Full Transcript: Tony Dews on the WRs

Wide receivers coach Tony Dews goes through all his wide receivers, and talks about the unit as a whole as well ... are there starters yet?

Question: As a group, how are the receivers looking?

Tony Dews: “We’ve made some improvements from a year ago. I think things are going well. I think physically they all improved from a year ago. Right now a pretty healthy group of guys that are staying healthy and practicing. I’m pretty happy right now with the progress and where I think we’re going.”

Question: How has Junior Hemingway looked so far this year; what does he bring to the team?

Tony Dews: “Number one, I think he will bring consistent competition to the group, he’s done well. He has some critical practices thus far. It’s exciting to have him back in the rotation role.”

Question: Daryl Stonum got some good time as a true freshman last year; what he has done between year one and year two to improve upon what he did a year ago?

Tony Dews: “Physically, I think he’s stronger. Mentally, he has learned some things. He’s really gotten a much more solid grasp of the offense. He understands what’s expected of him. He’s working really hard and I think that he is a guy that has continued to progress. His ball skills have gotten better. He’s working. He had a great summer in the weight room.”

Question: Same thing with Tay Odoms, year one to year two.

Tony Dews: “Just from the outside, because obviously he is with Coach Magee and the slot receivers a majority of the time. Just as an observer, he looks like he has gotten faster. He is physically bigger than he was a year ago. He has a knowledge of the system. Whether he got surpassed or not is a debate, as we talk about. He may look faster and is playing because he understands what he is doing a little bit more, after going through a season and spring and now back to fall practice. He looks good. He’s running around. He’s a tough kid.”

Tony Dews: Greg Mathews one of your senior receivers, is he going to go out with a bang this year?

Tony Dews: “I certainly am pulling for Greg to go out with a bang. Greg, I think he really turned the corner in the weight room in the winter and the summer. He had a really good summer strength and conditioning wise and then fall camp. Greg has a lot of athletic ability, a lot of god given talent. He is working harder. He’s working and he’s made himself a better football player right now. I’m looking for him to continue to progress and continue to complete to be a guy. As long as he does that and he is consistent, I think he will have a good year.”

Question: Is Je’Ron Stokes in the slot or outside right now?

Tony Dews: “He’s been playing mainly outside.” Question: How is he adjusting?

Tony Dews: “He’s doing well. He’s been working. He works extremely hard. He is a pretty terrific kid and he competes. I think he loves playing football and he’s learning well. I’m looking for him to learn to compete and see what happens when it all gets going.”

Question: Another true freshman, Cameron Gordon; how he has adjusted to the college game and what are his chances to even see the field this fall?

Tony Dews: “He’s doing well. He’s adjusting well I think. I think one of the things that Cameron has going for him too is that he physically, I know what Coach Carter and those guys demand at Inkster, so he certainly not afraid of hard work and understands about hard work. I think he is passionate about football. I think because he has that kind of passion, he’s going to keep fighting and physically I think he has a chance to compete. He’s working hard. He’s competing. In the scrimmage, he did some nice things yesterday. I think he has a chance. Right now, he’s competing and we got two more weeks if he is ready to compete.”

Question: Do you have starters at the positions yet or is that still to be determined?

Tony Dews: “That’s still to be determined. They’re all still competing at the end of the day we’ll sit down as a staff and talk. Obviously Coach Rod and Coach Magee will have their say in where we go and we’ll give them our opinion and we’ll go from there. I saw a quote in the paper, not a quote; they were talking…Coach Schwartz was talking and he said that there are guys that begin and guys that end right now, there are no starters. I think that is a very true statement for this time of year during camp. I think you got guys that begin the scrimmage or practice and then you got guys that end, and at the end of the day we’ll figure it all out.”