Warchant.com - Sunday Conversation: Bobby Bowden Q&A

October 11, 2009

Osceola
Warchant.com Staff

Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden spoke with the media Sunday morning following the Seminoles' 49-44 loss to Georgia Tech. Here is a transcript of that conversation.

Opening comments

You know, you'd think after 55 years of coaching, you wouldn't see anything that you haven't ever seen before. But I don't think I've been through that one - one like that. Where we never could make them punt. The defense did get two turnovers. It's funny. The thing as I look back, we never could get in position to make the play. We never could get in position to make a tackle. Somebody will say, "You all must have missed a lot of tackles." I'm sure we missed them, on the quarterback especially, but most of the problem was we couldn't get into a position to make a tackle. We scored, they scored, we scored, they scored, we scored, they scored.

Q: Miami is the only team with a win against Georgia Tech this season, and they had the benefit of a bye week before the game. Given the nature of that offense, is it almost too hard to defend with just a normal week of preparation?

A: You need an open date. You need more time. It would have probably done a little better - maybe enough. But you have to change your philosophy completely. When you play against our offense or the offenses that you see today, you've got to get upfield. It's like the pros - they play pass first and react to the run. So you're always coming up field. When you play the wishbone, you've got to play down the line of scrimmage. You have to break every dad-gum principle you've been teaching. That's why it would be better if you had more time to work on it.

Q: Can you talk about the way Christian Ponder played? He had another career high in passing yards.

A: He sure is playing good. Gosh, he's playing good. He is making some of the most timely throws out there. Under pressure. Times where he has to just throw with his arm; he can't plant his feet. People are around his feet, he can't plant them, and he has to just sling the ball. And he does that for touchdowns.

Q: Does that make it maybe a little more frustrating? The fact that you actually are getting good quarterback play and you're still not winning?

A: It's just the opposite of what we've had. Getting great quarterback play.

Q: What will the main priority be during the bye week?

A: The first thing we'll do is give them a couple of days off. Usually, ever since I have been here, when you start football practice in August and you play your first game, you usually have two or three days where you can't practice with the weather - rain, lightning gets you - and you miss practice. And the boys get rested. This year, we didn't miss a single practice. If it [was] lightning in the morning, we happened to be practicing in the afternoon. If it [was] lightning in the afternoon, we happened to be practicing that morning. We didn't miss a single practice. So I really think right now the good thing is we can give our boys a couple of days off and let them try to get refreshed a little bit.

Q: Last week, you and Jimbo mentioned that this has been a team of missed opportunities. It looked like that was the case again in this game. You got a couple turnovers, but then ?

A: And didn't cash in on them. And that's the only way you're going to beat 'em. It's like playing a pitcher who's throwing a shutout at you. The only way to keep from losing is you've got to throw that shutout back at him. And we did, nearly. We were matching them. Well, they were matching us, until they could get that swing.

Q: It looked like Jarmon Fortson started to become a force in this game. He did have the one big drop, but he also made some great catches.

A: That receiver they've got, that good one [Georgia Tech's Demaryius Thomas], they are so much alike in size, jumping ability, athletic ability. He's going to get better. I think he lost a lot of confidence in that Miami game when he didn't catch that last pass. I think he lost a lot of confidence, because he's had some passes in his hands that he's dropped. And then he's made some good catches too. But all of a sudden, somewhere along the line, he'll become a veteran and will turn into a top receiver.

Q: Did you talk to him after the Miami game?

A: Only to encourage him. Because it killed him. It killed him. I felt so sorry for him. It's kind of like a poor field goal kicker that goes out there and misses the winning field goal. Same thing.

Q: Fortson does bring a little something different to the table, doesn't he? He's so much bigger than most of your other receivers.

A: Oh, he could do that. And I say, there's a point that he will.

Q: Going back to Tech's loss to Miami. Not only did Miami have a bye, but I believe Georgia Tech was playing its third game in 12 days. It seemed like they were leg-weary in that game.

A: There's so many circumstances nowadays that determined if you do good. I could see Boston College and Virginia Tech playing at Boston College ? now I think Virginia Tech is good enough to win. But the atmosphere is so different. You go into Virginia Tech and play there like we did three years ago. Boy, they have great fan support up there. Then they come down here, we've got it. We beat Virginia Tech last year. They won the conference, but we beat them. So there are so many circumstances. Are you coming off of a big loss and they're coming off of a magnificent win? Then their team can't get their feet back on the floor. And you just take a loss. So a lot of things like that can happen. It hasn't happened to us. That has not been our problem. But there are times where the circumstances and situations make it awfully hard to go undefeated.

I wasn't amazed at Florida. I was hoping somebody would ask me, "Who do you think is going to win that game?" I already had a standard answer. "Well, if Tebow plays, Florida is gonna win. If he doesn't play, they're still gonna win. Alabama, though, boy they've picked up in my estimation. Their defense is dad-gum good.

Q: With all the controversy last week, how big of a distraction was that in terms of preparation?

A: It didn't interrupt our preparation at all. And I know kids, that don't bother them. I told our coaches, be sure to tell those kids, "Don't pay any attention to what's happening to me. Don't pay a bit of attention." And I don't think they did. Kids are kids. Players are players. They've got a job to do, and that's what they're going to do. Now, was it a distraction for me? I worked just as hard as I always do. I had time to do everything I wanted to do, and the coaches did too. So I don't think that had anything to do with how that game came out.

Q: You were asked publicly whether you would step down at the end of the season.

A: Yeah, but I've been getting that since I was 60. Or maybe 65. That comes with 65. ? I know that's the way it is. That's the nature of it.

Q: Ann wasn't very happy with some of the comments that were made.

A: Big Ann, don't mess with her family, boy. (laughing) Don't mess with her children. Don't mess with her old man.

Q: So is it your understanding that the agreement you and president Wetherell have had the last few years, where you let them know if you want to come back each year, is still in tact?

A: I think it's my decision. I think it is. Of course, "What do you do now? You're 2-4." The only thing you can do is play one game at a time. Be concerned about this game. And then after the year, decide about the year. Are you going to try to continue or not? So that's what's happening right now.

Q: Do you even allow yourself to start looking ahead to that? Or do you wait until the end of the season?

A: No. One game at a time, and then go from there.

Q: If you're going to get this turned around, it doesn't seem like it's going to happen with that defense. What can you do there?

A: The big thing is quit making errors. It's going to be interesting when I look at that film. Why was that guy able to run 60 yards for a touchdown? Was it because this guy didn't fill a lane? He got blocked and shouldn't have? Or did somebody go the wrong way and leave them a big alley? Those are the kinds of things we have to see there, because that's what has hurt us all year on defense. Sooner or later, the thing's got to gel. You're playing so many young guys on defense - especially where it hurts you most is the secondary. It's going to have to gel.

Q: Coach, you've had all these winning seasons and all these bowl games. If that ended, how would that affect your thinking?

A: I'd just have to think it out. I can only play it one game at a time. I can't even worry about what happens down at the end. I've got to put everything on this game here, then go from there. Then see how it develops.

Q: You had already left practice Thursday when Coach Amato spoke to us and tried to dispel the rumors about him and Jimbo Fisher being in a fight. Would you have preferred that he not say anything, or were you OK with it?

A: I was glad he said something. Because there was a rumor out about a fight, which never was.

Q: Sometimes people don't like to address things like that because it might give credence to it.

A: Well, that's why I don't address things. But I didn't mind him doing it because it affected him.

Q: You probably don't know much about the technology, but with the Internet and things like blog, there's really a lot of crazy stuff out there. That's pretty different from the old days?

A: No doubt about it. It ain't even close to the way it used to be. You didn't have the coverage and everything that you have nowadays, but that's just the nature of it. That's the way it is. Weak people can't handle it.

Q: Your son Tommy was asked last week how he'd like to see your career come to an end, and he said he'd actually like for you to kind of have a farewell tour in your last season. So folks along the road could pay their respects for what you did for the conference. Have you softened your stance on that at all, or are you still against it?

A: Nah. I don't like sympathy. How many calls do you think I get: "We still love you." I don't like sympathy. (laughing). "We still love you." Please don't tell me that. (laughing)

Q: Having said that, did you appreciate the reception you got last night? That was quite an ovation.

A: It makes you feel wanted.

Q: Wouldn't it be best for everyone if you did one final "victory lap" though. You're the winningest coach in the conference.

A: No, I think it would be distracting from the players. I've always wanted to [have it so] whenever I retire, to retire and leave town so the next guy will have freedom and won't have me looking over his shoulder. Or people saying, "Why don't you do it like he did it?" That's what I want to do. That's the only reason I hate to say when I want to leave. Because everybody starts working toward that date.

Q: Looking ahead, do you feel like the leaders on the team like Christian Ponder and Dekoda Watson will keep the team on track, despite the record?

A: Our leadership's really been good. You know, the other years that we lost [games], I'm sure we got stomped in some of those games. This year, we haven't been stomped. Nobody's gashed or killed us. We've been in every game down to the last four or five minutes. Even South Florida, who beat us by 10. We throw a touchdown pass and get it called back. Against BC, take that ball down to the 9-yard line ? holding. We've been in all of them, right down to the wire. But we lost them.

I said that before the season at the kickoff luncheon. This ain't something new - I say it every year - you have to win the close games. There are going to be some games where you're going to get beat because they're simply better. And there are going to be some games where you win because you are simply better. But there are about five or six of them in there, where it's going to be close, and you have got to win the close games.

Q: The fact that you don't play a lot of seniors has to be encouraging. That their best days are probably ahead of them.

A: Yeah, I mentioned that to the kids. In 1986, we go 6-4-1. That's with Deion [Sanders], that's with Odell [Haggins], that's with Dexter Carter, that's with Marion Butts, that's with Sammie Smith. That's with a bunch of guys that went first round. We go 6-4-1 and play in a bowl up in Birmingham and win it. And that team wins 11 the next year and ends up No. 2 in the nation. That's why you hate to give up. When's it going to turn around? When's it going to turn around? And it eventually will. I wish it would turn around with me.

Q: Seeing Coach Andrews' defense give up 400 yards rushing. This has got to hurt him.

A: Oh yeah. I feel for him. I feel for our defensive staff. ? Like I said, we couldn't get in position to tackle. We couldn't even get there to tackle.

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