Nov. 16, 2009

Bronx, N.Y. - PHOTO GALLERY

The eighth Monday Night Quarterback Coaches Show was held tonight in The Marketplace in the McGinley Center with appearances by Fordham head coach Tom Masella, wide receiver coach Custavious Patterson, senior wide receiver Asa Lucas and junior linebacker Nick Magiera.

WFUV announcers Gregg Caserta and Alex Middlesworth led off the show with audio highlights of last Saturday's 35-28 Patriot League loss to Lehigh on Senior Day on Jack Coffey Field and then went into an interview with Masella on the game. Here are some quotes from the questions:

On the game:
"I thought we had a great chance to win the game but we didn't make the big play. As up and down as the first half was, I thought we'd get it done the second half but we never got it going. It was a crazy first half with us scoring on a fumbled punt and Lehigh had only one sustained drive, thanks to having a short field to work with on most of their drives."
"After Lehigh went down and scored on the first possession of the game I didn't think it was going to be a shootout. But then both teams started turning the ball over and it became one of those weird football games."

On the lack of the running game:
"We couldn't run the football. They have a strong front seven and we were having a hard time opening holes. We didn't want to be one dimensional because then it becomes harder to protect the quarterback as we found out in the second half when John was sacked seven times. But I still think the young guys on the offensive line battled hard. John still ended up with 380 passing yards and three touchdowns. If you had told me at the beginning of the season that some of the young guys that were playing on the offensive line would be playing against Lehigh, I would say that we wouldn't have a chance to win. But we did."

On whether the Rams will scrap the running game in the season finale:
"We're not going to scrap the running game because we have to be two-dimensional on offense."

On the Lehigh defense:
"Lehigh is the best defense we faced this year. Coming into the game we knew it would be a struggle, especially when we couldn't get the running game on track. That allowed their defense to pin their ears back and get a strong rush on John. I think our line got worn down from the constant pressure."

Next up was an interview with Patterson:

On the play of the big three receivers, Jason Caldwell, Asa Lucas and David Moore, who each had over 100 receiving yards against Lehigh:
"This was something that was four years in the making. I had a vision of having three top-notch receivers like these three since the day I got to Fordham. I recruited with the idea of having one of the top receiving groups in the country."

On the differences between the three:
"Jason can best be described as magnificent. He is the ultimate receiver who can do it all. Asa plays hard an every play and isn't afraid to knock people down. He's the most consistent receiver I have seen in my coaching career. David Moore has worked hard this year. Last year he used to be lazy but this year he's more consistent has worked hard on his flaws. He knows he has the ability to dominate a game but this year he has kind of taken a backseat to Jason and Asa."

On Michael Shorter:
"Michael may not get a chance to catch a lot of balls but he is the best blocking receiver we have on the roster. He understands his role and accepts it which makes the team better."

On his game-day responsibilities :
"I set up the game plan with our wide receivers before the game and during the game I examine the other team's defensive schemes and look to where we can take advantage of any flaws in the defense and relay those on to the offensive coordinator, Bryan Volk."

On the younger guys in the receiving corps:
"All the receivers are working hard this year with plans to be a starter in the future. Their chance to start depends on their work ethic and we work to prepare them so they're ready when they're time comes."

On the problem with dropped passes :
"As I said earlier this year, we had to go back and see what we were doing and refocus. I spoke with the wide receivers about mental focus and preparations and the message is getting through."

On facing Georgetown with the number one-ranked passing defense in the conference :
"Looking at Georgetown the first thing you notice is that they aren't out of position very often so if we have to be where we should be on every play and if we're not, Georgetown will make the play. But we look at it as motivational to go up against the top-ranked pass defense in the league."

On thinking about life without senior quarterback John Skelton next year:
"It's will be tough without John next year but what worried me more is losing Asa Lucas and Michael Shorter. I'm sure the next quarterback will be a little different in the type of passes he can throw and the receivers will have to adjust."

Nick Magiera followed Patterson:

On his early season injury:
"I'm healthy now but it was frustrating early in the year not be able to do some of the things I know I can do. A lot of people helped me through my injury which I didn't think was too bad when it happened. I made tackle at a practice during camp and twisted my knee a little and finished practice with no problem. But that night I couldn't walk on it and it took some time for me to get back to 100%."

On playing with injuries on the defensive line:
"Having a young defensive line definitely affects the play of the linebackers. Last year when we had seniors on the line they would sometimes take two or three linemen out of the play."

On the younger linebackers stepping in to replace the injured upperclassmen:
"I think the younger guys are doing a great job helping us out this year and that will help us next year as they will have that experience behind them. It's rewarding to see the young guys make plays in a game."

Lucas followed Magiera:

On the play of the receivers:
"The keys to my success this year is that I've been focusing on being consistent. I've been doing the same things since high school and I really wanted to focus on doing them the same way."

On the wide receivers gaining yards after catch:
"We're a tough group of receivers who work hard to become as strong as possible so we can stay on our feet after the first hit. We challenge each other every week."

On the season:
"We had high expectations coming into the year and not meeting those is frustrating. Football success is very short-lived so we have to put each week behind us, not dwell on the losses and get ready for the next week."

On the wide receiver unit:
"We're all pretty close, especially the seniors. We hang out together off the field and feed off of each other's energy and different talents on the field."

On his rapport with John Skelton :
"We've been together all four years and developed a great chemistry which is key. And we continue to work together to get better and better each day."

Masella then returned to the headset and wrapped things up with some questions from Caserta and Middlesworth on the upcoming season finale at Georgetown on Saturday, a team Masella is 3-0 against at Fordham.

"We have to play well to have a chance to win. They haven't won a game this year so we really have to go down there and play well on offense, defense and special teams. They're a sound team who has some talented players who we're familiar with as we tried to recruit three of their defensive backs."

On playing against the number one ranked passing defense in the Patriot League:
"They have a very athletic defense and they're much better in rushing the passer this year. But we have to establish the running game in order for the passing game to be more effective."

On seeing his first Fordham recruiting class play their final game :
"I've been at this for a long time and every year guys leave and you say to yourself `I wish I had this guy back' but that's not the way it is in college. I think I got the most out of these guys and I don't have any complaints. I feel bad for them because they worked hard since the end of last year but sometime you don't get the results you want despite the hard work."

On the injury problem :
"In 2007 when we won the championship we didn't have one guy miss a game due to injury. But last year and this year we've been beat up, especially on the offensive line and at linebacker. The linebackers didn't get healthy until midway through the season but there's nothing you can do about it."

On the state of the program :
"I think we're in much better shape even than we were two years ago. I think the team is better and the program overall is better. This year we were in every game and had a chance to win but just couldn't make the big play. I think we're further along and have players coming back who can contribute."

If you couldn't make it to the show you can listen to the archived shows at wfuv.org. And remember to tune in on Saturday to listen to the season finale at Georgetown at 1:00 PM.