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University of Minnesota Athletics
FB: Gophers Kickoff Football Season With Annual Media Day
8/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
- Click here to listen to the audio version of Friday's Media Day press conference.
Opening Statement
Here we go again, thank you for coming, and I mean that. It looks like we have a good turnout for the opening press conference this year; I don’t know what that’s an indication of. I say this just about every time, but I love this time of year. I mean it. I had a couple of high school recruits in my office yesterday, and they said, ‘Man coach, you seem fired up.’ I said, yeah, I’ve been through 44 years of this as a player and a coach getting ready for two-a-day practices and there is a different feeling that I get, probably for different reasons. When you’re a player you get those butterflies in your stomach because you are thinking about what you have to go through and endure. You have to be a different breed to be a football player, to go through two-a-day practices and the heat, and the stuff that you go through. As a coach the excitement translates into the excitement of what faces you, as far as putting a group of guys together to create a team. The team is the most important thing. I’m a firm believer that football is the greatest team sport that’s ever been invented, with the number of players, and the offense, the defense and the kicking game. It truly is exciting.
We ran our running test this morning and we’ve never been in better shape. I really stood in awe watching those kids run, and they’ve been here all summer working their tail off. We only had one guy, who didn’t make his running test, and he ought to be ashamed of himself, and I hope he is. We have a bunch of guys who didn’t just pass the test they far exceeded it; I’m amazed. I’m cherishing the challenge of taking these kids, some kids who sit in the front row who’ve been here for five years, some who sit in the back row and been here only a couple of minutes. We got some big kids and some small kids, some white kids and some black kids, farm kids, city kids, rich kids, poor kids, and we try to put them all together, and that is what gets me excited. I’ll make a couple of comments about pertinent stuff and then as always I’ll try to field any questions that you might have.
We have 105 players in camp, that by NCAA rule. We have 76 upper classmen, 28 freshman, 17 scholarship, and 11 walk-ons. A few minimal position switches since spring practice. We took Quentin White who was a defensive back and moved him to wide receiver. We took Kevin Mannion who was a wide receiver and moved him to defensive back. Our plan quite simply by rule, we started our physicals, had media day, we have practice two days, today and tomorrow in helmets only. We’ll go shoulder pads and helmets Sunday and Monday, and then Tuesday will be our first full day in full pads. Today, Saturday and Monday we will be going twice a day out there as coaches. Any player will only go once, we split the squad like we did last year, so that we can do some of the stuff academically with the incoming freshmen. We plan to scrimmage on the 13th and the 20th. Also on the 20th, we done this the last couple of years and it has gone over real well is to have a fun-fest. Open it up to the fans and the kids and everything. I only mention that know so that you can give us some publicity, and if you can I’d appreciate it, so people can plan ahead. So you can come watch the scrimmages if you’d like; the time of that will be 12:30 p.m. Our rehearsal game will be on the 25th. I’m not sure where we’ll do that, we’ll probably just play it here because we open at Tulsa and it’s an outside game, Thursday night September 1st at the University of Tulsa.
I expect us to have a good football team. We better be good because the Big Ten is going to be tremendous this year. I got done running early this morning, and I sat down to have a cup of coffee and the guy said, ‘Oh my God coach, three teams in the Big Ten are ranked in the top ten in the country.’ I think that is indicative to the strength of this league. In Chicago, many coaches, if not all felt that this is the most competitive this league has been, on paper top to bottom, has been, at least in recent history. We expect to be good. We look at a lot of teams and we know they are going to be good, but I’m sure they are looking at us saying you know what, the Gophers are going to be good.
You look at our offense, once again we think we field an outstanding offensive line, spear-headed by Greg Eslinger, a returning All-American; you know all about him. Probably the guy that has gone unnoticed, the guy who plays right next to him, Mark Setterstrom is every bit as good at his position as Greg is at the center position. Last year we talked about Bryan Cupito being a rookie quarterback in this league, he’s not a rookie quarterback anymore. He has a year under his belt. He had some highs and some lows, but overall I thought he performed well in his initial season as a starter in the Big Ten. What I really like about the guy is how he hung in there during some tough times. It’s easy to play when everything is going your way, but when the criticism is coming, how did he handle it? I thought he handled it exceptionally well, and the way he was able perform injured against Alabama is a credit to him. If our receivers would have caught a couple more balls that were right in their hands, he probably would have been the MVP of that game. He’s experienced and he’s better, and I like the way he handles himself, with a lot of confidence.
Our receivers are a lot more experienced than last year. Jared Ellerson has the ability to be a top-notch receiver in this league. Ernie Wheelwright, at this time last year was just a name, and he’s shown spurts of being a big-time player. Obviously we return an outstanding running back in Laurence Maroney, and the most often asked question I get about our offense is, now that Barber is gone, does that mean Maroney is going to carry the ball all the time? The answer is no. A year ago the most often asked question was, how was I going to keep both those guys happy? In reality those guys complimented each other. Neither one of those guys could have handled the duties just by themselves in a physical conference like the Big Ten. Needless to say, as much as Maroney can handle, we are going to do. If I had to guess right now, I’d look at Maroney handling 75 percent of the duty and Amir Pinnix and Gary Russell, and whoever else comes along the other 25 percent. We’ve got good running backs. The other guy who I think is a stand-out player for us is Matt Spaeth at the tight end position. Toughest guy you ever want to find. He doesn’t talk tough or act tough, he is just a tough S.O.B. and I mean that affectionately. He missed spring practice because of surgery, but he’s back and he looks like a million bucks, and he’ll have an outstanding year for us.
On defense we must improve. We took a step back last year. That’s not earth-shattering news. For us to be able to compete this year in the Big Ten, we have to be better and I’m confident that we will be better, but we must improve. We have to also improve in our kicking game. We have to improve from a coaching standpoint. Rhys Lloyd is gone who handled our punting and kicking duties. We have a new punter; we have new kickers. Maybe that’s the bad news, the good news is that they all performed better than I would have expected in spring practice. Take all of that into consideration, I’d be excited about two-a-day practices no matter what kind of team I thought I had. I think I have a pretty good team, and am that much more excited. With that I’ll answer questions.
On the upcoming schedule
When all the dust settles and you look back, and coaches are all the same, they look at what could have been. You don’t look at the what could have beens on the bad side, you think about the games you could have won on the last play. I noticed this in Chicago, they have a highlight film, and if you watch the 11 teams, there were two teams with similarities, us and Purdue. Because there were a couple games there, where one play made the difference in the game, and it was the same way for Purdue. In our case those plays came against Michigan and Iowa, and those were the conference co-champions. We didn’t end the regular season the way we wanted, but give credit to the type of kids we have. You don’t come and rally the way we did against Alabama if you don’t have the right type of kids. Most of those guys are back, and they’ve paid a big price. Those guys who sit in the front row, you know the names, they’ve invested a tremendous amount in this program. It seems like yesterday Eslinger and Setterstrom were sitting in the back row, and now they are sitting up here. Last spring I told Mark Setterstrom, you are not going to find a finer young guy in college football than that guy and he doesn’t say a word, all he does is work and work and work and block and work. If Maroney scores, the hole might be big enough for me to score, and he goes and picks Maroney up; he’s very unselfish. He embraces the idea of team in college football. So I said to him, Mark I’m going to enjoy every minute with you the next year. He said, ‘Why would you say that?’ I said, cause I’m going to miss you when you are gone. We have a number of kids like that, not just cause they are good football players, but also good people. Now I forget what your question was.
On the defense
Yeah. I don’t stand up here to throw criticism on our defense in saying they need to get better. That’s just a fact. Two years ago, we finished middle of the pack, fifth in the league. We had just about everybody back last year and we slipped to about eighth. That’s not going in the right direction, and that’s why I think we will be better this year, and there is more room for improvement. It all starts up the middle; I don’t know what sport it doesn’t. It starts up the middle and we will have two outstanding tackles that have played a lot of football in Anthony Montgomery and Mark Losli. Big, strong, physical guys that have shown they can consistently play well, so I feel pretty good there. The end position is a bit of a question mark. We have a journeyman guy in Keith Lipka, he’s been around here. Last year he really started coming on, and I think in his last year of football he’ll be a steady performer there. The other end position is kind of a question mark. One guy I get excited about is Willie VanDeSteeg. He’s just a young guy, just playing his first year of football, but he likes football, is a tough kid and a good athlete, and he’s going to have to be thrown in there.
I think we are better at linebacker; we are more athletic at linebacker. Two guys who came on the scene during the bowl preparation were John Shevlin and Mike Sherels. That was the first significant amount of football that they played, and they played pretty darn well, and improved in spring practice. We moved Mike to linebacker because he used to play fullback and on the isolation block he was killing our linebackers. If you can’t beat them, you join them, and they said we need him at linebacker, so we moved him over. Shevlin has great speed. He is one of those guys who has improved his body tremendously, and has a great attitude. A couple of weeks ago he had hernia surgery, and they said you have to do it now, because if it bothers him during the season we will lose him. So they gave me the timetable and said well we’re lucky if we get him back for two-a-day practices, and hopefully we’ll get him back for the first game and he’s already back doing everything, which is an indication of his attitude. Kyle McKenzie has been a linebacker his whole career. He started at outside, moved inside and is back at outside. I feel pretty solid there because everyone of those guys at least has starting experience and they are all really good athletes.
J.P. has been a starter at safety for us, got injured towards the end of last year, but he has experience for us, and he’ll be better there. Brandon Owens is a football player; we’ve been trying to find a place for him to play. He’s one of those guys that can play a number of positions and probably in that process, we might have messed him up a little bit, but he’s a big, strong, physical strong safety. You want to know where he is out there, cause he hits like a linebacker. Trumaine Banks has experience as a starter at corner and at the other corner we have two guys with little or no experience in Jamal Harris and Deis Steib. That concerns me a little bit, as far as the make up of the back end. We have some depth problems, but who doesn’t have depth problems with 85 scholarships anymore?
On the play of the receivers last season
At times inconsistent. I look at some games that were crucial, and we didn’t make the play when we needed to, and all too often it was because of a dropped ball. That’s one of the big objectives I have is to eliminate the dropped balls. The thing about it is, they are good enough athletes that if you throw them a bad ball they catch it. They make the great catch, and sometimes, the easy catch they drop; it’s all concentration.
On last year's expectations
You know I do what I think is necessary for the team. I do very few things without a purpose. I did that last year on purpose. Not for any external reasons, not to sell tickets, not to do any of that kind of stuff. I did that to internally raise the expectations. This program wasn’t very good for a long, long, long time, and all of a sudden everybody is slapping you on the back saying oh man four bowl games in five years, and we’ve done this and that. If you don’t watch out, you get kind of lackadaisical, and that’s okay if that’s the most you can achieve. But I didn’t think that, looking at the talent we have. I thought, there isn’t a game that we can’t win this year. I wanted to make sure that I was doing my part to raise those expectations. At that point in time, that’s what I needed to do, that’s why I did it. Once you do it, I don’t think you need to do that anymore. In retrospect, I don’t second-guess that one bit, because I didn’t set any unrealistic expectations. We came within two plays of winning a championship. Did I answer your question?
On Justin Valentine's role with the offense this year
He gives us a lot of flexibility. We can do a lot of things with him. He blocks like a fullback, and he runs like an I-back. He’s a good athlete and has really good speed. He’s a smart kid too; he picks up things pretty well. We’ve asked him to do more things, but we haven’t felt like we’ve overloaded him, where he’s thinking what do I do know. I never want to do that to anybody. It gives us more flexibility. He looks good; I don’t know how much weight he put on. Most guys in our program I think look really good. We’re ready to go.
On the development of John Shevlin and Mike Sherels
They were going against a pretty good offense all spring. They both play linebacker, but they are different in a sense. Mike Sherels in the middle is more of a plugger and we get to see him quite a bit against our run game. When you play the will linebacker like Shevlin you are the clean-up guy, you get protected, and you want a guy who can move sideline to sideline and that’s what you see in him. He shows up.
On Laurence Maroney's role as a team leader
For the first time since I’ve been here, we have a lot of older guys. I look to the older guys to lead. Everybody has a chance to lead, but we have some outstanding leaders that don’t say very much. A lot of times people make the mistake of thinking to be a leader you have to talk a lot, and Laurence talks a lot. That’s not one of his downfalls, I can tell you that. I love the guy,;he’s a great kid. I love the way he runs. We have some guys who are great leaders who don’t say too much, they are too busy working. It’s hard to talk when you are blocking somebody.
Quarterback Bryan Cupito
Expectations for the upcoming season
Our goals this season are the same as last year. Our goal last year was to get to the Rose Bowl. That didn’t happen. It was kind of a disappointing season. We had a good bowl win, ended up on a good note, and we hope to carry that into this season and make a run for the Rose Bowl.
On the departure of Marion Barber III to the NFL
Laurence (Maroney) is obviously the best running back we have. He’s probably the best offensive player we have. He can make people miss and score some touchdowns. Amir Pinnix and Gary Russell are going to get in there, and they can do the job also, but Laurence is the man of the team now with no Marion.
On Maroney being considered a Heisman candidate
He has proved that he is that good, and this year he will get more carries, more yards, more touchdowns, all that stuff, so as long as we keep winning I think he will be right in there. We’re definitely excited about it.
On the offensive line
They are the reason everything works for this offense. Everyone says how we have such a great offense, but when you have Greg Eslinger and Mark Setterstrom, they kind of anchor the line. Those guys are four year starters, and they make everything happen. All of the credit should go to them. They are not big on needing praise or anything, but when it comes down to it they are the ones that make everything happen.
On center Greg Eslinger
I think he is the best center in the country. I don’t even worry about the D-line ever. That’s the last thing I worry about because we have such a great offensive line. Greg leads the way. He’s a great player, and I’m sure he’ll be good at the next level. I wish he had two years left with me, but we only have one, and I am honored to be a part of this offense with him.
On competing for a Big Ten title
We have a tough schedule. We play everyone in the Big Ten this year, there’s no going around anyone, but I think we’re going to be good. Not many people are talking about us this year the same way as they did last year. A lot of people talked about us last year and we didn’t live up to expectations. A lot of people were down about that last year, but my expectations for this year are just as high as last year, if not higher.
On personal goals
I just want to improve on last year. I did a lot of bad things last year. I just want to make sure our team is focused every game. I am not worried about the stats and all that kind of stuff, as long as we win.
On the offense overshadowing the defense On this year's tough schedule
It's absolutely the toughest. We play Purdue, we play Wisconsin, we play everyone. I am just excited about that opportunity. We know this year that we have to have our best game every game in order to win. That’s what I like about this year.
On the wide receivers
They have the potential to be the strength of our offense, especially Ernie (Wheelwright), he’s so big, and Jared (Ellerson) is just solid. I think if Jakari (Wallace) steps up a little bit more then they will be. When you have those three guys, and if I step my game up, then it should be the same for Laurence (Maroney) and the running game.
Offensive Guard Mark Setterstrom
On the offensive line ranking among the nation's best
I play with a great bunch of guys. I have great teammates and great coaches. I guess I’d say I am a tough player. That helps out a lot because I’ve been through a lot of games and different situations that have helped me out along the way. I just try to work hard and get better every day. I only want this team to compete in every Big Ten game.
On the running game
We have always been a rushing team with two running backs. We lost a great back in Marion (Barber III), but we have a lot of young guys coming up who are looking to fill his spot. Laurence (Maroney) is going to be an explosive player, but these younger guys will get some carries.
On center Greg Eslinger
It’s been a privelege to play with Greg. He’s an intense player. On every play he is giving it everything he has. He plays through the whistle, and we all strive to do the same. He brings a lot to the table, and I have learned a lot from him. We've played with each other the last couple of years, and I think we make each other better. He helps me out a lot. We just trust each other, and it's the same with the other guys; Joe Ainslie, Tony Brinkhaus, and Mike Nicholson. I think our five offensive linemen are all solid this year. That’s the only way an offensive line works is if you are all working together. The zone blocking scheme is really meant for everyone to mesh and play together because one mistake from one position shows up a lot, moreso than in some other schemes.
On competing for a Big Ten title
We're definitely going to compete in every game. It’s going to be a challenge, but we’re looking forward to it. Every team brings their best to stop the run against us, so we’re looking forward to that challenge, and if they do stop the run we know we have a great passing game.
On playing for Minnesota
Ever since I was a kid I wanted to play for my home state. I’ve been lucky enough to do that, and it has really been an honor to play in front of my home state, my fans, and my family, and having them there every game makes it really special.
On quarterback Bryan Cupito
I think he’s definitely more of a leader this year. People like to say that when you win or lose a game it should be on the quarterback, but you win or lose as a team, and I think Bryan really learned that. We had a lot of hardships last year and had some tough losses, but it wasn’t always on him, and I think he’s matured a lot from that. He’s his toughest critic which drives him to be the best player that he can be. He’s really stepped up his game and he's watched a lot more film than usual. I think this year he is really going to shine. With a great receiving core and a year under his belt I think he will be a lot more comfortable. I think he’s ready to lead this team and take us to some great things.
On the tough Big Ten schedule
We have had easier schedules the last couple of years. This is obviously the toughest schedule we have had in the Big Ten since I’ve been here, but I would say that we are really looking forward to it. I love facing the best guys and the best teams. It’s a great opportunity to prove ourselves every week, and there’s no question at the end of the year if we do win a bunch then there’s nobody who will be asking those questions.
Running back Laurence Maroney
On being considered a Heisman trophy candidate
It really doesn’t affect me. I try not to think about it too much because the team comes first. It isn't any good if I rush for 1,800 yards and I am in the Heisman race if we aren’t winning. It’s not one of my major goals right now. My major goals are to help the team win and to get a Big Ten Championship, and then we can go from there.
On the departure of Marion Barber III to the NFL
It’s going to be a little different without Marion. You are going to see us do a lot more passing because defenses are going to try and stick nine in the box to stop the run. I am the only featured running back, but we have great backs ready to come up and do the job. We lost Marion, but Amir Pinnix and Gary Russell are ready to step in. You are going to see a little bit more passing, but it isn’t going to be too much different from last year.
On backup running backs Amir Pinnix and Gary Russell
I have been roommates with Amir since the day I stepped on campus. I am confident in him since he showed me that he can do it. So I am sure he is going to get the job done. And Gary, you saw him on kickoff returns last year. This year, you are going to see him carrying the ball more, and I am confident they are both going to get the job done. On the tough Big Ten schedule
This is the type of schedule I have been waiting, especially since everyone has been saying how we don’t play anybody. Now we are playing all of the top teams in the Big Ten and if I can do well against the big teams then there will be no doubts. Then others can’t say, ‘Oh, he did it against this team, or he did it against that team.’ I want to try to do it against all of the big teams.
On fullback Justin Valentine
On the offense overshadowing the defense He weighed about 215 pounds last year, and this year he got up to 230, I mean that boy is big. He’s going to be a better blocker. He might have to play a little bit of one back, so he’s going to do it all. We’re going to have another “Valentine’s” day real early.
On whether or not he will get most of the carries this season I wouldn’t say that. I might see a majority of the carries, but we have great backs besides me. We have Amir Pinnix, we have Gary Russell, and we have the freshmen. There’s no telling what the freshmen are going to do, but Amir and Gary are great backs and they are going to get their carries.
On sharing carries My philosophy is that you don’t fix something if it isn’t broken. If I’ve been sharing time since I’ve been here why not keep sharing. I’m not stingy. It’s all about the team thing. I am not an individual person, so all I’ve always wanted to do is help the team win. If I only get ten or twelve carries it doesn’t matter as long as I am helping the team win. That’s all that matters to me.
On the offense
We have so many starters coming back that the talent that was already there now have a year of experience. We are all veterans with a lot of experience so this year should be a great year for us.
On Marion Barber III going to the NFL after his junior season
I was in St. Louis, and he called me and let me know that he had declared to go to the NFL. It hurt a little bit because it was my best friend that was leaving, it was like a part of me was leaving, but I wished him the best of luck. We still talk to this day almost every day. It was a good move for him. I thought it was a good move. It happens so we just have to live with it.
On having to "make-up" for the loss of Marion Barber III
No. That’s where a lot of people go wrong. They feel that they have to do something extra, more than they did last year, but like I said, don’t fix something if it’s not broken. I am going to continue to do everything that I did last year, so I am not going to try and go out every game and do something extra. That’s when you mess up is when you try to overdo something, so I am just going to continue to do the things I do.
On the passing game becoming more consistent
On the offense overshadowing the defense They have to play a big part in our success this season. They have to keep the defense honest. Like I said, we have great receivers in Jakari (Wallace), Ernest (Wheelwright) and Jared (Ellerson), and they are going to have to play a major role in our success this season. We’ll complement each other now. They go deep and keep the defense honest, and I beat them on the ground, so we have to team up this year.
On being a potential Heisman Trophy candidate
I try not to think about it. Like I said, the team goes before anything. It’s no good if I am a Heisman candidate and we are losing. Those two things just don’t go together. I’d rather win than be a Heisman candidate, so I really try not to think about it. I just try to get the team to win, get our winning percentage up, and try to win the Big Ten.
On the possibility of a 2,000-yard season
I am just going to try my best. What I get is what I get. All I can give you all is my best. That’s all you ask for, that’s all I am going to give you all, and if 2,000 is my best, hey, I got it, but I am not going to say I am working for it. I am just trying to get something.
Defensive Tackle Mark Losli
On Defensive Coordinator David Lockwood
I think he’s done a good job with getting us motivated and giving us the confidence we need that we may have lacked in the past. He has some of the same qualities as Coach Hudson had. He can get pretty fired up. We’re getting used to his style and know he will be very excited.
On the offense overshadowing the defense
We’re used to only hearing about the Minnesota offense. So we’ve been working our butts off this summer trying to change that. Last year we had some situations when we dropped the ball defensively as a team during some bigger games. This year we’re going to try and stay focused, remain confident and do the best we can.
On the outlook for the 2005 season
Our attitude remains the same from last year to this year. We’re not going to be happy unless we win the conference. We feel like we’ve got a shot at the title and believe we’re going to win the Big Ten. But we don’t feel a need to talk about it now because we could easily get caught up in it. We’re only going to worry about one game at a time.
Free Safety John Pawielski
On Defensive Coordinator David Lockwood
Coach Lockwood has been with us for a while, so it’s not that big of a change. But the change has rejuvenated us a little bit. Things didn’t go as well as we wanted last year so he’s shed a new light on things and we’re ready to play better. Coach Lockwood gets us motivated and players really want to play well for him. We’ve got a lot of players back so we’re really excited about the upcoming season.
On defensive goals
Defensively we just want to do whatever it takes to win. You really can’t put that into numbers. We’ve got to make more plays on third down, get off the field and give the ball back to our potent offense.
On remaining confident throughout the season
Confidence is always a big thing especially when you’re talking about 18-20 year old kids that are struggling through a Big Ten season. We have to continue to believe in ourselves because we do have the talent to compete at the Big Ten level.
On competing against the defense in practice
We don’t like to be known as the weaker link, but our offense is so potent that going against them in practice only makes us better. We’ve just got to catch up with them in order to steal the spotlight.
Nose Tackle Anthony Montgomery
On last year’s defense
We were definitely able to physically do things that great defenses do, especially on first and second down. But when it came to third down we always had mental errors or little things that ended up leading to an opponent’s big play. I do think we underachieved a little bit last year, but we’ve got a new defensive coordinator and he’s changed things.
On this season’s schedule
It’s hard not to get excited to play teams like Michigan and Ohio State, but you have to approach every game the same way. You can’t take any team lighter than another. It’s frustrating to think we had a chance to beat Michigan two years straight and we let each slip through our grasp. But we’ve got a more experienced team this year, so hopefully we’ll know better how to handle the pressure in the biggest games.
On Defensive Coordinator David Lockwood
Coach Lockwood has made things simpler by reducing the playbook. So we’re definitely be confident that we’ll be mentally prepared. We had quite a few guys that were playing confused last year. And if you’ve got a guy out there that isn’t sure what he’s doing he can’t play at full speed. We’ve got a lot of good players, but we’ve just got to make sure that everyone’s always on the same page so that everyone can play at full speed.
