Spring Practice Presser Transcript 3-27-12: Craig Roh and Will Campbell Comment Count

Heiko

Craig Roh

vs. SDSU

Have you ever ridden on the tandem bike with Taylor Lewan?

“Yes. It was a magical experience.”

Does he prefer to be in front or in back?

“He usually takes the front. It’s his bike, so he takes the front. Taylor’s back is the most amazing thing to look at. I’ve only done it once. I mean, it was magical but I don’t know how many more times I want to ride it.”

Did he have one in high school as well?

“He just bought the tandem bike actually. I think it’s a good purchase on his part. It goes with his persona -- the mustache tattoo, the tandem bike, just all fits in with it.”

Was it your idea to move to the strong side?

“They initiated it, but Greg Mattison was very avid on explaining that that’s really the best fit for me. I truly believed it, too. I’m more of a guy that’s a point of the attack, explosive guy. I just need to put the weight on. From what I’ve done so far in spring, I really like the position because the ball’s coming to you a lot more and it seems like you have the opportunity to make more plays. Plus you don’t have to run as much to get to the ball, which is nice.”

(more after the jump)

You look a little bigger. How much weight have you put on and what’s your ideal playing weight?

“I’ve put on about 10 pounds, so I’m about 270, get as high as 273. I need to get to 280, and a pretty solid 280. When you’re gaining weight, it’s not always all pretty. It’s mostly muscle, and my diet’s pretty good. But I just need to get to that 280 pounds so I can be strong in there.”

This is the third position you’ve played. Is there any trepidation in moving again?

“No. I mean, these coaches are just so good that any move that they’re going to do, they’re going to make sure that you’re prepared for the position.”

Is there a drastic difference between the strong side and weakside defensive end?

“There isn’t a drastic [difference], but there are little things that change. You get a lot more double teams and everything comes a lot more quickly at you. But like I said before, you’re at the point of attack, which is exciting. If you can defeat those double teams it does a real great thing for your team.”

How important is it for the team when a guy like you is willing to change position?

“Seniors are always expected to lead, and if you’re showing opposition to the coaches, everyone’s going to show opposition to the coaches. I really truly believe that all the coaches have our best interest in mind. Moving Jibreel to 3-tech and moving me to strong, and Brennen to rush, I think those are all great moves for all of those guys.”

Taylor Lewan said he’s trying to get more serious. Is this the most serious you’ve seen him on the field so far?

“Yeah. I mean, Taylor has grown by leaps and bounds. I can say this knowing him in high school and everything, I think he’s getting more serious in all areas of his life. I think he’s really growing as a person.”

Why do you say that? Any examples?

“He’s just more responsible now, making the right decisions off the field. One example that I can think of is all the upperclassmen have to declare majors. Taylor was the first one to do it. The Taylor in high school would have been the last one and would have had to get up at 6 a.m. and run because he hadn’t done it yet. The new Taylor is more responsible.”

Is he still funny?

“Yeah. The core of Taylor is still there.”

So he saves it for off the field and for tandem bikes.

“Yeah.”

Do you think that’s good for him?

“Yeah. Are you talking about the responsibility?”

As far as the change of attitude and all that.

“Yeah, because Taylor’s playing style was a lot like his personality before, where he was really inconsistent, you could say. He was very aggressive, very outgoing, but in high school he would get penalties that would get touchdowns called back, and we can’t that in a game. Now he’s being more consistent and still having that aggressive core.”

What do you see out of Frank Clark and Brennen Beyer?

“Both those guys are athletes, quick guys. Brennen Beyer is a little more stocky. He’s a run stuffer, and he’s a real strong guy. Frank is just a freak athlete. I think both those guys are doing a great job learning, but they need to keep growing more and more.”

How much do you work with them?

“It’s not as much as I would like to. I feel like I could put in a lot more, but it’s like a little thing here and there because I’ve played the position before, but they got coach Mattison. He’s a better teacher than I will be.”

How have you and Will Campbell been stepping up as leaders?

“I think it’s kind of funny because when you become a senior all of a sudden you’re expected to step up in that role. Winter conditioning was a great place to do that. You be more vocal and you have guys follow you. Really it’s not just being the loudest guy, it’s serving your teammates. I think that’s the true definition of leadership. You understand how each of your teammates ticks and you know how to motivate them.”

Hoke said that Will was often a “loser” in practice but did a good job running the whatever the punishment was. What was up with that?

“He would lead the D tackles and the inside guys. He was always the first one. The thing is if you’re the last guy, and then you’re like, ‘Come on guys we need to go,’ no one’s going to listen to you because you’re not setting the example, and I think you set the example a lot through your actions.”

Have you drawn any of your leadership style from Ryan Van Bergen?

“Ryan was such a great leader because he’d understand the heartbeat of the defense. I’m trying more and more to understand each guy individually and us as a whole and just kind of get the pulse of who we are and what we can be.”

Do you miss having some of the vocal leaders like Van Bergen and Mike Martin?

“Yeah, I wouldn’t say miss, but it’s kind of strange not having them there sometimes. I’ve been with those guys since my freshman year and all of a sudden they’re gone and then you’re expected to lead. I think that’s something that’s strange at times, but I really feel excited to see what kind of leader I can be.”

Has Will ever complained about fan expectations or has he ever been frustrated with the criticism?

“Well the thing about Will that I’ve seen is a complete -- his attitude is just so great all the time. He’s always ready to work, always ready to come in, always ready to motivate guys. This seasons is one that he can really come out and be a guy for us. I see the way he works every day. Just seeing kind of the player he wants to be gets me excited about what people have always expected of him. I think he’s a guy that can do that this year.”

Has his attitude always been this way?

“No.”

When did it change?

“I would say probably sophomore year, or when Hoke’s staff came in. They really just tore him down a little bit, just like they tore me down. He’s a guy that just comes in, and he’s just real positive and everything. Ready to work. He’s a smart guy, too. I don’t know. I think he can be a really great guy for us.”

What was with his first two years? Was it entitlement? Loafing?

“I’m not sure what it was, but he just wasn’t getting the job done.”

How did Will take to the expectations of the new staff?

“I think he takes it like all of us do. We just keep getting rammed and we’re in a pressure cooker all the time. And then you break, and then you grow.”

Do you remember when he broke?

“I don’t know any specific event. You’ll probably have to ask him.”

What was it like when you broke?

“When I broke … yeah it was pretty bad.”

How has Schofield looked at right tackle? You face him a lot in practice.

“I mean, Schofield’s a solid guy. He’s a real solid guy. I like the way he plays. He’s athletic. If you ever see him on the basketball courts, he’s a good basketball player. He’s a real athletic guy, gets the job done. I like him as a player.”

-----

Will Campbell

vs. Nebraska

Have you been playing with a chip on your shoulder this spring?

“No. I’m just trying to step up and play to the expectations of the position, what coach Hoke tells us every day. Just trying to play to where I need to be.”

What is the expectation for your position?

“If you go into the D-line room, you’ll see a lot of All-Americans. There’s been a lot of people at my position, at nose guard -- Rob Renes, we talk to him. The expectation is going as hard as you can every snap.”

What did Rob tell you about the position?

“He basically told me that it’s just every snap, it’s an every down thing. He was coached by coach Hoke, so the same things coach Hoke’s telling us today, he was being told, like ‘Go hard every play.’ You’re not playing for yourself, you’re playing for your teammates, and Michigan, the block M.”

Your height has made things like pad level hard for you, right?

“It probably wasn’t me being tall, it was me being lazy and not wanting to get down. I mean, there’s other people that are my height that are doing the same thing.”

What changed for you? Are you no longer lazy?

“At times, but just probably -- losing a lot of weight. Working hard in the weight room.”

How much weight have you actually lost?

“Since when?”

Since you got here.

“I came at like 356. I’m at 315 right now.”

Have you lost any weight since last season?

“Probably like 10, 15 more pounds.”

Was there a mindset that you needed to adopt as well?

“Yeah. I mean, it was a big switch. I had to hit the switch at a certain time, and I saw my time become short here, so I decided it was time to go last season.”

Was that something that came to you internally or was it something impressed upon you?

“It was probably a little of both because of the people I was speaking with, my leaders from last year -- the three d-linemen were great leaders. They pushed it on me a lot. I had a big part of it, too.”

Craig Roh talked about how hard the coaches were on him. Were they hard on you as well?

“Yes. It was everybody, because the coaching staff we have now is not just one d-line coach. It’s three. All of them are experts at the position. If you mess up once, you get yelled at by three people. It was kind of ‘don’t mess up at all.’ ”

That was hard for Craig to deal with. Was it hard for you?

“I mean, when you get yelled at you don’t think about it as much, but when they stop yelling, that’s when you start to get worried. I’d rather get yelled at than be looked past.”

Did they ever stop yelling at you?

“No. It’s every day. It’s kind of hard to get three coaches to stop yelling at you.”

Are you aware of the fan expectations?

“I don’t really read and look up all that type of stuff. I just try to come out here and get better every day.”

Were you aware of it when you were younger?

“No. Not really, because when I was younger I didn’t really read or do anything besides school and just come to practice.”

You know the expectations that were set for you, right?

“Yeah. Of course. Everybody has expectations for themselves, and I don’t think I met my own expectations.”

Was it hard for you?

“Of course it’d be hard, but I’m just trying to come out here every day and work hard and try to get to all those expectations.”

What was your breaking point with this coaching staff?

“The first day they got here, I was an O-lineman, and I decided to come back.”

Did you make that decision or did they?

“I went up to them and asked them if I could come back.”

Did you want to make the move to offense in the first place?

“With the last coaching staff? Yes, I asked to go to offense because I didn’t fit their defensive standard I guess or whatever, so I asked to move.”

What wasn’t clicking?

“It was probably me being so heavy and so much movement going on that I just decided to go to offense.”

Did you like going to offense?

“Tell you the truth, I just liked wearing the winged helmet. I just liked being a Michigan Wolverine. It didn’t matter where I was at.”

How have you stepped up this spring?

“I’ve learned a lot since last year, like with Will Heininger. He was a quiet leader, but he was always in the meeting room first, and when he had to gain weight, you saw him always dedicated to doing that. I just learned by example.”

How has Jibreel Black looked, and what does he bring to do the defense?

“Jibreel, he’s quick. He gets off the ball faster than anybody else on the d-line. Once he gets his weight up, he’ll be a great add to the d-line.”

Who has been your mentor in getting to where you’re at now?

“Last year, No. 39, Will Heininger was one of the bigger ones. Mike Martin, of course. Brandon Graham my freshman year.”

You’re replacing Mike Martin, yet you’re a very different player than he is. Is the coaching staff planning on using you any differently than they used Mike Martin?

“No. It’s not that Mike Martin was used differently. They used him to his best abilities for what he could do to help Michigan out. I’m sure they’ll do the same with me to what I do better than he did and what he did better than I do.”

What do you do better?

“I would rather not say because I don’t want to start anything. Like you said, we’re two different players. He was great off the ball, strength, everything with speed. We just need to be better technicians, both of us.”

Brandon Graham went through a lot of the same stuff you’re going through. Have you ever talked about that with him?

“Yeah. Brandon Graham was super positive for me. He told me about his transition going from inside d-line to outside d-line, losing all the weight, and he became a better player. So I just listened to him and tried to mold myself to be like that.”

Did you ever look at his transition and say to yourself, “I want to be able to do that”?

“My freshman year was his last year so I didn’t see him go through that, but when we watched film I saw what he used to be and what he could do.”

How did you lose all your weight?

“Mostly in the weight room and a lot of basketball.”

Taylor (Ed-H: actually it was Craig Roh) mentioned that Mike Schofield’s a pretty good basketball player. Have you ever played against him?

“I’ve never seen Mike Schofield play basketball. I believe he told me he can’t play basketball actually, and Taylor pretty bad himself.”

So you’re pretty good?

“I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I’m all right.”

You play with Tim Hardaway, Jr. sometimes, right?

“Yeah, sometimes.”

What’s that like?

“I mean, it’s Tim Hardaway.”

Can you hold your own?

“Oh of course, of course.”

Craig said Mattison broke him down and finally he had an epiphany. Did you experience that?

“Yes. During camp, I was on the slump going down. And then towards the end of the season I had talked to coach Montgomery, talked to coach Hoke, talked to coach Mattison, and they just did the same thing, rebuilt me, and then I went on my rise and I’m trying to continue on my rise.”

When exactly was that?

“I won’t say an exact date, but probably towards the Notre Dame game.”

You were thrust in a tough spot in the Sugar Bowl when the defensive line suffered so many injuries. How do you think you did?

“Uh … We won.”

Fair enough.

Comments

stbowie

March 28th, 2012 at 4:25 PM ^

Is the best response. Also, the defense kept us in that game, no question.

BUT, I think the biggest takeaway here is that I don't know how we did in the Sugar Bowl either - I've never seen a UFR on it!

MichFan1997

March 28th, 2012 at 5:33 PM ^

that this is how Hoke yells at Will:

Dagoneit, Will. You keep on doing the things I told you not to do. I wish you would re-consider the way you are playing this practice on this gorgeous day. If not, I'll politely ask you to move off the field so some other strapping young lad can have a chance to be tremendous. So again, get your pad level just a bit lower and we'll be good to go, I think. Sincerely, your coach and friend, Brady!

BursleysFinest

March 28th, 2012 at 4:34 PM ^

  Good to hear the growth in both of them (literally and figuratively).  I'm not as down/worried about the Dline mostly because, the talent is there, along with the coaching and the willigness to work...

As Will sort of touched on, it'll be a different DLine, I wouldn't be surprised if we see a lot more stunts and blitzes and use the confusion combined with the speed of Jibreel/Roh/Beyer/Clark to get into the backfield 

uncleFred

March 28th, 2012 at 5:04 PM ^

in private let alone in public. 

“It probably wasn’t me being tall, it was me being lazy and not wanting to get down. I mean, there’s other people that are my height that are doing the same thing.”

No excuses, just committment. I can't wait to watch him play this season, I have a hunch that the D line is going to dominate.  

Go Will, Go Blue!

jblaze

March 28th, 2012 at 5:24 PM ^

are very elloquent and are speaking the same language (the team...).

Also, all of the ESPN responses are very well thought out (even the ugly M women diss). I'm proud!

denardogasm

March 28th, 2012 at 6:36 PM ^

I was waiting for Will to flip out and tell the reporters to stop asking the same goddamn questions over and over again.  Nice composure.

Craig said the coaches were really hard on him. Were they hard on you? 

Are you aware of the expecations and the criticisms from the fans?

When was your breaking point?

Was it hard for you?

Craig said the coaches broke him down.  Did they break you down?  When was the breaking point?

Are you afraid you'll never measure up to Mike Martin?

Do you ever leave practice and cry into your pillow until you fall asleep?

I can honestly say I hope Will Campbell doesn't do a single interview for the rest of the year, regardless of how he plays.

 

Waveman

March 28th, 2012 at 6:55 PM ^

It's gotten completely cringe-inducing for me to read question after question about Will being asked of every other player on the team. 1 or 2? OK, I'm on board.  By the 7th or 8th, it's just so disrespectful to the player you're interviewing. I get pissed about it just reading, and I don't dedicate all of my time to becoming a top-level football talent just to be asked about a teammate for the 15 bazillionth time.

Mr. Yost

March 29th, 2012 at 10:35 AM ^

The media hard on for Campbell has gotten out of control.

What makes me so upset is that this is SPRING PRACTICE. This is when they should be asking us questions to give us insight as to what is going on. Who's improving? Who's replacing? How are we changing? How are the young guys doing?

Spring and Fall camp pressers should all be about that stuff. Sure, joke about a tandem bike for a quick second. But I remember LEARNING from press transcripts. Now I feel like there needs to be some moderator because it's just a bunch of kids asking the same questions over and over or obsessing over "off the record"/non-practice related topics.

dragonchild

March 29th, 2012 at 1:54 PM ^

The sense I got was, he's got bigger things to worry about.

I know sports media can get shamelessly vicious, but if you can't handle the pressure of a damn interview you're probably not made of the stuff that can handle a Big Televwelve O-line.  Sure, the media should be more respectful, but if you're worried about Will in a situation like this it's gonna be a long season.

bluebyyou

March 28th, 2012 at 7:30 PM ^

I am incredibly happy BWC finally is taking advantage of his talent and assuming a leadership role, and saddened that he didn't have this set of coaches a few years earlier.  Hoke and his staff seem to have done an amazing job in a short time of instilling the importance of being leaders to the seniors. 

 

JohnCorbin

March 28th, 2012 at 8:08 PM ^

Did you like going to offense?

“Tell you the truth, I just liked wearing the winged helmet. I just liked being a Michigan Wolverine. It didn’t matter where I was at.”

DefenseWins

March 28th, 2012 at 8:46 PM ^

This is getting absurd. I think there were just as many questions about BWC in the Roh interview as the one...you know, the one actually involving BWC. This has turned into a ridiculous offseason obsession. I know how important BWC is going to be for the dline, but enough is enough. Soon the cheerleaders are going to be questioned about BWC.

Maximinus Thrax

March 28th, 2012 at 10:19 PM ^

My thoughts exactly.  BWC is having way too much pressure heaped on his shoulders.  It's like they are interviewing Atlas Jr. or something.  "Some of the other gods have questioned your commitment to immortality and really stepping up in Earth support.  What's changed since they were saying things like that?"

The FannMan

March 28th, 2012 at 9:11 PM ^

I don't know that I have ever read a BWC interview before.  However, it struck me that the man answering those questions has changed a lot from the 18 year kid who decommitted, did the fake grab of the LSU hat and then danced around.  Not that there is anything necessarily wrong about how he handled his recruitment.  It's just that he seems to have grown and become a lot more focused on the Team, and a lot less worried about drawing attention to himself.  I really hope that he gets rewaded with an awesome season.  

acnumber1

March 28th, 2012 at 10:33 PM ^

Love the presser transcripts.

 

Love that we have a 'read more/after the jump' so they don't take up too much space on the front page.

 

But...have a minor request.  I know on some sites, when you click 'after the jump', it takes you to the precise point you left off reading.  MGoBlog as currently set up takes you back to the beginning of the article.  I have no idea how the whole thing works, but would love for the 'after the jump/read more' click to take us to the point we left.

 

Humble request, not going to stop reading if it isn't met.  

Ziff72

March 29th, 2012 at 10:13 AM ^

I appreciate the honesty from WC.   It's infuriating but the truth is refreshing. 

I always enjoy the writer spin taken from the coached up player speak.

Last year-The new coaches don't yell as much as the old coaches, they spend more time teaching.

This year- I get yelled at everyday by 3 coaches.   

The yelling was enough to break 2 lineman?   So....all coaches yell.  check.    Football is really hard so all coaches are demanding.   check.

It's funny if you read some of the Arizona stuff the players are all talking about how much more intense practice is now.   It's the default of every team after every coaching change.

 

 

 

 

Mr. Yost

March 29th, 2012 at 10:22 AM ^

Can we get back to actually getting information about the team?

I love the tandem bike as much as anyone else...but read Craig Roh's transcript. He spent more time talking about Lewan's bike, their leadership, and Will Campbell than ANYTHING relating to practice.

There was a little bit on the position move, a little bit on Beyer and Clark, and a final question on Schofield.

I feel like the press isn't doing it's JOB. They're too busy making friends and trying to chat it up with "off the record" type conversations. Save that stuff for after the presser when you can get one-on-one time. Meanwhile, how is spring practice going? How is it like year 2? What are some of Roh's personal goals? What advice does he have for Beyer and Clark? How are the interior guys doing? What about Heitzman and Rock?

I've been EXTREMELY disappointed in the questions asked this spring. Everyone wants to joke and "chat it up" and rarely do we get INFORMATION or NEWS.