(Audio for transcription courtesy of WolverineNation because I had a thesis committee meeting yesterday and my dog ate my tape recorder)

Blake Countess

P(eanut)BU(tter) Jelly Time

How have you gotten better over the last nine practices?

“Just correcting what I’m doing wrong, so just little things like bad eyes, technique, things like that. Just have to keep getting better every day.”

You weren’t here for spring practice last year. Is it what you expected?

“It’s very similar to fall camp. We have full pads. It’s pretty much what I expected.”

You had a good rookie season but struggled against Ohio State and Virginia Tech. How much did that motivate you during the offseason?

“I don’t know if it’s motivation. I just know that I have to keep getting better. It’s the expectation for playing corner here at the University of Michigan. I just have to keep getting better and keep working on my craft.”

What happened during those games? Where did the breakdowns occur?

“Just bad technique. We’ve gone over it plenty of times, and that’s what we’re trying to finish. When you talk about teams getting better or worse as the season goes on -- we had some changes go on, and we just have to get it corrected and keep getting better. We have a lot of guys returning especially in the secondary.”

How would you evaluate how the rest of the team is coming together?

“We’re coming together really well. We have some seniors that are stepping up for us. Coach Hoke always talks about seniors leading, so that’s who we look up to.”

What areas can the team improve on in the next two weeks?

“Just being physical. Coach Hoke always talks about hearing football, so I think we need to step up the intensity a little bit and keep getting better.”

How motivated are you by the cornerback tradition at Michigan and to be the next in that line of guys?

“It’s all motivation. That’s why you come to Michigan for every position. When you talk about motivation, it’s going to be there from the time you get here to the time you leave. It’s kind of a given.”

You talk about expectations for the position -- is it different for the corners?

“I don’t think so. There’s an expectation for every position. We have really great coaches, and they’re going to demand what they need.”

Do you feel that last season wore on you toward the end?

“No I don’t think it wore on me. I just made some mistakes I hadn’t made, but I have to keep getting better.”

What kind of mistakes?

“Just bad eyes, bad technique. We talked about that the last two games. My coaches got on me and corrected it.”

What do you mean by bad eyes?

“Just as far as the reads coming off the line, things like that.”

Where do your eyes need to be and where were they?

“I don’t know the exact place, I just know they weren’t where they were supposed to be when they needed to be there.”

Does that mean you need to watch more film?

“Oh yeah. Of course. That’s another expectation. As you get older, you become more comfortable with the defense, so you don’t need to focus more on the plays, but you need to focus more on watching film and the game plan.”

You were a pretty slight guy when you got here. What are you up to nowadays?

“What do you mean by that?”

You were listed at 172, 174 last year …

“I’ve gained a little weight. I have to get a little bigger. This is the Big Ten, it’s a big conference. My weight’s probably at about 180 right now.”

Where do you want to be?

“Um … I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about that.”

Was your size ever an issue last season?

“No no no no. I don’t think it was a big issue at all. It’s a big league, but as you get older you’re going to get bigger. That comes with it.”

Can you talk about some of the other corners you’re competing with?

“I just know we have a lot of guys and we’re competing and everything. As corners we’re competing every day and we’re getting better and we’re pushing each other. I wouldn’t just say one guy, but Terrence [Talbott] is going to push J.T. or Terrence is going to push Ray[mon Taylor] or they’re going to push me, I’m going to push Delonte -- we just work as a group.”

Have the coaches talked to you about avoiding the sophomore slump?

“Coach Hoke tells us all the time that the dumbest guys on the team are the freshmen and the biggest problems are sophomores that played as freshmen. Coach Hoke kind of picks on me and I have to take that to heart a little bit. I’m working on it.”

What are your expectations for yourself your sophomore year?

“I just wanted to contribute as much as I can to the team and the Big Ten Championship is always the goal.”

Was there anything about playing in the Big Ten last season that you didn’t expect?

“No I don’t think so. We have great guys on the scout team, and during practice you kind of get the feel for things. The way my coaches worked me into it, I was pretty comfortable out there.”

What have you seen from Denard from your vantage point this spring?

“Denard’s a hard worker. He’s a senior this year so he’s kind of stepping up. He’s trying to be more vocal with little things like that. We’re coming along very well.”

Where have you seen him develop as a passer this spring?

“I don’t know what you’re looking [for] -- I’m a defensive back. I mean, he’s making his reads, he’s completing balls …”

Which receiver gives you the most trouble in practice?

“Everybody. I mean, when I line up against a receiver there’s always going to be competition. I wouldn’t point out just one guy, but the receivers are working hard.”

So there isn’t one guy that gets the better of you in practice and maybe ticks you off a little?

“No I wouldn’t say that.”

You wouldn’t even say if there was, would you.

“Nope!”

Who talks the most? Roy Roundtree, probably?

“No no no. I wouldn’t say Roy talks the most. Probably [Jeremy] Gallon.”

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Jibreel Black

Sugar Bowl file

Is it different running primarily with the ones this year?

“Yeah. It’s a lot different. Being with the ones, you have a lot of responsibility. You have to fulfill the expectation of the position. It’s a major difference. And you have to develop more as a leader.”

What kind of progress have you made personally, and what kind of progress has the team made?

“Myself, I think [with] it being a new position for me, I think I’m making some big strides for the team. Coming from the outside to the inside, I’m able to use my quickness. I’m a little faster off the ball. The thing I need to work on most to help myself out a little more on the inside is probably my footwork and my hands. Placing my hands. And my development will help the team’s development.”

There’s a weight gain component to it, too, right?

“Yeah. In the winter I gained 10 pounds.”

Where are you at now?

“270.”

Where do you want to be in the fall?

“In the fall about 280.”

How are you putting on the weight?

“Just Wellman. Talking to him, sitting down with him, eating right, drinking right. Everything.”

How big of a transition is it to move from the outside to the inside?

“I wouldn’t say it’s a huge transition. The only thing is your feet and everything in the hands. Everything else is pretty much the same thing. You just have to get used to the swing of things.”

Are you comfortable with taking double teams and those sorts of things?

“I’m getting comfortable. At first I wasn’t … but I’m learning to stick in there and put in my hands a little more.”

Do you notice Fitz gaining more confidence?

“I’ve noticed a difference since I’ve been a freshman with Fitz. Fitz is the type of guy -- he’s been waiting a while to step up, and when it was his time to shine and fulfill his position, he stepped up. His confidence has to go up. Coming off a season like I did, everybody has to take it up a notch.”

The defensive line was a huge part of the team’s success last season. Is that motivation for you?

“We’re not looking in the past. We’re looking straight forward at what we have to do for Michigan and just focus on September 1^st.”

Did anyone at the tackle position take you under their wing and show you the ropes a bit?

“Yeah. Will Heininger. I talk to him a lot. He showed me what he did and what helped him out coming from playing nose to 3-technique. I’ve been talking to him a lot and he’s been showing the ways I shoot my hands.”

Does he come down to the practice field and show you these things?

“Sometimes I see him out, and sometimes I see him in here in the training room and weight room.”

Who are some of the other tackles you’ve been impressed with so far?

“Our seniors. Big Will, Craig Roh. They’re the leaders. They’re the seniors. We all follow suit with what they do. They’ve really taken their game up a notch. Especially Craig, seeing his work in the winter, and especially Big Will taking charge and being that leader.”

Obligatory Will Campbell question.

“Will, last year, the coaches used to always talk about how he used to play high and how he needed to lower his pad level. I think he’s starting to realize that. It’s his senior season. He’s the leader and he has to step it up a notch.”

There’s been a lot of change on the defensive line. How is your chemistry off the field?

“Brotherhood. We’ve been doing everything together. We work out together, we eat together, we sweat together, bleed together -- everything. Our chemistry on the field is pretty tight, especially when we communicate back and forth what we’re going to do. Off the field it’s getting there, especially with the new moves.”

What’s Will like off the field?

“He’s a funny guy. Good to be around. Lot of joking. Silly stuff.”

There’s a lot of experience on the offense. Have you noticed them being more potent than they were last fall?

“Yeah. Most definitely. I think as far as the center position goes, Ricky I think he’s doing a pretty good job stepping up trying to fulfill Molk’s position, with huge shoes to fill, when you talk about the No. 1 center in America. I think Ricky’s taking strides and he’ll be taking it to the next level. I think the offensive line as a whole, they’re really kind of putting it together as far as pass protection -- Patrick Omameh stepping up a lot. Taylor’s one in there, too.”

How have you seen the rush ends progress, like Frank Clark and Brennen Beyer?

“Frank and Beyer, they’re coming along real well. Me and Craig joke about it all the time, how our bodies weren’t meant to do all that running and stuff. When I watch film and see them running to the ball, they’re a better fit for that position. They’re coming along real well. They’re working together. Coach Mattison’s doing a great job with them, progressing them along.”

Do you feel like your current position is a good fit for you?

“Yeah. I think it’s a perfect fit. Any way I can help the team out and better the team is perfect for me.”

What was your first thought when the coaches asked you if you wanted to move inside?

“I was kind of taken back at first, but I kind of knew it was happening because I played inside during the Sugar Bowl and towards the end of the season, so I was prepared. It was like, ‘All right, come on, let’s go with it.’ ”

Was there any apprehension at all?

“I was nervous about gaining the weight and how my body would respond, but other than that, it really wasn’t 'I can’t do it' or anything.”

How did they ask you to make move?

“Coach [Mattison] called me in. He just said, ‘You’re going to play 3-technqiue for us.’ And I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ ”

When did that happen?

“It happened a week after the Sugar Bowl. Week or two. Two weeks.”