Big Ten coaches discuss upcoming football season
By Rob Riva
Daily Collegian
(U-WIRE) CHICAGO -- Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno, as usual, did not shed much light on his expectations for the upcoming Nittany Lion football season Wednesday at the first day of the annual Big Ten Football Kickoff press conference.
The yearly press conference provides a platform for the conference's coaches to give a general preview of their team for the upcoming season.
In typical fashion, Paterno declined to make an opening statement, and began his day answering the media's questions. He said he felt that until a game is played during the regular season, the conference championship is any team's to win this year.
"I'm not one of those guys who spends a lot of time on what could be or might be," Paterno said. "I think everybody in the conference will be tough. The thing that has impressed me the most about it has been the quality of coaching and quality of competition. I think it's a very competitive league."
The coaches talked about a wide range of topics including their respective team's strengths and weaknesses, conference expansion and a conference playoff system. Also announced were the Pre-Season Offensive and Pre-Season Defensive Player of the Year, this season going to Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett and Michigan cornerback Marlin Jackson, as voted by the media. Also, the projected top three conference finishers included the Ohio State Buckeyes first, followed by the Michigan Wolverines and Wisconsin Badgers third.
When asked about how good Paterno thought the Nittany Lions would be this year, he said the team still needs some work.
"I think we've worked hard, I think the kids are trying to get good and I think there's a possibility that we can be adequate," he said. "Beyond adequate may be stretching it."
One area that Paterno was pleased with was the quarterback position. Junior Zack Mills has the nod as starter, with backup Michael Robinson also pushing for playing time.
"If there's anything I feel strong about, it's our quarterback situation," Paterno said.
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany took the stage last to close off the day, and talked about the success of the conference. He mentioned the five Big Ten teams that went to bowl games, as well as the growing fan base as evidence of the Big Ten's ranking among the nation's elite football conferences.
"It's been a very interesting off-season," he said. "I think the quality of play and depth of competitiveness is there, both being able to compete at the national level and have a shared competitiveness in the conference."
Delany also put things into perspective.
"It has been an interesting year or so," he said. "There are a lot of external forces that affect intercollegiate athletics. We are at war. We are in a recession. We're involved with expansion, and there's an awful lot going on in the sports pages that's not related to sports but related to people behaving badly."
When asked if the recent expansion of the ACC to include Miami and Virginia Tech generated any discussions among Big Ten officials to ask Notre Dame to join the conference, Delany merely replied, "No."
Delany was not the only one who talked about maintaining perspective when dealing with college football. Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr read an excerpt of a letter from a soldier station in Iraq named Nick Verska. In it, he talked about sacrifice and making the right decisions for others.
"I read this [letter] as a reminder of how lucky we are to be in this great city and to be able to talk about a game," Carr said. "It is a reminder of the importance of the leadership and the decisions that we need to make in intercollegiate athletics for those who play the game."
All but one head coach were in attendance, with the exception being Minnesota football coach Glen Mason who was not present because he underwent corrective surgery on his Achilles' tendon Wednesday afternoon. Minnesota offensive coordinator Mitch Browning stepped in to discuss the Golden Gophers.
© 2002 Daily Collegian via U-WIRE
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