Chris Petersen addressed the media yesterday at his second press conference of the spring, and he touched on topics like the Boise State quarterback competition, tomorrow's Pro Day for last year's seniors, that awful, awful TCU game, and much more. I waded through the Petespeak to pull out some highlights.
Someone reminded Coach Pete that the Broncos are one-third of the way done with spring practice. This thought terrified him.
Petersen described the team as a "work in progress." Like the Mona Lisa, right?
There has been no separation in the quarterback competition, but Petersen expects the older guys (Southwick and Hedrick, presumably) to make a break once the younger guys get completely overwhelmed by all there is to learn. Then summer will happen, brains will expand, and we'll all be even again in August.
Petersen said the QB competition may come down to who makes the fewest mistakes rather than who makes the most plays. Jared Zabransky sure dodged that bullet, eh?
Safety Taylor Loffler has aggravated his knee injury, a torn ACL that he suffered before joining Boise State last fall.
The conversation turned to running back depth, and Petersen gave a history lesson on the heady days when Boise State's backfield depth went Ian Johnson, Brett Denton, and no one else. Presumably that's why the Broncos have three or four ridiculously good recruits on the roster at any given time now.
Jay Ajayi is expected to be back healthy for the fall.
The local media being the local media, Drew Wright's name was brought up, and Petersen spoke about Wright's improved performance so far in spring practice and how he feels Wright will be a factor this fall. Then Brian Murphy asked about Wright and the TCU game. Awkward, right? Petersen's answer:
The guy put his helmet right on the ball. It was one of those deals where he was carrying it properly, maybe squeezed it a little tighter, but it's football.
This led to a discussion about other Broncos who have made game-altering changes in the past. According to Petersen, the guys who make the mistakes "care about it a lot more than people watching the game." So I guess Dan Goodale wants a time machine a lot more than I do.
Petersen spoke at length about Hilton Richardson, who walked onto the team having never played football and has moved from wide receiver to safety to nickel in his time with the Broncos. He is a former baseball player with the size of a linebacker and the speed of a wideout. Sounds like someone I would create in a video game and name Zap Rowsdower.
The Broncos have a 26-person senior class. That's a lot of persons.
When it came to the topic of who has stood out so far this spring, Petersen wouldn't bite, citing a need to see a scrimmage or something besides monkey rolls and fumble drills.
There is a rule this year that requires a player whose helmet comes off to miss a play. Petersen finds this rather ridiculous.
A reporter dared compare Matt Miller's film study to Kellen Moore's film study. Petersen set him straight.
Next up: tomorrow's Pro Day. Petersen spoke about Tyler Shoemaker at the next level, Kellen Moore at the next level, and Nate Potter at the next level. He thinks that both players can have long careers if they wind up with the right team. The Oakland Raiders are not the right team.
Boise State doesn't use the NFL pitch in recruiting high school players. According to Petersen:
They're here to be the best player they can be and win championships for the Broncos. If their main mission in life is to go to the NFL, they're in the wrong place.
Petersen likes what he sees from redshirt freshman defensive end Sam Ukwuachu and expects him to fit into that to fit the Shea McClellin role, the one where he plays lights out on the field and acts like a quiet gentleman off it.
It is not Coach Pete's decision who gets the reps in Friday's scrimmage. That decision is up to offensive coordinator Robert Prince, quarterbacks coach Jonathan Smith, and a straw poll of wealthy BAA members.
Your turn
What did you get from Coach Pete's press conference? Wish there were more QB news? Not emotionally ready to talk about the TCU game yet? Share your thoughts in the comments.