During media days, players and coaches are asked all sorts of questions. The Daily Iowan collected some of the best quotes from day No. 1.
“For me, playing in the XFL after trying to make a run for the NFL, to be quite honest, was the most fun I ever had playing the game. Believe it or not, it wasn’t a great situation at quarterback because all the players made the same. But it made for no politics, people played to win, you got payed to win, and we had fun playing the game. It was about trying to be a little more entertaining – cameras on the field, cameras in the huddle, cameras in the locker room, and you tried to have fun with it.”
“When it came about, I said maybe I can play in the offseason and coach in my season, but that may last only a couple plays.” –Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm on the XFL.
Before heading the Boilermaker football team, Brohm was a first-team All-XFL quarterback for the Orlando Rage in 2001.
Brohm finished the season throwing for 993 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions, and held the league’s highest quarterback rating of 99.9.
After being knocked out of a game by a vicious hit, Brohm played the next contest and was asked why he returned so soon. Brohm’s reply went down in XFL history: “Let me answer that question by asking you two questions – one, is this or is this not the XFL? Yes, it is. Two, do I or do I not currently have a pulse? Yes, I do. Let’s play football.”
Purdue quarterback Elijah Sindelar said that video clip is passed around the locker room and used as a recruiting tool, as it displays Brohm’s passion for football.
“What you see on TV is how he is 24/7, believe it or not. I didn’t believe it at first, but he is like that anytime you see him. With his family, with his wife, it’s amazing to see, and it’s fun.” –Minnesota running back Rodney Smith on head coach P.J. Fleck’s energy.
“If you don’t have juice, he’ll give you the juice… There’s nothing that he can’t do to get you excited and pumped up.” –Minnesota linebacker Thomas Barber on Fleck’s energy.
With a slogan like “Row the Boat” that has encapsulated a program and its fan base, it would only make sense that Fleck is always as enthusiastic and charismatic as he his on-screen.
After winning the Holiday Bowl and going 9-4 in 2016, Fleck led the Golden Gophers to a 5-7 record in his first season with the Gophers in 2017 that he will look to improve on this upcoming season.
“The improvement will lead to success, will lead to championships.” –Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh on his record against rivals.
Harbaugh didn’t like the questions he was being asked.
In his opening press conference on Day 1 of Big Ten Media Days, Harbaugh fielded two questions in a row about his lack of success against rivals Ohio State and Michigan State, and only had one answer.
In Harbaugh’s three years at the helm in Ann Arbor, he is 1-5 against the Buckeyes and Spartans, with his lone win coming against Michigan State in 2016.