News bullets and other important items:

• Kovacs did everything during practice yesterday, should be good to go. [Ed: From what I've heard from various sources, Kovacs can play and wants to play, but the final word has to come from the trainers.]
• Hoke is also hopeful that Lewan will be able play on Saturday.
• Barnum is in the worst shape of the three.

Brady Hoke

from file

Opening remarks: “I thought we had a good practice yesterday, which is always positive. We’re playing a football team’s that a good football team. Plays well at home. I think they’re 59-12 or something over the last 10 years. We’ve got to do a good job with the environment and the communication on both sides of the ball. Play with great composure and play with poise and then play physical football.”

What do you remember about the venue that makes it so tough? “It’s just tight. The bench is tight. Probably similar to East Lansing but this even seems tighter. [The fans] are on top of you, which is good, and they’re fanatical about their team.”

Now that Carvin Johnson has left, are there other guys that will need to fill into that position? “Not really. We’ve had a number of guys -- when we started that’s probably one of the deepest slots we were at to be honest with you. I think with the progress that Blake’s made, I think that’s helped when we’re able to put Troy over there.”

(Denard says that Jeremy Gallon can dunk, too.)

Is Marvin Robinson in a position to play? “He’s got to be healthy to play.”

This is the second departure in two weeks. Is this a concern at all? “No.” Do you just chalk it up to regular attrition? “Happens in football.”

Will Kovacs play Saturday? “I hope so.” That’s not very definitive. “Well I hope he does.” Is there a percentage? “I don’t deal in percentages.” Did he practice yesterday? “Yeah.” Fully? “Yeah. He did a lot.”

Barnum and Lewan? “Barnum’s probably a guy who’s the furthest away. Taylor, I would hope he will play too.”

Is Ricky more week to week than day to day? “Yeah I hate to say that because he’s got such a great work ethic and everything that he does to get ready -- I would still say he’s day to day. There’s some guys who have mentality and toughness that can push through more and I see that more on him than I have on other guys in the past.”

What have you seen from Coker? “He’s physical. Number one he’s got very good definitive vision, and when he plants his foot and wants to get north and south, he gets north and south. I think he’s a physical runner. He’s 225, 230 pounds. He’s a bigger back. They do a nice job in what they do in blocking up front and zoning guys off, which helps. I think the progress that you see from the quarterback -- I think he is really playing well and getting them into the right plays and his accuracy that he has, so when you have that combination of being a good running football team and the play actions that come off the run because you’re successful, it puts you in some tough spots. You have to be disciplined in the back end in making sure you’re keying all the way through what you’re supposed to key to the end of the play.”

You said you like playing an early kickoff. Why is that? “I think it’s just like when you played pee-wee football or Pop Warner. You got up in the morning and run by the donut shop and get a donut and rode your bike to the game and your helmet was on and you went and played. I think it’s great. I think it’s the way football should be.”

(And then there’s some banter about donuts and whether Hoke eats before games and stuff. The team is provided glazed donuts before games. Hoke doesn't eat them. Sweet.)

You said there’s competition at punter? “What’d you think yesterday? How’d you think they both punted?” I brought my binoculars. I studied them. “You didn’t even watch.” They looked fine. “No, there is competition there, and I thought they both punted well, and moreso -- I’m not going to say anything’s ever easy, but when it’s just the snapper and the punter and then you put the whole thing together, I was pleased how they both hit the ball when we went live and had live rushes.”

Gibbons has been pretty consistent. Have you ever had a “forget the past” conversation with him? “Yeah. When we first got here. Kids change a little bit. Their mindset changes a little bit. Sometimes the coaching changes are good for some and not as good for others.”

Did you sense a point where he turned a corner? “You know, he was really consistent during the spring and then during the fall with what they did during the summer going up to the stadium, putting a little pressure on them and all those things. I’ve never doubted the kid because -- I want to clarify. I know nothing about placekicking. I couldn’t teach it. I know what to look for maybe if I watch a guy enough. Just like with punters. If I watch them enough. I’ve been real comfortable with how he’s handled the different situations we’ve put him in, how he’s gone out and worked everyday. There’s been competition, but he’s shown us on a daily basis that he’s got a good mindset. He’s got a good leg. All those things are positive. I rambled a little bit, but the kid has been beat up just like our quarterback. That’s not right. Kid’s a heck of a quarterback.”

What can you do to neutralize Coker? “You better get bodies to the ball. You have to tackle him. Man, you have to get 11 guys to the ball. You don’t want your safeties and corners making all the first hits. You want them to be cleanup guys, but you have to get bodies to the ball and get off blocks.”

What makes Jeremy Gallon such a good blocking wide receiver? “His heart. His intensity. His toughness. That’s all I can tell you. He’s got good feet, which helps because you can run your feet. When you run your feet in any position in this game, you can be pretty successful, and that’s what he does.”

Have you seen such a small receiver before be such a good blocker? “Oh probably. Probably have. I’ve seen a lot of receivers.”

Sounds like it bothers you when people get after Denard. “I get asked it all the time. When you get asked it all the time, obviously people are trying to get a make a story out of it. I’ll defend him forever. As a quarterback.”

Is the league more dominated by mobile quarterbacks, and has that changed a lot of the way offense and defense is played in the Big Ten? “Some of the spread has obviously opened the game a little more. If you’re not athletic enough in the perimeter or at linebacker -- and it’s really two things, you’re either really athletic in those positions, or you have four dominant guys up front that you can defend the run with six guys in the box or five guys in the box. I don’t know. Shoot it’s been a long time since I’ve been the league. There’s always been some guys that can move around a bit.” But not like this, right? Seems like almost every team has a mobile quarterback. “Well Northwestern … Nebraska and us in our league, our side.” Minnesota. “Yeah. We didn’t face him. Yeah.” Russell Wilson and Nathan Scheelhaase as well. “Yeah. But the people who are running the football and have a back are the people that are going to last.”

Do you feel more in your comfort zone defending against a pro style offense? “They get enough into some other formations that they are prostyle. It’s just fun to play Iowa because they’re well coached and fundamentals and techniques, you know. You love watching them on tape.”

Taylor Lewan had his first penalty last week. Last year he had quite a few. How do you change a player from that mentality? “It’s like anything else. You have a message and you’re consistent with it. You talk to him about it from an individual standpoint to a team standpoint. It really comes down to an accountability to your teammates, because any penalty that you have -- and the ones that drive you crazy are the ones that are before the ball’s snapped on either side of the ball -- but you’re hurting your teammates. We’re not in this to hurt our teammates. Most of the time championship teams don’t hurt themselves by having penalties. I think there’s a lot of conversation, there’s a lot of consistency and there’s a lot of accountability that guys, as they mature, understand for their teammates.”

Was there a simple message? Was it just, “Stop”? “No. It’s a conversation.”

(And then there was a question about Hoke, shorts, winter, and RARRR TOUGHNESS.)