Paige Sherrard: The Governor’s Cup Press Conference

Cardinal football is officially in full swing beginning with the kickoff event: The Governor’s Cup Press Conference. This year the press conference was held at the Cardinal Club. Cardinal Sports Zone was present to hear both head football coaches discuss their improvement since last season and expectations for this season.

This year, with the first game being the rivalry game, it seems that Cardinal fans are more hyped than ever to see what this football team can do. This Friday (August 3) will be the first opportunity for fans to catch a glimpse of the 2012 Cardinal football team and the first opportunity to get a preview of what’s to come this season.

So what can we expect from Cardinal football this season???

Coming off of last season’s 7-6 record, winning a share of the Big East Championship, and playing in the Belk Bowl, Cardinal fans are going into this season with high expectations. In three years, Coach Strong has taken Cardinal football in a new direction.

“Two years ago, nobody thought we would win,” Strong said at the press conference.

He said he remembered being told if he could just get the team 1 or 2 wins, they would be happy. Coach Strong replied “We’re never going to try to get you 1 or 2 wins. We’re going to try to win as many as we possibly can.”

Coach Strong spoke a lot of the importance of preparation. He stressed that he wants to make sure when we go play games, that we are prepared to play. “When we line up, it’s just the small mistakes, like offensively you don’t want to turn the ball over. You want to play with great fundamentals. Defensively you don’t want to give up the big play.” Coach Strong also noted the coaching staff’s great job preparing the team.

When asked about QB Teddy Bridgewater’s improvement, Coach Strong told the media that he “still needs to develop.” But he sounded confident in Teddy doing so. “He knows that this is his team…Each week he knows he has to get better.” He spoke highly of Teddy’s leadership, noting that the more Teddy improves and becomes successful, the harder the team will fight to become more successful.

In terms of his personal expectations, Coach Strong said “It’s all about just preparing your football team. And once they hit the football field, you’re happy to see that what you coached them during the week, you will get to see on game day.”