Quotes from the first Spring practice

After sending Bulla Ginlack, Richard Torres, and Kawika Ornellas to the sideline when he noticed that they were not wearing team-issued shoes during their first practice, Mac said:
"Does anybody have the right shoes?" (HA)

About he can stop being a nice guy when the players mess up and need discipline, Mac said:
"This is football. It's a business. I'm a nice guy when it's time to be nice. But as (former UH linebacker Solomon Elimimian) once said, I have two personalities. These guys know me. They know I care about them. But when I want to make a point, I make a point." (HA)

About how they will focus this spring on perfecting techniques and reducing mistakes, Mac said:
"We can't have personal fouls. We had too many last year. That's laziness, and a lack of technique. We've learned from last year. We're going to get better." (HA)

HA Note: "NCAA rules prevent teams from wearing pads during the first two practices. The offensive linemen worked on hand techniques; the running backs on footwork and blocking (by hitting the heavy bag), and the quarterbacks and receivers on pass routes. The defensive players focused on alignments."

About their first spring practice, Mac said:
"We can't hit yet, but we got a lot of work in. The defense worked hard. We're trying to find 11 guys who can run to the football and hit. Hawai'i has always been known for hitting." (HA)

About how Kahuku coach Reggie Torres watched him work on his blocking, Kahuku alum Inoke said:
"It was probably a funny sight for him to see me hit the bag. From what I learned from the first practice, a running back has to keep a good base. You can't lunge, or the (defender) will get past you." (HA)

Inoke added:
"I survived the first day." (HA)

Asked how he would do this season, LWJ said:
"I'm not going to promise anything. I'm not going to say I'm going to do this or that. I'm just going to work." (HA)

Happy that practices have begun, after he missed most of the offseason training due to strep throat, Malcolm Lane said:
"Now I feel great. This is what I love most, being around my teammates and coaches. They keep me happy. It feels good to be back with the team. Everybody has a great love for each other, and they work hard, They're pushing each other." (HA)

About how last year was a difficult "transition season", Lane said:
"It hurts when you start the season with a quarterback who hasn't taken a (Division I) snap before. It was a learning experience. In the second half, (quarterback) Greg (Alexander) really picked it up. ... We really want to be successful this year. We don't want to finish the season like how we did last year." (HA)

HA Note: "Left tackle Aaron Kia was particularly energized yesterday, often racing 30 yards downfield during the 7-on-7 drills."

Hoping that his knee tendinitis problems from last year are behind him, Kia said:
"As long as my knees hold up. I'm a new me. It's up to my knees." (HA)

HA Note: "Kia noticed a small crowd that watched the offensive linemen work out in the Diamond Head end zone."

About how the OL wants to do better this year, Kia said:
"We want to make a good statement this year. We don't want to be the butt of every conversation about the down part of Hawai'i football." (HA)

About practice, Rocky Savaiigaea (who only played in one game last season because of a torn left triceps), said:
"For the first day, the intensity was good. It went well." (HA)

About the viral infection he had last year that caused him to lose 25 pounds and forced him to withdraw from school, Jovonte Taylor said:
"It was real scary. I felt like I was on my death bed. I'm feeling good. I couldn't feel any better." (HA)

About how he's now back to 185 pounds, Taylor said:
"I'm back running, and my knee feels good, too. I'm healthy. I'm ready to go." (HA)

About how he's only cleared for non-contact drills (he missed the 2008 season because of a herniated disc), Jake Heun said:
"I'm trying to get cleared to hit this week. Hopefully by Saturday, I'll be able to bang." (HA)

About being back at rush end after being recruited to UH as a RB, Heun said:
"I'm happy to be back on defense. That's the big thing for me." (HA)

About how he hopes to eventually move to OLB, Heun said:
"We'll see." (HA)

HA Note: "Outside linebacker Blaze Soares, who was on the field but did not participate in contact drills. Soares did not play last season because of a torn Achilles' heel. He is expected to be cleared at the end of April, enough time to prepare for the Aug. 3 start of training camp."

About practicing at #1 strongside LB, with Blaze out and Po'okela Ahmad in class, Vili Nauahi said:
"They're just throwing me out there." (HA)

About the instruction he received from the coaches, Nauahi said:
"I needed the scolding. I've got a lot to learn. Without the help of the other linebackers, I wouldn't be there right now." (HA)

About how he is starting to pick up the techniques of the position, Nauahi said:
"This was the tip of the iceberg. This was only the first practice. I hope to get better." (HA)

About their status right now, Mac said:
"Right now we're developing our team personality. But I like the work ethic." (HA)

HSB Note: "With combined college coaching experience of nearly 60 years, the well-traveled Tormey (special teams coordinator) and Shaw (offensive line) will be counted on to give two of the Warriors' most flawed facets during the 2008 season a fresh start. Tormey was given the task of overhauling a special teams unit that finished last in the country in punt return yardage (2 yards average) and had six kicks blocked. He's also charged with assisting Rich Miano with the secondary by leading the safeties."

Happy what he saw from their DBs yesterday, Tormey said:
"We have a lot of kids who are really into what we're trying to teach. We'll see how well we can maintain that enthusiasm over the next 14 practices." (HSB)

About how Coach Shaw will not make excuses if their OL struggles, Mac said:
"You'll never hear an excuse out of him." (HSB)

About how he judges players, Shaw (a former center) said:
"When you've been doing it for as long as I've been doing it, my favorite saying is, 'Never rate potential over performance.' So, you might have a world of ability, but it's still about what you do out here between the stripes — that ends up being whether you play or not. I just live by the golden rule, which is, 'Do your best and don't let anything else affect you.' " (HSB)

HSB Note: "Tormey has appeared four times at Aloha Stadium — once as a player and three times as a coach — and chuckled about his 0-4 record here. He spoke to his new players about the mystique of playing at Hawaii, and told them they should be proud. Proud, but also ready to do their part when called upon."

About his message to the Warriors, Tormey said:
"Accountability is one word that we always use. In order to be accountable to your teammates, you have to be personally responsible, both on and off the field. That's something we're trying to stress with these guys. Understand the importance of doing your job, making your play for the Warriors when you get your opportunity." (HSB)

About giving Dog Chapman a tip on his neighbor (who was a feared fugitive), Lane said:
"He told me I was helping the kid in the long run. He said it would be the best thing for him in the long run." (HSB)

Still upset by the Hawaii Bowl loss, Brashton Satele said:
"We're still kind of mad about it. I don't like being embarrassed." (HSB)

"It's still fueling a lot of us. We're still kind of mad about it. That's what wakes me up every day." (HSB)

About how they were intense on their first spring practice, Rocky said:
"This was the hardest first day we've ever had, very intense." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Most of these seniors have never experienced a losing season, other than while redshirting in 2005. They don't want to start now, at the end."

About how the players need to buy into the coaches, Lane said:
"We've just got to work harder on the practice field and not just expect to win. We've got to buy into what the coaches tell us. Everybody at times gets into doing a little bit of their own thing. But I understand a lot more about how important it is to buy into the coaches." (HSB)

About how he was sad that practice was at 4pm instead of their normal 7am, Brashton said:
"I was kind of bummed it wasn't at 7 o'clock in the morning like usual." (HSB)

After their first day of practice, Ron Lee said:
"We still have a ways to go, but for the first day it was good." (HSB)

About how it is exciting to start Spring Practice, Greg Alexander said:
"It's definitely exciting to get back out here and play some real football again. I was excited for it. It's a long layover, a long time to think about some games we let slip away. There were a couple games that sit with you. You still think about those now and then so we have to fix our mistakes." (HSB)

About the importance of these spring practices, Mac said:
"This is a sense-of-urgency spring. This isn't the typical spring that you just go through. We have to identify players, and for the first day I think we made a step in the right direction. But we have to continue to get better." (HSB)

HSB Note: "McMackin said the Warriors' depth chart serves as a starting point, but "everything's wide open." Two positions with clear leaders are quarterback and center, where Alexander and John Estes return."

About the upcoming season after the OL set the NCAA record for sacks, John Estes said:
"It's redemption. Everyone knows what happened last year. Once we start going and doing good like I know we can, we'll get past that stuff, but we have to work hard from now." (HSB)

About how their offense is more experienced this spring as compared to last spring, Ron Lee said:
"We still have a ways to go, but for the first day it was good. Last spring we had a lot of different people. Now the guys we have are guys that played. We didn't have that last year. We're moving along a lot faster. I like the enthusiasm, the guys are a lot more confident." (HSB)

About working to making a few mechanical changes to his footwork and throwing motion while learning more about the offense, Alexander said:
"Now is the time where you have to get these things worked out, because once fall camp is here we're not going to have time to work on things like that. By then it has to be second nature and muscle memory." (HSB)

About taking over for Sol as their starting MLB, Brashton said:
"It's a lot of leadership and responsibility, but I'm up to it to take the challenge." (HSB)

Asked about being a leader on the team, Malcolm Lane said:
“Lots of people ask me about being a senior and being a leader now. I can’t make that claim, not yet. You don’t just come out and say, 'I’m a leader now,’ even if you’re a senior. I have to show I’m a leader by setting an example by doing the right things.” (HSB)

About how he understands the offense better now, Dustin Blount said:
"Now I know the offense. I’m looking at the right things, things are slowing down and I know where I want the ball to go." (HSB)