Media days final wrap part 3 (really?) The Zookening

To close this too long drawn out series, I will cover coach Ron Zook, who enters his fifth season as the Illini head coach with alot of expectations.

If there is one thing that I can take away from seeing Zook work the media it is that he is most in his element dealing with people one on one, speaking off the cuff. His prepared remarks haven't ever really excited me, but with just a few people and a casual environment he really knows how to work the media. He of all the coaches I sat down with seemed the most comfortable with the atmosphere. When you ask him a question he looks you straight in the eyes and answers you in a manner that at least seems very sincere.

I asked him if new players like Terry Hawthorne and Justin Green are will be able to break through the already deep depth charts at their position. He told me that the both certainly have the natural talent to make an impact as freshmen, and other than Hawthorne's broken hand, both will more than likely see the field this year. With examples like Juice, Benn and the running backs from last year, Zook is absolutely not afraid of putting a true freshman out into the line of fire if he feels it will help the team. If you ask me, there is probably going to be a real possibility for Justin Green to play this year. If he is as fast as they say he is, and the RBs are going by committee anyhow, why not let him try and break one loose with his great speed.

Zook talked alot about how he wants to make sure that Juice has fun out there this year. He said that in years past he has felt the pressure of being the face  of the program and the players that all of the  fans have put their hopes for greatness upon. This year is his senior season, people for the most part know what to expect from Juice, although as  Zook has pointed out he has improved every single season. Juice was pushed into the fray as a true freshman, without a whole lot of supporting cast around him to fall back on. The defense was alright, but not stellar, and his best target was Kyle Hudson. This was not exactly Terrelle Pryor forcing out Todd Boeckman last year. His passing has improved steadily, and admirably especially since the CPL is not the best HS league for developing QBs.

Corey Liuget is exactly the sort of player that Zook said was missing from the Big Ten when he arrived on the scene in '05. He is a big guy that can move. He saw some time last year on a line that was hurt at the tackle position. Zook also reiterated that Sirod Williams was still being held back from workouts as his  knee gets better, basically signaling that Liuget and Brent* will be the DTs of choice. I still think Sirod is going to be key though as Brent is still up in the air and depth is clearly something the Illini lacked last year at tackle.

For the most part of course, Zook told me alot of what all of us already knew including that the team always needs to be improving etc etc.

On a side note I did get to sit in on a couple other coaches on Tuesday. I managed to sit at the crowded Michigan table to listen to Rich Rod for a few moments, and noticed that he still seems a little uncomfortable with the media. UM is a big spotlight and I am sure it will take some getting used to the extreme level of scrutiny.

I also sat down at former Illini TE and Minnesota coach Tim Brewster's table and asked him a couple questions. I asked him as a sort of ice breaker  question that if he like Bret Bielema at Iowa had a tatoo of his alma mater anywhere on his body. I don't think he particularly took the question with as much good humor as I meant it so I quickly moved on to a question about his stadium, which he was all to happy to sing the praises of. By the way, there was no more physically intimidating person in the room than Brewster, he still looks to be in playing shape and very much has the look of someone who will go helmet to helmet with you if you cross him.

So that's it for my media day experiences. I hope that I didn't embarrass myself or SBN too much in the process. I also hope I provided a good insight into one of the coolest things I have ever been involved with.