The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/141892
Football 2013 Canada has been impressed with running back Tony Creecy and noted that the redshirt junior would be a big part of the Wolfpack offense this fall. Photo by Ken Martin who had great offensive stats last year on teams, but the head coach got fired. That's not the goal. The goal is to win and to win championships. "At Northern Illinois, we won a championship two years ago doing the things we did. At Wisconsin, we won one last year doing the things we did. Ultimately, it's a team deal. "I learned a lot of different things and was fortunate to have good players." "They are both good players. They both have experience. Shad had some big games last year for them. Creecy is really a great, great kid. He is everything you want with the way he works and carries himself and the way he grinds. "One of the fun parts of our business is that we hang out with a lot of cool kids and meet a lot of neat people, and Creecy is one of those guys. He is a big part of our package for sure." How have you adjusted your offenses to the personnel you had? "We did have a very good tight end at Wisconsin in Jacob Pederson. He was the Big Ten Tight End of the Year. You spend more time trying to get your good players the ball. That is our job. "At Indiana, we were very blessed to have talented wide receivers the entire time I was there. We had a good quarterback at Indiana as well. Our skill positions were our strength. At Northern Illinois, we had the same deal with Chandler Harnish at quarterback and Jordan Lynch backing him up. They both played, and we had some good players on the edge. The receivers and quarterbacks got a lot of the glory. "At Wisconsin, the best players were the running backs and probably a receiver and a tight end. "You find ways to get your best players the ball. "Every year, you find a new wrinkle or new play that you think is good. You just put it in your tool box and you keep it for when you may need it." How will you use the jet sweep in your offense? "We could go with two backs or it could be a receiver running it. That goes back to finding who our best players are, who we think we need to get the ball to. That is part of our package that we use, and we've used it the last three stops and this is now the fourth. "It's something we think helps us move the football." What do you like about the two returning running backs, redshirt junior Tony Creecy and sophomore Shadrach Thornton? Do you think the fullback will get a carry in this offense? "We have a couple of good players there [Logan Winkles and Tyler Purvis]. We've utilized our fullback on a minimal basis like most people do. "I wouldn't rule out handing them the ball." How many wide receivers do you anticipate playing in each game? "We are going to play at a tempo that dictates needing more than two or three. Players will play. The guys that get the football have to make the play. You don't want to be throwing it to somebody that can't make a play. "If we have eight receivers who can play and we feel good about throwing them the ball, too, that will dictate a lot for us. If we have four, that will change it. We had a lot of guys in the spring out there making plays. "Ball security is a premium. You have to catch the football and take care of the ball when you do catch it, and then obviously do something after that. It is in that order — catching it, taking care of it and what you do after that is kind of a bonus. We also have to do a good job of getting them the ball as well, which comes from the quarterback. "Offensive football is about 11 guys doing their job exactly right. When one guy does it wrong, whether it is the left guard or the receiver or the quarterback, it can make for a bad play. Everybody has to go in the same direction for the play to be right." How has the team adapted to the nohuddle offense? "It's not tough on anybody because it's pretty simple. You don't always have to go fast in a no-huddle. We will use it for strategic advantages. "It's just getting used to it. My experience is that once you go to the no-huddle, nobody wants to go back to a huddle. I think that is how we'll feel." "We are going to be a no-huddle team. We are going to be a team that likes to play a fast pace." ■ Canada How has senior left tackle Robert Crisp been playing? "He is a talented guy and has a lot of tools. We've been fortunate to be around some good players, and a couple that got drafted from Wisconsin when I was there. He has a lot of skill level. "We are looking for him to have his best year as he leads the other guys along. He needs to have his best year." How do you see the offensive line coming together? "We want to have eight guys that can play, but you'd like to have 10. We feel like we have some numbers, and we are trying to help ourselves here by bringing guys in and moving guys from one spot to another spot. "That is a position where we'll see tremendous growth, hopefully, from the spring to the fall. That's a spot for us to make big improvements." ■ 36 ■ the wolfpacker 34,36.Offense Q&A.indd 36 7/1/13 9:27 AM