On playing the 2000 season in Gerald J. Ford Stadium: "Gerald J. Ford Stadium is great for us. We needed a home and now we have one. The Cotton Bowl wasn't really a home for our football team but now we have one. It shows great committment on the part of this university to put that stadium in place. Now we have to put a product out on the field that will bring the fans back for more. The stadium won't do it alone. It is a great facility that our fans will love but we need to win to keep bringing them back."
On his coaching staff: "I have never had a staff that has prepared as hard for a season as this one has. Our players will be ready to play each Saturday. Our defensive staff has always done a great job preparing our players and I feel like the offense will reach that level this season."
On having a young team: "We have played a lot of young guys the last couple of seasons and knew one day the dividends would pay off - hopefully it will be this year. I know this football team is better than last year. We still have to prove it on the field though. This is my fourth year here and we need to start showing some results in the win column."
On what to expect from Josh McCown: "Josh is a big, strong, tough quarterback. He has a lot of experience (15 career starts) and we expect very good things out of him. He has a very strong arm and can get the ball down the field. One of the great things that I love about the quarterback position on our roster is that there is a lot of competition. (Kelan) Luker will push Josh. He (Luker) has a world of potential. David Page has really impressed me so far in the first two days of freshman practice. If the rest of our team had the kind of competition that was going on at quarterback we would be a much better football team."
On what to expect out of the SMU defense: "I think we can have a strong defense. We usually have been good on that side of the ball since I have been here. We have a lot of depth up front, eight guys that will see a lot of action. I think our linebackers are strong but we need to find a little depth there. In the secondary, we have some young guys who can play but we need some depth there as well. We only have one senior on our preseason two-deep on that side of the ball so we are young but we also have nine starters back there."
On what makes Vic Viloria a special player: "I am so excited to have Vic back in the lineup this year. He is an outstanding football player. He came in as a true freshman two years ago, and in preseason practice, made an immediate impression. He was one of our best football players early that year on defense before he broke his leg. He comes back four or five games into the season and proves that he is the real thing and again is one of the best we have out there. Spring of his freshman year was the same thing, he was the best we had. Last year while he was concentrating on academics he played with the scout team and he did everything we asked and was the best one out there. That is going to translate onto the playing field this year. On top of all that, he is a special person, a natural leader. Some kids are just blessed with that and Vic is one of them. His teammates respond to him and what he does and says."
On the special teams: "We have got to be more consistant in that area. Both (Colin) Vadheim and (Adam) Walterscheid have the ability but we need to be more consistant. One of my new assistants, Pat Henderson, is going to be our special teams coordinator this year. That is something new for me but it is such an important aspect of the game that we need to be as good as possible."
On the class of newcomers: "I have liked what I have seen so far. A good way for those guys to make a contribution is to excel on special teams, on kick coverage or punt block. That is a way for our new guys to get experience. It is no different anywhere else. I am sure the Cowboys are the same way with rookies. I think we have some kids in our freshman class that will be oustanding players by the time they are through here."
