Orange County Register

POLL: WHO BELONGS ON USC’S MOUNT RUSHMORE?

New USC quarterbacks coach and play caller Jeremy Bates conducted his first sit-down interview with a handful of reporters Tuesday afternoon. He touched on his adjustment to the college game, the pending spring quarterback battle - a four-way race, Bates emphasized - and a host of other topics.

Here’s the third and final part of the interview:

Q: How much does it help when you are grooming a new quarterback that you return virtually the entire offense?

Bates: I think more importantly, it’s the offensive line coming back. When you have your entire offensive line coming back, it makes life a lot easier. I don’t care what level you’re at. You can always establish the run to start the offense, and we have all the running backs too. With that being said, it’s always easier for any quarterback when you can establish the running game, when you can get 4 or 5 yards running the ball. That opens up the passing game. When you’re going into it without a running game and a young quarterback, that’s a challenge. The weight would be on his shoulders then.

Q: Pete Carroll always talks about balance. Is that your philosophy too?

Bates: No question. It makes things much more difficult on a defense. Last year we lost five running backs at Denver, and we had to throw it every time. I’m a quarterback, and from when I played, you always like throwing the ball. But when you get dealt that hand with five running backs down … that’s a challenge. The defense starts playing just the pass, and you can’t balance the defense out. You have to be balanced. You have to run keepers and do everything that makes the defense have to guess and play on their heels. It’s a chess match.

Q: Do you have a timetable for naming a starting quarterback?

Bates: I don’t have a time line, but I would like to come out of spring with some kind of depth chart so everyone knows during summer what they’re working for and what the vision is. Then the whole team knows. If it doesn’t happen then, it could happen in two-a-days. I don’t want to set a firm date, but I think with 15 practices, someone will take the lead.

Q: How much play-calling experience do you have? What was that like?

Bates: Just last year. Personally, it’s what you dream of as a coach. I always wanted to call the plays. I played quarterback, and that was one of the reasons I became a coach. Last year was fun. You work six days, and on the seventh, you’re calling the plays, and the whole world gets to see what kind of execution your team and you are capable of. It was awesome. It was a great year. I wish we could’ve gone to the playoffs and all that. I really respect Coach (Mike) Shanahan for letting me do it.

Q: Were you in the press box or on the sideline?

Bates: I was on the sideline. I like being down there just to talk to the quarterbacks. A lot of quarterbacks, you see them on the phones and stuff; that can be kind of a hassle. I like being on the sideline. You can look at them in the eye, and you can get a feel for them. Sometimes a guy might get rattled, and you need to run the ball a few more times to settle him down. Or other times, a guy might have that look in his eye where he wants to throw it every time. You can get more of a feel for them as a person and what their state of mind is. You practice every day, and you’re on the field. You start working your eyes and training your eyes to see coverages and blitzes from the field. It’s not a problem.

Q: What will your working relationship be with offensive coordinator John Morton? Who is going to do what?

Bates: Last year, Rick Dennison was the offensive coordinator in Denver, and I called the plays. I think we’re all going to work hard and try to win every game. By the time we get to the field on Saturday, we’ll all have a plan. We’ll meet together and come together on it. On Saturday, we’ll all have the idea of what’s going to work, and we’ll go with it.

SEE ALSO: PART 1, PART 2.

COMING LATER TODAY: Q&A with new special-teams coordinator Brian Schneider.

More from the USC blog:

• USC football: The Mount Rushmore of Trojans
• NFL draft: Good for Cassel, bad for Sanchez
• USC football: Mount Rushmore finalists
• Patriots trade ex-USC quarterback Cassel
• USC football: The Mount Rushmore of Trojans — Defense
• USC football: The Mount Rushmore of Trojans — Receivers
• USC football: The Mount Rushmore of Trojans — Running Backs

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.