We beat writers got to sit down with defensive coordinator Ted Roof as well this afternoon.Here's what he had to say:
- Like head coach Gene Chizik, Roof's not giving any timetable on filling out the coaching staff, which, presumably, will include two more defensive assistants. "It's more important to get it right than getting it done for the sake of getting it done," he said. "I have every confidence. (Chizik's) in the process of doing that. When it's right, it'll get finished. You want it to happen sooner rather than later. Any time you bring a new staff together, getting everybody on the same page as far as a schematics, playbook, ways of doing things … It'll happen when it's supposed to happen, when it's right."
- Roof met with every Auburn defensive player in the first 72 hours after arriving in town, an admirable thing to do, considering it was during the height of recruiting season. "I wanted to make sure that we got off to a great start knowing our players," he said. "You don't get to know them, but it's a start. Now that we're back off the road, one of the major emphases is spending time with our players and getting to know our players and finding out what's here."
- The Georgia native certainly doesn't miss the snow in Minnesota. Also, he's got not just a good, but a great deal for anyone looking to buy a house up there.
- He doesn't sound like he's bound to a specific defensive front: "We use (4-3) some. We're pretty multiple in what we do. You have to have a system that's adaptable to different types of people -- especially if you're coming into a new situation. It's one thing if you've been at a place several years and you recruit to a specific system. It's another thing when you come in, you're new and you have a system that's broad enough and diverse enough to handle whatever personnel."
- On defending teams in the SEC: "This league, you don't trick people. You have to out-hit people. There won't be much tricking going on."
- On junior college LB transfer Eltoro Freeman: "He's an aggressive guy who plays downhill. I think he's going to be fun to coach. He's got a lot of personality and a lot of zest for the game."
- He says you can't have enough defensive linemen, considering how banged up they get through the course of the year. Good thing Auburn signed seven of them this season.
- On what he learned about himself at Duke: "I tell you, what I found was an experience that developed a skill set that you can only get by being a head football coach. You think that you understand it all as an assistant sometimes, but you really don’t – that the magnitude of every decision, every word that comes out of your mouth. Like I said, it was a great experience for me, because whatever did or did not come out of it, I have a skill set that nobody can every take away from me. I think by going through that, I’m a much better assistant coach then I was before I became a head coach, because you understand the way things are looked at, and also, the impact of every action, every word, every statement … because at the end of the day, it all ends up on one desk. Like I said, you think you’re ready for it and you think you know all there is to know, but like with any job, you don’t know all there is to know until you’re actually in there doing it. It was a lot of fun."
- Was it humbling? "I don’t know if I’d use the word humbling. I’d use the word frustrated. Because when you’re a competitor and you invest yourself into it, you invest your life into it, you invest your family into it, you want to have good results. And we did. We just didn’t win enough football games. If you really look at why you do this – to have a positive impact on somebody’s life and see people get great degrees, have great collegiate experiences, grow as young men. But at the end of the day, in our business, we’re also judged on winning and losing, too. Can’t change that part. But can certainly take great pride in the other parts of the program that were very successful. We were winning national championships in graduation rates and developing good citizens, but we didn’t win enough football games. But I think you can do all those things at
- Roof spoke fondly of Aairon Savage, who is battling back from a season-ending knee injury. He said he could see him playing safety or cornerback: "What a great kid. Ahh, what a great kid that’s working his rear end off to get back. I have a lot of respect for him. I’ve gained a lot of respect very quickly for him by the way he works – his attitude, his consistency. He just … I’ve got a lot of respect for him. If anybody can make it back, it’s going to be him. And I sure hope it’s him, because he was a good player before he got hurt. I love his attitude and the way he works. And that’s contagious. He kind of rubs off on our other guys."
- On DE Antonio Coleman coming back: "I've spent an awful lot of time with him and what an impressive young man he is. I enjoy being around him. He's a very refreshing kid to be around -- very hungry, takes a great deal of pride in our football program and his role. I've been really impressed with him and I'm really glad that he came back. Really glad that he came back. Really glad that he came back."
- One last quick fun fact on Roof: he is believed to be the only person in Atlantic Coast Conference history to get either a personal foul or unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as a player, assistant coach and head coach. That's quite a distinction.
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