Press Conference Comments from Michigan Players
11/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Player Comments from
Weekly U-M Football Media Luncheon
Previewing Indiana (Nov. 12)
Senior Center Mark Bihl
About having to jump into lineup ... "The expectations are for the position, not the player. That is part of the tradition here at Michigan. That is how we play; it is great and I love my role. Adam (Kraus) is a great football player and a true competitor, and when he went down it was my time to shine. Here at Michigan, they not only prepare the first and second team, but they prepare everybody to play before and when it is your time to play, it's your time to play."
What have you learned since last year ... "My mentality has changed a little. Last year I was a little hesitant. I've grown up a little bit. I've seen all these players and been to every city in the conference, expect Happy Valley. Most of my confidence and poise, I think is because I've have been around and I have seen everything. I have done this for over 30 games so I am prepared for what I have to do."
Evaluate your performance at Northwestern ... "I was pleased with the way I played. I was excited and I went in there and I actually knew the defensive lineman Trevor Schultz, we had gone to Ohio State camp together, we roomed together, so after the game we gave each other a hug and said we were going to see each other next year. I was happy with our performance, and Coach Carr told me I did a good job. It was my time to shine and I stepped up and played like I should have."
About Jake Long going down during camp, but wanting to come back ... "Jake is an unbelievable guy. Gabe (Watson) and I got tangled up and Jake got rolled on during practice. That hurt. He was in pain and I think he came back 3 or 4 weeks before he wanted to, that is just the type of guy Jake is. He has the mentality that he wants to play football, no matter what stands in his way. He will overcome it and that is what he did. He fought through it. He is still out there playing in pain, he might not be playing at his full potential because I don't think he is 100% yet, but he is an awesome guy and he is one of the toughest and most competitive guys I have ever met, and if he has a chance to play he is going to do it."
Mentality as a backup and what you need to do when thrown into fire ... "You have to stay in the game. On the sidelines I am always with Coach Moeller. All of the offensive linemen are always together. You always see the wide receivers together, the fullbacks together. We get the play from Coach Moeller. I may be expected to watch a certain position. I'll watch Adam all game, so during the Northwestern game I knew Trevor Schultz and Barry Cofield's moves almost better than Adam did because I was watching him the whole game. You just have got to stay in the game and keep your mind ready, and don't get unfocused, remain focused the whole game."
Is it hard to do mentally ... "I don't think so. I think because I am so mentally prepared, I've done it long enough and I am just ready for it. My mind is ready for it and when I saw Adam go down I was ready to go. Chad came over and I got some snaps, and he said boys lets do this, and I was ready to get in there."
Are you impressed that so many guys have stepped up because of the injuries ... "I am not necessarily impressed, that's expected and that is the type of people we have. We will fight to the end no matter what. Rueben does a great job and he can play any position, he could play fullback if they asked him to."
Does this make team better/stronger ... "We are better because of more experience. Rueben has gotten a lot of starts at tackle and he never played tackle before this season in a game. I would definitely say more experience and Alex Mitchell got his first playing time this year and I had some more playing time and a couple more starts."
What does the bye week mean to this team ... "It means a lot. We've had the same bye week for the four years I have been here. It's a lot of rest, we can just relax and you get to watch the young guys. The young guys compete a little bit harder than we do. You get a step up on the opposing team for the next week. We got a chance to watch a lot of Indiana film and they are a good team, so we feel like instead of having crunch time on Monday we have a lot of information on them already."
How much better do you think this team is now compared to five weeks ago ... "We are still the same team, we just capitalized on the opportunities given to us, as opposed to Notre Dame and Wisconsin, we couldn't capitalize and we still haven't played our best game yet. We are still waiting for that against Indiana, and then finish off our season like we need to."
Sophomore Inside Linebacker Chris Graham
Did you look at attending Indiana during the recruiting process ... "Indiana was always an option because they were an in-state school and have a great program. I never took my eye off them. I always thought Michigan was a great school and when I was growing up I always wanted to attend Michigan. I was really looking at Michigan."
Do you know any of the guys on Indiana's team ... "I know a lot of guys on Indiana's team. A lot of the guys attended the rival schools that I played in high school. A couple of the guys on the Indiana team were my own teammates, so it's going to be good to see some of these guys again."
Is there anyone on the Indiana team that you know that plays ... "The Powers brothers, I know them pretty well. Jake Powers, the will linebacker, was my host when I went down there on the recruiting trip. He is a great guy. I had the opportunity to meet a lot of those guys and they're very good. It is going to be a good reunion, being able to see those guys again."
Do you have a lot of people coming up for the game ... "Yes. I have a lot of people from back home coming up to the game. It's going to be great having a lot of people come to the game that usually watch me on TV. I can't wait to see them. There will be a lot of teachers and family members that I haven't seen in awhile, so it's going to be fun. I hopefully will have enough tickets to bring them all to the game. Since we are limited to a certain number of tickets it will be hard but I will do what I can to get my family members up here."
About this season from 3-3 to 6-3 right now with two games left ... "The season started off pretty slow but we pulled together and became a pretty tight team. The guys had the mindset that we were never going to give up and that's the same mindset that I have. Guys are starting to come together and we're playing together and we're starting to have fun. It's not something that we look at having a chance at the end. We are just worried about Indiana and then finishing up these final two weeks and let things play out from there."
About the resiliency of this team and the possibility of a title ... "It would be great but in order for that to happen, Coach Carr has instilled in us that we must stay focused on each week, so right now we are focused on Indiana. We are focused on this week and not looking ahead."
Is it hard to focus on this game knowing that Ohio State looms ... "Not really. There are great players on each team that you go against each week. You can't look ahead on Indiana because they'll sneak up on you as you can see what they did against other opponents. They've had chances to make big plays and win games so you can never look past an opponent."
Do you think this defense played its best game at Northwestern ... "We have never played our best game yet. I think we played great, played great in the second half. Guys pulled together and made some great adjustments on the sidelines. Coach Herrmann had a great game plan and the guys just kept fighting. We try each week to play our best but that was not our best. We will try this week to play our best so we can say we had our best week."
Was the Northwestern game the best so far ... "You can probably say that but I think the biggest thing was we had fun and it showed on the field. Guys were celebrating together and were having fun together and were making plays. We were picking each other up. I think we were making steps closer to having the type of game that we all want."
Is this team coming together Is it a tighter group ... "I think you can see we are having fun on the field. I think off the field a lot of guys pull together and we have unity. We are always together. We play together and have fun together. It's just like your brother, you pick your brother up and tell him what's wrong and you tap him on the butt and tell him keep going and if it's a bad play you pick him back up. If you keep going after that you'll never have any letdowns. We had some up and downs and you just pull together and help each other. If you see something different that they don't see you help them out. That can probably help them through the week and help them through the season."
How have you gotten better this season ... "More experience. I have learned how to take on blockers a lot better. I have had trouble getting over bigger guys but I've learned how to read the line better and the offensive formations and learning our defense better. I have focused on my position and learned the others in case someone goes down so I can help whoever goes in at that position."
What affect will the bye week have on this football team ... "The bye week is a chance to heal up and get better. We watched some film. If you can sneak in and get a chance to see what Indiana is doing you can do that. Last week was basically a week to rest up and heal-up for the last two weeks."
Fifth-Year Senior Left Guard Leo Henige
On getting Jake Long back into the lineup ... "It was a good lift. He worked really hard to come back from this injury. He's a great player."
On the bye week ... "The time off was pretty good just to get everybody rested and get some time off to kind of get your mind off football for a little bit. For me, I know it helped out a lot. I spent my bye week by checking a few scores, but I really didn't watch too much football. The week went well. We got a couple practices in and broke down some film. We got a really good jump start on Indiana, so we feel good about it."
On how close the offense is to clicking ... "When you're breaking down film, you can definitely see it. It's just one guy here and one guy there not executing, and that's all it takes."
On Michigan's offense ... "We've had ups and downs. We just need to keep improving through these next two games. The goal is definitely to control the ball, and obviously that's what we're setting out to do. We want to take what the defense will give us and adjust from there."
On Indiana ... "Watching film on them, you can tell they play hard. I think they've improved from last year. I'm sure coming in to play Michigan they're going to be ready to play."
On staying in the Big Ten chase ... "I know we need some help, but all I'm worried about is these next two weeks and getting wins. We have to take care of business and win out before we can even worry about that."
On dealing with several injuries to the offensive line ... "It's been hard. You have to expect it for the position. Guys prepare during the week, and when your time comes, you have to perform. We have a lot of guys who have gained experience along this offensive line, and we should have someone to plug in there when a guy goes down."
Junior Fullback Will Paul
How do you like the move to fullback ... "I like it a lot at fullback. It was a tough transition, learning all the plays over the summer. It was like becoming a freshman all over again, coming back into the season and learning all the plays and starting all over again. I am having fun and I'm glad I made the move."
Who approached you about moving to fullback and what was your reaction ... "Coach Carr initially approached me about it and Coach J (Jackson) said something about it after Coach Carr did but I was really excited because I just wanted to help the team out. For me to get on the field, this is really the first time that I've been on the field a lot during the games, and it was real exciting and to help to contribute to the team. It is real exciting."
Did you see it as an opportunity for more playing time ... "I did see it as an opportunity. I wasn't going into it, before I moved over there I was trying to become the best defensive lineman that I could, and I was trying to get on the field as much as possible there too. The move helped me with playing time a lot and I was really excited with the move and to be able to help the team out."
Kevin Dudley said he shrunk after last season because of all the collisions, have you felt that way yet ... "You know after a few games I can just feel myself when I wake up in the morning I feel like what he went through and my body is aching. I don't feel me shrinking any but I'm sure it will happen sooner or later."
What has been the biggest challenge with the position ... "The toughest thing was probably learning all of the offensive plays because there is so much that goes on with the offense. For instance, knowing who you have to block on certain defenses was a challenge. I'd say learning all the plays was definitely the toughest challenge compared to the defense where you have different calls where there isn't as much to learn. I'd say that was probably the biggest challenge."
About the missed catch at Northwestern and Coach Carr's comments about you catching balls well in practice ... "In high school I played fullback and it wasn't that big of a deal. I was running before I caught the ball. I took my eyes off the ball and that didn't help the situation at all. Hopefully they will throw the ball to me again. My job is to block and be the most complete blocker that I can. Every now and again if they throw me the ball I'll be happy and try and help gain some yards with a catch."
Did you lose some weight when you moved to fullback ... "Yes. They wanted me to lose a couple of pounds. I was around 270 when I played defense. I remember the first time I went out on routes I didn't feel like I was as fast as I could be. Coach J and I had a conference and he suggested losing a couple of pounds and that has really helped me out a lot."
About carrying the football ... "It wouldn't bother me if I got one or not. I have great pride in blocking for our running backs. I feel that if they have a great game than I have a great game too. It doesn't bother me if I get the ball or not."
About moving up the depth chart ... "I feel that having a better grasp of the offense has helped me out a lot. Brian Thompson and Obi Oluigbo have helped me out a bunch especially during the summer even though they knew we were all going to be competing for the same position. They had no problem helping me because they knew we were all going to help the team in some way. Getting a better grasp of the offense helped me out a lot. I just try to block as well as possible with lower leverage."
Is coming from the defensive side of the ball help you ... "I think it helps me a lot. I kind of know what the defense feels regarding hands and hand positioning and how to use your hands. It really has helped me a lot with getting better hand placement and lower leverage on the defensive player when I go in there to block."
Senior Defensive End Jeremy Van Alstyne
On his friends on Indiana's team ... "Actually, most of them are offensive linemen or tight ends, or something like that. So, it'll be interesting. I'd say I know Brian O'Neill the best. He's a guard and a tight end. I know him pretty well. I've played him both in our rival high schools and then at the All-Star game. We were able to hang out there."
On playing against a team from his home state ... "Definitely, it's a big game for me. You always want to go out and show what you can do."
On the team's improvement over the past few weeks ..."I've seen what we're capable of doing. The first half of the Minnesota game, we came out and just took it to them. There's great potential there. We just have to come out and play a great game. I think we've really just come together as a team. Our defense is moving better together. We're playing better together and we're playing faster. I don't know what to attribute that to, but we've had some young guys coming in there and getting their chances. Maybe it just took us a couple of weeks, but we're definitely playing a lot better."
On how he spent the bye weekend ... "The bye weekend was just sitting around, watching games and stuff like that -- just relaxing and resting. It was nice. You get to enjoy all the games and relax more."
On the Big Ten title and a BCS berth ... "We know it's possible. But we're really just focusing on this week and on Indiana, and not on all of that. We know we can't look over this week; we've got to focus on what we've got to do to beat Indiana. We just know that Indiana is our next opponent and that's what we've got to focus our attention on."
On competing for snaps ... "Since the week that I came back from my injury, I've gotten more and more snaps. Hopefully, that'll keep going, but Alan (Branch) and those guys are doing great and I'm happy for them."
On seeing more competition on the defensive line ... "I think the defensive line has improved a lot over the year. A lot of guys have stepped up and I'm glad that happened."
On Indiana's strengths ... "There have some really good, skilled players that are able to make big plays. I haven't been able to watch that much film of theirs, so we'll see later on in the week."
On players coming back from injuries ... "I think that it's the determination of the guy, especially when we're talking about injuries. Jake (Long) showed great determination coming back early. That's just due to hard work. When guys come back early from injuries, it's really due to the work that they put in and the dedication that they have. Everybody wants to get back out there and start playing more. I think most guys around here, when they're told they are out for six to eight weeks will say 'Alright, let's go for four or five.'"
Media Contacts: David Ablauf, Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
