Big Ten Media Days: Pat Fitzgerald

The Fanhouse is at Big Ten Media Days providing a slanted and enchanted view of the proceedings. Here's the main post.

Pat Fitzgerald. Nice purple tie. Dissatisfied with the outcomes of last season despite the steps forward; new "leadership council". Changing both coordinators, new guy from BGSU on O and oldster Mike Hankewitz on D. Again, an awkward pause before the first question. This guy starts off with "coach" but omits who he is.

Good Q about how the offense will change: 8 Big Ten offenses out of the spread, each a little different. Executing, tempo... ANOTHER playclock mention. I don't get it, man.

Another spread question: why so popular? So much flexibility in the system. High school players put their best football(!) player at quarterback. Puts the defense on their heels. The ability to go four vertical and run a triple option out of the same formation is hard on a defense. (This was perhaps the most astute thing said in the first half of the day.)

"Of the newcomers, who is the most likely to make the quickest impact." Redshirt freshmen linemen, one at LT (eek). Charles Brown at WR. Vincent Brown at DE and Ben Johnson at LB. Michael Bolden (a Michigan legacy, btw) and David Arnold (ditto) are in line for serious playing time.

Terrel Sutton... what kind of confidence does he bring to the team? Just insert a Fire Joe Morgan post here.

There's a photographer in the back with a West Virginia hat. Am I going to have to throw myself in front of a bullet in a couple hours? While considering my imminent mortality I missed a question from the NW student paper.

"Finish is a way of life. We do it in everything we do: practice, class, games... maybe we over-emphasize it." Uh...

He does say that he believes the "finishing" thing is an anomaly. I love the word anomaly, as it is almost always right when brought up. "It's amazing the way this game of football challenges you."

Some guy calls Fitzgerald "Fitz." Fitz shows excellent composure, referencing "Northwestern football" in a question about the double whammy of losing to Duke and losing Sutton; then proposes that in 1993 when he arrived at Northwestern a 6-6 record would "shut down Chicago" for a "purple party." Purdue guy asks about Tiller again... we've got two "footballs" in the response, and a reference to Fitzgerald tackling Mike Alstott.

The guy from the Columbus Dispatch sounds downright southern, FWIW. He's from the "Dis-paaatch." He asks about the national perception of the Big Ten bler bler bler. Fitzgerald goes off on a tangent about "Traditional powers" on the nonconference schedule and the Big Ten's success against them, which is pretty objectively not true.

GENERAL IMPRESSION: Not quite as football-laden but not far off; Fitzgerald actually had some interesting responses to questions that weren't "how do you feel about Ohio State losing the last two national championship games?"

GENERAL IRRITATION WITH MEDIA QUESTIONING: Urge to kill: rising.