Friday August 8, 2003Ron Zook Chat Transcript August 8th 2003
Gainesville, FL
Football Headline
| [GatorSteve] Coach, given the troubles with players at FSU, Ohio State and elsewhere, what is UF doing to make sure that doesn't happen here? |  |
| Coach Zook: We have as many educational programs as we possibly can and continually try to talk with the athletes about being good citizens and good students. | |
| [kcato] What do you think the biggest suprise of this gator team will be this year? | |
| Coach Zook: It's too early to tell. | |
| [JaymacG8R] I'd like to know how the DL's looking ??? | |
| Coach Zook: Very athletic and after 2 practices, catching on. | |
| [rochandler] I went to a few practices in the spring and it seemed to me that Fleming was by far the best punter, why is he not listed higher on the depth chart? | |
| Coach Zook: Nick Fleming is in camp and will have a chance to compete for the job. | |
| [Jax Gator] Which quarterback has impressed you the most since fall practice started? | |
| Coach Zook: They have all done good things. | |
| [gdspls] What is the status of Dallas baker is he a RSF or SM | |
| Coach Zook: He is a red shirt Freshman. | |
| [Swampie] Coach Zook any early impressions on Chris Leak and the QB battle? | |
| Coach Zook: Both of the young QB's, Justin and Chris, have been very impressive. | |
| [ChompEmGators] Are you considering redshirting one of the freshman QB's? | |
| Coach Zook: We will cross that bridge when we come to it. | |
| [gatorrev] will Mo Mitchell sometimes be used on OL in Jumbo packages, short yardage? | |
| Coach Zook: That is a very good possibility. | |
| [flgatoremt] is there a QB you think has a real chance this tear to pick up where rex grossman left off? | |
| Coach Zook: Rex was an excellent QB and there is every reason to believe that the QB position will continue to be successful. | |
| [Nick] Coach, what are the top three reasons Florida will have a successful year? | |
| Coach Zook: We are athletic. We will improve as the season progresses. We have a great staff. We have the best fans and the Swamp! | |
| [jcurts] Will you stick with one quarterback as a starter or will you consider others if our starter isn't answering the call? | |
| Coach Zook: We will do what is best for the football team. | |
| [stillmaticjayb] Special teams was a big problem last year in gator football... what was done in the off-season to improve that | |
| Coach Zook: We signed a punter. We will have more athletic people to protect and cover our kicks and we have 3 or 4 excellent possibilies to help our return game. | |
| [Rob] Hey Coach Zook, which players do you expect to have a breakout season for the Gators on both offense and defense? Thanks and Go Gators! | |
| Coach Zook: It is still too early to say. | |
| [dbwilson727] On the other side of the ball (Off. Line), will they be able to provide some strong holes this year to allow for a more dominant effort by the backs? | |
| Coach Zook: We feel like the offensive line will be much improved and our running back depth maybe the strength of our football team. | |
| [JaymacG8R] How about depth at the DL, will some of the true freshmen possibly get some PT this year ??? | |
| Coach Zook: It is a very good possibility. | |
| [stargator1] What will it take to beat Miami? I read one of their publications that stated the Florida game could be laughable. It really irritated me. | |
| Coach Zook: The Miami game should be exciting. We are looking forward to seeing our fans down in Miami. | |
| [kcato] What is the depth chart for place kickers this year? Do we have one kicker that can get long and short balls? | |
| Coach Zook: Matt Leach will be our starting kicker and Chris Hetland and Matt Piotrowicz will also get opportunities to kick. | |
| [Redfishgator] What is your opinion of our linebackers? Who is running with the first team right now. | |
| Coach Zook: Our LB's are young and very athletic. Matt Farrior, Todd McCullough, and Dwight Jackson are the starters. | |
| [Tim] Do you think CJ Leak will see significant playing time early in the season or is Ingle Martin far ahead of him? | |
| Coach Zook: Assuming that you mean Chris, all 4 QB's are competing for playing time. | |
| [Gary] Coach, How's your foot and any permanent damage? | |
| Coach Zook: It's great. There is no permanent damage. Th | |
| [HoleG8r] What is your opinion on other schools having less stringent entrance requirements (Miami/Oklahoma) for example. They are able to pick up recruits that would never get into school at UF. Is this fair in your estimation? | |
| Coach Zook: I've said many times that this is the best University and football program in the country. Our school is one of the biggest reasons. | |
| [gatorrev] Tell us about who is lining up at LT now that Starks has moved to RG | |
| Coach Zook: Tavares Washington, Jon Colon, and Steve Bell. | |
| [JBeach] How many gators are "out of shape"? Did the team prepare well during the off season? | |
| Coach Zook: Rob Glass has done an excellent job with our summer conditioning and I feel that we are an excellently conditioned football team at this point. | |
| [jcurts] what kind of balance of running plays to passing plays are you looking at this year? | |
| Coach Zook: You would always like to be 50/50. | |
| [Larry] Coach, when is the first scrimmage scheduled? | |
| Coach Zook: Wednesday, August 13th | |
| [flgatoremt] is this year goung to have a better recieving corp than last year? | |
| Coach Zook: We feel like we are very much improved at our receiver position. | |
| [Swampie] When do we get in pads and start hitting? How many fall scrimmages will the fans get to see? | |
| Coach Zook: We gone into pads on Sunday, August 10th. Fans will get to see 2 scrimmages - August 13th & August 16th. | |
| [Rob82] Coach, do you feel that your players are buying into your system more this year than last, especially with the upperclassmen? | |
| Coach Zook: The team bought into our system last year but it is always much smoother in the 2nd year. | |
| [gatsby] Has Joe Cohen shown interest in any position besides running back? | |
| Coach Zook: No | |
| [ken] Coach: Tell me the defense will be on the attack, mobile and hostile. | |
| Coach Zook: There is no question. They will be an improving unit. | |
| [lee] Coach; What is the status of freshman Michael Hill? Newspaper reports say he was unable to practice. | |
| Coach Zook: He has a medical condition and he is being monitored but should be fine. | |
| [Redfishgator] On defense, are there any dominant types that remind you of an Alex Brown, Jevon Kearse, Kevin Carter, etc.... | |
| Coach Zook: Darrell Lee, Bobby McCray, and Travis Harris have all stepped it up. Kenny Parker has really been impressive. | |
| [GatorSteve] Is there a surprise team in the SEC in your opinion that the media hasn't picked up on yet? Bama? Arkansas? | |
| Coach Zook: The SEC is a very competitive conference. All we can do is concern ourselves with us. | |
| [james] Are you excited about a gator crowd that will be about 5,000 fans larger than last year? | |
| Coach Zook: Not only the size, but the noise. | |
| [JaymacG8R] How much do you think Ben Troupe will contribute this year ??? He seems like a guy who can really help out a young QB. | |
| Coach Zook: He needs to be a big factor in our offense. | |
| [gator-t] Hello Coach Zook, what has been your impression of R. Hill and D. Webb, will Ratliff be ale to contribute signifigant playing time on offense. | |
| Coach Zook: Both Reynaldo and Dee have been very impressive, as have Jackson and Caldwell. We will have to evaluate the situation as we go. | |
| [BJ] Coach, just wanted to get your impressions so far of a few local guys. How do you see Dwight Jackson and Ray Mcdonald this year? | |
| Coach Zook: We need Dwright and Ray to be big contributors this year. | |
| [iceturkee] coach, since practice began wednesday, which players have caught your eyes? | |
| Coach Zook: It has been a very productive 2 practices and I've been impressed with the work of our football team. | |
| [bakk90] Coach Zook, How is Deshawn Wynn progressing? | |
| Coach Zook: Deshawn is doing very well. | |
| [Larry] Coach, can you give us an early topline scouting report on San Jose State? | |
| Coach Zook: They will be a very good test for us. An exciting offense and a 2nd year program also. | |
| [GatorTuba] as a Tuba player in the marching band, I enjoy the intro to your website. the band fraternity Kappa Kappa Psi put a lot of time and money into the covers on the horns and are glad too see that they are appreciated. | |
| Coach Zook: We love the Gator Band and we have 3 full-time Band members working in our office. | |
| [Kevin] Coach, some practice reports are stating that the practice field was very "slippery" yesterday because of the rain. Auburn just installed a new artificial turf practice field. Is this something we need to consider? | |
| Coach Zook: Yesterday's practice was excellent. It was a great practice for wet ball. The fields are in such good shape that it wasn't a problem at all. | |
| [Tim] Is there an area where you have the greatest concerns about youth and lack of experience on the team? | |
| Coach Zook: Anytime you have a lot of young people playing, it is important that you put them in positions where they can be successful. | |
| [Casey(California)] hey coach im flying down to the miami game from california. Can we expect to see more deep balls thrown this year since we got a good offensive line and wide talent of recievers and qb's? | |
| Coach Zook: We feel like we will be much better at the big plays this season. | |
| [t8rg8r] Coach, with the lack of depth at corner and the apparent depth of young talent at receiver, why not keep Keiwan at corner? | |
| Coach Zook: The reason that we use Keiwan on offense last year was because of his big play ability. If the young receivers come through as we feel they will, we may not need Keiwan on offense as much. | |
| [gatorrev] How quickly does Wilbur get his punts off? | |
| Coach Zook: Right now he is recovering from a staph infection and has not punted in practice. But when he was in camp last summer, that was one of his strong punts. He should be out there punting on Monday. | |
| [ChompEmGators] Can you highlight the differences between John Thompson's D and Charlie Strong's schemes? | |
| Coach Zook: The Defense is not going to change a whole lot. You always tweak your systems but things won't change much. | |
| [ashbox11] hi coach zook, what are the plans for dallas baker this year? | |
| Coach Zook: We expect Dallas to have an excellent, productive year. | |
| [Al] What will we see "different" from Gator football this year as compared to previous years? | |
| Coach Zook: We plan on being the same type of exciting football team that you have grown accustomed to. | |
| [Kevin] Coach, What is your favorite part of gameday? | |
| Coach Zook: The strategy of the game itself. | |
| [gatorrev] Will we be better at throwing the ball deep, over the top, this year? | |
| Coach Zook: We will do what our team does best. | |
| [allstate] How well does our run stopping ability look this year? | |
| Coach Zook: We are an 8-man front football team and feel that you have to be able to stop the run first. | |
| [MountainGator] Coach, I know it very early in the practice season, but your general impression of the the new class and the team in genera? | |
| Coach Zook: I am very excited about their attitude and abilities and I see the team beginning to come together already. | |
| [gator-t] In years past we have always managed to lose a SEC game that wasn't expected what do you plan to do this year to keep the team on track against smaller SEC opponents. | |
| Coach Zook: We spent a lot of time on it in the off-season and it shows you how great the conference is. | |
| [jokerto1] Will we have an advantage in the Miami game by knowing Brock Berlin's tendencies? | |
| Coach Zook: Not really. | |
| [Zinger007] Coach - thanks for all your efforts, i know it hasnt been an easy road - i appreicate your intensity on and off the field, but it seems that you are too tolerant of losing - i see you make excuses and say "we will get better" - i am just concerned that the players will accept losing - how tough are you on these players - | |
| Coach Zook: You don't know me very well. | |
| [Yankee] What improvements, if any, have been made to the Swamp's field? | |
| Coach Zook: It's the nicest field I've ever been on. | |
| [JaymacG8R] Charlie Strong's one of the best in the business. What can the Univ of Fl do to keep him around as long as possible ??? | |
| Coach Zook: Charlie loves being back at the University of Florida and will do a great job. | |
| [joe1gun] Coach, I had the opportunity to play golf over the summer with a kid named Chris Hetland. I understand he's a kicker. I remember him kicking a pretty long field goal in the O and B game but I haven't heard anything else about him. Is he going to get the opportunity to become the starting kicker? | |
| Coach Zook: He is in camp and competing for the job. | |
| [gatorrev] Can you recruit another class this year like you did last year? You are amazing at recruitting. Does having so much talent hurt recruitting? | |
| Coach Zook: The University of Florida is a great place to recruit to and we should attract the best student athletes. | |
| [stillmaticjayb] Now that the Gators have talented depth at receiver... will u sub more to wear down opposing defenses. | |
| Coach Zook: I've never seen a team with too many good players. | |
| [Kaye] Hello Mr. Zook, How's my favorite Gator... Chad Jackson doing? I hope he's all you recruited for and more! I'm looking forward to all the games. GOOD LUCK!!! | |
| Coach Zook: Thank you. At this point, he is all we thought he would be and more. | |
| [flgatoremt] how happy are you with this years recruiting class? is there anyone you really wanted and just could not get? | |
| Coach Zook: We are very excited about this years class and look forward to them having great Gator careers. | |
| [LitiGator] what do you think of our Special Teams play so far in camp? | |
| Coach Zook: We are just installing and we have more athleticism on them. | |
| [GatorTom] Any chance we see a 3 RB set [plays with the depth at RB | |
| Coach Zook: Like the wishbone? Probably not. | |
| [Gator_Tuba] in your opinion, what is the greatest part of being the Head Coach of the Florida Gators? | |
| Coach Zook: It is being able to be the Head Football Coach at the best Football job in the country. | |
| [gator in nc] Which staff member can eat the most hot dogs in one sitting? | |
| Coach Zook: We have not had that competition yet but my guess would be Coach Locksley. | |
| [daf1955] Coach, what is the biggest difference you see in this team compared to last year at this time? | |
| Coach Zook: Everything is much smoother because everyone knows what to expect. | |
| [ashbox11] how is guss scott looking this summer? | |
| Coach Zook: Excellent | |
| [chris] Do you see any of the freshmen recievers getting serious playing time and if so then who? | |
| Coach Zook: Absolutely | |
| [gator in nc] Has a game uniform been picked yet for the Miami game? | |
| Coach Zook: No | |
| [gator-t] I live in Ocala and heard you were at Gator Joe's, how did you like it. | |
| Coach Zook: Great Lake - Great Place - Great Food - Great People | |
| [stargator1] Coach......What are the 3 most important things Lhis Keak has to accomplish | |
| Coach Zook: All of our QB's have to become comfortable and consistent in our system. | |
| [Chilly Gator] Will Matt Leach get a look at punter, or will he just be placekicking? | |
| Coach Zook: Right now he will just be placekicking. | |
| [H] Good morning coach . . . What changes are you planing for teh kick game this year. It seems that last year many of the players just did not have the ability to go the whole game and keep trying to get the opponents at teh other end before they could make good yardage . Thank you. | |
| Coach Zook: We will have more athletic players on our teams. | |
| [stillmaticjayb] This years team is a very talented.... Does this show u glimpses of the 96 Gators? | |
| Coach Zook: The 96 Gators were a veteraned club but we do have a lot of athleticism. | |
| [GatorTom] How is David Kenner coming along as the second TE | |
| Coach Zook: He is improving but still needs to understand that this is a different level of football. | |
| [BS] Are practices still "standing room only"? | |
| Coach Zook: Yes. We have had great crowds at practice - even with the rain. | |
| [fcgator50] Coach, how is reggie lewis and kenneth tookes doing? | |
| Coach Zook: Reggie has been very impressive so far. Kenneth looks like he is getting back to normal. | |
| [jberelsm] does zaun call all offensive plays or do you collaborate together | |
| Coach Zook: Coach Z calls the plays but there is a lot of input. | |
| [nashvillegator] how does ingle looks so far? does leak have a shot at starting this year? | |
| Coach Zook: All 4 QB's have been impressive. It is still too early to tell. | |
| [Debary Gator] Every where you look, you see reports that we are having a great fall practice. Do you think we are better now than this same time last year? | |
| Coach Zook: Yes | |
| [gatorrev] any chance of running the emory & henry formation? | |
| Coach Zook: There is always a chance. | |
| [Zack] Charlie Strong is great Defensive Cordinator. What has he done in the off season to prepare our young defensive Gators? | |
| Coach Zook: All of our coaches have spent a lot of time in the film room. | |
| [LitiGator] How are the running backs looking? I know Wynn had a good spring, but what about Carthon and the others? | |
| Coach Zook: We feel like the Running Back position should be the strength of our football team and the practices have not told us any differently. | |
| [gatorrev] how far can Leak toss that pigskin? | |
| Coach Zook: As far as he needs to. | |
| [Gator_Tuba] Will the TE be used more in this years offense? | |
| Coach Zook: Ben Troupe is a weapon and we need to use him. | |
| [bill] Coach. Who do you see being playmakers this year offense or defense? | |
| Coach Zook: We have guys on both sides of the football that we feel can be playmakers. It will be important that we play as a team. | |
| [Rob] How have all the JuCo transfer players adapted to the atmosphere of UF football thus far? | |
| Coach Zook: They have all done excellent, not only in school but also becoming a part of our close knit team. | |
| Coach Zook: Thanks to everyone for tuning in. We have the greatest fans in America. I will continue to send updated letters and as much information about the Gators on my website - www.coachzook.com. Thanks again. See you in the Swamp on August 30th. Go Gators!! Ron | |
