Aug. 10, 2009
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The Maryland football team held its annual Media Day Monday at the Gossett Team House.
Head coach Ralph Friedgen and the rest of the Terps met with the media prior to hitting the practice field for their first workout of the season.
See what the players had to say about the upcoming season.
On the youth of the team:
"We are very fortunate to have young, talented players on offense. They may be young but they are very capable."
On entering the season with better knowledge of the playbook:
"I feel 100 times better coming in this year. I feel confident and I am excited. I am anxious to get on the field."
On Friedgen's weight loss:
"I am very proud. Sometimes a lot of coaches expect a lot out of their players, but he really practices what he preaches in terms of dedication and hard work."
On entering the season as the No. 1 quarterback as opposed to last season's QB battle:
"The biggest difference I guess is the way that my teammates are counting on me. They are looking up to me...we have young players. I am a senior, I am in my fifth year. I don't want to call it pressure, but guys are looking to me."
On the depth of the wide receiver corps:
"I am very encouraged. Between Torrey (Smith), (Adrian) Cannon, LaQuan (Williams)...the list goes on. We are very deep. We are not going to have any problems with depth. I am not concerned at all with our receivers."
On the offensive line:
"They have been working so hard. I see how hard they drill. They are young but they are always in the weight room trying to get stronger, watching film and going over their assignments. They are doing everything they need to be doing to be successful. So I expect good things out of them."
On his expectations for the running game:
"I expect big plays (from Da'Rel Scott). If you give him an inch he will take a mile, he is always good. As far as Meggett, it's his second year. We are lucky to have a guy like him. I think Morgan (Green) is going to have a great year. I have seen him work hard in camp and over the summer. We are fortunate to have three good backs."
On the importance of the first game:
"(The game) is very important. That is what sets the mood for the whole season."
On expectations he has for himself in 2009:
"I want to improve every year. I just don't want to downgrade and just try to do the same thing I did last year. I have got to try to improve and better myself every year. I need to look at what I did last year, talk to the coaches and see what I need to improve on."
On how he trained over the summer:
"I worked on my strength a little bit and a little bit on my quickness and flexibility."
On which game he's most looking forward to:
"I guess the Cal game because that is the first game and it will set the tone for us. I think that's going to be huge."
On his coach's expectations of him in 2009:
"With more experience, they want more leadership."
On how he trained over the summer:
"Growing, forward progression and really learning the playbook."
On which game he's most looking forward to:
"The Cal game...it's the first one that I am going to get into."
On the battle in preseason camp for playing time among the wide receivers:
"We obviously have to start battling it out. We have nine guys that can start. So we are going to start that battle."
On Friedgen's weight loss:
"I mean I am definitely happy for him. He looks like a new man, he looks like a model for us right now. I am just really happy for him...he is doing the best thing he needs to do for his health."
On how his weight loss has affected the team:
"I definitely think that people are realizing that my coach is taking steps to better himself and that we can take steps to better ourselves as well."
On the offensive line:
"A lot of people are shooting them down because they are young but that just gives them an opportunity to work harder and to do better."
On being an underdog this year:
"If we do well it will surprise everybody but us. We are going to take it one game at a time and be the best that we can be out there on Saturdays."
On the depth in the backfield and the potential for playing time:
"If you're selfish you are going to be detrimental to the team and you are not going to be productive. With depth comes responsibility and you are responsible for your team and your role on the team. We have a lot of backs. We all have to play our part...none of us can be selfish."
On the loss of last year's senior linebackers:
"We lost guys, but we still have guys coming back. Adrian [Moten] played probably the last two years, even though he hasn't started, he still played a lot. Demetrius [Hartsfield], he's been here for two years. We got a lot of young guys behind us. And Drew [Gloster] is coming over [to linebacker, from tight end]."
"I think we are going to do pretty well. Some guys played offense, but we have a pretty good idea about what to do. There are still the little things that take a while to pick up on, but other than that, we'll do very well."
On Coach Friedgen:
"He's very excited because he loves his job to death. He loves us. We just want the best for him and I think that's the most exciting thing that he gives us so much and we want to do whatever we can to please him."
On how much the team relies on Chris Turner on offense:
"The offense is going to move around him, everything is going to revolve around Chris. Not just on offense, the whole team. The only thing we can do on defense is count on him to do a lot."
On preparing for the season:
"I think it's only about a month, towards the end of the school semester [and] a lot is getting better. I actually did all my summer workouts."
On Coach Brown's expectations for the senior:
"He's telling me to be a leader. This is the first thing he told me going into spring, in the winter, he told me there is a lot of young guys on the team and they're looking up to me to set an example, so that's what I've got to do."
On Friedgen's weight loss:
"It's pretty good; he's lost about 100 pounds. It's exciting; it kind of shows his dedication. If you want to achieve something, you just stick to it ... He's been jumping up, he jumped up yesterday on the table in the meeting room, the little stand up on the front of the podium."
On being leaders of the defense:
"Yes, I'm starting in the secondary right now. We are all fifth-year seniors, so we all have experience and we all know what needs to be done to win the game. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming season."
On his personal goals:
"Individually, I set my goals very high. I really want to work on my technique, my man-to-man coverage skills. Last year, I had four interceptions, but I want to lead the ACC in interceptions. We're all challenging each other: me, Terrell [Skinner], Anthony [Wiseman], and [Nolan] Carroll."
On his fellow secondary teammates:
"We are like brothers, we came in all at the same time, and we have all been in the same summer programs together. We've got a real great bond and we hang out together all the time. [Again,] We are like brothers, we can basically read each other's minds and we can always talk about what is going on."
On the risks of playing a more aggressive attack on the field:
"The risk is it's a lot of pressure on the corner. We are basically playing touch-man and if they mess up on their technique, they can get deep. Then they're by themselves."
On liking the pressure and responsibilities of a cornerback:
"I definitely love it. I'm out there and I feel as though we can [produce] so many turnovers. I like when people kind of pick on us and I like surprising people. I use that as motivation and my teammates use that as motivation."
On his progression through the offseason:
"I've just been trying to do everything they want me to do. As a freshman, sometimes you make stupid mistakes, like last year when we would lift; maybe I'd skip a rep if I was tired. Now, I make sure that whenever we are working out or whenever we are doing anything as practice, to give everything 100 percent. Just focusing on getting better every day and I've been able to do it so far. Taking care of business is what I'm trying to do, at least."
On playing defense vs. offense:
"The only reason I want to stay on defense is because I've been here for a full year. If I go over to offense now, I'd be playing catch-up with everybody else. At this point, especially now, I'm on the depth chart as starting nose tackle, so if I went over to offense I might have to battle for right guard or right tackle or something else. It would be a waste of the last year if I did it right now. Maybe with the way things look with the people switching over [to offense] now, Cody Blue on offense. It's more like I'm going to play this whole season at defense and then at the end of the season with everybody leaving and everybody coming back to reassess things. I think wherever I am at the end of next spring is probably where I am going to be for the rest of the year, whether it's on offense or defense."
On the team's youth:
"Everybody's stepped their game up, I would say. Just being young, doesn't mean you're not capable of playing. Everybody has a chance of being a starter. If you're on the field, everybody has to do their part."
On preparation in the offseason:
"Offseason, I've just been working out with the team, getting back to being a DB again. Last time, I was working to be a receiver so much that when I got changed over I wasn't really in shape and having the mechanics to be a playing DB. This year, I was actually working on my feet [and] doing all the things necessary for me to come back to camp."
On his advice to the first year players:
"You better get ready for camp because it's going to be difficult. I remember last year."
On making it through camp:
"We've got to make it through the day... we're ready."
On his preparation during the offseason:
"[In the] offseason, working hard, running, running a lot [and] a lot of lifting."
On Coach Friedgen's weight loss:
"Actually, I just found out about it, not too long ago, so I was surprised. He's been wearing baggy clothes, but now I see him wearing the Under Armour clothes so it's pretty cool for coach."
On leadership:
"I'm not too much of a vocal guy, but I've seen a couple guys throughout the spring and during the workouts, coming out to be more vocal. Not to take the load off me, but I know that somehow, in some fashion, that personally I think I'm being a leader."
