Big Ten Media Days: Ron Zook Football Interview Football Notes

Note: fast and dirty transcription follows; quotes not guaranteed to be 100% as printed in the newspaper, but should be the spirit of the thing.

Ron Zook wants to play football. He's very proud of his football team, but as a football coach, it's over. He talked to his football team out in California and they still have a lot of progress to make. Football. (He really did say all of these "footballs" except the last.)

They open it up for questions... and... no one has any. There's a hilarious, awkward pause before someone from the Chicago Tribune finally asks about running backs. Daniel Dufrene is the projected starter, but there will be a committee. Also: you have to, like, tell people who you are before you ask the question. Uh-oh.

Indy Star guy asks about spread stuff, Zook says he wanted something he hated to defend and weirdly says he's excited about the 40 second rule because he thinks it will provide opportunities to hurry the game. This is wrong, right? The ref's going to spot the ball and blow the whistle like he always does. If so, why have I heard that from multiple coaches?

Zook does have Juice Williams' freshman year completion rate burned into his head: 39%. I would also have that burned into my head if I had suffered through that. Eddie McGee gets a mention.

Some guy says "hey, coach" and brings up BCS bowl perception. Boring. Now someone wants to know about Joe Tiller's impact on the Big Ten. He's a great football coach. Purdue's in the upper echelon of the Big Ten consistently (record in last 4 years: 16-16). More perception of Illinois as a "one and done" school. I don't like asking people about other people's perceptions.

More "hey coach," this a question about Missouri. Guy from the student paper asks who's progressed the most from the spring -- good question -- but Zook avoids any names. Another student paper question, this one not so good, but it's cute the way his voice wavers. As if I won't have the same thing going on if/when I ask Rich Rodriguez what his favorite flower is.

Last question from a Blade guy asks about if there's one thing you need to do to defend the spread. Zook's answering most of the questions on a surface level... and... yes! He ends it by saying he wants to put his Football Players in the best position to win.

GENERAL IMPRESSION LEFT: Football!

LEVEL OF IRRITATION WITH MEDIA QUESTIONS: Mild, but it's early.