THE MODERATOR: We're joined by
Head Coach Brady Hoke.
COACH HOKE: Number one, thanks to
everybody here for coming and traveling and
supporting the Big Ten Conference.
I can't tell you how excited we are as a
team to be representing such a great league and
to represent the University of Michigan is
something that's very special to all of us.
We're excited about the upcoming year.
We're excited because of the hard work that our
kids have put through since the end of the Sugar
Bowl and the things that they've done as a team.
I think the leadership is really what's
important for us. Last year we had a group of
seniors that came together and did a tremendous
job of leading the football team. And I think at the
same time those guys who were juniors or those
guys who played a lot of football understand now
it's the expectations are in their hands.
And we're excited about that. We had a
disappointing year a year ago when you do not win
the Big Ten championship. And at Michigan we've
not won that championship since 2004.
So we have direct goals ahead of us and
what we want to do and we're excited about that.
Our schedule is one that is a great opportunity and
a great challenge for us. We played 10 out of 12
teams that are Bowl teams. We play five of those
teams on the road.
And so for us it's going to be a great
challenge and a great opportunity. Our focus and
how we approach each day and how we as a team
have the work ethic and the commitment and the
accountability and respect and the trust for each
other, that's what will make us successful.
But we're glad to be here. Glad to see
you, kind of. But we're glad you're here. So
thanks.
THE MODERATOR: Questions?
Q. At least according to the media
you're the favorite in the league after one year.
You're perceived to be back. What do you
think of that?
COACH HOKE: Not much, to be honest
with you. I think we were picked fifth in our division
a year ago.
I think the 1997 team, I think pre-season
was picked right inside the top 25 by a lot of
people. And that ended up being a pretty good
football team. We don't put too much stock in that.
It's like anything in life, it's not where we start but
where we finish.
Q. Leadership, who has stepped up so
far at this point and who would you like to see
step up a little bit more?
COACH HOKE: As a staff we don't have
an opportunity to be with those guys all summer,
because of the NCAA rules, and those kind of
things. But I think you can see the three guys we
brought are just a part of that with Denard and his
development, and I think Jordan Kovacs is an
amazing story, number one, but how his leadership
has grown. And then Taylor Lewan, who is going
to be a junior for us. But I think he's really taken a
lot of responsibility.
Q. With two teams in the Leader's
Division, possibility of Penn State taking a step
back long term, is there a competitive balance
issue, do you think, in the league? Is there a
fairness issue consequently that needs to be
rectified?
COACH HOKE: I think the only thing I can
tell you is this is such an unbelievable
circumstance. And I'm sure Commissioner Delany
and everyone else, you wouldn't see this coming.
But at the same time, life's not fair. And whether
it's fair or not, it doesn't matter. We have a schedule to play. Our focus is on the University of Michigan, and that's what we're going to keep
focused on.
Q. How have you and your staff reacted
to the sudden availability of Penn State
players?
COACH HOKE: To be honest with you,
we kind of made a decision -- I'd be lying if I didn't
say we didn't look at the roster to some degree --
but we've kind of made a decision that we're going
to stay and recruit the guys and keep our business
our business.
Q. Can you talk a little bit more about
Jordan and what you expect of him in leading
the defense coming up this season?
COACH HOKE: Well, you know, he's a
guy who had to walk on twice to play at Michigan.
And I think because of his love for his teammates,
his love for the game of football, his intensity, how
he approaches every day from a work ethic
standpoint to being a great teammate, and that's
what we talk about every day.
And he's truly one of those guys, terrific
teammate, his development as a player, we're very
fortunate, he's a very instinctive guy, a very smart
football player, and I think his teammates see that.
Q. Have you made a determination as
to whether Fitz Toussaint is going to play
against Alabama or not?
COACH HOKE: No, both of those young
men, they're -- obviously there's a standard of
performance we expect at Michigan from an
academic standpoint to a community standpoint
and to an athletic, competition standpoint. And we
have -- they're right now indefinitely suspended.
They're going to pay the price for poor
judgments which a lot of 18 to 23-year-old kids
make and then we'll make a decision down the
road.
Q. What do you expect to see out of
Denard Robinson this year?
COACH HOKE: I think when you look at it,
and going through spring and just his overall
concepts-wise when you look at the offense, I think
that's much better. And from the point of our
terminology and what we call things, and I think it's
had an opportunity for Al Borges to maybe grow a
little bit more within the offense. And I think from
that point of it, and probably more specifically is
how he has really become a guy you can count on when it comes to leadership and how his work ethic is and those things that he's done.
Q. You've spoken about this before but
you decided to take your team or a good chunk
of your team out to the West Coast to go
through sort of a Navy Seals training session.
What precipitated that decision? What did you
see them get out of it?
COACH HOKE: Well, everybody wants to
focus on that one four-day period or three-day
period. That started in January. We do leadership
seminars with our seniors, juniors, sophomores
and freshmen. The seniors are a little more
encompassing to some degree. And we did it at
Ball State.
Our strength coach, Aaron Wellman, came
to this after two years at Ball State and trying to
grow our leadership and it's just part of that
seminar or whatever you want to call it.
And with our guys it was something that
they learned a lot about themselves, number one,
individually, which is important. And, secondly,
they learned about themselves as a senior class.
And when you talk about the team and the
commitment to each other and the accountability,
when they did the different things that the Seals
put them through.
Q. We heard Urban Meyer say maybe
the Big Ten lacks a little speed and athleticism
in comparison to SEC. I was curious, with
Alabama on your schedule, what strengths do
you think your team and maybe even the
conference has on those top SEC teams?
COACH HOKE: I think it's a hard
question, really, to even answer. Because I think
everybody's different. I think when people make
the mistake of lumping the conference in not
having speed or whatever it might be. When we're
playing the reigning national champion, they're a
terrific football team and they've done terrific
things. We're excited about the opportunity to go
into a great venue, different venue, obviously, and
go line up and see what happens.
Q. You mentioned Alabama. Talk a
little bit more about your non-conference
schedule?
COACH HOKE: I think obviously
September 1st is a day that most people in this
room understand that great game that we'll play down there and it's a real privilege to have Troy Calhoun and the Air Force Academy come into
Ann Arbor because of the significance of those
kids who are out there for Air Force and their duty
to country.
I think UMASS is a moving up program
and a new head coach and obviously the great
national rivalry we have with Notre Dame playing
them down in South Bend at night. So we're
excited about the non-conference schedule.
Q. You were the beneficiary of the Bowl
system last year; you didn't have to win the
division to still go to a BCS Bowl. How would
you feel if you were on the tail end of that at
some point in time?
COACH HOKE: Probably not that good.
But it was out of our control. We don't control that
part of it. So I wouldn't feel very good about it.
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