Frank Reich wants Stanford to lock in for final week of fall camp

On Monday, Stanford interim head coach Frank Reich spoke to the media as the Cardinal begin their final week of fall camp. Below is a full transcription and takeaways. 

VIDEO: Frank Reich wants Stanford to lock in for final week of fall camp 

Q: One more week to go in training camp. Just talk about how things are clicking at this home stretch, here. 

Reich: “Yeah, this is the home stretch. We really need to lock in this week. I think players are dialed in. If today is any indication, that’s a definite yes. We came out and kinda had a job through today after a pretty heavy day on Saturday and felt like we were locked in. We know that this kinda last week of training camp before we get into prep for Hawaii is critical and we gotta take advantage of every rep out here.” 

Q: When do you guys flip the switch from camp to Hawaii prep? 

Reich: Yeah, it’ll be the end of this week. You know, I mean, this will kinda finish all of our preparation stuff for the season and we won’t really formally get into Hawaii until the beginning of next week. We got plenty of time. You know, we’ve been introducing things here and there. Coaches have been getting ahead, but really we just want the players locked into who we’re gonna be, right? So the most important thing is who are we gonna be? And so this is another week to take a step for that.” 

Q: Are there more similarities or differences between the last week of a college football camp or a pro football camp? 

Reich: “I mean, you really want there to be, I want it to feel like it’s similar. You know, and it’s not complete apples to apples, but we are still staying in training camp mode. But we are changing the format of practice for instance to kinda match what we will do, but we’re not going full blown Hawaii stuff. So, we want to introduce the kind of in-season schedule, just get a run through of that so that they feel that. But then we’ll wait for Hawaii stuff for next week.” 

Q: Saturday at the stadium. What were your takeaways? 

Reich: “I thought the defense really had a good day on Saturday. Probably the previous Saturday the offense maybe got the best of it. So the defense came out and played really well. Offense there was some things to clean up, but I thought like typically is, after a game, you watch the film it’s never as good as you think it is, it’s never as bad as you think it is. So there were some things that need to be cleaned up on defense, offense, I walked off the field I wasn’t feeling very good about it, but then I watched the tape and I was like okay, it was better than I thought. So typical stuff. We just have to learn from it and get better.” 

Q: How do you feel the offensive line unit is shaping up? 

Reich: “Yeah, the offensive line unit is shaping up great. I feel good about our depth. I feel good about the unity and camaraderie between that group. Their work ethic. I like the progress we’re making. Coach Netter is doing a great job with those guys. I think we got good leadership in that room and just need to keep making progress.” 

Q: Any update on the quarterback situation? 

Reich: “No. We’re not ready to make any announcements still. We’re still kinda keeping our same mode and probably will make some kind of formal decision late this week or early next week.” 

Q: A lot of good reps being taken by some younger guys in the secondary as well. A lot of guys have had an opportunity to make an impact here. How would you asses what you’ve seen from the cornerbacks and the safeties so far?  

Reich: “Yeah, I mean I really think in this secondary, we’ve had some guys banged up. So a lot of guys getting reps. A lot of reps. And that’s just going to be critical going into the season. It’s a long year. It’s gonna take everybody on the roster. You hope that doesn’t happen. But it usually does. Guys get banged up. Plus, we’ll go to Hawaii, it’s going to be hot and humid. So, we’ll get some rotation there. So I think all of the, with some of the guys getting dinged in training camp and those young guys getting reps, I think that will help us early in the season as we kind of build a rotation.” 

Q: I noticed JonAnthony Hall is back out there after being out earlier. What do you think he can bring to the wide receiver room as a true freshman? 

Reich: “Yeah, I like his size and length and he’s done a good job kinda staying locked in while he couldn’t be practicing mentally. He’s kinda come out here in these walk throughs and jog throughs and I can tell he made progress mentally where he can step on the field. Kinda understand what we’re doing and how we’re trying to get it done. So, good maturity by him as a young guy to really take advantage of the mental reps that he got over the last couple weeks.” 

Q: Some years you have new quarterbacks and returning receivers. Other years it’s flipped. This year it’s both. That’s a unique situation. 

Reich: “Yeah, it is a unique situation. But you know, we just kind of embraced it and we got a million reps and feel good about the guys in the room. Really feel like we made the most of the time. I feel like there’s been good chemistry. I feel like guys have worked on their own, on the side, talking through stuff, watching tape together. I think all of those things are boding well for our team.” 

Q: You agreed to take on an existing coaching staff. What have you learned from them and how have you coached them up to do things the way you want to do things? 

Reich: “Really, a highlight has been working with the staff. It is a unique situation to kind of come in and inherit a staff. A little bit awkward. But, it’s a credit to these guys because A. They’re really good coaches and B.  good men. So, I feel like we’ve been able to come in, collaborate together. Really understand hey, it’s a unique situation, but we are so determined as a staff to want to put these players in the best position possible. So I feel like it’s brought us together. I feel like we’ve embraced that. It’s brought us together and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the job the coaching staff is doing.” 

Takeaways: The first takeaway I have from this interview is Reich has fully embraced the coaching staff situation that he inherited. Not all coaches would want to take on a situation like this, but Reich is not only accepting it but embracing it as well. He seems to really like the coaches both as people and with the job they are doing. Such a unity is huge for Stanford as they begin what is one of the most unique seasons in program history. 

Secondly, it was good to get some insight into when they’ll start prepping for Hawaii. It sounds like come the end of this week they’ll officially switch the dial to focusing on the Warriors. That said, they want to finish this week strong and make the most of this last week of fall camp time. 

Finally, Reich said there has been no starting quarterback named yet. It’s possible a change has occurred since the interview as there are reports that Oregon State grad transfer Ben Gulbranson has won the job over redshirt freshman Elijah Brown. Intel I was receiving and posted on the message boards yesterday indicated that Gulbranson was the favorite, though as of now I have’t received independent confirmation that a final decision has been made. I’ll make an update once/if I get such confirmation.

Note: Fall camp is underway for Stanford football and Cardinal Sports Report has you covered for all the latest news on the Cardinal as they begin the Andrew Luck era. 

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