Illinois Football Training Camp Session Three
August 12, 2004 | Football
Aug. 12, 2004
Champaign, Ill. -
Illinois football training camp continued with practice No. 3 this afternoon at the Memorial Stadium East Practice Field. After two days in T-shirts and shorts, the Illini put on shoulder pads for the first time for today's practice. See below for a transcript of selected quotes from Head Coach Ron Turner as he met with the media following practice.
FAN APPRECIATION DAY FRIDAY:
The annual Media/Fan Appreciation Day will be held Friday, Aug. 13 at Memorial Stadium. Media will begin the day with a Coach Turner press conference at 4:30 p.m., followed by player interviews. But the fun for fans begins at 6:30 p.m. (6 p.m. for Quarterback Club members), when they have a chance to take pictures, get autographs and throw the football with their favorite Illini players. Admission is free to the general public and parking is available in the North lots of Assembly Hall. Fans can enter the stadium through the horseshoe entrance.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
The Illini have two more practices at Memorial Stadium before moving to the former Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Ill. The team will work out in shells at 8:40 a.m. on Fri., Aug. 13 and will be in full pads for the first time on Sat., Aug. 14. at 8:40 a.m.
Post-Practice Quotes from Head Coach Ron Turner
On today's practice...
"We did a lot of good things, but we've got a long way to go. But we're getting there, slowly but surely."
On the play of safety Travis Williams...
"He's a bright kid with a good work ethic. He's doing a good job."
On the transition of players that have switched from offense to defense...
"They're excited to be there. They're happy with what we're doing and they're doing a good job."
On the choosing of a defensive coordinator...
"I talked to Mike (Mallory), and I talked to Donnie (Thompson) and Scott (Shafer). I obviously know them so it wasn't like I had to bring them in and interview them. We just talked about philosophy and schemes and Mike was a good fit. I thought Donnie and Scott were also very qualified. All the guys I talked to were very qualified, it just seemed to make sense that Mike was the right guy. The fact that he had experience in the secondary and could tie in the secondary and the front and all that stuff and overall, I liked the philosophy he was talking about."
On how much time he spends on the defensive side...
"I'm spending the amount of time that I want to be, which is not as much as I have the last two years. I'm able to get back and spend more time with the offense. I'll obviously watch what we do defensively and go to Mike with suggestions, but I'm having to that less and less, which is a good thing."
On Coach Shafer...
"I like that he's a football coach. I like the way he communicates. I like his knowledge and enthusiasm. He does a great job of communicating with the athletes. We had him work camp, so I had the opportunity to see him work and be around him, so that helped too."
On Shafer and Mallory...
"They've been together about eight years at Northern and different places so they get along very well."
On meetings with all of the defensive coaches...
"I let them talk, I listen. I ask them if they were in charge, what would they do. Defensively if you're the coordinator, what would you do the same, what would you do differently, what would you do overall. What would your bases, fronts and covers be, what would your philosophy be."
Senior Quarterback Jon Beutjer
On the quarterbacks as a unit...
"We've definitely thrown a lot since last season. Through the winter, in the spring and in the summer, so I think we've built a good rapport and I have a lot of confidence in these guys."
On the play of the receivers...
Kendrick (Jones) is really doing well. DaJuan Warren, Lonnie (Hurst), (Mark) Kornfeld, all the receivers are doing really well. It's our job to get them the ball, we need to do a better job of that, but we're improving."
On Lonnie Hurst...
"He's got a lot of potential. He's still got a lot of things to work on, like all of us do, but he's got a lot of potential and we all have confidence throwing to him."
On the offense...
"This offense is all about experience and the more experience you get, the more confident you get and the better you play. These receivers are getting a lot of reps right now and they'll continue to improve as camp progresses."
