 |
| Pierre Thomas earned Illinois MVP honors in both 2004 and 2005. |
Chat Live With TB Pierre Thomas!
With spring drills just underway, preparations for the 2006 season, tailback Pierre Thomas' senior campaign, are in full swing.
Thomas answers your questions about the off-season, the team's improvment during winter strength and agility training, and what to look for during the next four weeks leading up to the April 22 spring game.
Pierre Thomas' bio
|
 |
| Moderator: We are ready to get started our first online chat of the spring season. Here's Pierre! |
|
| Brian, San Francisco: Hey Pierre,
Thanks for participating in this chat. What are your expectations this year in terms of number of carries per game? Did you feel physically that you could carry the ball more last year in each game than you did?
Have a great spring and good luck in the fall! |
 |
|
Pierre Thomas: I want to do whatever the coaches ask of me. Sharing the ball with EB and Rashard is fun. It gives the offense a lot expectations. We can confuse the defense by mixing it up. Of course I don't mind if they give me more carries. I am a competitor. |
|
|
| Bob (Springfield): Pierre, how do you feel you fit into Ron Zook's offensive scheme, and how different is it from Turner's, in your opinion? Thanks and good luck this season. |
 |
|
Pierre Thomas: It was new to me last year, out of the shotgun with a single back. Running the option is something I always wanted to do. I think it fits me well. I really like it. |
|
|
| James (Champaign): Pierre,
What do you think is the most important improvement you have had to make going into this spring? |
|
|
Pierre Thomas: Probably the biggest improvement i need to make is to be a more vocal team leader. I think I need to step that up. Help other guys out on the team. On offense, I just need to improve to help move the ball more. I am trying to get more strength, but really I worked on my speed and agility in the weight room and in team runs. |
|
|
| Travis(Lansing): Pierre, I played with you at T.F. South and I'm rooting for you big time this year!! Will you still be playing with that ankle brace, and are you faster than last year? |
|
|
Pierre Thomas: I have another ankle brace, much smaller. I worked out my ankle over the winter break and it is much stronger now. I think it helps me to be a little bit faster. You're right that was a big brace I had. It got heavy at times. We called it the boot. |
|
|
| Dave Zwanzig, Morton, IL: Does the no-huddle seem as confusing to the players as it does the fans? Do you miss the team spirit, encouragement, and energy that a huddle provides? |
|
|
Pierre Thomas: The no-huddle is different. It makes you think quicker about what you have to do. Zook is a fast-paced guy so that is how we are going to run his offense. The huddle does give the team a chance to catch your breath, but it also gives the defense a chance to get set too. You do miss the emotions of the huddle, but the quick pace is better for us so the defense can't catch up. You just have to find other ways to help motivate the team before the next play. |
|
|
| Justin (Denver): Pierre,
By the way, I love the way you run. The punishing of defenders is fun to watch. What is the ultimate goal for your senior year? Thanks, and I look forward to rooting you on.
JT |
|
|
Pierre Thomas: Punish more defenders! Help the team to as many victories as we can get. Just doing the best I can do. |
|
|
| Shane VanVossen Lansing IL: Whats up P? If you could let us know kind of what to expect this season since you have gotten some young new talent. Also do u know if your going to be the feature back or are you going to be splitting time with eb and rashard. lets hope you can be the feature. Good luck and have a great senior season. |
|
|
Pierre Thomas: Hey Shane. What's up? Coming into spring ball, I am really interested in what these young guys can do. This is one of the best recruiting classes we have ever had. It is our job to help them out and get them ready this summer. It is exciting to back in action this spring. Marques Wilkins who is a receiver here now and he has some great speed. Akim Millington, I have watched on film. He is one guy I am really excited about. We heard so much about him and now this spring we will see him in action. |
|
|
| Tommy from Chicago: What was the hardest part of Coach Hernandez's off-season strength and conditioning program? |
|
|
Pierre Thomas: Everything! You gain about 10 or 15 pounds of muscle with him. Everyone has been so excited with the outcomes we have had with Lou. We joke that we die in each run and each workout. He has pushed us more than we have ever been pushed before. He has made us better. |
|
|
| Brad from Cedar Rapids, Iowa: What is with the orange football Coach Mitchell has you guys work with? |
|
|
Pierre Thomas: It is very slippery. It helps us with our grip on the ball. Coach Mitchell is big on not fumbling. If we fumble, we are in trouble. |
|
|
| Alex from Rockford, Illinois: Could Illini fans see more I-formation this year with a fullback in front of you? |
|
|
Pierre Thomas: Yes, definitely. What makes this offense so fun are all the different things we can do with it. We got Walter Mendenhall back this year to play fullback, along with Russ Weil. You have to be a tough guy to play fullback. You have to take on some big guys, linebackers in this league. |
|
|
| Libertyville: How does it feel to take the field again after a long off season and start training again for the upcoming year? |
|
|
Pierre Thomas: Really we never stopped. As soon as the season ended, we were back in the weight room and running. It gets me hyped to get the pads back on, though. It is exciting to get back on the field. Next week we put the pads on. Just wait! But we have to be careful not to hurt our own guys. |
|
|
| Dick Barnes, Champaign: I know a number of the players have really "bulked up" during the off-season. How is your weight and body fat at this point, and has it affected your speed and endurance? |
|
|
Pierre Thomas: I think I am at a nice size. The size I wanted to be at since I got to college. Lou got my body fat down to 10 percent and I am at 215 pounds. I wanted to be in the range of 210 and 220 and I am excited I am in that area. My running style is that more weight helps me break more tackles. I am trying to keep that weight solid throughout the whole season. |
|
|
| Darren Dennis, Colchester, England, UK: How have you addressed areas of personal weaknesses during the offseason? |
|
|
Pierre Thomas: I got healthy, worked on my ankle. My speed will pick up with my new ankle brace. Lots of calf raises to get my muscles stronger in my left leg. The biggest area is getting my speed and form down. Everyone tells me I am too slow. But this winter I stayed up there with the other skills guys (I was down with the middle guys). I am happy about that. |
|
|
| Mike (Champaign): Pierre...(1) What different expectations do you have from your offensive line this season? (2) I would love to see you and E.B. line up in the wishbone formation, forcing the defense to key on both of you instead of only one. Is thi s a possibility this year? (3) I really like your don't quit attitude when you need to pick up that 1st down. Do you see your self playing on Sundays? |
|
|
Pierre Thomas: I would like to see me and EB back there together. They wouldn't know who to watch. We could do something outrageeous, like me handoff to EB or the other way around. I am not to worried about the future yet. If things go right then I will be happy with my success. Thanks for the compliments. |
|
|
|
Pierre Thomas: I just want to thank everyone for sending in your questions. If you can, you should come out to practice this spring. We would love to have you. We are looking forward to great things this fall and hope you are too. Go Illini! Hail to the Orange! |
|
| Moderator: Again thanks for all your questions! Please stay tuned to coachronzook.com this spring for video, audio and feature stories each day! |
|
|
