the losses)
"Sure, I do. When we blocked the punt and returned it for a touchdown on Saturday, nine of the 11 guys on the field were freshmen. Kenneth Brinson played most of the game on Saturday and he wasn't ready to do that early in the season, or even in the middle of the year. I think that is great progress for him. We moved the football and put ourselves in great positions to score. We didn't score a couple of times when we had it in scoring position, which is disappointing, but we had it in position. Defensively we gave up some big plays. We gave up the big pass play on third down and gave up some big run plays there and it's not 11 guys, its one guy on those particular plays. There's no question that our team has gotten better and our team is moving in the right direction. It's not a quick fix project, it takes time to build a championship organization, but I have no doubt that is where we are moving."
(Ref.: on Ahmad Bradshaw's passing heading forward)
"I think everybody loves to try to come up with reasons on why the passing game would help us win, but once again, I don't know that that's the answer. I think the answer is that we have to be able to move the football, whether we're running or passing. If we can't run the ball, it's not going to be good for us. And I think that's the case for every team. There aren't too many teams that win championships that can't run the ball. It's encouraging to see Ahmad throw the ball because he hadn't thrown a ball all week until Saturday. When he's healthy, he has the ability to be an accurate passer, and he's done that some this year. We're not going to ask him to throw it 25 times a game, but when we're able to throw it, we want it to be accurate and take advantage of run-stopping defenses. We have to do a better job protecting the passer."
Â
(Ref.: on whether you've seen the team progress throughout the season)
"I think we're learning lessons. You learn something from every game and every experience. We learn about our players and their abilities and personalities. We learn what buttons to push with each guy and how to motivate and inspire them. Those are things all of us learn when you go through a season."
Â
(Ref.: The lessons learned and battling discouragement)
"I hope everybody, not just the players but coaches, managers, and everybody that touches our program, I hope they are learning things that will be lessons for them in their life. I was having this same conversation with one of our seniors yesterday, who I know has been very discouraged that this season hasn't going the way he had hoped and this class had hoped and our whole team had set our sights on. As I told him, there are going to be stretches in your life when things don't go your way. If you just get discouraged and hang your lip and feel sorry for yourself, they're never going to get turned around. You're going to wait for somebody else to turn your life around or to turn your luck around. You got to get rid of disappointment and discouragement and get to determination and be determined that you're going to turn it, that it's going to get better, and to keep fighting. I don't know if there is a better lesson for our guys. They're going to lead other men and women. There may be times when things don't go their way. If they let discouragement creep in, then they're going to continue to lose the fight. But if they stay determined, and they can inspire and motivate other people to stay determined and continue to fight, then they'll have a chance to win. I think that's the same lesson we're teaching guys here.
We may be going through some tough times right now and it may not look like it's going our way. But if we remain determined and continue to fight, it's going to go our way. We're going to turn the tide and I don't have any doubt about that. It's why I'm not going to get discouraged and I'm not going to grow weary of the fight. I hope those guys will too. Everybody in their life experiences rough patches. In their marriage, or a sickness in their family or themselves, you can throw in the white towel or get discouraged and feel sorry for yourself or you can fight. I choose to fight and hopefully the guys in this room that meet with us every day and go on the practice field are learning to fight too. I think just the way we have handled disappointments this year, defeats, and comeback and battled the next week, there hasn't been a time where effort has been a problem or attitude has been a problem. That has not been it at all. I'm proud of this team and proud of the effort and resiliency they've shown. Those are the things I hope these guys are learning."
(Ref.: whether or not Army has an advantage with Rutgers not having prepped for the option)
"I'm sure that Coach Flood and his staff is going to have a very good plan for our offense. To be able to pull the film out of previous games, playing against option teams, and their players being able to watch guys in Rutgers uniforms execute those defenses and the coaches talking their language about how that correlates to the things that they do each week against traditional offenses, I think that they will have a good plan and I think that their kids will be able to execute. They're going to be talented enough and physical enough that, even if they haven't practiced those things over-and-over throughout the year, they're going to be able to make up for a lot of that, just because of who they are and who we are."
(Ref:. Challenges rushing against Tulane)
"Tulane played a defense that we had planned all week for. They played Georgia Tech earlier in the year and played a 4-3 defense, and when they came back and played Navy a few weeks later they were in something completely different. They were much more successful in executing their defense against Navy so we anticipated that was what we were going to see, and that's what we got. It was tough to run the ball inside because they had every one of our offensive linemen covered and two linebackers in the box with a double-eagle defense. If we were a lot bigger, we would just line up and block them, knock them off the ball and run the fullback in there, but that's not our deal. We had some plays designed that we thought would open up the fullback, and we weren't able to knock them out of there on double teams. They were big and strong; 328, 304, 290 (pounds). We don't match up very well in the guard box against guys like that. They did a good job defending us inside, but that allowed us to get the ball on the perimeter. We hit some bigger plays pitching the ball on the perimeter which was encouraging."
Â
(Ref:. Rutgers' Big Ten opponents)
"Rutgers' last four games against Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin are four really good football teams and great football programs. You're talking about teams that have played in the BCS National Championship Game, have won national championships and have the history of their programs. That sounds like murderer's row. All those teams are outstanding, well coached, physical and fast so Rutgers being in that league and competing with those teams playing them tough indicates what kind of players and personnel they're going to have."
(Ref.: Senior class and what they've meant to the program)
They are a special group of guys. I think I appreciate them so much more after going through the season that we've had and seeing the fight and resiliency that they still have being 2-8. There are a lot of teams that may have just folded the tents and said enough is enough, but I don't think our guys have done that. It is attributed to the leadership of the senior class and the determination they've had to get this program turned. They may not leave here with the record they would have hoped they would have earned, but they are doing things right now to build this program to a championship level that we will reach in the years to come. There is little satisfaction for those guys because they won't be here to be a part of those championship seasons which I have no doubt will come our way. I commend those guys for their effort. They want to win and you've got to create a way to make each game matter. You talk about the season when it's done, but you should talk about the next game and creating a culture where you think about the next play, not the next series or quarter, but doing the best on this next play. You do your very best each time the ball is snapped and we challenge our guys to do that every day here. We are not evaluating ourselves on our previous 10 games, but on this weekend against Rutgers. I think these guys have been able to do that and I am proud of them for their effort. There are some guys that have played a lot of football in this senior class that we will certainly miss next year and the years to come."
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