On Tuesday’s practice:
“Very happy with this practice. Two days off, usually you’re a little sluggish. It’s like pulling teeth to get kids to run around, and it was anything but today. Not all perfect, but certainly things we can work with. We’re excited as a program about where we are, and frankly, we’re hungry for more. We’ve just got to keep pinning down the details.”

On the goal of first bye-week practice:
“I told the kids today we had three things to get done, No. 1, to improve, we have to improve. No. 2, to create competition – make sure all positions have those kids who are not on the front lines working to become on the front line. No. 3, have some install, the ability to try things out.”

On the running back talent in the Pac-10:
“Everybody understands the value of a running game. Takes a lot of pressure off your quarterback, your defense, the play-caller. It’s a great weapon to be able to run the ball, you can control the ball. There are a number of quality backs in their conference, but that’s not unusual to me. That’s the nature of a very fertile West Coast area to recruit from.”

On re-opening up competition at certain positions:
“You have to get comfortable in competition. Is it good to be challenged in the fourth quarter? Sure, I’d love to win them all handily, but you’re going to get tested. Rather than react like something you’re not used to, you have to accept it. It brings out the best in all players.”

On competition when he played:
“I’ll never forget as a player here, Michael Young and Karl Dorrell battling every day to see who would be starting flanker, trying to bribe me as QB. You talk about two great players, because the competition of the other one was there.”