"I had no idea what he wanted to talk about. I was more the disgruntled player thinking I should be getting more time, so I wasn't sure what he wanted to talk about." (HA)
HA Note: "What Johnson, who had noted Niumatalolo's grasp of the offense, suggested was that he consider becoming a graduate assistant on head coach Bob Wagner's staff. The 26-year-old Niumatalolo, who had seen other GA's labor for years without landing a full-time job, was hesitant, especially with a growing family."
Niumatalolo said that he and his wife Barbara came up with a plan that they would give his coaching two years and if there was no job then he would:
"go into the real world and look for a job." (HA)
HA Note: "In the meantime, he vowed to do whatever there was to be done and do it as if it was the most important task on campus. In addition to coaching, he carted around the head coach's exercise bike, brought box lunches to the video crew and dropped off coaches' kids at school. And he got snickered at by friends who questioned where it would ever get him. But his hard-earned dues eventually won him an assistant position at UH followed by stops at Navy and Nevada-Las Vegas. When Johnson left Navy for Georgia Tech two seasons ago, Niumatalolo was the clear pick as his successor. For someone who grew up in Halawa, crossed the overpass to Aloha Stadium to sell newspapers, watch Hula Bowl and Pro Bowl practices, win a Prep Bowl with Radford High and play for UH, Saturday's step onto the sidelines figures to be a chicken-skin moment."
About returning to Aloha Stadium as a head coach, Niumatalolo said:
"I'm sure there's going to be some tears. I know it is going to be pretty emotional." (HA)
About how the athletic director (Bob Wagner, former UH head coach) at Kamehameha-Hawaii suggested that they run the triple-option offense, Mana Silva said:
"I couldn't make the reads. We ended up going to a four-spread conventional offense. (The triple-option) was complicated for me. It lasted a few weeks. Coach Wagner realized he didn't think we could run it, so we stopped running it." (HA)
HA Note: "Paul Johnson, who was Wagner's offensive coordinator for eight years at UH, implemented the triple-option at Navy. His successor, Ken Niumatalolo, is a former UH quarterback and assistant coach."
About how Navy uses cut blocks (which is legal, but controversial), Rich Miano said:
"Cutting is tough. You have to be prepared." (HA)
About being coached to shove away people trying cut blocks, Spencer Smith said:
"We have to watch our legs so they don't get cut-blocked. We have to use our hands really well." (HA)
Getting inspiration from a fellow Big Island resident, Mana Silva said:
"You've got to sprawl like BJ Penn. You've got to go to your knees, get back up, and make a play." (HA)
About how their defensive linemen must be active, since if they stop after a few steps they could be hit by a third-party blocker, DT coach Dave Aranda said:
"Otherwise the guy in front of (the defender) is not blocking, the guy to the left or to the right is blocking." (HA)
About how they have to be disciplined like Navy is, Mac said:
"We've got to be very disciplined, because they're very disciplined. That's the focus." (HA)
About how their coaches and players are watching a lot of video on Navy this week, Miano said:
"This is one of those weeks where you don't get any sleep. What (the Midshipmen) do, they do so well. They also can throw the ball. They give you nightmares. Nobody in the country wants to play these guys. They do a great job." (HA)
About facing Navy, Jeramy Bryant said:
"We have a great deal of respect for what they do for our country, and what they do by sacrificing their lives. But when we get on the field, we're playing the game of football." (HA)
Planning their team's first meal in Hawaii, Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said:
"Our first team meal will be an L&L (Drive-In) katsu, teri beef combo (take out). We'll have a mixed barbecue plate one night." (HA)
About playing Hawaiian music during their practices last week, Niumatalolo said:
"I want them to get in the mood." (HA)
HA Note: "A call to the football office in Annapolis, Md., is greeted with, "Aloha! Navy football." Navy arrives tomorrow night and Niumatalolo said he wants the Midshipmen to have a "Hawai'i
experience" within limits."
About planning this trip for his players, Niumatalolo said:
"I've been planning for this game for a while now and I want to make sure our guys (experience Hawai'i. It is not like you can paint the windows black at the hotel, lock the doors and not let them out. It is paradise, so I want them to be able to enjoy things. But, I want to make sure that we're getting ready for a football game, too." (HA)
About getting his players ready for the game, Niumatalolo said:
"we'll have some local food and visit the Arizona Memorial but, other than that, we'll work out the same as we would (at other places) and get ready for the game Saturday. I want to keep the guys off their feet and out of the sun as much as possible. I know a lot of teams come over here, get distracted, lose and get on the plane and go home. I want to make sure we're ready for a football game.
I don't think a lot of our guys realize how far the trip is and what kind of a game it is going to be. They (the Warriors) are a good team playing for a bowl berth. Obviously, Coach Mac has done a nice job of keeping those guys fighting back the last couple of games. I was there (at UH) for many years and I know what a great home-field advantage it is. Guys get distracted. We'd better be ready to go 'cause we're playing a highly motivated football team." (HA)
About how it is hard to prepare to face Navy's offense, Mac said:
"It's the execution of the option. You might have people in the right place, but these guys really execute their technique. The academies are very disciplined, they're full-speed players. I coached at the Naval Academy; I know what kind of players we're playing (against). So we're in for a big challenge." (HSB)
About the extra video their team has to watch this week to prepare for Navy's offense, Spencer Smith said:
"We have to watch a lot of extra film on our own, because it's not a conventional WAC offense. The focus has to be there from everyone. Everyone's got to read their keys and we can get beat mentally. If we get beat mentally, we stand no chance." (HSB)
About his former teammate Jonathan Dwyer is the starting FB for Georgia Tech, under former Navy head coach Paul Johnson, Smith said:
"He's my best friend back home. I watch him whenever I can and he tells me about their practices are and how intense they are. I'm sure that's exactly how Navy practices." (HSB)
About being the scout team QB for this week, David Graves said:
"I ran a lot of option through high school, so I'm going to try to give the defense the best look I can. It's just quickness and precision. The best (option) offenses, the quarterbacks run it clean."
(HSB)
About how it will take them a quarter to get used to the speed of Navy's offense, Mac said:
"I really believe if you can get through the first quarter you're going to be OK. Because it's the first time you see the speed and the techniques that are involved in the option. You have to get them ready enough, but it's going to be way faster and we can't cut (block) our guys in practice. We work on the technique, but it's slow speed, and it's going to be full speed when we play Navy." (HSB)
Planning to play in the Navy game, Bryant Moniz said:
"It's a gotta-play situation." (HSB)
About how Moniz will start if he is healthy, Mac said:
"If Bryant is well, which we think he's going to be, then he'll be our starter. Because I've always believed you don't replace a starter because of an injury. You've picked him as the starter, so he gets his position back when he's ready to go." (HSB)
http://www.starbulletin.com/sports/sportsnews/20091124_Navy_brings_all_kinds_of_trouble.html
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