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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MEDIA CONFERENCESeptember 22, 2008John ThompsonJOHN THOMPSON: It's Big Ten football. You know, that's the Big Ten tradition, running the football, their front seven against our front seven. Q. What do you think people will find out about your front seven this week? JOHN THOMPSON: We're coming to play hard. We know they're coming to play hard. It's our livelihood. We started off 1 and 2 last season going into the Big Ten. Q. How hard is it to simulate their team in practice? JOHN THOMPSON: It's kind of hard. Just because they're big doesn't mean it's going to be pounding all the time. But still, we've got some big offensive linemen. Q. Is it difficult now because you're facing a threat in practice instead of facing a traditional offense like you have the last couple years? JOHN THOMPSON: Well, Notre Dame was traditional, so we got stepped up on it last time going against Notre Dame. Wisconsin, most of the guys are a defense we've played against. Traditional offense is in the past. We've got a lot of red zone defense, so there's not much new. Q. Is there a part of this, do you draw a big line between the three games you've played and now the start of the Big Ten season mentally? JOHN THOMPSON: Yeah, like Coach said, there's three seasons, preseason, Big Ten, Bowl game, so the second part of the season is over. No one has won a game in the Big Ten, so it's 0-0. So time to win. Q. Do you talk about the Big Ten Championship? JOHN THOMPSON: Do we talk about it? Yeah, it's the number one goal coming into the season. Q. Is that something you actually mention in the locker room, like hey, this is our first step, we can win the Big Ten Championship? JOHN THOMPSON: Yeah, we don't go in a with conceited attitude. We want to win the Big Ten. Q. What have you seen out of the defense of your team in the first three weeks? JOHN THOMPSON: Yeah, we're progressing from game to game. We still have mistakes, but things are coming along. We're getting more comfortable with the system and the game, in game situations. We've gotten better every week. Q. In what specific areas have you noticed you've come along the most? JOHN THOMPSON: Just everybody back on the same accord, just playing knowing the scheme, just get in there, studying tape together. We're maturing from the mistakes. That's about it. Q. How much of the preseason have you paid attention to, and what are your thoughts on the Big Ten going into conference play in general? JOHN THOMPSON: The Big Ten is always a competitive season, going to the Big Ten. We just start off with Wisconsin. We've got to just play one game at a time. We're not looking forward down the road. Q. Did you watch a lot of games this weekend? JOHN THOMPSON: Yeah. Q. Your thoughts on other Big Ten teams? JOHN THOMPSON: We've just been focusing on Wisconsin. Q. Was this a good time to have a break this year to prepare for the start of the Big Ten season? JOHN THOMPSON: Yeah, get fundamentals, like you said. Obviously Notre Dame we made a lot of mistakes that were fundamentals. So getting a week to sharpen up our edge and get everything going right, we needed a bye week. Q. In addition to playing a team that obviously likes to run the ball, which presents a challenge to the front seven, they also have a pretty good tight end. Talk about the added challenge that he brings. JOHN THOMPSON: Beckum is a good player, he's a good tight end. He can spread out like a wide receiver. We've just got to -- everybody get to the football and just play team defense. End of FastScripts |
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