Rutgers Football Training Camp Kickoff: Jerry Kill Press Conference

This past Monday, Rutgers offensive coordinator Jerry Kill took the mic for his first press conference of camp. Here are the things that struck a chord with me:

It bodes well that Coach Kill is seemingly impressed with the freshmen. He said he's been, "pleasantly surprised with the young kids," saying that they are "smart kids that learn very fast." He feels the newcomers have made the team, "more athletic in the skill positions." Hopefully the athleticism will translate into the Rutgers offense being able to stretch the field. Last year it seemed that once Janarion Grant went down, Rutgers had a difficult time connecting on enough deep passes to keep the defenses from stacking the box. The increase in athleticism can also lead to mismatches causing the need for the opponent to double team, facing more zone coverage, and other things that will open up the field.

Regarding the quarterbacks, Kill felt he has a "good room," as opposed to the thinness at the position during spring practice. And he likes the competition at running back, stating "we feel real good about that position at this point." He also stressed the need to find a "third-down back for mismatches." Justin Goodwin filled that role admirably last season. With him gone to graduation, it will be interesting to see who steps up in that capacity. One of the things that kept Goodwin on the field was the coaches' trust in his ability to pass block, while also being to a threat to run the ball or catch it out of the backfield.

Kill also mentioned that the tight ends saw a lot of action in practice and that his coaching history points to the fact that he'll use the tight end. That would be a welcome return to years past when Rutgers was known as a school that produced NFL tight ends, i.e. Battaglia, Smith, Harris, Jefferson, Brock, Kroft, etc.

I liked this line from Kill that simply sums up his offensive philosophy: "You get the best players the ball and let them go to work." I'm often surprised at how many coaches get too cute and forget this fundamental rule.

In Kill's closing remarks he gave a strong endorsement of Coach Ash and the direction of the program: "I wouldn't have come here if I didn't think we could win. And I came here because of Coach Ash and his background. He's done a great job of laying the foundation and the groundwork." On Ash specifically, "I can work hard, but he's relentless. He's major-league competitive and he loves football."