Colorado University Athletics
Photo by: Derek Marckel
Tuesday Press Conference Quotes
November 05, 2019 | Football
Head Coach Mel Tucker
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Opening Statement
"Really solid practice today, real good work and a good physical practice. I'm really excited about the direction of our program and our shift in culture that will allow us to be successful both now and in the future. There are certain things that have to happen for you to have a successful program. Obviously recruiting is a big part of that, and I know there was some buzz last night on social media about Antonio Alfano transferring from Alabama. I'm just really excited about him, I expect him to be an impact player. However, I expect everyone on our roster to be an impact player. Whether you're a freshman or a senior, a walk on or a scholarship player, you have to be a star in your role."
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"Football is the ultimate team sport and we have to have a discipline to do our jobs on a consistent basis. All of our coaches and all of our players understand that consistency and performance is how you become successful. Playing complementary football and everyone doing their job at a high level on a consistent basis on and off the field will give us our best chance to be successful. That's our goal, that's what we're striving to do every day. Looking at our last our last game, I have to ask myself, 'how can we grow, what did we do right, and how can we get better, what direction are we going in?'. I saw some very positive things from a lot of guys, and we're going to build on those. I also saw some things that need to be cleaned up. Where we need better execution on both sides of the ball and special teams. That's why our practices, our meetings, everything that we do is so critically important. Culture is how you behave, how you live day to day. It's also as a work in progress, but I'm really excited about the direction we're going."
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On What Stanford Presents On Both Sides Of The Ball
"Stanford's a physical football team and they hang their hat on being able to run the ball and stop the run. Just how fundamentally sound they are, just their overall operation is strictly business with a lot of really good players. They're extremely well coached and our preparation is going to be critical. Having the discipline to do our jobs on a consistent basis at a high level is what's going to be needed this weekend."
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On How He Thinks The Offense Can Fix Their Recent Struggles
"We're challenging our players, our coaches are challenging our players. I'm challenging our coaches to step up to create and produce more and better execution on a consistent basis. Again, in order to have efficiency on offense or defense, everyone has to do their job. If one guy doesn't do his job on a particular play, you're going to lose that down. We have to get more guys on both sides of the ball and special teams on the same page at a high level on a consistent basis in order to get what we want, and that comes through practice, teaching, motivating and development. That's what it's all about."
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On If He Expected A Decline As A First Year Head Coach
"I don't believe in self-imposed limitations. So for me, it is what it is and you work every day to get the results that you want. My experience has been that in the first year of a program, there's going to be tremendous challenges, and that's what I'm built for. Nothing surprises me, and I'm really committed and fully engaged on getting this program where it needs to be."
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On The Impact Tony Brown Has Had This Season
"Tony Brown is one of our more disciplined and consistent performers. He's been that way since spring ball all the way through fall camp and he's rolling that into the season. From game one all the way till now. He does his job at a high level, he's very dependable, he's steady, and he's become a leader for us. He's a guy that you can count on and that's why he's having success."
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On The Recent Special Teams Struggles
"Offense, defense, and special teams have to play complementary football. We have the ability to play better in all three phases and so that's where our practices come in. That's where we're looking to grow and get better execution. There's nothing that I've seen on tape in games that's not correctable. I feel like we'll be able to execute on special teams. We have to have a really good week of practice"
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On QB Steven Montez Having Three Different Coordinators And QB Coaches In Three Years
"Steven answered this question before and he's handled the change well. He's embraced Jay Johnson and our offense. He takes coaching, and he's had a certain measure of success in this offense. There's some things to build on, there's areas to grow, and we're going to continue to do that. That's for all of our players. When you have coaching changes, differences in philosophies, a shifting culture, there's always going to be some areas where you need to adjust and get better and grow, so that's part of it."
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"Really solid practice today, real good work and a good physical practice. I'm really excited about the direction of our program and our shift in culture that will allow us to be successful both now and in the future. There are certain things that have to happen for you to have a successful program. Obviously recruiting is a big part of that, and I know there was some buzz last night on social media about Antonio Alfano transferring from Alabama. I'm just really excited about him, I expect him to be an impact player. However, I expect everyone on our roster to be an impact player. Whether you're a freshman or a senior, a walk on or a scholarship player, you have to be a star in your role."
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"Football is the ultimate team sport and we have to have a discipline to do our jobs on a consistent basis. All of our coaches and all of our players understand that consistency and performance is how you become successful. Playing complementary football and everyone doing their job at a high level on a consistent basis on and off the field will give us our best chance to be successful. That's our goal, that's what we're striving to do every day. Looking at our last our last game, I have to ask myself, 'how can we grow, what did we do right, and how can we get better, what direction are we going in?'. I saw some very positive things from a lot of guys, and we're going to build on those. I also saw some things that need to be cleaned up. Where we need better execution on both sides of the ball and special teams. That's why our practices, our meetings, everything that we do is so critically important. Culture is how you behave, how you live day to day. It's also as a work in progress, but I'm really excited about the direction we're going."
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On What Stanford Presents On Both Sides Of The Ball
"Stanford's a physical football team and they hang their hat on being able to run the ball and stop the run. Just how fundamentally sound they are, just their overall operation is strictly business with a lot of really good players. They're extremely well coached and our preparation is going to be critical. Having the discipline to do our jobs on a consistent basis at a high level is what's going to be needed this weekend."
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On How He Thinks The Offense Can Fix Their Recent Struggles
"We're challenging our players, our coaches are challenging our players. I'm challenging our coaches to step up to create and produce more and better execution on a consistent basis. Again, in order to have efficiency on offense or defense, everyone has to do their job. If one guy doesn't do his job on a particular play, you're going to lose that down. We have to get more guys on both sides of the ball and special teams on the same page at a high level on a consistent basis in order to get what we want, and that comes through practice, teaching, motivating and development. That's what it's all about."
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On If He Expected A Decline As A First Year Head Coach
"I don't believe in self-imposed limitations. So for me, it is what it is and you work every day to get the results that you want. My experience has been that in the first year of a program, there's going to be tremendous challenges, and that's what I'm built for. Nothing surprises me, and I'm really committed and fully engaged on getting this program where it needs to be."
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On The Impact Tony Brown Has Had This Season
"Tony Brown is one of our more disciplined and consistent performers. He's been that way since spring ball all the way through fall camp and he's rolling that into the season. From game one all the way till now. He does his job at a high level, he's very dependable, he's steady, and he's become a leader for us. He's a guy that you can count on and that's why he's having success."
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On The Recent Special Teams Struggles
"Offense, defense, and special teams have to play complementary football. We have the ability to play better in all three phases and so that's where our practices come in. That's where we're looking to grow and get better execution. There's nothing that I've seen on tape in games that's not correctable. I feel like we'll be able to execute on special teams. We have to have a really good week of practice"
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On QB Steven Montez Having Three Different Coordinators And QB Coaches In Three Years
"Steven answered this question before and he's handled the change well. He's embraced Jay Johnson and our offense. He takes coaching, and he's had a certain measure of success in this offense. There's some things to build on, there's areas to grow, and we're going to continue to do that. That's for all of our players. When you have coaching changes, differences in philosophies, a shifting culture, there's always going to be some areas where you need to adjust and get better and grow, so that's part of it."
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Regarding Recruiting and New 5-Star Alabama Transfer DT Antonio Alfano
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On What He Remembers About Recruiting Alfano To Georgia
"He was a very highly recruited player, and rightly so. He's a very dynamic player that can do a lot of different things. Those recruiting battles are hot and heavy. I remember him going through the process and looking for the best place for him, and consequently he expressed interest to come to our place. He sees the vision. He knows what I'm all about and what our goals are here, and he wants to have an opportunity to be successful on and off the field and we were able to make that happen."
On If Alfano Will Be Eligible In 2020
"We'll see. Obviously there's rules, transfer rules that we'll have to address. But this is a good start."
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On If He's Excited About The Potential Future Of The Defensive Line
"Coming in the door in December there was one thing that was obvious, and that was that we had to get bigger and stouter and more explosive in our offensive and defensive lines. We've made a conscious, deliberate effort to do that through recruiting. We have a lot of young players on both sides of the ball on our offensive and defensive lines. Recruiting is going well and we expect to add to our roster in the trenches. In order for us to play the type of football we need to play we have to be strong in our offensive and defensive lines."
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On Recruiting High Level Players To Boulder
"Boulder is a very impressive place. Every recruit that comes here, and their parents, their relatives, or whoever comes with them, they always comment on how beautiful Boulder is. They love the environment. Environment and expectations are really the two key factors in setting the stage for success. It's obvious to everyone who sees our place that we have a great environment. Our expectations are high, and that's reflected in our facilities and the commitment to excellence in every area of our program. When players meet our coaches and our support staff and see the sincerity, the synergy and just the compassion and how much we care about our players on and off the field, it's something that people want to be a part of. That's how we're going to build our program. We have a lot to sell here and that's why I'm very excited about our future."
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On What Landing A Player Like Alfano Can Mean For Future Recruiting
"In my experience recruiting is momentum does play a factor when you're looking to build a strong class. First and foremost, you're looking for high character guys that are in alignment with what you believe in as a program, both on and off the field. Those guys are attracted to each other in recruiting. It's a very small world in recruiting and everyone knows everyone. These players talk, their parents talk, they text, direct message, they see each other in camps and showcases. The word gets out about head coaches, coordinators, facilities, and everyone's looking for the right fit. I believe and we believe that Boulder is a very, very attractive place for the top recruits in this country and we're aggressively recruiting those players.
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On Meeting Alfano For The First Time
"I had some really good conversations with Antonio about his future and his goals, his aspirations. They're totally aligned with what we want to do here in our program, both on and off the field. So like I said, I'm really excited about him coming to Boulder and being able to flourish and reach his goals. I believe that he'll be a better person, a better student, and a better football player as a result of deciding to come here. We're going to work together to help him reach his full potential."
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On What He Remembers About Recruiting Alfano To Georgia
"He was a very highly recruited player, and rightly so. He's a very dynamic player that can do a lot of different things. Those recruiting battles are hot and heavy. I remember him going through the process and looking for the best place for him, and consequently he expressed interest to come to our place. He sees the vision. He knows what I'm all about and what our goals are here, and he wants to have an opportunity to be successful on and off the field and we were able to make that happen."
On If Alfano Will Be Eligible In 2020
"We'll see. Obviously there's rules, transfer rules that we'll have to address. But this is a good start."
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On If He's Excited About The Potential Future Of The Defensive Line
"Coming in the door in December there was one thing that was obvious, and that was that we had to get bigger and stouter and more explosive in our offensive and defensive lines. We've made a conscious, deliberate effort to do that through recruiting. We have a lot of young players on both sides of the ball on our offensive and defensive lines. Recruiting is going well and we expect to add to our roster in the trenches. In order for us to play the type of football we need to play we have to be strong in our offensive and defensive lines."
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On Recruiting High Level Players To Boulder
"Boulder is a very impressive place. Every recruit that comes here, and their parents, their relatives, or whoever comes with them, they always comment on how beautiful Boulder is. They love the environment. Environment and expectations are really the two key factors in setting the stage for success. It's obvious to everyone who sees our place that we have a great environment. Our expectations are high, and that's reflected in our facilities and the commitment to excellence in every area of our program. When players meet our coaches and our support staff and see the sincerity, the synergy and just the compassion and how much we care about our players on and off the field, it's something that people want to be a part of. That's how we're going to build our program. We have a lot to sell here and that's why I'm very excited about our future."
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On What Landing A Player Like Alfano Can Mean For Future Recruiting
"In my experience recruiting is momentum does play a factor when you're looking to build a strong class. First and foremost, you're looking for high character guys that are in alignment with what you believe in as a program, both on and off the field. Those guys are attracted to each other in recruiting. It's a very small world in recruiting and everyone knows everyone. These players talk, their parents talk, they text, direct message, they see each other in camps and showcases. The word gets out about head coaches, coordinators, facilities, and everyone's looking for the right fit. I believe and we believe that Boulder is a very, very attractive place for the top recruits in this country and we're aggressively recruiting those players.
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On Meeting Alfano For The First Time
"I had some really good conversations with Antonio about his future and his goals, his aspirations. They're totally aligned with what we want to do here in our program, both on and off the field. So like I said, I'm really excited about him coming to Boulder and being able to flourish and reach his goals. I believe that he'll be a better person, a better student, and a better football player as a result of deciding to come here. We're going to work together to help him reach his full potential."
Colorado Players
ÂNu'umotu Falo Jr., Sr., OLB
On Liking Stanford's Offensive Running Style Of Play
"It's pretty much smash-mouth football, I mean that's what Stanford is known for. So, it'll be a good test for us up front to really know where our strengths are at. I think it'll be a good game for both sides of the ball."
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On Stanford Quarterback K.J. Costello
"The difference I see with Castello in at quarterback is I feel like he wants to throw the ball a little bit more. They're trying to get the ball to the guys in open space, and he does a good job of getting through his reads. Like you said, he's been injured a little bit, but we're going to expect to see him back there, doing what he does best. But as far as their offense goes, I think that they want to throw the ball more with him in."
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On Being A Senior And Realizing His Time As A Buff Is Coming To An End
"It hit me hard coming back from UCLA, knowing that I'm down to my last two games at Folsom. Just coming off of a hard loss against UCLA and trying to lay my head to rest at night, going back and reflecting on my life and reflecting on the career I've had here, and wanting to leave here with no regrets and leaving a mark here with my legacy."
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On Having A Bigger Role And Impact As A Senior
"It means everything to me. The people that come to CU and really bleed the black and gold, when you really face adversity and go through tough times, you really realize and actually get to see what's in front of you. Me being a Buff and playing a bigger role, it really means the world to me just to be able to represent the Buffs and knowing what Colorado has been doing, trying to get Colorado back to the top where we belong. So, I'm just really proud to represent the name on the front and back of my jersey, and just to be able to do the best I can to get Colorado where it needs to be."
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On How Important A Win Against Stanford Would Be
"It's really important to us. I think that it's been a factor for us, being on this losing streak, but we never looked at it as, 'this is how it's supposed to go'. We know the team that we have and what we're capable of, and we know that winning this week would mean the world to us. We know it'll stop what we've been trying to stop for a while and knowing that, we can move on forward with the win and feeling better about having another win in our record."
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On Knowing A Win Keeps Them Bowl Eligible And A Loss Eliminates Them
"We're aware of that, but I think that we're still trying to take this one game at a time, and that's the focus and how it should be. We have to focus on what's in front of us right now and keep moving forward when it's all said and done. Knowing that we're in this situation, I think everyone has that chip on their shoulder to want to come out and do everything they can to win this game. Starting with practice, getting extra film, taking care of our bodies and stuff like that. I think it's really important to all of us, just because we know the situation we're in with trying to get to a bowl game."
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On Causing More Turnovers
"Defensively, I think we just need to play harder and play smarter. At the beginning of the year, we had guys all over the place making plays, and when the ball came out, there were guys there to get it. I think we just need to get back to our groove and get back into what we do best, as far as getting the ball out, because we showed that in beginning of the year. I just think it's going to come down to us playing hard and playing the football we should be playing."
"It's pretty much smash-mouth football, I mean that's what Stanford is known for. So, it'll be a good test for us up front to really know where our strengths are at. I think it'll be a good game for both sides of the ball."
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On Stanford Quarterback K.J. Costello
"The difference I see with Castello in at quarterback is I feel like he wants to throw the ball a little bit more. They're trying to get the ball to the guys in open space, and he does a good job of getting through his reads. Like you said, he's been injured a little bit, but we're going to expect to see him back there, doing what he does best. But as far as their offense goes, I think that they want to throw the ball more with him in."
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On Being A Senior And Realizing His Time As A Buff Is Coming To An End
"It hit me hard coming back from UCLA, knowing that I'm down to my last two games at Folsom. Just coming off of a hard loss against UCLA and trying to lay my head to rest at night, going back and reflecting on my life and reflecting on the career I've had here, and wanting to leave here with no regrets and leaving a mark here with my legacy."
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On Having A Bigger Role And Impact As A Senior
"It means everything to me. The people that come to CU and really bleed the black and gold, when you really face adversity and go through tough times, you really realize and actually get to see what's in front of you. Me being a Buff and playing a bigger role, it really means the world to me just to be able to represent the Buffs and knowing what Colorado has been doing, trying to get Colorado back to the top where we belong. So, I'm just really proud to represent the name on the front and back of my jersey, and just to be able to do the best I can to get Colorado where it needs to be."
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On How Important A Win Against Stanford Would Be
"It's really important to us. I think that it's been a factor for us, being on this losing streak, but we never looked at it as, 'this is how it's supposed to go'. We know the team that we have and what we're capable of, and we know that winning this week would mean the world to us. We know it'll stop what we've been trying to stop for a while and knowing that, we can move on forward with the win and feeling better about having another win in our record."
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On Knowing A Win Keeps Them Bowl Eligible And A Loss Eliminates Them
"We're aware of that, but I think that we're still trying to take this one game at a time, and that's the focus and how it should be. We have to focus on what's in front of us right now and keep moving forward when it's all said and done. Knowing that we're in this situation, I think everyone has that chip on their shoulder to want to come out and do everything they can to win this game. Starting with practice, getting extra film, taking care of our bodies and stuff like that. I think it's really important to all of us, just because we know the situation we're in with trying to get to a bowl game."
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On Causing More Turnovers
"Defensively, I think we just need to play harder and play smarter. At the beginning of the year, we had guys all over the place making plays, and when the ball came out, there were guys there to get it. I think we just need to get back to our groove and get back into what we do best, as far as getting the ball out, because we showed that in beginning of the year. I just think it's going to come down to us playing hard and playing the football we should be playing."
Tony Brown, Sr., WR
On What Stood Out Offensively After The Loss To UCLA
"Just the little things and the little details that we are able to fix as we watch the film. Missed blocks and missed assignments that we should have been able to be on. Like coach always says, we're always this close, so it's just the little details, small details that we need to fix."
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On If The Little Problems Add Up To Become Big Problems Week After Week
"It's just little things with us, like we were saying before, but as it goes week to week it's just the same little things that we have to fix. Execution is a big one for us. But it's a matter of being able to get it fixed during practice and just reminding ourselves that it's the little things and getting those fixed, that way we come out with a win."
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On Battling Through The Adversity Of This Season So Far
"Yeah, it's pretty much been a battle. With us, we just have to get ourselves going, just like we did at the beginning of the season with Colorado State and Nebraska. We just have to get ourselves going and get in the groove, keep moving the ball down the field, and just keep doing us."
"Just the little things and the little details that we are able to fix as we watch the film. Missed blocks and missed assignments that we should have been able to be on. Like coach always says, we're always this close, so it's just the little details, small details that we need to fix."
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On If The Little Problems Add Up To Become Big Problems Week After Week
"It's just little things with us, like we were saying before, but as it goes week to week it's just the same little things that we have to fix. Execution is a big one for us. But it's a matter of being able to get it fixed during practice and just reminding ourselves that it's the little things and getting those fixed, that way we come out with a win."
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On Battling Through The Adversity Of This Season So Far
"Yeah, it's pretty much been a battle. With us, we just have to get ourselves going, just like we did at the beginning of the season with Colorado State and Nebraska. We just have to get ourselves going and get in the groove, keep moving the ball down the field, and just keep doing us."
Players Mentioned
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