Texas A&M football staff, players discuss upcoming season at Media Day

Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher, coordinators Mike Elko and Darrell Dickey and a host of players spoke with reporters Sunday morning as part of Texas A&M Media Day. TexAgs was on hand for the day and presents videos of the interviews.

The following are live, paraphrased notes from the coaches at Texas A&M's Media Day press conference. 

Head Coach Jimbo Fisher

• I want to start off the day by keeping the Bowden family in my thoughts and prayers. We lost a great man in coach Bowden today. He was a tremendous human being who touched the lives of so many. He lived a full life, and he knows where he’s at, that’s for sure.
• We want to keep R.C. Slocum and his family in our prayers as he fights his battles as well.
• I think the seniors saw the value in coming back for the team. A lot of guys saw and felt that feeling last year. They also saw the benefit for them at the next level for their personal development. I think it enhances each of their chances to play at the NFL. They also love A&M.
• There are so many memories of Bobby Bowden. I can’t tell all the stories. My favorite one involving me was when I was learning how to coach at the Bowden Academies. The amount of information that came out of him that he didn’t even realize. The Manning Academy came after the Bowden Academy. Peyton used to come to the Bowden Academy. Some of my greatest memories are sitting there after the camp was over. Bobby would watch all of the counselors and every second of the camp because it was a family affair. I was blessed to be included in that. After some of the camps, they’d sit up in the dorms, and he’d take his socks off and put his feet up. He was so normal and genuine. He'd sit up there and talk about ball. I’d just sit there and listen. We had a bad habit and we both chewed, so we’d have a chew together. The knowledge he's put out and the way he did things were incredible. He’d talk about Bear Bryant. The volume of information you'd get ...those are (some of) my favorite memories. He was a great historian of the game.
• I could sit here for hours and tell Bobby Bowden stories, and some of them are how he’d hit me during games when I was calling plays. One time he bumped me and said a good thing, and he made me laugh so hard that we almost got a delay of game. The people he touches is the most amazing thing about him.
• (In the first couple of practices), I don't know if anything has impressed me except the urgency to be good. Guys are starting to push others for jobs, so the competition has probably been the best thing so far.
• We're in the top 10 right now, and we’ll see if we can do it. That’s why I'm here. We have all the resources to do it, so now it’s just about doing it. When you have that bullseye on your back, you have to do it. That’s what we’re here for.
• King and Calzada have done a good job for two days. You can see they’ve worked hard this summer. I've been happy with both practices, but there are some mistakes to clean up.
• McKinnley Jackson, we're aware of the situation and following the policies of the school. As it plays out, we’ll make decisions off of that.
• (Asked about Terry Price’s BBQ) When you have a BBQ and the food is bad, it's not a good BBQ. Terry Price can cook, that’s for sure. He has that hat with some awards on it, and all you have to do is taste it to see those are legit. He's excellent, and the amount of work he puts in the cook is impressive.
• Aaron Hansford will be a leader, and he has been. You don't have to be vocal, but leadership comes in many ways in how you affect your teammates. Aaron has become more vocal, but it's still more by example. He's doing a great job of that, and other guys on our defense are too.
• Everybody knows how they play no matter who is the quarterback. You can’t put limitations on a new guy. I didn't put limitations on a guy in 2013 and won a national championship. I won't put limitations on Zach or Haynes. They have to do the job well and mature into their craft and turn into a dominant guy. They have that ability.
• Eli Stowers is a tremendous competitor and athlete. He might be one of the best athletes on our football team. He has great ball skills, and he is highly intelligent. He wants to make a contribution at tight end, but we still have packages to use him at quarterback.
• I love our offensive linemen. Each day is a challenge, but I like the guys that are there. We have to coach them and get them better.
• As a unit, we’re moving guys around on the offensive line to different positions. When they're making calls, the first group understands it, and the second group is very talented and learning. I’ve been impressed.
• I have high expectations for Leal because he's a unique talent and can do it inside and outside. You have to play so many things, and he puts a lot of pressure on offenses across the nation. He's a very good athlete. If you gave him the ball as a tailback, he's extremely nimble, and that's why I think he's such a good player. He’s a nimble guy. He’s a skill guy in a big body. He can make contributions in both the pass and run games.
• I'm going to worry about this year. This is the best league in the country. When they (OU and Texas) come in, we’ll line up and play and look forward to playing ‘em.
• Demond Demas had a sprained foot this summer in a running drill. It’s a legit injury, so he's working on it. He had a great summer, and he’ll definitely be back.
• As a receiving group, you don’t want to drop balls, you have to get open and run good routes. With a new quarterback, it steps that responsibility up. When guys around you don't do their job, it makes it harder on the quarterback. When they do their job, it makes their growth easier. Our receivers are very knowledgeable and have great ability. Getting Caleb Chapman back will help. Others are developing well. Once their game takes off, their confidence will come.
• We have to live in the standard and know worry about who or where we're playing. We have to meet our standard every day. Every game is the most important one in the world. Every game is a big game. That's a mentality and an understanding. Your opponent has to be faceless, and that helps how you prepare and perform for each game. Go lose a game and find out which game was a big game.
• We have Spiller and Achane who will carry the ball. Spiller is a guy who almost got a thousand yards in ten games. He is a complete back and is developing. His leadership is most important. A lot has been put on him. He's comfortable in his job and had an unbelievable summer. He has grown and matured. He's a guy that I’m very happy with, and he’ll be huge for those quarterbacks.

Defensive coordinator Mike Elko

• It’s the same thing every year. You make more of me passing head coaching opportunities than I do. I’ve never come close to leaving. We’re extremely happy here and we’re excited for the season.
• DeMarvin and Clemons have elevated their game so much over our time here, and you've seen them take another step over camp. They've taken their pass rush up another notch. Those two kids will play a huge role for us this year.
• I think we should be able to execute our defense at a much higher level. When you get a group that has been through it, some of the things we didn't handle the right way will disappear with an experienced group. We're looking to execute our defense at a higher clip with a higher speed. That will bring the results we're looking for.
• This is as athletic as we've been at linebacker since we’ve been here. It's becoming a room where there are some big shoes to fill, and the group hasn't played a lot, but athletically, they're a great group.
• I think Buddy is a huge presence that we have to replace. We will miss him and everything he did for us. We’re hoping Aaron Hansford can step up. We're fortunate because we have a lot of experience at the safety position. We have Andre White and Edgerrin Cooper trying to step into a role. Every year, you have things that you lose, and as a group, you have to step up and replace them.
• We have to get really good in pass defense. It's nice when you have the Joneses, but right now we’re developing some depth in the secondary. Chappell and Harmon are exciting, and Norwood has come and been an exciting player. We're developing some talent in that room.
• (For vocal leaders) you look at the guys who have played a lot of football, the experienced guys have to be leaders. The core has played a lot of football. We have to handle expectations, but we're guaranteed nothing with experience. What we did last year is just last year. We have to put in the work this fall.
• Two qualities you have to have is first, physical toughness. This is a big boy league. If you don't have that toughness, you don't have much of a chance. Then you have to communicate at a really high level. You have to make sure your kids can function at a high level. We have gotten better as a defense over our time in those two areas. We're getting bigger and stronger and executed on a big stage each year, and we’re hoping to continue that this year.
• Never use the word “difficult” when you have a lot of good players. We're trying to find ways to utilize talented players, and that's a good thing. Antonio Johnson is a very talented player, and we expect him to play a big role for us this year. When you have that many guys, it makes things run better.
• Demani Richardson is unique in my experience. He is a thicker, more physical, athletic safety. I've had some guys that were lengthy, more free safety type. He's different and resembles Donovan Wilson more than anyone else I've coached. It has been fun watching him develop over the years. I'm looking forward to watching him this fall.

Darrell Dickey

• We feel like we have a good situation at quarterback, and both kids are very intelligent. They've both watched Kellen and gotten some playing time over their years. They're both athletic, but Haynes is probably one of the best athletes on the team. Zach might be one of the best throwers of the ball that I've worked with. He's a very gifted thrower. Haynes is as well. They’re both very competitive. They’re unique in a lot of areas but have differences. Zach is going to be better in the pocket. Haynes is going to be a guy who can extend plays and keep the defense more honest and scared with his ability to make plays with his feet. They've both been in our system and understand the offense, so we don't have to taper or tone the offense back. They're still young, but we expect them to go out and compete. The one thing you have to guard with a new quarterback is the feeling that it's all on their shoulders. They have to execute and run the offense, which is where Kellen became a big-time quarterback. We hope those two young men will get there. They're working in that direction, and we’re pleased with where they’re at right now.
• The biggest thing about Ainias Smith comes from the Texas Bowl two years ago. We had six running backs that season, and going into that bowl game, we had one: Isaiah Spiller. We asked Ainias to play some running back in that game, and as he felt comfortable, we felt we could put him in the game, run our two-back set and without substitution, we could put him into the slot. That does a lot to a defensive coordinator. When he's in the game, they don't really know what we’re going to do or line up in. When we had a good running game against Auburn last year, we were lining up in different sets. He's a unique weapon who creates personnel problems and can make plays from both spots. He can make people miss and run between the tackles as well as catching balls. We're glad he's on our team.
• So far, Stowers has been great. He's a very gifted athlete. We've been able to squeeze everything out of the talent we've had on this team. Cullen Gillaspia is an example of that. He played linebacker and fullback and special teams here. We got mileage out of that. We don’t want to have these talented guys over there watching. Eli is a guy we want to find out what he can do. He's talented, intelligent and has great hands. We think he can help us at tight end and possibly on special teams. Whether he moves back to quarterback, we'll look at it as his development unfolds. 
• Caleb Chapman is back and hopefully close to 100 percent. We have guys with experience returning. This year's offense is a work-in-progress. We have our strong points. Every year I’ve done this, there have been a few players you didn't know you could count on that have emerged that end up helping you. Devon Achane was one of those last year. He became a playmaker for us. That’s going on right now with this team. We're finding those new guys and those returners that can help us. Eli has had a great attitude about working at tight end to get into a position to help the team, and so far, it looks like he can.
• Our receiving corps is probably as strong as it has been since we've been here, and we have more guys that can impact the game. Craig has done a great job of working with them. We have a few guys that can take the top off. Chapman has done that. Hopefully, Demas can get in there. We have a true freshman in Yulkeith Brown that can run and make plays with the ball in his hands. Preston is looking to contribute. Ainias spends time with them. We’re hoping to be able to throw the ball down the field better than we ever have this year.
• There is no doubt that you have to run the ball effectively to win. You have to be able to run it when everybody knows you're going to run it. Spiller has been so strong for us there. Not only is he gifted in space, but he can run between the tackles. He can hold up, and this is a big boy league. As strong and as tough as he is, this is a tough load to carry. Devon is very powerful for as small as he is. Two guys had shot on him in that big run in the Orange Bowl. That 1-2 punch is going to help our quarterbacks as they develop, and both of those guys possess the ability to pick up four or five years on each carry. They catch the ball well out of the backfield. They're good in pass protection. Some of those bigger guys Devon will have to block, he's improving on that. The better these guys can see the creases and get through them, you don't have to hold your blocks as long. We feel good about those two guys, but they have to go out and do it. Isaiah and Devon are trying to improve, and that's the theme for us as a team right now.
• We feel like we have SEC depth. We have to grow up in some areas faster than we would have hoped to. We feel good about King and Calzada, but they're still in their developmental process, and I am too. You have to stay in that mode throughout your career. Tom Brady is still one of the most prepared guys to play, and that’s why he's so successful. Everyone is developing, but we have more guys that can play their position on this football team. Coach Elko talked about his defense, and they're tremendous. We go against them every day, and it's rough out there, but it makes us better. We're hoping to create a competitive environment to make everybody better. You have to have depth in this league because it creates competition.