Dec. 3, 2001
Baylor head football coach Kevin Steele sat down with reporters Friday afternoon and discussed the recently-completed season and talked about what is still ahead for the Bears.
On the upcoming offseason:
"Our priorities are two-fold. Number one, with the resignation of [offensive coordinator] Greg [Meyer], we are in the mode of hiring an offensive coordinator/quarterback coach. That process has been slowed by all the make-up games taking place this weekend, a lot of people are still playing that are potential candidates. We have not been slowed in terms of conversations or interest, but it has precluded us from bringing people in."
"Our other priority is recruiting. We now have a full contingent out on the road, everywhere. The reception has been good."
On the resignation of OC Greg Meyer:
"Greg and I met as part of our annual review... In that process, Greg made the decision to resign and pursue other things. Greg is a special person, with unbelievable character and outlook. He is a guy who will be successful in life because he does things the right way... We wish him very, very well. We visited this morning and yesterday, talking things through yet."
On the 2001 season:
"We're all disappointed in the fact that we did not win more games... There are some things you can put your finger on and see were much improved. When you look at the four major categories, it's the first time we haven't been in the bottom 20 percent of the country. Is that where we want to be? No, but we can see improvement."
"The biggest thing that put us behind the 8-ball was turnovers... The Texas Tech game was our Nebraska-Colorado game. There were a lot of things in that one that you kinda scratch your head about."
On hiring a new offensive coordinator:
"No, we will not be promoting from within. The new offensive coordinator/quarterback coach will come from outside, because one of the criteria is that he has been a quarterback coach and has a track record of a certain standard of play at that position."
"[We're looking for] an offensive coordinator that has called the plays and has produced, hopefully at more than one place, but if he had a long tenure at one place, then you can see improvement throughout."
On attracting a top offensive coordinator:
"Obviously the Big 12 is a marquee place [to coach], and there's upside here. When you look at the stats, we started slipping but now are going back up. When you watch the talent and see us going back up, there's an opportunity to come in and make a statement."
On the team's offense in 2002:
"With the nature of this league, you have to stay spread out. That doesn't necessarily mean this spread out... It's hard to run the football effectively when you have too many guys in tight... You have to have some version of the spread offense, but the person will have the opportunity to do what he knows best."
On the quarterback situation headed into next season:
"We've got a new quarterback coach/offensive coordinator coming in. He will evaluate the film and the players as he sees fit, so that's the reason we don't have a specific pecking order."
On the team's needs and recruiting:
"For the first time, we're pretty balanced at each position, with class separation, but there are some areas we need some maturity in."
"At the corners and safety, we need some immediate help in sheer numbers... I think our linebackers are okay as far as youth, but we don't have many old guys... The same at wide receiver, we're balanced, and we have guys we like, but we need a little more maturity there... Running back is pretty good. We're a little young at fullback."
On QB Davon Vinson:
"I would have liked to have played him a little bit more... The deciding factor was that we thought it put him in a better situation for the future [to play him in 2001]. He's a special talent... You don't always have to redshirt as a freshman, you can redshirt as a sophomore or junior... You get more than one opportunity to do that."
"He's a big strong guy, and he throws a football as pretty as you'll see... He can run, he's a smart guy. Not a lot bothers him. Very mature. One of the reasons he played was that sometimes he had some freshman nervousness, and we didn't see everything he has. Playing will help take that off, and I think we'll see that next year."
On QB Aaron Karas:
"We knew what we had, that he has a very quick arm, quick feet... He practiced better and got more focused [as the season progressed]. His statement, as he said himself, was that he wasn't ready to play earlier."
