University of Minnesota Athletics
BLOG: Big Ten Football Kickoff
7/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
BLOG: Big Ten Football Kickoff (Updated July 25 - 3: 43 p.m.)
Friday, July 25
7:17 a.m.
Morning from Chicago as we begin day two of the Big Ten Football Media Days. Players are headed to breakfast before they meet with the newspaper media from 8-10 a.m. Each of the three players is assigned their own table while reporters maneuver around to get their quotes. Sometimes players will be swarmed by 8-10 writers, while some will go as long as 10 minutes without an interview. All the head coaches will also have their own table for writers that missed their opportunity yesterday.
Following that, we'll be getting ready for the annual Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon. The players will take part in an autograph session for the 1,700 fans expected to attend. The luncheon is always a great event. Each of the 11 coaches will address the crowd, while the players will elect one player to speak for the group. Penn State coach Joe Paterno and Purdue coach Joe Tiller usually leave the crowd rolling, while based on last year's luncheon, Tim Brewster will have them ready to suit up and run through the wall.
Yesterday as we headed from the airport, I warned Adam Weber about the luncheon. Last year as the door prizes were announced, each quarterback was asked to "deliver" the autographed football. That meant trying to throw a football through a packed ballroom. Some guys were fortunate and winners were just a few tables away. Unfortunately for Penn State's Anthony Morrelli, his raffle winner was in the back corner. I'm sure they've repaired the ceiling tiles since then. Adam said he would warm up during dessert.
Check back for more updates. We'll get some of the player thoughts during the morning media session and post the video here.
8:58 a.m.
I’ve spent the better part of the first hour of the print media session sitting at a table with linebacker Steve Davis. I’m wondering if defensive coordinator Ted Roof’s ears are burning. Every single member of the media who has interviewed Steve Davis has asked him about the difference in the defense with Ted Roof taking over as coordinator.
Coach Brewster is just a few feet away and defense is a hot topic at his table as well. In particular, I’ve heard Coach talk a lot about the newcomers he’s going to be counting on to come in and contribute right away. The names Cedric McKinley, Traye Simmons, Rex Sharpe and Simoni Lawrence have come up a lot.
To the left is a photo of Eric Decker doing one of the many interviews the players and Coach Brewster will be doing this morning. To the right, Coach Brewster talks to another member of the media.
An update from last night, while I’ve got the time. Coach Brewster took part in a social event with Minnesota boosters early in the evening. Following that event, Coach Brew, Director of Football Operations Dan O’Brien, athletic director Joel Maturi and the rest of the Gopher administrators who are on the trip enjoyed a reception on a boat docked at Navy Pier on Lake Michigan.
Following a light meal, there was a cruise on Lake Michigan from about 10-11:30 p.m. or so. However, I was up at 3:15 a.m. yesterday to catch my flight. So, unfortunately, I can’t comment on how the cruise was, as I headed back to the hotel and crashed. Most, if not all, of the Gopher contingent did the same.
The players had a nice evening as well. Davis went out to dinner and got to hang out with some family members here in Chicago. Weber and Decker went to dinner with Weber’s sister. At some piont during the evening Weber lost his cell phone. So if any of you reading the blog are trying to reach Adam via cell phone ... don’t bother.
We’re nearly halfway through the interview session with the print media, as I’m writing this. The players will take part in an autograph session at 10 a.m. We’ll try to get some photos and reaction from the players about meeting with the fans later in the morning.
- Andy Seeley
10:07 a.m.
More video from Big Ten Football Media Day:
Adam Weber ... Eric Decker ... Steve Davis
- JR
10:49 a.m.
Goldy is in the house! The lovable Gopher mascot is making an appearance with the other 10 conference mascots at the autograph/photo session for fans, which is currently winding down here at the Hyatt Regency. In the photo to the right, Goldy is making sure to point the way for all Big Ten fans to get an interview from Gopher linebacker Steve Davis.
Wrapping up the interview session with the print media and radio stations from earlier this morning. That session was scheduled for two hours this morning. By the end of the two hours of just sitting and answering question after question, the guys sometimes get a little squirrely. Near the end of the session, just for fun, Eric Decker and Steve Davis switched nameplates in front of them. A few minutes later, a young reporter from the Buckeye Sports Bulletin came along to do an interview.
As the reporter sat down next to Decker, he looked at the sign in front of him, which read "Steve Davis - Linebacker" and asked "Can I ask you a few questions, Steve?" Clearly, this reporter hadn't done a ton of homework. Decker may be a heck of an athlete, but this guy is probably the first one ever to mistake him for a linebacker. Fortunately for the Buckeye Sports Bulletin scribe (and unfortunately for those of us hoping to be entertained by Eric pretending to be Steve), Decker let him off the hook.
Finally, at 10 a.m., it was time for the autograph session with fans. This is a somewhat unique experience for the guys. They are used to chatting with the fans, signing autographs, etc. But usually, they only have that experience with Gopher fans. At this event, fans of all the different Big Ten schoos will stop at each respective team's table, get autographs and talk with the coaches and players.
"This is a real cool experience," Davis said. "It is kind of exciting to meet the fans and see the players and everyone from the other schools. It just makes me even more ready to get the season started. It has been nice, there are a lot of people coming by and wishing us luck."
One fan who wished Gopher head coach Tim Brewster the best of luck was Ted Barczak, who was sporting a bright orange Illinois shirt. Barczak was a student at Illinois when Brewster played for the Illini and led them to the Rose Bowl. Prior to last season, that was the last time Illinois had been to Pasadena. Barczak wanted to make sure he had a chance to talk with Coach Brewster and told him that he was in the Illini band during that Rose Bowl season 20-some years ago. Barczak said he always admired Brewster and will pull for him and the Gophers, unless of course Minnesota his playing Illinois.
It's almost time for the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon. More than 1,700 fans will be in attendance at the luncheon. As mentioned earlier, we'll try to post video of Coach Brewster's remarks if there is time.
After the luncheon, it's off to the airport and back to the Twin Cities. For Coach Brewster and the rest of the Golden Gophers, it will then be time to focus on the start of camp. Freshmen report August 2, while upperclassmen report Aug. 3. Practice number-one of the 2008 season will then take place on Aug. 4. We'll have plenty of blogs, video, photos and other features here at www.GopherSports.com throughout camp and leading up to the beginning of the 2008 campaign on Aug. 30.
- AS
3:43 p.m.
The entire Gopher contingent has reached Midway Airport here in Chicago, after wrapping up the Big Ten Media Kickoff with the annual luncheon.
As predicted here this morning by John Romo, Purdue coach Joe Tiller and Penn State coach Joe Paterno did have people laughing and our own Coach Brewster had the Gopher fans we were sitting with ready to suit up and hit the turf in the Metrodome come Aug. 30. Also, Romo's warning to Weber that he was probably going to have to throw a pass also rang true. Weber won our official quarterback accuracy contest, hitting the raffle winner in the back of the room with a perfect strike.
All in all, it was an enjoyable two days in Chicago for the Gophers. It is always exciting when events like the Big Ten Kickoff roll around, because it is a real signal that football season is right around the corner. It was apparent to everyone in attendance -- players, coaches, media members, administrators and fans alike -- we are all ready for another great season of college football.
We're due to board a plane back to Minneapolis-St. Paul in about 30 minutes. Thanks for reading the blog the last couple days. As I mentioned in my last post, we plan to bring more of these types of blogs and features to you on GopherSports.com in the coming year. We hope you enjoyed following the Big Ten Kickoff along with us here at GopherSports.com. Go Gophers!
-AS
Thursday, July 24, 2008
6:30 a.m.
Here’s what we’ve learned so far this morning. None of the guys on this trip consider themselves a “morning person.” Linebacker Steve Davis and quarterback Adam Weber each got about four hours of sleep, which incidentally is about the same amount as I got last night.
If the amount of sleep recorded last night was a competition, wide receiver Eric Decker lost the contest. Decker reported getting about three hours of shut-eye. Upon arrival at the athletic complex in preparation to head to the airport, Weber declared he knew there were flights this early in the morning. “But,” he said with a yawn, “I’m not sure why.”
All three of the guys got a few minutes of rest at the airport before boarding Northwest Flight 2015 for Chicago. To the left is a look at Steve getting some Z’s while waiting to board the plane.
VIDEO: GOPHERS HEAD TO CHICAGO
-Andy Seeley
9:45 a.m.
The entire Minnesota contingent has arrived at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, home of the Big Ten Football Kickoff.
While we’re waiting for our rooms to be cleaned, the crew is hanging out in Director of Athletic Communications Garry Bowman’s room. The guys are currently watching ESPN and relaxing in preparation for the interviews to come after lunch.
The Big Ten has announced its preseason awards and preseason team favorites. Ohio State has been selected as the favorite to win the conference title by members of the media attending the Big Ten Football Kickoff. Rounding out the top three are Wisconsin and Illinois. The Big Ten only announces the top three in its preseason poll.
The Buckeyes swept the preseason offensive and defensive player of the year awards. Ohio State running back Beanie Wells was chosen as the Big Ten Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while his teammate James Laurinaitis took the league’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
2:30 p.m.
We’re back with another entry. I want this blog and any and all blogs we do in the future (and we plan to do a bunch this year) to be as interactive as they can be. If you have questions about the Big Ten Kickoff event or if you have a specific question you’d like to have Coach Brewster or one of the players answer, drop an e-mail to me at aseeley@umn.edu. If you have general comments about the blog, feel free to drop a line also. Just be kind, this is my first attempt at an undertaking like this.
So, there was a bit of a lull there in between posts. I was fulfilling my athletic communications role and (almost as importantly) having some lunch.
The players had lunch at about 11 a.m. with members of some of the other Big Ten teams in attendance at the Kickoff. Following lunch, each of them were interviewed by either the Big Ten Network or ESPN. Prior to heading downstairs for lunch, each of the guys got into their suits and ties (proof that the Gophers have one of the best-dressed teams in the Big Ten can be found below).
It was also apparent that these guys have a lot more experience tying the laces on their cleats, snapping up their chinstraps and pulling on their shoulder pads than they do with neckties. Decker and Davis were helping each other get theirs tied and on straight. Meanwhile, Weber took three tries at it. But the QB came through on third-and-long and got the neckwear in place (see the photo below).
Following the players’ television interviews, Coach Brewster made his first appearance with the media. Brewster had a 15-minute question-and-answer session with the media in attendance (WATCH THE PRESS CONFERENCE). A full transcript of that session will be available on GopherSports.com a little later this afternoon. We’ll have a link to it here in the blog. Coach and the players are currently in the midst of an hour-and-a-half of interviews with television stations from all over Big Ten Country and the nation (WATCH PART OF THE SESSION).
When that session is over, the players are done for the day. We’ll catch up with them at that point and get their reaction from the first day.
P.S. Shameless plug - you can purchase your 2008 Golden Gopher Football Media Guide right now!
- AS
4:12 p.m.
One of head coach Tim Brewster's media responsibilities during the afternoon session were to shoot some promotions for the Big Ten Network. The idea was for each coach to give the viewing audience their best recruiting pitch.
The room in which the promotions were shot was staged to resemble a typical family' s living room, right down to the couch and coffee table. There was even a glass of milk and a plate of cookies set out.
It will be interesting to see how the BTN pieces all the coaches together, each giving their individual pitches, into one 30-second spot for the network. Watch for it this fall!
- Garry Bowman
4:53 p.m.
The players are now done with their official commitments for the day. We had a chance to catch up with the players to see what their experience was like on the first day of the Big Ten Kickoff.
Much of the time at media events such as these is spent answering the same question or similar versions of it over and over. That was no different for our guys today. In the sessions I was involved with, Coach Brewster and all three players were asked about last season and its bearing on the upcoming season.
So, I queried the guys about the questions they received today. When I inquired about the most-asked question, all three gave some variation of “What’s the biggest difference between this season and last year?”
At that point, Decker piped up with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek (at least I am assuming it was tongue-in-cheek) and said he was asked “Why are you so good looking?” numerous times. Both Weber and Davis simply groaned before all three had a good chuckle.
Apparently the Wisconsin media was out in force at the question-and-answer sessions today. Both Decker and Davis said they also received a lot of questions about the Badgers. All three also agreed that it was a cool experience. None of the players had attended the Big Ten Kickoff in the past.
There are oftentimes strange questions asked of the coaches and players at events like this. It isn’t Super Bowl Media Day, where players sometimes receive marriage proposals. But there are still some weird questions. When I asked the Gopher players what the weirdest question they heard today was, they all said they had actually been asked “What’s the strangest question you’ve been asked today?” a number of times.
So, after a day of answering questions from the media, the guys are now free to enjoy themselves this evening. They have plans to grab some dinner and spend some time in the Players Reception area here at the hotel. In addition, Weber has a sister who lives in town and he’s going to try to catch up with her. Meanwhile, Davis has some cousins in Chicago and he also plans to see if he can hook up with some family.
On another topic ... we’re still waiting for a transcript of Coach Brewster’s press conference from earlier this afternoon. We’ll post it here on GopherSports.com as soon as we get it.
Also, keep the e-mails coming! Drop me a line at aseeley@umn.edu. Pass along any questions or comments you may have. We'll do our best to answer any questions you may have about the Big Ten Kickoff.
-AS
6:26 p.m.
We finally received the transcript of Coach Brewster’s press conference from earlier this afternoon. If you haven’t been able to view it, you can read it here: Coach Brewster's Big Ten Kickoff Press Conference.
This will likely be the last post for the night. We’ll be back with you tomorrow, with Day 2 of the Big Ten Football Kickoff. Good night, Gopher fans.
