Quotes from the Spring Practice Day 1

About changing from a 3-4 base defense to a 4-3 base defense, JJ said:
"Really, it's all the same stuff we've been doing, with some different calls and stuff. All the guys have done it all. (The defensive ends) are really our outside backers. The context is exactly the same. It's not any different." (HSB)

About how the intensity at Spring Practice will pick up next week, JJ said:
"We can't put pads on for another three days. We're kind of just making sure the new guys know what they're doing before we put them in there with helmets and shoulder pads on." (HSB)


About being switched to outside LB, Leonard said:
"It's another opportunity to learn, gain more experience, and get another viewpoint at linebacker." (HA)

Leonard said that he will have to learn different techniques and reads, but:
"overall, it's a good opportunity to make plays." (HA)

Lumpkin is expected to switch from outside LB coach to DE coach, but JJ said that Lumpkin is the OLB coach:
"right now." (HA)


About being the center on the first team OL, Clarence Lafu Tuioti-Mariner said:
"My time just came. I've been waiting for it all of these years." (HA)

"I'm really happy coach Jones is giving me a chance. There are guys who are bigger. I want to prove I can do the job." (HA)

About not being able to get into games despite being named one of the top scout
players as a freshman in 2004 and overcoming several injuries, Tuioti-Mariner said:
"At first I was really mad. But I knew I had to wait. There were a lot of good guys ahead of me. I had to be patient." (HA)

HA note: "At one point, he was considered for a move to running back. But Dennis McKnight, who coaches the offensive linemen, believed Tuioti-Mariner would be a suitable center."


About how he learned from Samson, Marques Kaonohi, and Derek Fa'avi, Tuioti-Mariner said:
"They taught me the techniques and the calls to make." (HA)


About how he's trying to recruit his brother to UH, Tuioti-Mariner said:
"I'm recruiting him. I have to. I always tell him: 'You want to be the best, come to the best.' I'm not trying to put pressure on him, but every so often I say, 'Hey, man, we've got a spot for you.' I think we have a chance. My brother says he likes UH because they gave me an opportunity." (HA)

HA note: "His younger brother, offensive guard Max Tuioti-Mariner of Corona (Calif.) High, is one of the nation's top high school prospects. He already has received offers from Southern California, UCLA, Arizona, Miami, Colorado, Oregon and Oregon State."


About working to "form a bond" with Tuioti-Mariner, Colt said:
"Lafu has a lot to learn still," Jones said. "But he's a player. He's a 300-pounder. He's got real good leverage. He'll have an opportunity to show what he can do this spring." (HA)


About how the new first team OL members (Kia, Tuioti-Mariner, and Steinhoff) did in their first Spring Practice, DM said:
"I think they handled (the first practice as first stringers) like true champions. Everybody knows what great players those three seniors were. But everybody wants to leave their own mark and place their name." (HSB)

About the competition for the 1st team OL spots (Ah-Soon and Letuli are also strong candidates), DM said:
"They all have great pride as competitors. I love their attitude. I don't think the hardest thing is replacing the three, the hardest thing is picking the right three, because there's so many who can do the job." (HSB)

About the example that the departing seniors set for the current OL, DM said:
"All these guys saw how they practiced for two and three years, coming out early, getting ready to stretch. They know you don't just show up." (HSB)


Steinhoff said that moving into the starting OL is:
"a big step up from last year. We just have to stay focused and pick up where the three seniors left off and just keep it going, give Colt (quarterback Brennan) his protection and give him a good season. Just got to keep working hard every day." (HSB)


Kia said that the previous UH OL has set expectations high for the new OL:
"They really set the bar pretty high. It's up to us to show the coaches that we can do it too. Everybody wants to start, but you've got to work hard and show you deserve it, day by day." (HSB)

About how JJ saw Hisatake work out in January and suggested the swith to offensive tackle, DM said:
"June has an eye for guys like that, he's been doing this 30-plus years. He saw that Ray has great arm length and is very athletic. He could be a basketball power forward. If he can grasp it, he could be in the mix very quickly. Not having played before he doesn't have any bad habits." (HSB)

About being shocked to see that Samson Satele's old number (64) was assigned to him, Ray Hisatake said:
"I was kind of shocked. I don't think I should wear this yet. Maybe I need to work my way up to this. To wear this jersey means a lot, because Sam was a great player." (HSB)

About being excited about the switch to OL, Hisatake said:
"Since they pass a lot and I have NFL size, I thought it'd be a good move for me. Coach told me practice with the O-line in the spring and if I don't like it I can move back in the fall." (HSB)

Note: I would think that Hisatake would be extremely valuable to the D because he was such a highly rated DT, and UH needs playmakers at that position with the switch to the 4-3 defense. They need 2 playmaking DTs, plus backups to rotate in, instead of the single nose tackle (and backups to rotate in) that they needed to hold the line in the 3-4 defense. That is why I was surprised to read that they would be switching Hisatake to OL, but JJ is an excellent judge of OL talent and UH lost both starting offensive tackles and needs high-level play from the OL if they are going to reach expectations this season.

Looking on the bright side of the weak early schedule:

Look at the projected first 6 games: UNC (1AA), La Tech, UNLV, CSU (1AA), Idaho, Utah St. The horribly weak early schedule actually might be beneficial for the OL because it would allow the team to experiment at OL and get a cohesive unit together before the rough end of the season schedule.

The last time UH replaced 3 OL starters (2003), they went 2-3 for their first 5 games and 7-2 for their last 9 games after the OL had gotten into their groove. By playing such weak early teams (especially if 9/1 is UNC), UH should avoid dropping games in the first half of the season.