Interview with Samson

Stephen Tsai has a Sunday interview with Samson Satele.

On Dennis McKnight, who will help Wes Suan coach the offensive line this season:

"He's like a bigger version of Cav. You can't get away with anything because he's always watching the films. He's learning, too, while he's coaching. He's watching every little detail, from your footwork to your hands and head. He knows what to do and what not to do at a certain time or play. He's very strict on technique. If you're bad on technique, he's going to correct you, no matter if it takes five minutes or 10 minutes or how many minutes.

"He's intimidating to look at. He's a very big guy. The first time I saw him was in the spring. It was like, 'Who is this guy?' He was a beast. I found out he was the special teams coach back in '99. When I found out he was coming, I was very scared of him and what he was going to do to us. He's very intense. Very loud. Very intimidating. I trust him, just like I trust coach Cav. I can go into his office at any time. I can tell him anything. I like the guy."

The whole interview is good, so go read it!

In the battle for starting strong safety, it looks like Jacob Patek is slightly ahead of Brad Kalilimoku right now, despite missing a few practices due to food poisoning. But that could change before the start of the season. I'll post a post-fall camp depth chart when it's announced. In this Dave Reardon article, Jacob Patek talks about his respect for a former UH player.

When defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold recruited Patek out of Blinn Junior College in Texas, he raved about David Maeva, a former UH linebacker he coached in the CFL.

Maeva was known for his intensity, speed and hard hitting.

"I saw him (play) on tape and met him and I thought would be a great honor to wear his number," Patek said. "I love the way he played and I want to model the way I play after him. I asked him and he gave me the right to wear his number.

Reinebold said he told Patek that his style of play reminded him of Maeva, whom he considers "the best football player I've ever coached."

"I also told him, 'Don't you dare put on that shirt unless you plan to bring it every play," Reinebold said.

If he's half as intense as Maeva was, that should be something to see!

Kalani Simpson has a column on UH kickers and punters, and how they're perceived to be slacking at practice, but really they're not.

"Actually," UH kicker Dan Kelly says, "yesterday, Kenny Patton, one of the DBs, said something that I thought was kind of interesting. He said, 'In a game of hitting, kickers are playing golf.'

"Which is very true," Kelly says. "We're very technical. We work very hard on our technique, our tactical aspect. But I mean, we are golfers. We don't do hitting. That's not in our contract. Kicking is a very technical thing. So even though it doesn't look like we're sweating, our minds are doing the sweating."

Stephen Tsai reports that Keenan Jones and Amani Purcell are academically qualified to play, but are just waiting for paperwork to clear. Good to hear that they'll be practicing soon. He also has more on Maeva and Patek. Jeff Reinebold is awesome by the way. And here's an injury update:

Back-up nose tackle Lawrence Wilson is still out with a tweaked ankle.

Both AJ Martinez and Michael Lafaele are back to practice.

Samson Satele is back in a limited capacity as he recovers from a sore Achilles tendon.

And finally, I've made most of the names bold, like a sports magazine, so it's easier to find. I'll try it out for the forseeable future.