JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
I am half tempted to go back and read all of my media day reax items..I am sure each has common threads of optimism, for this is the time of year where optimists rule and pessimists drool.
There are a great number of pessimists this year as it relates to the 2011 Iowa football team...we've all bought and read the magazines, we've listened to the pundits, some of us have made our own predictions and taken lumps for it.
I picked Iowa to finish 8-4 this year...always hopeful for better, mind you. One of the games I picked as a loss was Iowa's road game at Purdue. Don Lund writes for the North Liberty Leader, and he's been covering Iowa games since before I began coming around to media day events in 1999. I like Don, but as Lester Erb was walking out to be the first coach interviewed, Don says 'Jon, didn't you pick Iowa to lose at Purdue?'
Erb stops, looks at me, and says "Thanks a lot."
It was funny, but it was a tad bit awkward. I told him "Hey, I can't pick you 12-0 every year Coach."
Ahh, Iowa football media day. Where media and coaches exchanges laughs and jokes and where coaches are polite when asked the 'How are things going so far?' questions when Iowa had their first practice earlier in the day (I heard that one three times)
Everyone is a pal on media day...and there were a lot of them...over 100 people were there covering the event. Most every small town newspaper in Iowa, or so it seemed, several blogs and websites as well as traditional print & electronic media (radio and TV).
Here are a few observations I want to toss out to the site before hopping in the car and heading back to Des Moines where I will be editing the videos I shot today...
James Morris is impressive. I don't know him beyond the media opportunities, but I happened to be on the sidelines last year when he was thrown into the mix against Penn State. I remember how 'big' his eyes were, how energetic he was out there...and how he didn't seem out of place. Was he perfect? Hardly. However, he didn't seem intimidated by it...he seemed like a natural.
Interviewing him today in a one on one setting, I was all the more impressed. He gave great answers...not just because they were thoughtful and insightful, but that he didn't just toss out the standard stuff. There was substance, and he is bright. I can't wait to see him play this year, because my guess is he will look a lot faster because he will be thinking far less than he was forced to do a year ago.
James Vandenberg seems inspiring. Now, I am not saying he made me want to take off my hat and sing God Bless America the way Ricky Stanzi was wont to do...it's just some sort of confidence he exudes...not cockiness, not anything like that. Maybe he just seems so damned comfortable in his own skin...almost to the point where it seems exceptional, as in most people are not like that. He's waited his turn, and he is ready for it. He has an easy way of speaking, too...you'll see that on the video we put up. Small town, country, whatever you want to call it, but it's the good stuff. I can see why people refer to him as a great leader in this program already. I can totally see how he makes people around him feel comfortable.
Linebackers Coach Darrell Wilson seems excited. Almost like he knows something the rest of us don't...which is of course true. But most of the Iowa coaches are very tough nuts to crack. They are real even keeled in these settings...some of them are almost robotic with their answers. I respect that, as they don't want to put bulletin board material out there. But when you watch the video I will post of my conversation with Wilson, I think you'll see a little something more from him. He said that Tyler Nielsen was playing better as a junior than AJ Edds was a junior...I remember AJ telling me that on the sidelines last year and just figured he was being nice. I felt Nielsen was having a huge year, don't get me wrong, but Edds was the best of the Ferentz era at the LEO. Nielsen told me he is 100% recovered from his neck injury and raring to go. Wilson didn't seem to think that having a smaller player at the WILL position will be a problem, because they have to show they can play physical Iowa football or they won't be on the field.
Rick Kaczenski is two people. Those of you sitting in the West stands have seen Coach Kaz go OFF on the bench...he is a fiery guy, and very, very vocal. His players love him, but man does he have some fire...but on camera at media day, he seems far more like a puppy dog low key. (I don't want to get my head ripped off). He spent a lot of time talking about Iowa having a big rotation on the DL this year...he also gave me a 60 second highly technical answer related to Iowa's scheme that you will love...that will be when I roll his video out.
Kevonte Martin-Manley is confident. Not in a DJK sort of way...there is only one DJK. But I asked him if redshirting last year was any easier after getting to Iowa, and seeing that the guys ahead of him were better and farther along, if that makes redshirting easier to accept. His said 'No, that's not it.' and gave me an answer along the lines of he was not willing to say they were better than him...You'll be able to see for yourself, and I didn't really sense cockiness in his reply...he is just real confident in his ability.
CJ Fiedorowicz likes being off the radar. He said that it's better this way, because at times last year he felt like people were nervous. Now, he doesn't speak for the entire team, and I think Iowa's problems last year stemmed more from injuries than anything else. But he is entitled to his opinion, and you'll see that on my video interview with him.
Marcus Coker is a chiseled 230-pounds. The Iowa media guide lists him as weighing that much...and he is rock solid at that weight. It's surprising he is that 'heavy' because he doesn't look like he'd weigh THAT much, but muscle is heavier than fat, right? Then again, doesn't a pound of fat weigh the same as a pound of muscle? I digress. Lester Erb told me he is running lower to the ground and less upright. He said you can watch the Missouri game and notice how he was running upright early and got lower as the game went on. Coker is a quick study to be sure.
DeAndre Johnson is happy. He is 100% healed and very excited to get going. Most players are excited to get going, but after you tear your ACL a cup of coffee into your senior season, and you arrive at college thinking you are physically ready to go and you quickly see you are nowhere near ready and everyone is lapping you, it can be a tough emotional load to carry, along with being away from home for the first time and a half country away. But Johnson has weathered that storm...he thinks he can be the lightning to Coker's thunder. Others are going to throw their hat into that ring, but he's ready to take his swing.
Look for the videos to start showing up on the site later tonight and over the weekend and we'll transcribe the coaches interviews, too...thanks for visiting the site, another season of Iowa football awaits!
There are a great number of pessimists this year as it relates to the 2011 Iowa football team...we've all bought and read the magazines, we've listened to the pundits, some of us have made our own predictions and taken lumps for it.
I picked Iowa to finish 8-4 this year...always hopeful for better, mind you. One of the games I picked as a loss was Iowa's road game at Purdue. Don Lund writes for the North Liberty Leader, and he's been covering Iowa games since before I began coming around to media day events in 1999. I like Don, but as Lester Erb was walking out to be the first coach interviewed, Don says 'Jon, didn't you pick Iowa to lose at Purdue?'
Erb stops, looks at me, and says "Thanks a lot."
It was funny, but it was a tad bit awkward. I told him "Hey, I can't pick you 12-0 every year Coach."
Ahh, Iowa football media day. Where media and coaches exchanges laughs and jokes and where coaches are polite when asked the 'How are things going so far?' questions when Iowa had their first practice earlier in the day (I heard that one three times)
Everyone is a pal on media day...and there were a lot of them...over 100 people were there covering the event. Most every small town newspaper in Iowa, or so it seemed, several blogs and websites as well as traditional print & electronic media (radio and TV).
Here are a few observations I want to toss out to the site before hopping in the car and heading back to Des Moines where I will be editing the videos I shot today...
James Morris is impressive. I don't know him beyond the media opportunities, but I happened to be on the sidelines last year when he was thrown into the mix against Penn State. I remember how 'big' his eyes were, how energetic he was out there...and how he didn't seem out of place. Was he perfect? Hardly. However, he didn't seem intimidated by it...he seemed like a natural.
Interviewing him today in a one on one setting, I was all the more impressed. He gave great answers...not just because they were thoughtful and insightful, but that he didn't just toss out the standard stuff. There was substance, and he is bright. I can't wait to see him play this year, because my guess is he will look a lot faster because he will be thinking far less than he was forced to do a year ago.
James Vandenberg seems inspiring. Now, I am not saying he made me want to take off my hat and sing God Bless America the way Ricky Stanzi was wont to do...it's just some sort of confidence he exudes...not cockiness, not anything like that. Maybe he just seems so damned comfortable in his own skin...almost to the point where it seems exceptional, as in most people are not like that. He's waited his turn, and he is ready for it. He has an easy way of speaking, too...you'll see that on the video we put up. Small town, country, whatever you want to call it, but it's the good stuff. I can see why people refer to him as a great leader in this program already. I can totally see how he makes people around him feel comfortable.
Linebackers Coach Darrell Wilson seems excited. Almost like he knows something the rest of us don't...which is of course true. But most of the Iowa coaches are very tough nuts to crack. They are real even keeled in these settings...some of them are almost robotic with their answers. I respect that, as they don't want to put bulletin board material out there. But when you watch the video I will post of my conversation with Wilson, I think you'll see a little something more from him. He said that Tyler Nielsen was playing better as a junior than AJ Edds was a junior...I remember AJ telling me that on the sidelines last year and just figured he was being nice. I felt Nielsen was having a huge year, don't get me wrong, but Edds was the best of the Ferentz era at the LEO. Nielsen told me he is 100% recovered from his neck injury and raring to go. Wilson didn't seem to think that having a smaller player at the WILL position will be a problem, because they have to show they can play physical Iowa football or they won't be on the field.
Rick Kaczenski is two people. Those of you sitting in the West stands have seen Coach Kaz go OFF on the bench...he is a fiery guy, and very, very vocal. His players love him, but man does he have some fire...but on camera at media day, he seems far more like a puppy dog low key. (I don't want to get my head ripped off). He spent a lot of time talking about Iowa having a big rotation on the DL this year...he also gave me a 60 second highly technical answer related to Iowa's scheme that you will love...that will be when I roll his video out.
Kevonte Martin-Manley is confident. Not in a DJK sort of way...there is only one DJK. But I asked him if redshirting last year was any easier after getting to Iowa, and seeing that the guys ahead of him were better and farther along, if that makes redshirting easier to accept. His said 'No, that's not it.' and gave me an answer along the lines of he was not willing to say they were better than him...You'll be able to see for yourself, and I didn't really sense cockiness in his reply...he is just real confident in his ability.
CJ Fiedorowicz likes being off the radar. He said that it's better this way, because at times last year he felt like people were nervous. Now, he doesn't speak for the entire team, and I think Iowa's problems last year stemmed more from injuries than anything else. But he is entitled to his opinion, and you'll see that on my video interview with him.
Marcus Coker is a chiseled 230-pounds. The Iowa media guide lists him as weighing that much...and he is rock solid at that weight. It's surprising he is that 'heavy' because he doesn't look like he'd weigh THAT much, but muscle is heavier than fat, right? Then again, doesn't a pound of fat weigh the same as a pound of muscle? I digress. Lester Erb told me he is running lower to the ground and less upright. He said you can watch the Missouri game and notice how he was running upright early and got lower as the game went on. Coker is a quick study to be sure.
DeAndre Johnson is happy. He is 100% healed and very excited to get going. Most players are excited to get going, but after you tear your ACL a cup of coffee into your senior season, and you arrive at college thinking you are physically ready to go and you quickly see you are nowhere near ready and everyone is lapping you, it can be a tough emotional load to carry, along with being away from home for the first time and a half country away. But Johnson has weathered that storm...he thinks he can be the lightning to Coker's thunder. Others are going to throw their hat into that ring, but he's ready to take his swing.
Look for the videos to start showing up on the site later tonight and over the weekend and we'll transcribe the coaches interviews, too...thanks for visiting the site, another season of Iowa football awaits!