Football media days in Las Vegas for the Mountain West are wrapping up and the time of Q&A with all the teams represented by their coaches & two players is over.
I’ve always felt these sessions tend to be a little awkward. Most questions are a softball, everyone feels their team has a chance, and whatever shortcomings or deficiencies that exist get spoken about in the most glowing & positive of terms.
But these events are necessary. Crucial to get the general information out to the media so they can in return deliver to the stakeholders, fans, alumni, sports-betters, and general public. Good thing for us, we fall somewhere along the lines of fans and alumni. I believe the term is degenerate sickos.
We love Aztecs football. So we read between every little line of information we can get our hands on and delve so deep into the meanings, intentions and all that to get a better read or perspective on what’s going on.
And that’s what we’re doing here in SDSU head coach Sean Lewis’ Q&A session with the Mountain West hosts in their Old Trapper Beef Jerky media day show. Here are our takeaways from that conversation.
Can we just say one thing before we begin—Sean Lewis was suited & booted from head to toe. He’d kill at the blackjack table with a cigar to go with it. Let’s hope one day we get that look in the locker room and a championship stogey.
Lewis, first & foremost, detailed how he sees what he did in terms of success at Kent State parallels with what he is currently trying to do at SDSU. His core beliefs of investing in people and making sure they have the tools they need to succeed plays a major role. Lewis wants to create a culture of this in every aspect of the program.
That also goes hand in hand with increasing the talent pool of players that enter in to the program. In order to do that he must address the levels of depth and quality of talent—so that the team can endure through the journey of season and all the injuries that inevitably will happen.
Solid answers from a coach who really did a remarkable job turning around one of the worst programs in all of FBS at Kent State. Since Lewis’ departure of the Golden Flashes football program they have promptly slid back to their old pathetic ways—winners of just one game in the last two seasons. Absolutely brutal.
POTENTIAL
When asked about what potential did Lewis see in his Aztec team last year that will impact this season? Lewis made sure to note that his team was close. The Aztecs in 2024 (3-9) had multiple one possession games.
In fact, three games were lost by 9 points total. To Lewis they appeared to be indicators. Indicators of what? Maybe just how much football truly is a game of inches.
That potential shows him what the teaching lessons should be to improve upon that mark. He listed an increase in focus, increase in toughness, and instilling more resiliency to the team.
Can’t argue with any of that. The penalties goes along with focus. Toughness could be speaking on physically being conditioned or mental in those tight situations of a close game. Resiliency was definitely a factor down the stretch of the season. The Utah State second half comes to mind.
AZTECFASTER
When asked how his patented AztecsFast style of play was coming into fruition?
Lewis began with his two new QBs getting assimilated to it all at this early point. If Aztecs fans remember correctly last season, it was AJ Duffy who was expected to be the teams QB1 to start the preseason.
When that didn’t pan out, it was the true freshman Danny O’Neil who assumed the starting duties just a year out of high school. Debatable on how or why that happened, but the rest is history.
Having two veteran QBs to choose from in Jayden Denegal and Bert Emmanuel Jr. should certainly give the offense an ability to be AZTECFaster than last year. Both are dual threats, physically mature, and are coming in both with the expectation to lead.
Having those three items before Fall Camp should pay off.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Next was his comparison of having only 9 scholarship offensive lineman last season to 15 this go round was important. This year with that increased volume allows his guys to have proper conditioning for the uptempo scheme.
Yes the line has gotten bigger in some ways and injuries got the better of those scholarship players availability early. Not only will there be more players in shape for the scheme, they will also have more familiarity knowing how to communicate with each other.
The ability to learn terminology is often undervalued from the casual fan. But new schemes, routes, audibles, cadences, all require new terminology. Speaking new languages and being able to adjust on the fly takes time and repetition.
NEW OC = SAME PLAY-CALLING
On how comfortable he is promoting Matt Johnson as new OC.
Lewis detailed how new OC Matt Johnson was a QB for him during his time coaching at Bowling Green. There is a student/teacher element there so the comfortability is definitely there.
Lewis also shined a big light on a question many have been asking us here at Sons of Montezuma. Will Johnson be the play-caller?
Lewis informed that in-game play calling will be a collaborate effort and to not completely eliminate himself from those duties. “When I cant be in the room offensively, he knows the identity.” Lewis mentioned.
Now that the roster is stabilized, the CEO work as Lewis put it, is what he often has to do. Johnson really helps shoulder a lot of that coaching grind & responsibilities of working with the personnel and Lewis can trust what he wants to get done will get done with him.
BONDING
The biggest point here was just how much the recent Coronado training day with Navy SEALs meant to both he and his team of Aztecs. Doing big impactful things was a focus for the team this off season.
The Navy SEALs by Lewis’ words are truly ‘elite operators’ and if there’s a chance to learn as they learn, coach wants to tap into that. ‘Hard things done together in a beautiful environment’ is a good way of summing up what this kind of work looks like in San Diego. Coach is banking these type of investments pay off on the field and in player retention—no doubt.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
