DENVER OUTLAWS QUOTES (6/5)
Below is a transcript from Denver Outlaws Head Coach Jim Stagnitta’s Week 6 MLL Media Conference Call on Wednesday, June 5. The Outlaws’ Week 6 game notes can be downloaded from the team website
Head Coach Jim Stagnitta
On the upcoming matchup against Hamilton
“We expect to be playing a 5-0 team that certainly is playing well and has a lot of different weapons. They play a unique style of play – a little different from what we’ve seen from week to week in our first few games. A number of difference challenges – just above and beyond your usual game preparation. The way they play offense is different from what we’ve seen from anyone in the league thus far.”
“We expect to be playing a 5-0 team that certainly is playing well and has a lot of different weapons. They play a unique style of play – a little different from what we’ve seen from week to week in our first few games. A number of difference challenges – just above and beyond your usual game preparation. The way they play offense is different from what we’ve seen from anyone in the league thus far.”
On the game feature two of the top defenders in the league with Brodie Merrill and Lee Zink
“Well I can speak to Lee Zink – if Brodie Merrill is going to play attack for them and Lee is going to cover him, I’d take that in a heartbeat. As far as the matchup – you are just looking at two very talented defensive players who have a lot of experience. They are different players. Lee Zink is not going to cross the midline, but he is going to have more of an impact on our defense in the game than maybe anybody else on the field. They are completely different players – certainly two of the best to ever play the game in their own right, but two completely different types of players.”
“Well I can speak to Lee Zink – if Brodie Merrill is going to play attack for them and Lee is going to cover him, I’d take that in a heartbeat. As far as the matchup – you are just looking at two very talented defensive players who have a lot of experience. They are different players. Lee Zink is not going to cross the midline, but he is going to have more of an impact on our defense in the game than maybe anybody else on the field. They are completely different players – certainly two of the best to ever play the game in their own right, but two completely different types of players.”
On contributions from Outlaws rookies
“Roger Ferguson is the one rookie who has played for us and has really done a nice job giving us a little bit more depth in the middle of the field. He is a lot like (Matt) Bocklet with the long pole. He runs the field well and has good stick work. He is a very good defender at the same time and has kind of given us the best of both worlds there. The guys that will be playing for us this weekend, the young guys, we don’t want to upset the apple card here – we feel very strongly about the chemistry and we feel like we are improving and getting better every week. But, I don’t think we can help but add (defenseman Brian) Megill to the lineup this weekend. He certainly gives us a little bit more of an element that we need. He brings some real toughness down to that end of the field and some grit. (He is) a ground ball guy and a guy who can get up and down the field. He is coming off his college season, so he is in great shape and ready to go. We are not as concerned about changing up the mix there a little bit. Eric Law is going to play for us this weekend. He did a great job in practice last weekend – we had a chance to see him play with these guys. I think our guys were impressed with him. He gives us that kind of youth and he is in great shape and he really fits what we do. He is a very well-rounded player. He can finish off-ball and he can feed with the ball. I think it just adds to our depth and dynamic on our offensive end.”
“Roger Ferguson is the one rookie who has played for us and has really done a nice job giving us a little bit more depth in the middle of the field. He is a lot like (Matt) Bocklet with the long pole. He runs the field well and has good stick work. He is a very good defender at the same time and has kind of given us the best of both worlds there. The guys that will be playing for us this weekend, the young guys, we don’t want to upset the apple card here – we feel very strongly about the chemistry and we feel like we are improving and getting better every week. But, I don’t think we can help but add (defenseman Brian) Megill to the lineup this weekend. He certainly gives us a little bit more of an element that we need. He brings some real toughness down to that end of the field and some grit. (He is) a ground ball guy and a guy who can get up and down the field. He is coming off his college season, so he is in great shape and ready to go. We are not as concerned about changing up the mix there a little bit. Eric Law is going to play for us this weekend. He did a great job in practice last weekend – we had a chance to see him play with these guys. I think our guys were impressed with him. He gives us that kind of youth and he is in great shape and he really fits what we do. He is a very well-rounded player. He can finish off-ball and he can feed with the ball. I think it just adds to our depth and dynamic on our offensive end.”
On Brian Megill’s role as a close defender or a long-pole defender
“That is a good question. We are working on that one. Personally, I think we will see him at both. Certainly he is very capable of playing pole and I think if there are a couple matchups we would like him to have if he was a midfielder. And I think being (his) first game out of the box as a rookie and the way Hamilton plays offense, it might be the best place to get his feet wet would be at the long-stick midfield rather than just throw him into that mix on close defense. But, as the game progresses, he has been in big games and has played against great players. We certainly have a lot of options with him because Brian is such a good athlete and runs the field so well. We are going to use him in a lot of different areas.”
“That is a good question. We are working on that one. Personally, I think we will see him at both. Certainly he is very capable of playing pole and I think if there are a couple matchups we would like him to have if he was a midfielder. And I think being (his) first game out of the box as a rookie and the way Hamilton plays offense, it might be the best place to get his feet wet would be at the long-stick midfield rather than just throw him into that mix on close defense. But, as the game progresses, he has been in big games and has played against great players. We certainly have a lot of options with him because Brian is such a good athlete and runs the field so well. We are going to use him in a lot of different areas.”
On any other rookies that could contribute this year
“There are. We are kind of winding down on that one. That ship is passing a little bit, but (Sam) Snow from Fairfield we really like. We think that he is a prototype middie in this league and fits our style of play because he is great between the lines. He is a big kid and he shoots the ball well. He has a great lacrosse IQ – it’s just right now it is hard to break into that lineup on our team in the middle of our field, No. 1. And No. 2, we’re going into a stretch here where we are going to be playing some of the top couple teams over the next couple weekends. We hope to be able to get him a real look down the stretch as we go. Another guy that we are going to take a look at too in the near future is Landon Carr, the D-middie from Maryland. I think again, he is big, strong and athletic and can bolster us and give us some more depth at that position. We have used our regular middies, who are very good at it, but we have used them on the defensive end. It has worked for us, but at the same time, as the season wears on, we don’t want them to break down. There is a chance that Landon could see the field at some point in the near future too.”
“There are. We are kind of winding down on that one. That ship is passing a little bit, but (Sam) Snow from Fairfield we really like. We think that he is a prototype middie in this league and fits our style of play because he is great between the lines. He is a big kid and he shoots the ball well. He has a great lacrosse IQ – it’s just right now it is hard to break into that lineup on our team in the middle of our field, No. 1. And No. 2, we’re going into a stretch here where we are going to be playing some of the top couple teams over the next couple weekends. We hope to be able to get him a real look down the stretch as we go. Another guy that we are going to take a look at too in the near future is Landon Carr, the D-middie from Maryland. I think again, he is big, strong and athletic and can bolster us and give us some more depth at that position. We have used our regular middies, who are very good at it, but we have used them on the defensive end. It has worked for us, but at the same time, as the season wears on, we don’t want them to break down. There is a chance that Landon could see the field at some point in the near future too.”
On whether he expected Drew Snider’s offensive production
“Yes – and I say that in all honesty. We got to see him last year and we used him as a D-middie because it fit where we were and what we needed at the time. Certainly when he first came onto our roster, no, we didn’t think, ‘Wow, this guy is going to be an offensive power in this league.’ But, we knew he was a really good athlete, we knew he could dodge and we knew he could play defense because he was a D-middie for a period of time at Maryland. We had no idea honestly how good of a shooter he was and how skilled of a player he is. Probably more than anything, he is a terrific athlete, he is a great dodger and it is not very often that he shots and it is not at the right place on the goalie. We knew as the year went on – he scored a lot of big goals for us last year just transitioning from defense to offense. And down the stretch we kept him on the field a lot to take advantage of the other’s team’s offensive middies. We still do that to some extent this year, but I don’t think anyone on our staff or on our team is surprised by his offensive output. We felt like he was legitimately one of our top couple midfielders coming out of camp and actually going into the season.”
“Yes – and I say that in all honesty. We got to see him last year and we used him as a D-middie because it fit where we were and what we needed at the time. Certainly when he first came onto our roster, no, we didn’t think, ‘Wow, this guy is going to be an offensive power in this league.’ But, we knew he was a really good athlete, we knew he could dodge and we knew he could play defense because he was a D-middie for a period of time at Maryland. We had no idea honestly how good of a shooter he was and how skilled of a player he is. Probably more than anything, he is a terrific athlete, he is a great dodger and it is not very often that he shots and it is not at the right place on the goalie. We knew as the year went on – he scored a lot of big goals for us last year just transitioning from defense to offense. And down the stretch we kept him on the field a lot to take advantage of the other’s team’s offensive middies. We still do that to some extent this year, but I don’t think anyone on our staff or on our team is surprised by his offensive output. We felt like he was legitimately one of our top couple midfielders coming out of camp and actually going into the season.”
On Hamilton’s offense
“They are going to run that two-man game. They are going to run it off the wings – they will do a little bit up top. They are so slick and they play in tight spaces and the pick-and-roll and getting underneath – that is something you have to prepare for. It is something that other people do – and it is something that is part of our arsenal, but we are not doing it with box players. We are doing it with guys that played field all their life. They are very good at it. They trust each other. They throw the ball into spaces that maybe other teams wouldn’t throw the ball into. While they are doing that, they are constantly moving off-ball and cutting in the crease. You have to be aware and do your job. You can’t be off-ball looking at the picks and being ready to slide because they are going to beat you on those off-ball picks. And when you’re playing the picks, you can’t be worried about keeping your matchups because you are going to give them an opportunity through that. At the end of the day, there are a lot of things going on at one time and it is not that they do a lot, but what they do, they do very well.”
“They are going to run that two-man game. They are going to run it off the wings – they will do a little bit up top. They are so slick and they play in tight spaces and the pick-and-roll and getting underneath – that is something you have to prepare for. It is something that other people do – and it is something that is part of our arsenal, but we are not doing it with box players. We are doing it with guys that played field all their life. They are very good at it. They trust each other. They throw the ball into spaces that maybe other teams wouldn’t throw the ball into. While they are doing that, they are constantly moving off-ball and cutting in the crease. You have to be aware and do your job. You can’t be off-ball looking at the picks and being ready to slide because they are going to beat you on those off-ball picks. And when you’re playing the picks, you can’t be worried about keeping your matchups because you are going to give them an opportunity through that. At the end of the day, there are a lot of things going on at one time and it is not that they do a lot, but what they do, they do very well.”