Zac Johnson Answers Your Questions

Tag: interviews

28Aug 2012
Uncategorized no comments

Zac Johnson Answers Your Questions

Johnson celebrates with his teammate after a
2008 special teams touchdown.

Although he entered the program as a walk-on, former safety Zac Johnson eventually earned a scholarship by providing depth at his position, pushing players on the practice field, and becoming a “special teams demon.”  Zac finished his Michigan career with 39 game appearances, 17 special teams tackles and two Academic All-Big Ten nominations.  Perhaps his most prestigious accomplishment and recognition, however, was garnering a #43 ranking in the 2009 edition of this very blog’s notorious and annual Countdown series.  Zac recently took a few moments out of his day to talk about his time at Michigan and answer several reader questions.

Special teams success:  “The main things in order to be successful on special teams is that you need to be an aggressive player, channel your aggression, and have the will to win at the end of every play.


Most unheralded teammate:  “Someone who comes to mind is Mark Moundros.  He’s played offense, he’s played defense, he’s been a great speaker – he was a role model on our team.  He was a guy that I really looked up to and really admired, and I think everyone on the team did.”

Differences between the coaching staffs:  “All three coaches are great guys, and they all taught me a lot.  Coach Carr really showed me what it takes to be a Michigan man, and he really instilled integrity and character in me.  Coach Rodriguez was an intelligent offensive coach, and that is where his emphasis was.  Coach Hoke was a defensive-minded coach from his background, as a D-line coach.  Most of it comes from their background.  I finished with Coach Hoke my senior year, and I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out.


Sugar Bowl victory:  “Oh, man, that was the best feeling.  To go through everything we went through, the struggles – but even in the struggles you learn a lot about yourself and the people around you too.  But to win the Sugar Bowl reminded me of the Schembechler quote, ‘Those who stay will be champions.'”

Three and Out:  “No, I didn’t get a chance to read that yet, actually. . . .Yeah, I have an interest in reading it.  It’s one of those things where it hasn’t been a top priority.  I definitely plan to read it, though.”

Putting football in the past:  “I’ve played football here for the past five years.  I did Pro Day for the NFL, and I didn’t get picked up by the NFL; I only got a shot at Arena or CFL.  I decided beforehand that if I didn’t get a shot at the NFL that I was going to be done playing football.  With the stress that’s been on my body, I’ve had numerous injuries – it just comes with the game.  But right now, I’m currently working at Merrill Lynch, doing some financial consulting. . . .One of the biggest things that Michigan football has taught me is how to perform under high pressure situations, how to meet deadlines, and how to do those things as part of a team.”

Expectations for Team 133:  “. . . .The thing about college football is any team can win on any given day.  That’s something that I learned as a freshman.  My first game at Michigan Stadium was a loss to Appalachian State. . . . But that’s what makes it such a great sport to watch.  Every week matters.  And nowadays, every team, no matter how big or small they are, have some talent on it.  It’s about the team that comes ready to play on that day.”

Zac’s message:  “This is something I’ve thought about before.  I always try to leave with some kind of message, just so I feel like there’s a purpose, so I came up with a quote here today – ‘Learn how to fuel your goals and your dreams; a great vision and a great work ethic will propel you beyond what you can see.’  That is my advice; you have to have purpose in all that you do.”

Choices for 2012 breakout players:  Blake Countess and Jerald Robinson  

14Aug 2012
Uncategorized 11 comments

Brandon Herron Answers Your Questions

You may remember this.
 (Image via the Toledo Blade.)

Brandon Herron started only one game in his college career, yet few Michigan faithful will ever forget his name.  Herron put on an electric performance in Brady Hoke’s Michigan head coaching debut by becoming the only player in program history to record two touchdowns on defensive returns in a single game.  He also set the record for the longest interception return for a touchdown in Michigan history in the contest with his 94-yard bolt up the sideline in addition to recording eight tackles.  Now that’s a hell of a game.

However, with a career total of 42 tackles, 37 game appearances, two fumble recoveries, and an interception over a five year career, it’s obvious that Herron’s contributions to the football program extend far beyond those magical three quarters of football.  Brandon was recently kind enough to take a few minutes out of his weekend to talk very candidly about his Michigan memories and answer several reader questions.

The WMU game:  “It was an exciting point in my career; I never thought something like that would happen to me.  But as they say, hard work pays off, and I worked my tail off that summer and played a role to become a starter. . . .  A lot of people didn’t realize I had the speed to take it 94 yards, so that was a play that really showcased my speed.”

The injury:  “I can’t blame anyone but myself, but obviously during the game I was holding the ball wrong, and my coach actually had me hold the ball while we were running the next day.  And I was a little sore, but in my mind, I was trying to get better, and I ran a little hard, harder than expected, and I ended up tearing my hip flexor. . . . It happened the day after the Western Michigan game, and it took me awhile [to heal]. . . .

Weight:  “I’ve struggled with weight my entire life, and I really wasn’t an eater.  I didn’t have to worry about it in high school; it’s just when I got to college that it was like, ‘Okay, you need to put on a certain weight.’  And with the training staff, if you didn’t make weight, you couldn’t work out.  That was the only punishment.  Well, it wasn’t really a punishment – if you wanted to get better, you’d make the weight.”

Humor:  “When you’re on the sidelines, everyone’s pretty much in the zone.  I don’t think I have any funny moments on the sideline, but I can tell Purdue probably has some funny fans.  They know a lot about you.  It surprises you because they know your girlfriend’s name and everything else.  I don’t know how they know that stuff; they’ll say some nasty things, but it’s really funny. . . . I looked forward to Purdue because I looked forward to hearing what they had to say. . . . Kelvin Grady probably had the best humor [on the team].”

Special teams:  “Well, I didn’t come to Michigan to be a special teams player.  I came to Michigan to become that player, that starter.  But due to a lot of injuries, that became my role, and I had to accept that role.  I had to use the special teams to step up and become a starter because that’s how it’s usually done.  You prove to the coaches that you want to play when you get it done on special teams.”

Differences between the coaching staffs:  “Coach Hoke and Coach Carr, they were both – and even Coach Rod is a wonderful coach.  But Coach Rod went about doing things different, which is okay, but going from a Big East school to a Big Ten school where it’s all about tradition, it’s just one of those things.  Michigan is one of those schools that lives off of tradition, and if you try to break it and players know that, then sometimes players can go against the grain. . . . The thing people fail to realize is when we get going with the game, there are certain ways how to approach kids, and if you’re coming at them from the wrong way, then they’re going to respond differently.  It’s one of those things that happened to where Coach Rod approached us the wrong way, and it kind of divided up the team, and players began playing for themselves rather than playing for the team. . . . Coach Hoke and Coach Carr were likable coaches that people want to be around them.  They are very warmhearted and just want to help others out.  I’m not saying that Coach Rod didn’t want to help anybody, but there are certain people that you can be around where they don’t have to say anything, but you can read them, and you know that they want to help you.”

Three and Out:  “No, I haven’t had a chance to read it, but I know he [John U. Bacon] isn’t welcome in the building anymore.  I’m sure he said something about Coach Carr, and he didn’t like it or took it the wrong way, so he’s not allowed in Schembechler hall. . . . People are interested and want to know what we do, which is fine, but just being under Coach Carr and Coach Hoke – and after a while Coach Hoke put locks on the doors and codes for us because he doesn’t want everyone in the building knowing our business. . . . The more people that know your business, the more trouble you’ll have.”

Free Press Report:  “Oh, are you talking about the 20-hour rule?  Well, honestly, everybody breaks the 20-hour rule.  It’s okay to break the 20-hour rule.  But in my opinion, there’re times when things become a little too much, and players and our bodies are starting to break down and everything else.  Former players that went under Michigan and were able to speak – they were looking out for us.  And they’re the ones that went to the NCAA and told them that our bodies were going through some things.   And not to knock anybody down, but I’m not going to lie.  Even though it was tremendously hard and football is hard in general, but just during that time in my career, I went through a ride, and it made me a better person and a better man, and it made me appreciate things a lot more in life.  So when those allegations happened, I can say that maybe it was a sigh of relief that we were going to change some things up a little bit, or we were forced to change things up.  But actually it was better for us; it was better for the health of players.”

8Aug 2012
Uncategorized 9 comments

Ask a Question: Brandon Herron

Linebacker Brandon Herron picks up a fumble and returns it 29 yards for a touchdown as
former Wolverine Dann O’Neill (#68) chases from behind

Bronco buster Brandon Herron has volunteered his time for an interview.  If you have any questions for him, leave them in the comments section and I’ll try to get to them when we talk.

7Aug 2012
Uncategorized 6 comments

Ask a Question: Zac Johnson

I should be speaking with Team 132 backup safety and longtime special teams starter, Zac Johnson, in the next few days.  Leave a question/topic for him in the comments section if you’d like, and I’ll try to get to it in the interview.

7Aug 2012
Uncategorized 34 comments

Troy Woolfolk Answers Your Questions

Troy with his dad, former Michigan running back Butch.  (Image via DetNews.com)
Former defensive back, Troy Woolfolk, answered quickly and emphatically when I asked him if his Michigan career went according to expectation.
“Not at all,” Troy said.  “I would say it was nothing like I thought it was going to be.”
In retrospect, his answer should have been obvious.  During his time at Michigan, Troy experienced a career-altering injury and frequent position changes while acclimating himself to three different head coaches and four separate defensive coordinators.  Of course, Troy made significant contributions both in the locker room and on the field, despite all of the unpredictability and adversity.  He finished his Michigan career with 91 tackles, five pass breakups, and 45 game appearances, including 23 as a starter.  He was recently kind enough to take some time out of his evening to reflect on his career, talk about his future, and answer many reader questions.

Being the son of Butch:  “It put a lot of pressure on me.  Everybody knows he was extremely good, and they would think that his son would go and do the same thing.  But it was also good because he was able to give advice because he had been down the same road.  And he got hurt as well, so he walked me through that and helped me keep a level head.”

Coming to Michigan:  “I really didn’t have an interest in coming to Michigan initially.  I thought I was going to stay in Texas with all the variety of schools there, or possibly Nebraska.  But right around the time I was thinking about signing, Michigan had a camp.  And he [Butch Woolfolk] was like, ‘Just go check it out and see how you like it.’  And when I went to the camp, that’s when I fell in love with the atmosphere in Ann Arbor and the coaches.  And at the end of the camp, Lloyd Carr offered me on the spot, and it was kind of a spontaneous decision, so I just went with it.  It’s kind of funny because a week before that, I wasn’t even considering Michigan and then a week later I became a Wolverine.”

Switching between corner and safety:  “It helped me with the knowledge part of the game. . . . But I think it also hurt me because I never got the chance to craft the art of playing either of those two positions.  So like I was never really comfortable in my corner stance nor comfortable being back there at safety.  I even played some nickel, so I never really got comfortable because I was always switching. . . . I preferred corner because it was much easier.  With corner you’re just worried about one guy whereas with safety, you have to scan the whole field, see if it’s run or pass, call calls.  So I’d say corner, even though it’s one of the most physically demanding positions.  I’d rather do that than think; I just want to play football.”

Constant coaching changes:  “It’s the same thing as with the positions:  it was hard to ever get comfortable with the coaches. . . . [As a player] you have to allow yourself to be coached, and it’s hard to do that with someone you’re not comfortable with and not trusting – which is why I think when Rich Rod was here we had a lot of trust issues and a lot of individuals on the field who didn’t want to listen to the coach and didn’t think he knew what he was talking about. . . . When Coach Hoke got here, he got a sense of trust already installed in us because he was already a coach at Michigan, and he was more able to connect with the players. . . . The main difference between the coaching staffs is that Coach Hoke stresses physicality.  We would do drills that had nothing to do with football, but just to see the toughness in the player.  We’d do this one drill where there was just this towel on a mat.  And at the beginning there’re two people holding it, and one person had to eventually take it from the other person.  It gets really rough down there; people get bloody noses and stuff.  It teaches you into becoming a man and how to hold yours. . . . [If Coach Hoke came to Michigan in 2008], we probably would have won a National Championship in 2011.”

The injury:  “I feel like I either didn’t properly rehab it or came back too early because throughout the whole [2011] season, it was giving me problems.  I just knew it wasn’t how it used to be, and it’s just really unfortunate because I was in the best shape of my life before that happened. . . . In the Dallas [Cowboys] camp, we did two-a-days, and on the first practice everything was good, but on the second practice it got fatigued and sore, and the more I practice on it, the stiffer it gets.”

The future:  “Right now Plan A is to use my Michigan degree to get a job. I’m still working out and keeping football on the back burner so that if my ankle ever does get right again then maybe, but right now that’s the B Plan.”

—————————————————————————————————-
2012 breakout Michigan player:  “Jake Ryan.  He’s extremely athletic.  He’s fast for his size, too.”

Most impressive Michigan teammate:  “Mario Manningham.  To watch that boy play was crazy.  He’s always finding some way to get open.  To see someone that quick and that fast and that athletic is just a crazy thing.  I’d say he’s the best athlete I’ve seen since I’ve been at Michigan.”

Most difficult player to tackle:  “The only one I can really think about is the Iowa running back this year (Marcus Coker).  You needed to get some help to bring that boy down.”