Press Conference Comments from Michigan Football Players (Offense)
11/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Offensive Player Comments from
Weekly U-M Football Media Luncheon
Previewing Ohio State (Nov. 20); Reviewing Northwestern (Nov. 13)
Fifth-Year Senior Offensive Lineman David Baas
On what impresses him about Michael Hart ... "His constant maturity throughout the season, going in there as a freshman and you can see it in his eyes. When he is out there running, he wants to win it just as bad as everybody else."
On responsibilities as a center ... "Well basically it is the same process every single week. There are a lot of defenses that throw more stuff out there at you, so you have different checks going into certain games. You have to make different calls depending on what stunt they bring, or what blitz they bring. You have to be on the same page that way everyone can work together to get the job done."
On the coaching staff ... "I think the whole coaching staff has done a really good job. They've had to be patient this year. We have had some younger guys. They've done some good adjusting."
On why he came back ... "The decision to come back was to win a championship. We're on course to do that, but we have one more game."
On Ohio State ... "It's going to be a tough physical battle. It is every single year no matter the record, or problems schools are having. It is Ohio State vs. Michigan, it is the game. It's going to be a battle. Whoever is going to be more physical down in the trenches, whoever is going do their job, not make mistakes, handle the noise, it's going to be a tough challenge."
On how to play on the road ... "You always want to go out there and start fast, to take the crowd out of it. That's the game, you want to be productive in the first half, and get something going, not wait until later."
On A.J. Hawk ... "I think he's a great linebacker. I think the whole defense is a good defense. They have a few guys up front, which allows A.J. and the other linebackers to go at the running backs and make tackles. It's going to be a challenge. We just have to make sure that we are technique sound, and that we're assignment sound, and that we just do the things we need to do."
On Lloyd Carr ... "This is my fifth year here, and I appreciate the way he coaches. Every single year it's been a little different, but he still has that same championship mentality that everyone feeds off of."
On if Carr's approach has been different this year ... "Truthfully I don't think it has been different. He's been a little more patient. He's definitely entrusted in the seniors. He makes sure that his point is across all the time. He makes sure that the seniors carry out his point. I don't think it has been anything different. I still think he's been doing a great job as coach."
Junior Wide Receiver Steve Breaston
On the similarities between himself and Ted Ginn Jr. ..."I see similarities but you want to establish your own identity so I don't want to put him in the same category as me. He's a great player. He does a lot of things for his team and he's a threat to score on every play. I've seen that throughout the season. A lot of people have taken notice of that. Like I said, he's a great player."
On how his health is at this point ..."We'll see as the week goes on. This is probably the best I've felt all year. I hope I can keep getting better. I hope my foot is able to stay the way it is. It's not hurting now so I hope it stays like that all week so I'll be at full strength come Saturday."
On playing Ohio State ..."A lot of people say it, you come to Michigan for a game like this. Ohio State has a great tradition. They've stumbled a little bit but they're still a great team. We've watched film on them and they do a lot of good things. They're a very talented team. They're probably the most talented team we'll play all season. They're going to bring their 'A' game."
On how long it took for him to figure out the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry last year ..."It didn't take long. I saw how the fans all reacted. You also have to tune that out. You have to stay focused. I think that's the biggest thing about going into this week is staying focused. Go to class and do the normal things. Once you get off that you're not going to be prepared in practice or in class."
On what would allow Michigan to be successful ..."I think we need to get off to a fast start. I also think we will. We've been getting better all year. The freshmen have learned more and everybody else has learned more. It just builds up. We've been getting better every game. I think if we prepare all week in practice and learn to stay focused it will carry over to the game."
Fifth-Year Senior Fullback Kevin Dudley
On Michigan State's win over Wisconsin ... "It was a big win for them. It was nice, but we just have to go out and win our last one now. It was definitely nice to get them a loss so that we can be outright champions if we come out this weekend and play the way we should."
On the play of Michael Hart this year ... "It's unbelievable the way he's come out and played the way he has. As young as he is, he just keeps getting better and better every week and is really proving that he is a good back. I recognize that he is understanding the offense a lot more. He's understanding the defense and he knows when he can cut back and certain things like that."
On what the Ohio State game means to him ... "It means a lot. Playing in the best college football rivalry in their stadium, it means a lot."
On playing in Ohio Stadium ... "It's unbelievable. Going into a stadium where there are over 100,000 people cheering for you to lose, it sends chills through your body. Running out there, everybody is booing you. Going out there and trying to prove that you're the better team, it's nice."
On the OSU defense ... "They're very physical, they're fast a strong. They're a typical Ohio State defense. They play very physical and play together. They have a real good front seven. They've got great linebackers, so it's just a typical Ohio State defense."
On Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk ... "You always have to know where A.J. is at because he's a great linebacker. When you get on him, you have to stay on him. He gets off blocks and makes a lot of tackles."
On Michael Hart's ability to hold on to the ball ... "He's done a great job with securing the ball. We spend a lot of time working on ball security. Every Tuesday we run the gauntlet and try to strip the ball from him. We spend a lot of time on that and it has paid off, as you can see."
On his memory of the loss at Ohio State two years ago ... "I just remember them rushing the field as I walked off. That's when they went undefeated and went to the national championship. I just remember how awful that felt. It just gives us more motivation to play hard and not let that happen again."
On Ohio State's motivation to beat Michigan ... "It's got to be motivation for them because it's such a great rivalry. For them to spoil the season for us, it has to be a big motivator for them."
On the crowd noise and Ohio Stadium ... "It's definitely going to be hard, especially with communication on the field. We're going to have to work hard in practice with crowd noise. There are going to be a lot of times when you're not going to be able to hear the signals from the quarterback."
On how Chad Henne will respond playing in such a hostile atmosphere ... "I think he's been in every situation you can possibly imagine this season. I don't think he's going to have any problems. As an offense, we have to work hard to not make any mental mistakes like we did in the first half against Northwestern."
On whether the team will lose focus like it did in the first half against Northwestern ... "Everybody on the field is going to give it their all. They're going to give 100 percent because this is the biggest rivalry is college football. Last week, there might have been some people looking ahead, but this week there is no looking ahead at all."
On what he expects from Braylon Edwards this weekend ... "He's a big-time player. That's what he does, he steps up in big-time games. That's what he's done all year and I expect him to do it again this weekend."
Senior Wide Receiver Braylon Edwards
On being guaranteed a share of the Big Ten title ... "It's a heck of an accomplishment for these seniors, as well as the experienced guys, even the young guys. But especially for the guys that were here last year, to be repeat champs, it doesn't happen too often. I have to take my hat off to my teammates and my coaches, and say it's a great honor to be a part of that. With that said, now we have to throw that out the window. We want to be Big Ten champs outright. We don't want to be co-Big Ten champs. We want to be outright Big Ten champs, and that's what our goal is this week."
On the resurgence of Steve Breaston ... "Steve's always been himself. Around the huddle, around Schembechler Hall, around practice, he's still funny Steve. He was just waiting for his breakout moment. He's been close so many times. In the Purdue game, he almost had a big return; Illinois, he almost had a big return. He's been so close, but there's been a player here or there. Finally on Saturday he got his opportunity and he broke loose. He created that for himself. There was great blocking up front, but he broke a couple of tackles and made people miss. On the one touchdown pass he caught, he just ran a tremendous route. I think he's having fun with it again. After you have a breakout season, and I can attest to this, the next season you're looking to do so many positive things, you're looking to have a great year. A lot of times, if you don't start off fast or you end up in a slump, you tend to get down on yourself. It's nothing about the team; it's you as an individual. It happens with a lot of people. It happened with myself and I believe that's what happened with Steve. Now he has his confidence back, and teams have to watch out, because he's dangerous."
On whether Ohio State's record will affect the game ... "Ohio State is going to play 110 percent when they play us, and we're going to play 110 percent. Records mean anything, what's on the line means nothing. It's just about their program versus our program. It's tradition versus tradition. It's still Bo versus Woody. It still has that bearing on the game. When we play them, nothing matters but the guys across from us. And the same goes for them. Their losing doesn't mean anything. They could come into the game 0-10, we could come into the game 0-10, and it's still going to be a dogfight."
On the importance of senior leadership in winning a Big Ten title ... "For me, it would be a great privilege because it means that my team, my senior counterparts, did our job. We came back and we led our team to victory. If a team wins, it's because it has good leadership. That's what our coaches teach us. That's what we like to believe. If we in fact win next week, if we become the outright Big Ten champions two years in a row, that means the seniors did what they were supposed to do, and I take my hat off to them."
On the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry ..."It's a heated rivalry. It's one in which it doesn't matter about records. It doesn't matter about who is picked to win by 20 or so points. It doesn't matter who has the best talent because nine times out of 10 the teams are evenly stacked. Most of their recruits are recruited here; most of our recruits are recruited there. It's a battle. I've been around it for a long time now. I've been there. I was at the game in 1997 when we clinched it to go to the national championship. I was at the games in 1996, 1995 and 1994; I've been around it all my life. I just know what it means. It's one of those things where, as a Michigan player, after you leave here, you really don't remember too many games but the Ohio State game. When you run into fans and they ask you what your record was, and you try to think back at your whole record, no, no, no, your record is Ohio State. How many times did you beat them and how many times did you lose"
On the best and worst moments against Ohio State ... "My favorite Michigan versus Ohio State moment was probably [Charles] Woodson's punt return for the touchdown because I was at the game. That just solidified the game and the championship as well as his Heisman campaign. The worst one, I'm trying to think, it might have been my sophomore year. We went down there and played such a great game, and we just couldn't get it done."
On preparing his young teammates for the game atmosphere ... "I tried to tell the guys, the young guys that haven't played down there yet, that it's one thing to have a confident attitude that wherever you go is the same, it's just a ballgame, nothing is different. In hindsight it isn't. You're still going to need the same guys, the same talented guys with the ability to make plays. But the first two or three minutes of that game are going to be different; they're going to be special. When you come out there, there are 105,000 fans cheering against you, yelling all kinds of obscenities, and all you see is Scarlet and Gray. You're not going to see any Michigan because people are smart they're not going to wear any Maize and Blue down there. It's going to be crazy. It's going to be one of those games. You're going to get consumed in the warm-up. You're going to get consumed during kick-off, but once the games starts you have to roll with it."
On playing Ohio State on the road ... "I believe that we're one of those teams that enjoys playing down there. There's nothing we'd like to do more than go down there and get a win. That's an exceptional environment to win in. It's something remarkable and amazing if you can come out of there with a win, because it's such a great home fan base, as well as a great team when they play at home. It's hard to beat the Buckeyes at home, everybody knows that. Anytime you can go down there and get a win, it speaks volumes for your program and your team."
On how Coach Carr prepares them to compete for a Big Ten title ... "I believe that Coach Carr does a great job in letting us know that every day is a Big Ten title. What did you do today to win the Big Ten title If we don't have practice, did you watch film If we did have practice, did you practice your hardest On days when we have light practices, were you focused On Fridays when we really don't practice, we travel, are you saying nice things about your opponent And on Saturdays, are you doing the things that matter to win the championship He is always keeping that instilled in us. I believe that we believe that ourselves. We question ourselves every day. Did we win the title today That's our biggest question. Did you go to class All this plays a part in winning the Big Ten title. I believe that Coach Carr does an excellent job in keeping that instilled in us."
On learning about the rivalry from his father, Stan Edwards ... "When I was growing up, he never talked about the passion of the rivalry. He never talked about the "hatred" between the two sides and the two cities. It was more, Ohio State and Michigan is a great rivalry, we don't like them and they don't like us. That's what I learned growing up. But playing in the game, being involved with the media that week, being involved with the players on the field, the atmosphere, the different environment; it's as a player that you really learn what the rivalry means. No one can ever tell you. You can never be told how much it means to play in that game. You have to experience it for yourself. That's the way you understand the true magnitude of the game."
On everything he's achieved at Michigan ... "It speaks a lot about the team. I wouldn't have the chance to have achieved that goal if it weren't for great blocking, quarterbacks doing a great job, and me and my crewmates, Jason Avant and Steve Breaston. They've been there for me, right by my side from day one. My sophomore year it was Ron Bellamy. I've always had guys that I could look at on the other side who were making it happen just like I was. Jason Avant and Steve Breaston are two of the best receivers in the country. I'm just privileged to have a chance to play with them every day and to call them friends. If it weren't for those guys being able to do what they do and being so dangerous, I wouldn't at all have had the chance to achieve what I have."
On head coach Lloyd Carr ... "Coach Carr is a great coach. He's one of those guys that is straightforward. He's one of those guys that is a teacher. I believe that being in this system, in this program, for four years, he makes a man out of you. I think that's what he's doing with Chad [Henne] and Mike [Hart]. He's turning them from high school boys to men. The way in which he coaches speaks a lot about him. His team this year had a lot of ups and downs early on. We had to start two freshmen at pivotal positions, and the way in which we responded to him, the way in which we played, is a tribute to not only ourselves, but to him as a coach, as well as the other coaches. Coach Carr deserves a lot of credit, and I believe that he'll get all the credit that he deserves if we can pull off the win next week at Ohio State."
On the importance of coach/player communication ... "He had to replace Chris Perry and John Navarre. The two players that you had to replace them, all of a sudden they're not in there. Now you have to go to two freshmen. You have to get senior leadership, you have to talk to your seniors, and you have to work well with your players. If a coach can't communicate with his players, then his team isn't going to win ballgames. If they do, they're going to struggle. I believe that he has communicated with his seniors and we've been on the same page the whole year. It's because of that that we've done so well later on in the season."
On whether losing at Ohio State two seasons ago will affect their preparation ... "Two years ago is two years ago. We don't worry about that. The environment is a rough one as I said earlier, but we don't harp on the past. That happened then, and this is now. All we're doing is preparing ourselves for a dogfight in a hostile environment. We'll have loud noise going all week in practice so we can kind of simulate what goes on in their stadium. We'll just have to have a strong week in practice from all of the guys. The veterans have to tell the young guys what it's all about. That's what this week is all about. The young guys have to watch the old guys because we're going to prepare like no other."
Senior Tight End Tim Massaquoi
On Michigan's slow starts ... "It's been a problem all season. We haven't gotten off to the right start that we wanted to. We try to emphasize that, but it just hasn't been working out. I think the main thing is how we finish the game, and we finish the game playing really well offensively. We really have to start off fast, because we don't want to rely on a strong second half against Ohio State."
On playing Ohio State in Columbus ... "It's a great place to play. It's a hostile environment and they make us feel like it's us against all of Ohio. It's such a heated rivalry and everybody there just hates Michigan. They don't like our colors or anything, and that makes it exciting to go in there and try to get a win. We need to be able to block out the crowd and focus on playing well from the start."
On the noise inside Ohio Stadium ... "You see and hear everything. It's hard to get the communication when the crowd is cheering. Sometimes you can't hear the quarterback's cadence, and you have to wait until the ball is snapped, which can throw off you a second off of your step. It's something that we can adjust to during the game."
On being in the Big Ten driver's seat ... "As long as we take care of business, we can be where we want to be at the end of the season. In the position we're in right now -- being that if we win out, we can go back to the Rose Bowl -- it's important that we just focus on that and not worry about anything else going on."
On freshmen Chad Henne and Mike Hart ... "As soon as (Chad) got in there, we just had to go out and play football like we've been doing all along. The quarterback has to know what everybody on the field is doing. Chad's done a good job of that; he knows where guys are, and he knows what types of plays to make. On one hand, I'm shocked (that they're playing so well), but at the same time, those are the type of guys that we recruit here. We expect guys to come in and play Michigan football, and those guys have proven that they can do it."
On Ohio State's defense ... "We have to account for their whole defense; they've got a good line and good linebackers. (Bobby) Carpenter is a good player and (A.J.) Hawk is definitely a great player. It will be a challenge like it has been all year; every defense we've seen has great players and is strong as a unit."
On what he would say to Rose Bowl first-timers ... "I would tell them to enjoy it and to enjoy the opportunity and environment. You don't want to be scared going in; you want to be excited and embrace everything they throw at you."
Media Contacts: David Ablauf, Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
