Everything From Virginia Tech WRs Coach Fontel Mines After Tuesday's Practice

Virginia Tech wide receivers coach Fontel Mines spoke to the media after practice on Tuesday, Nov. 25. Here's the entirety of what Mines had to say:

On how practice was:

"It's good, man. It's fun. Anytime you can get a breath of fresh air and there's no class. It's just football right now, so we're enjoying just the time together. Thanksgiving obviously this week. So, looking forward to having some good food and celebrating with each other and you being thankful this week of playing football and a good rivalry game coming up this weekend."

Q: You obviously know this rivalry well, from playing to coaching. Is there a different vibe around the the building during this week than the regular season?

"For sure. But it's not about me. It's about this team and it's about the guys that have been here before us and making sure we finish the season strong and the right way, like everybody that's been here wants us to finish."

On interim head coach Philip Montgomery's relative unfamiliarity and if he leans on the Tech alums on his staff:

"Coach Montgomery's got a really good crew here of alum to lean on. He doesn't have to lean on me at all. I think between [Jeron Gouveia-Winslow, the associate safeties coach] and Coach [Xavier] Adibi and Coach [J.C.] Price, he's got a lot of material."

On his assessment of the receiver corps this season:

"I'm proud of them, man. Not just my group, the entire group just being resilient. Just embracing a brotherhood. Those guys have been through a lot. You think about it, this is essentially their third coach in in a year. So, to be able to bond together and fight through what they've been fighting through, I'm proud of them all. I love them all. I'm proud of them. I'm embracing this week with them and trying my best to be the same guy every day for them. Because they deserve that."

How do you assess how Monti has handled this? Interim coaches should typically get maybe two, three weeks at the end of the year. He gets 11 weeks, nine games and two weeks. How would you assess how he's really helped keep this team together?

On his assessment of Montgomery as the interim head coach (at season's end Montgomery will have gotten 11 weeks/nine games):

"He's awesome. You won't find a better person in this building than Coach Montgomery. No ego, very selfless person, smart. He's great with the kids. He's embraced the brotherhood of this program and what this place means. He's been awesome for us all."

On Ayden Greene's sideline catch:

"Oh yeah, I highlight it, but then I also critique and coach it because that's what he needs as a player. But that's who he is, man. That's the catches that he makes. That's the type of player that he is. And he wants that. He thrives off of that. He's a confident player. I've told you guys for a long time, he's a very confident player and he wants the ball in those type of moments."

On what there is to critique on a play like that:

"Route running, stem, top of the route, coming out of his break faster. I'll find something."

S: You can't argue with the catch.

"Top-10. Should have been on SportsCenter. Was it? [Editor's note: The interviewer, Tech Sideline's Andy Bitter, then remarked that he was unsure.]

Q: Which catch was more impressive? The one where he gets his foot in bounds along the sideline or the one over the shoulder with the defender?

"Oh, definitely the one when he gets his foot in bounds on the sideline, for sure."

Q: What's difficult about making that catch and making sure not only securing it, making sure you get at least one foot in?

"I think the hand eye coordination, the momentum that was carrying him out of bounds and the focus to be able to hold on to the ball while he's getting a foot in bounds is pretty impressive."

On what the group can do to help the passing game get more production:

"Just continue to be consistent. Be in the right place for the quarterback. Make sure that we're running our routes at full speed. Make sure we're getting the proper depth. Make sure we're aligned properly. We just control what we can control and make the play when we get an opportunity to make the play. We got to always be ready for the moment. And they're selfless, man. I We're going to do whatever we can do to win the ball game. That's what it's about at the end of the day. Those guys are here and those guys are fighting for each other to win. Stats will come as the wins come, individual accolades come as team success happens."

On UVa's secondary:

"They're long, they're athletic. I know they've got a bunch of transfers. They've done a really good job over the last couple years of building their secondary. And they've caused a lot of problems for guys over the season. They've done a really good job. Coach [Tony] Elliott, he's a great coach, man. Can't say enough good things about him and the program that he's running over there. So, it'll be a good challenge for us, but we're up for the challenge."

On what he thinks of UVa's success and turning things around this year:

"I'm where my feet are. I'm the receivers coach at Virginia Tech and I'm going continue to coach these guys and give them everything that I got until they tell me not to."

On how Mines handles this season:

"I'm here, man. I'm blessed. I've got a great job. I work for good people. It's one of the best professions in the world. I know the landscape is changing a ton but I just try my best to be the the same guy every single day. I owe it to my guys. I owe it to everybody I recruited here, to everybody that I coach on the daily, to lock in and make sure they get the best version of myself."