Q&A with Emmett Jones after Saturday's scrimmage

Emmett Jones met with the media following the team's first, full scrimmage of the spring season. Here is the full breakdown what he had to say about the scrimmage and much more.

Question: What did you see at the scrimmage?

Emmett Jones: Flying around, tons of energy and they were really getting after each other and trying to take each other's heads off. So I'm very impressed with how things went.

Question: Did any players stand out on either side of the ball, offense, defense, special teams?

Emmett Jones: I would just say overall, the entire offense stood out and the same with the defense. I would just say both sides as a unit, we stress unification. So, I would say both sides stood out if you ask me. Not one particular guy at all.

Question: Are the players even more psyched and amped up for a day like today than just a normal practice?

Emmett Jones: Very much. Very much. Lot of lip talking. You expect that in the trenches, especially. Those guys are really getting after each other. That's what you expect. You love each other in the dorm, you love each other in the locker room or down in the weight room. In between those white lines, you're my number one enemy and I saw that.

We had to calm some guys down a little bit. I would rather calm them down than tell them to go, you know? So, I like where we're at right now, even with those wideouts against those DBs. They kind of get active a little bit. And that's what we experience in the Big 12. So there is no need to sugar coating it so you might as well get yourself ready for it and know how to handle and carry yourself. So they all responded well.

Question: What other things can you learn from a scrimmage day that you don't necessarily see in just a normal weekday practice?

Emmett Jones: We had our refs out there. I think we got to get used to playing with tempo during certain sessions. As far as the offensive line, as far as finding the ball, getting lined up very fast because sometimes we put those guys in moments where we were coming from behind, no time outs and we couldn't hear each other. That got better as we continue to roll throughout practice with these last six or seven days, we have left for spring. But just clean small things up. Don't want any self-inflicted wounds is what we talk about before just today's scrimmage. So just clean small areas up as far as simple penalties, but I think everything else was fine.

Question: Where do you see he defense and offense so far this spring?

Emmett Jones: It's like a heavyweight fight. They get us one day, then we get them. It's just back and forth. Back and forth. Even with this scrimmage, certain sessions, the offense will get them, then we'll put them inside the plus eight yard line going in. Very hostile environments, so loud. Defense get those guys off the field. Next series, offense may punch it in and score. So that's really what you want to see. You stress team and stress brotherhood. One side can't carry the program. You know, we need special teams, we need defense, we need offense and guys kind of swinging, going back and forth with each other. So team is coming along fine. We are right where we needed to be during this time of the year.

Question: Travis Goff obviously spoke to you guys and spoke to you about conducting a national search. And obviously you're a candidate and that's official now, so I want to ask you about how you feel about your candidacy and what you feel like you might need to do to win the job, I guess.

Emmett Jones: For one, just being a candidate. I'm just blessed to be in the situation. I'm just blessed to be one of the candidates. What I need to do is just be myself. I don't need to get out of character. I just need to be Emmett Jones, continue to be who I was as far as how I got here. That won't change. I won't make up nothing. I just speak the truth and I'm not worried about that all. Just continue to control what I can control and just be myself.

Question: Does this spring kind of feel like an audition or a job interview just because of the timing of everything?

Emmett Jones: I don't think about that. I just think about getting better every day at practice, getting better every day in the classroom with the players. I don't even really think about it. It's just one day at a time, same mindset with the rest of the coaches, same mindset with the player. This is one day at a time, to be honest with you. We don't even think about it. It's just one day at a time.

Question: Did you and Travis Goff have a lot of talks leading up to his decision?

Emmett Jones: He did exactly what he said he was going to do. What we expected, so whatever he said he was going to do, he's doing it, and to be honest with you, we like him around; that's what we want with our top, number one leader. We want our number one leader around supporting us. So, like I said, he's taking the best approach. I think that's the right way to handle that, especially when you're trying to improve things you want to be better, that's the best way you can handle it. So I applaud him for the way he carried himself, and I applaud him for the way he's handling everything here.

Question: With no spring last year are there any specific position groups showing improvement?

Emmett Jones: To be honest with you, I'd probably would say quarterbacks. I'm seeing tremendous amount of improvement with those guys, that goes to Coach DeBord, and it goes to Travis Partridge, that goes to what we did as a unit, as far as what the system and what the scheme, making the reads pretty clean, and making it very simple, simple but difficult, you know? So don't think it's that simple.

They're doing a great job as far as executing the assignments. So, I say the quarterbacks. It's totally like night and day if you ask me. They're doing a good job with the coaches and comprehending everything, but at the same time, you can't be quarterback without the offensive line. So is Coach Grimes, so it's really both sides of the ball, all areas, it's totally, we're not the same University of Kansas when it comes to the football program. We're not the same at all. It's both sides of the ball, and I hate to just point at one unit, but it's both sides of the ball.

Question: What are some of the strides you have seen since the beginning of spring?

Emmett Jones: The buy-in. Buy-in, brotherhood, comprehending everything that we're doing on the offensive side, not thinking about the past, the team just staying focused on one day at a time approach. Our number one, our main mindset, it's just the mentality, it's just 1% better every day. That's one thing we stress every day. That's not made up, that's just what we talk about, as far as being better; 1% each day.

And so, as long as we feel that as a unit, as a team, we okay with today, so that's where we at, so they did a good job as far as buying in, and absorbing the coaching and, and moving forward as far as to the future of University of Kansas football.

Question: What kind of direction have you been given in terms of the program and recruiting as the interim?

Emmett Jones: The direction came from the program, myself being an interim head coach, unification stay the course, continue to move forward, on a day-to-day basis. We always deal with recruiting, we always deal with academics, we always deal with just normal operation. Matter of fact, amplify everything a little bit more, stay the course, continue to move forward. That's it right there.

Question: Did you have any conversations about what needs to be done whether it was from Travis Goff or Kurt Watson?

Emmett Jones: I don't seek feedback. I just listened to the product, which is the players, you know? They all excited, fired up, eager to learn, anxious to come over to the facility to study, to get better. So, that's the testament, that's the judgment right there; the players, the product. So I don't seek any kind of feedback. As long as the young men are fine, they feel like they're getting better everyday, feel like they're getting coached, I'm okay with that. You know? So that's the feedback that we look for.

Question: Were there any quarterbacks that impressed you today?

Emmett Jones: I'll tell you what, I like both of the youngsters, the two freshmen on campus. I like those guys. I like all three. I like both of the seniors, Fallin and Kendrick. I like what Daniel did, he's continuing to make the progress also, too. So that whole unit, not one guy in particular, but they're doing exactly what we asked them to do, as far as operating the system, executing the script and putting everybody in the right position where they need to be.

Question: Do you want to go into the fall with the skill positions settled?

Emmett Jones: You would like for it to get settled in. But really I can't predict that, so we just let it all, just play it out on his own. We grade everything, so we just let it all play out. And those guys are swinging, toe to toe. We feel comfortable with that room and where we at right now. So we just let it all play out and see where it end up at the end of the day. Yeah.

Question: Did Travis Goff talk to you about what your future might be?

Emmett Jones: I don't even seek those type of conversations with him. I'm so locked in on the program, that's the least thing I think about. I just stay in the course to be honest with you.

Question: How much fun has it been leading the team the last few weeks?

Emmett Jones: It has been great. I'm glad to be in this situation, glad to be here at the University of Kansas in this position, at this program. And, it's awesome to be a part of family brotherhood, man. It's something special right now. These guys will tell you it's awesome just to be here. This is a great deal right here, man.