Belin Teleconference Quotes

Georgia's newest coach, Warren Belin, answered questions during a teleconference with reporters today. Here's some of what he had to say...

(Note: Don't hold it against me if these quotes aren't 100 percent verbatim. The phone connection left a tad bit to be desired, but I think I've got them all correct.)

On how he ended up at Georgia...
"Coach Richt has been following my career for quite some time, and after he made the changes, a couple of people had recommended me to Coach Richt, and he followed through with that. After recruiting season was over, he contacted Coach (Bobby) Johnson to ask permission, and I came on the interview, had a really good interview with Coach Richt and Coach Grantham, and I'm excited to have a chance to be a part of this."

On which group of LBs he'll be coaching...
"I'm going to be coaching the inside linebackers here at Georgia. But that being said, Todd (Grantham) and I will both be working together with the linebacker corps. I'll be focused on working with the inside linebackers, but there will be times during drills I'll be working with the outside linebackers."

On whether he has ever shared position-coaching responsibilities with another coach…
"I have not been in a position like that, but I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with Todd. His 11 years in the NFL have been tremendous, and he coached a lot of great players, so I can learn a lot from him and Coach Garner. So I have no problem working with them. And at the same time, when you look at the scheme of a 3-4, the inside and outside linebackers are different. There are some fundamental differences that the outside linebacker is going to have to have, and we're looking forward to getting these guys ready this spring and for our first game in the fall."

On what the job has been like so far...
"I just completed my first week. I got in last Thursday night. Last Friday with the white out was my first day here. So it's been a whirlwind ever since, but I'm very, very excited about being here. I'm learning about the defensive staff, getting to know our defense. I've had a chance to meet with quite a few of the players who have come by during the winter workouts."

On his work recruiting in Georgia while at Vandy...
"Being the recruiting coordinator I had some other areas that I also recruited, but with some of the other coaches, I had the state of Georgia, and the state of Georgia has been real, real good at some of the previous schools that I've worked at, and I want to continue to develop the relationships with the coaches here in this great state. We feel like there are some really good players and good students here in this state that if we keep them all here, we're going to have a great chance to continue to build this program and to win championships."

On his approach to fundamentals...
"I think all of this follows the lead of Coach Richt as the head football coach and also Coach Grantham and what he brings to the table as the defensive coordinator, the demands that we're going to put on them as a staff. As a position coach, we're going to follow that lead, but there's also issues or things that I'll have to address with my players, the inside linebackers, and I'll put demands on those guys as well. My philosophy for my players, and I've sat down and told all of those guys the first day is honesty No. 1, fairness No. 2 and then 100 percent effort and attitude on and off the field. If you do those things and do them right every day, you have a good chance to be successful."

On how special teams will be handled...
"Coach Richt has spoken with our staff about how we're going to divide up the special teams, and we're currently working on some of those details and getting everything worked out with what we're all going to bring to the table to try to get better in the special teams area."

On the difference between his expectations for inside and outside LBs...
"We're going to coach all our linebackers, Coach Grantham and I both, we're going to work on the basic fundamentals we need to succeed in this 3-4 defense. Our philosophies are very, very similar, which is doing a great job with the fundamentals, and whether you're an inside or outside linebacker, just playing with speed, being great tacklers and being productive players, whether you're playing inside or outside. There is a difference. Obviously outside linebackers are going to be coming off the edge and bringing a lot of pressure, but we're also going to be bringing pressure with the inside linebackers as well. So I think if you look at the two positions, they're going to go hand-in-hand on a lot of things. But there is a scheme thing that's going to have to be separate for our guys to be fundamentally sound."

On his interactions with the players and what he knows about them so far...
"I'm definitely looking forward to meeting all the players on more of a personal basis. I'm still in the process of evaluating some of the players that I will be coaching at the inside linebackers spot as well as the outside to get a feel for where they are fundamentally. My goal and my job here as the inside linebackers coach is to work with those guys and get the best out of them. I've been blessed to have had the ability and opportunity to coach some very good linebackers in my years at Vanderbilt, and I'm looking forward to bringing that along with Coach Grantham here to the University of Georgia."