Quotes from the local papers

About how they might select their #1 QB by tomorrow, Mack said:
"I think it's the right time to make the decision." (HA)

About needing to pick their starter, Mack said:
"We need to move on and get one guy the others can look to. (Center) John Estes is the leader of the offensive line. But the quarterback, by the nature of the position, is the leader of the offense, and we need to make a decision. We worked hard on our evaluations. We need to sit down and call the shot. We feel the guy we choose needs more reps. ... It's time we get whoever is the best at the quarterback position." (HA)

"We're going to make a decision later this week. We've got to move on at the quarterback position. Wednesday, Thursday we're going to make a decision, if not sooner. I think it's very competitive. We're on it daily. Evaluating every snap, want to make the right decision. ... The quarterback position is a leadership role. We've got people fighting for the role. That's an important reason we need to make the decision." (HSB)

About how the next few days will be critical for the QB candidates, Ron Lee said:
"The next couple practices will be big. Every practice is big, but we have to eventually make decisions. It's still tight. That's the thing, one guy has a good day, now we have to get it consistently. But they're coming. The practices are getting faster, the tempo is more game-like and that's what we need." (HSB)

Funaki said that the film sessions have taught the QBs to:
"take what the defense gives you. Coach Ron and Coach Rolo have been making emphasis not to get greedy, just take what they give you because that will start to open everything else up. Sometimes we're anticipating a certain throw, and you can't do that, especially in this offense." (HSB)

HA Note: "The chosen quarterback would start against Florida on Aug. 30, and receive about 75 percent of the reps in team passing drills. One player no longer in contention is Tyler Graunke, who has been withheld from team activities while an academic issue remains unsettled. Graunke had hoped to rejoin the team by yesterday. But he was a no-show at practice yesterday. Even if he were to resolve his academic issues, he still would need to file paperwork, take medical examinations and attend orientation sessions — a process that would keep him off the field for another week.

Funaki, Alexander and Rausch have played well as the coaches continue to implement new plays. Rolovich has charted every pass of every practice. He grades each play on a 0-to-5 point system. The categories include footwork, quality of throws, going through progression, decision-making and, even, eye contact. Rolovich then has a comment for every play, some expansive, some in text-message code. Alexander said one comment read: TWTDGY."

About Rolo's TWTDGY comment, Alexander said:
"Take what the defense gives you." (HA)

About Rolo's comments on every play, Inoke said:
"It's very helpful. He points out the little mistakes we do, any mistakes." (HA)

About how he doesn't want to focus the QB competition just on stats, Rolo said:
"It's not all by the numbers. There's leadership, composure, those type of things you can't put a number on. The numbers are the numbers, but there's also the personality thing that's hard to judge. You have to get a feel for that." (HA)

About how he'll be getting an MRI on his sore left triceps, Rocky said:
"We're just waiting to see what it is." (HA)

About being injured now, after he missed the latter part of spring training due to a right leg injury, Rocky said:
"It's frustrating. It sucks it had to be at a time like this. I was getting comfortable again. It's just a game. (Stuff) happens." (HA)

About how he missed the 2nd half of practice yesterday due to a sore right shoulder, Estes said that if it was a game:
"I would have wrapped it and played." (HA)

Unsure how he was injured, Estes said:
"Maybe I got hit wrong or something. When I woke up Sunday morning, it hurt." (HA)

About how he ready to practice, Dustin Blount (who arrived in Hawaii on Saturday and watched yesterday's practice) said:
"Everything is fine. I'm ready to go." (HA)

About Blaze's injury, Mack said:
"I have to look at the plus, and not worry about it until then. That would be really disappointing if he were hurt (badly). But we would move on. We have the players to move on." (HA)

HA Note: "The Warriors were without two-thirds of what they are trumpeting as the best linebacker group in the Western Athletic Conference. Rightside linebacker Adam Leonard did not participate in his third consecutive practice because of tightness in his left hamstring. That forced the Warriors to activate an experiment that was initiated three days ago. Middle linebacker Solomon Elimimian, who was voted as the WAC's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, moved to Leonard's spot on the right side. R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane, who had been practicing on the right side, competed at Soares' position on the left side. And backup Brashton Satele was promoted to No. 1 middle linebacker."

About moving Brashton to starting MLB and having Sol go to OLB, Mack said:
"We moved Solly (Elimimian) outside because Brashton has been playing middle so well. We didn't want to stack Solly and Brashton (on the depth chart). We think Brashton is our fourth best (linebacker). Instead of moving Brashton outside, we were going to (rotate) four linebackers (into three spots). Instead of moving Brashton — who is younger and knows the middle — and make him learn more, it was easier to move Solly. Solly is sharp, and he can play middle and outside. It doubles his chances of going to the next level." (HA)

About how the MLB makes their defensive calls and Sol is in the habit of making the calls even when he moves to OLB, Brashton said:
"Solly's been our middle for years. We catch each other making the same calls." (HA)

HA Note: "They settled on an arrangement in which Elimimian will continue to make the calls."

About moving to OLB, Sol said:
"Whatever the team needs me to do, I'll do. I'm all about winning. If the team wants me to play D-tackle, I'll play D-tackle. If the team wants me to play free safety, I'm there." (HA)

"Whatever coach needs me to do, whatever it is we need to win, I'm ready to do it. If I have to play D-tackle, I'll play D-tackle. Being in a game, if someone goes down, you don't have time to look around, you don't have time to ask questions, you have to be ready. Right now guys are getting ready." (HSB)

About how he knew the OLB responsibilities ever before being moved there, Sol said:
"I watched Adam and Blaze so much I kind of know what to do (on the outside). There are still things I'm trying to get, but coach (Lee) is doing a good job of helping me." (HA)

About his expanded role at practice, Brashton said:
"I'm filling in. I feel for Blaze right now." (HA)

About moving to the first team due to his cousin Blaze's injury, R.J. Kiesel-Kauhane said:
"Unfortunately, Blaze got hurt so some of the new guys had to step up. Things like this happen. You've got to be ready. Hopefully, from now on, we can stay injury-free." (HA)

About their team speed, Florida coach Urban Meyer said:
"We're a wide-open offense and we love to run. If you can't run, there's really not a place for you at the University of Florida." (HA)

About Florida has NFL-like speed, Rich Miano said:
"They (Florida and Georgia) are like the NFL, there is team speed everywhere." (HA)

About Florida's team speed, Cal Lee said:
"They've got team speed across the board and nobody that is slow." (HA)

About the speed on their team, Florida RB coach Kenny Carter said:
"Everybody can run. We were laughing about (cornerback) Joe Haden. He runs a 4.3 40 (yard dash) and he's only the seventh fastest player on our team. That puts things into perspective for you." (HA)

About how they use their speed to create mismatches, Tim Tebow said:
"I believe we're going to have speed, especially at the skill positions on offense. I think we've got a 4.2 guy at every position." (HA)

HA Note: "To underline just how much speed the Gators are blessed with, before the spring game, it is reported UF put up the offer of a scholarship to any student that could beat Rainey in the 40-yard. Five tried. None got their schooling paid for as Rainey blazed to a 4.24. Then, in the game, he broke loose on a 65-yard TD run."

Downplaying the reports that Rainey beat him in their race, Demps (who ran a 10.1 100-meter dash at the Olympic trials) said:
"I won the first race, the second one we kind of stopped and, then, the third race he (Rainey) won." (HA)

About how SJSU wasn't able to find a scholarship for him, Calvin Roberts said:
"San Jose State never came through. ... I think I made the best choice I could make. The man upstairs wanted me to be here, so I made the best of it." (HA)

About how SJSU had to pull his offer due to their low APR, Roberts said:
"They had to remove a scholarship, and I guess I was the one." (HA)

HA Note: "After reaching out to the Warriors, they offered him a scholarship last July. After adjusting to the program's defensive schemes last season, Roberts is practicing as the fifth defensive back in both the okie and nickel packages. He is also on the second unit at cornerback."

About how Roberts will get significant playing time this season, Rich Miano said:
"If we go okie, once (Ryan) Mouton moves inside, then Calvin goes to the corner. So even if he didn't start for us, which he still may, then he would play in our nickel and okie packages." (HA)

About how he liked UH in addition to SJSU, Roberts said:
"I contacted Hawai'i, and we connected. It was out of the blue. I always liked it; I liked my trip over here, but San Jose was so close and I had my baby so I wanted to stay close, but it didn't work out, so I just came back here." (HA)

About how it took about half of last season before things "clicked" for him, Roberts said:
"I started to know the defense and the players, and I adjusted." (HA)

About how it typically takes about a year for a JC player to get comfortable in their system, Miano said:
"He had to learn a new system, techniques, the verbiage is different. We knew he had talent, but he's really made that jump." (HA)

Miano said that one of Roberts' strengths is that:
"he really wants to do good. I call him the hardest working man in show business because he gets out here and you can hear the breath in his voice, the hustle in his talk, the sparkle in his eye." (HA)

Miano said that Roberts and CB Richard Torres are the:
"technicians at corner in terms of doing things correctly." (HA)

About how he worked out Monday through Friday over the summer, Roberts said:
"I kept my speed together and got stronger and worked on my lower body." (HA)

HA Note: "Players like Roberts, Mouton and Jameel Dowling have a sense of urgency because it is their final collegiate season and they are working to reach their potential, Miano said."

About the battle for playing time among their CBs, Miano said:
"If there's one, two, three, four (on the depth chart), then (Roberts is) three and he's not far away from being two. (Ryan) Mouton is just so much more athletic, that he's number one. Calvin could be the number two guy. He and Jameel will battle it out, and J.P. (Davis) isn't that far behind at four. Jeramy Bryant has come a long way, too." (HA)

Thinking about trying out for the UH baseball team in 2009, Roberts (who was a baseball star in high school) said:
"I might give it a try, we'll see how it goes." (HA)

About their injured players, Mack said:
"When you get injuries, that's what depth is all about. Any position that loses somebody, it's unfortunate, but you move on." (HSB)

About how Florida is serving to motivate them in practice, Sol said:
"We've got to get our work in. We've got Florida (in the opener), so that's something that motivates us." (HSB)

Happy with how their vet VL are providing leadership and motivation, DL coach Dave Aranda said:
"Today was a hot day, there were some guys with some aches and pains and it's good to hear Keala (Watson) step up like he did today and (David) Veikune step up like he did today. That, in my opinion, is the strength of our team." (HSB)

About how he tries to lead by example, Veikune said:
"I vocalize when I need to, but I just lead by example on the field and go hard. Keala's the one, he's the talker out there." (HSB)

About their leadership on the DL, Keala Watson said:
"Our D-line is pretty solid, everybody knows what to do, everybody's their own leader." (HSB)

About being a starter this season and how the increased reps are making him better, Veikune said:
"That's why I just have to push harder. Last year during team (periods), I didn't get as many reps, me and Amani would always switch in and out. Now I'm getting in there every single play. I'm getting better, and my technique's looking better." (HSB)

About Veikune's improvement, Aranda said:
"He's a great natural pass rusher, he's great with his hands, run and pass. Where he's made the most improvement is with his footwork in our line slants and our rush stunts." (HSB)

About how their injuries give the healthy players extra reps to get better, Watson said:
"It's hard for the guys who are injured because they can't get the reps. But the guys who are in there, we get double the reps. It'll help us prepare that much better, get our reads down. A lot of things are coming faster, more reaction instead of reading." (HSB)

Praising Josh Leonard, Aranda said:
"Josh has really been a superstar this first part of camp." (HSB)

About how Laeli is hampered by injury, Aranda said:
"We just have to be smart with him. Fale's a great player; we're going to give him the reps he needs, but we're going to condition him in a smart way." (HSB)

Hoping that Fonoti, Rocky, and the rest of their DL are all healthy soon, Aranda said:
"That's the thing, once you start talking about how much depth you have, usually the next thing is all of your depth falls off. We're hoping in the next couple of days to be back to full strength. What it does is it gives a bunch of younger guys a chance to go with the first string." (HSB)

About how Estes' injury made him realize that he needs to be more vocal and help out at center, AhSoon said:
"Just now I thought about it because our starting center went down and I was like, 'Man, we got nobody stepping in'. Of course, the young guys are doing a really good job, but as for me, I thought about asking (offensive line) coach (Brian Smith) about it and I'm going to start snapping some balls (today) just to help out." (HA)

HA Note: "Estes and Tuioti-Mariner both practiced yesterday, but were held out of contact drills. Lefiti, a redshirt freshman out of Mater Dei High School in California, had his moments in the morning session, but AhSoon saw an opportunity to step in and lead his younger teammates."

About helping out at C, AhSoon said:
"It's a chance for me as a senior to step up and do what I got to do. There's a lot of pressure on the young guys reading defenses and they're learning to trust what they see." (HA)

About how their OL struggled yesterrday, Brian Smith said:
"I thought offensively we were a little slow today. We've got to pick up our tempo. We've got some starters dinged up so young guys are getting some reps, so you try to stay on those guys." (HA)

HA Note: "The extra work fits perfectly into Smith's plan for the season. He hopes to have "seven or eight" guys rotating in and out each game to keep everyone fresh. Two of those players are juniors Aaron Kia and Laupepa Letuli, who are locked in a battle for AhSoon's old spot at left tackle."

About how the starting spot at LT is up for grabs, even though Kia took all of the first team reps yesterday, Smith said:
"It's real close. We'll get "Pepa" some more reps so that they're evened out." (HA)

About how it took him a few days to shake off the rust due to how injury forced him to miss spring training, Letuli said:
"The first few days I felt kind of off. I wasn't used to feeling my body move a certain way, but it's been a good week for me. I just need to fix my mistakes, that's all I can do right now." (HA)

Critical of his performance in camp, Kia said:
"I'm my own worst critic. I'll tell you right now I'm doing horrible. That's why I've got to keep pushing. I don't want to lose my spot." (HA)

About having two "sudden-change" conditioning drills yesterday in camp, when before they only had one per practice, Inoke said:
"I wasn't expecting that one at all." (HSB)

About the 2 "sudden-change" conditioning drills yesterday, Mack said:
"Those are both hard. You saw the big guys running at the end? They're running like a mother." (HSB)

About how he and many teammates watched the K-1 fights on Saturday night, AhSoon said:
"I'm like aw man (Puu) is going to kick his (butt). But right when (Saki) came out with those leg kicks and combos, I was like no way, that guy is fast. Speed kills." (HSB)

About how he won't try kickboxing in the future, AhSoon said:
"Not me man. I use stones to throw at people. I don't fight." (HSB)

About how he skipped the K-1 matches, Kia said:
"I wanted to (watch), but I ended up just sleeping the whole time." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Offensive lineman Kainoa LaCount will sit out this season and plans to enroll at UH for the spring semester. LaCount, a heralded offensive line prospect, returned home on Sunday and said he'll finish his associate's degree at College of the Canyons with online courses this fall and is looking to play in 2009."