Capital One Bowl Practice Update No. 2
12/27/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 27, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. - The Michigan State football team held its second bowl practice at Freedom High School Saturday afternoon amid sunny skies and temperatures near 80 degrees. Prior to practice, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio met with the media to talk about his revised contract that was announced Friday and how the team is progressing in preparation for the 2009 Capital One Bowl vs. Georgia.
On his revised contract...
I'm very pleased with everything in regards to that (contract). It shows there's stability in this program. I don't think we need to talk about `if the coach leaves.' It's secure that I'll be here for a time set. It shows a commitment by the university and a commitment by the head coach. I think good things follow from there, because continuity in anything you do brings success. I'm very humbled by it.
On when the contract extension talks began...
Toward the end of the season. It was talked about really after the last game.
On the recruiting impact...
We were asked by some recruits, not just this year, but the longevity of being at Michigan State. Because when a recruits comes, he wants to know the coach is going to be in place the next four or five years. I think that question has been answered. That's the positive. I'll always be able to sit there and tell a young man that I'll be there through his five years.
On the compensation for the assistant coaches...
That was critical, as much as anything. We want our staff to be here as well in terms of stability. Certainly there are guys that will have opportunities beyond here whether it's a head coach or becoming a coordinator someplace, but it shows there's a commitment there as well, not only by myself but from our administration as well. That's one of the reasons we've had the amount of success we've had in the last two years. We bring a system, we bring a way of doing things, and we bring continuity in terms of knowing each other.
On why Michigan State is a precise fit for him over the next few years...
First of all, it's important sometimes to coach where you're from. I consider myself from Michigan State because I had been here for six years, so you know the landscape a little bit. It's not all about just one person trying to get the job done, there's got to be people in place to help you do your job, and help you stay unified when things start to unravel. The main thing here coming back was that there was a commitment from the Board of Trustees to the administration to the athletics director to the admissions director to the basketball coach. The fact that I knew they all had integrity makes this a great situation. You can talk about all the great traditions here and to try and repeat those traditions. Those are the things we talked about when me and my family first came back for this job. Those are the things that brought us back, that sense of community.
On announcing the contract in Orlando...
I think that was the thought process in terms of when things were finalized and when I actually signed things, and coming down here. We had dinner last night and we wanted to make it known to our staff first before we announced it publicly, and really, not only to our coaching staff, but before the administration and everyone with the team.
On helping recruiting...
I hope so. People are going to come because of relationships, but knowing that you're going to have a staff in place might help establish those relationships quicker. It's going to be about facilities, relationships, success, and really, our players' interaction with those young people. It sends a message that there's going to be one person in place here, and that's a positive.
On practice thus far...
Well, we had the one practice yesterday. It was hot out here, a record high I guess, and it was humid. But it was good to be out here practicing. It was long and we made it as difficult as we could, but I think we got everything we could out of our guys. We need to get back into football shape too. We're five days out but we'll recover quickly. We need to get our legs back and ready to play. From a mental standpoint, I think we were very, very good yesterday. From a physical standpoint, it was our first day back, so we have to carry our pads a little bit again.
On the difference between the preparation last year vs. this year...
Not really, I don't sense a difference. I think our seniors have done a great job in terms of leading our football team. Last year, I think our seniors did an outstanding job with that. We have to continue in that mode. But there's a sense of urgency.
On practicing in Florida...
I think it does feel a little bit more real to them. We're here, and we're playing on January 1. That's something that's been a goal of ours from day one. It feels real good to be here.
On comparing this game to the 2000 Florida Citrus Bowl against Florida...
We were a 9-2 team coming into that game. We came down here for a longer period - 10 days I believe. We had some two-a-days and got acclimated a little bit more, but we didn't spend Christmas at home either, so there's a little bit of a trade-off there in terms of attitude, I think. We've worked extremely hard up in East Lansing, with the heat up to 75 and 80 degrees in the indoor, and know we're down here for real. The thing I like about our football team is that we have enough depth at the skill positions that we can stay fresh.
On quarterback Brian Hoyer...
I don't think there's any substitute for experience. Hopefully when we're 9-2 next time and playing for a Big Ten Championship, we'll play better because we've done it once. Brian has the opportunity to start in his second straight bowl game at quarterback and to play better. I expect Brian to play the game of his life. I think that's where his mindset is and he'll play very, very well.
On walking with the ducks at the Peabody Orlando earlier on Friday, prior to the announcement...
Yeah, I also got to walk with the ducks. I was a duck master - duck master Mark. (laughter) It was a good experience since I've never done that before. I had my photographer there, and my youngest daughter was with me, so we can make a documentary. (more laughter)
