Pose Your Questions To Senior Linebacker J Slman

November 12, 2007

Pose Your Questions To Senior Linebacker J Slman

 J Leman, many say, is the heart and soul of the Fighting Illini defense.

Fifth-year senior linebacker J Leman was in the chat room today. Check out his responses to fans' questions.

Moderator: Good morning, everyone. Thanks for joining us. J is here and ready to answer your questions.

John (South Haven, Mich.): How do you guys prevent from a let-down against Northwestern after winning such a big game against the buckeyes?

J Leman: We're still playing for a lot. A chance to go to a big-time bowl game, and take the seniors out with a win. Northwestern's beaten us the last four years. This will be a hard game.

Christo Weston (COB Speicher, Iraq): J, how are you man?!? 'Been a long time. Tell Hap and Di hello! Our station in Iraq aired the game against OSU, and it was AWESOME!!! You guys taught an excellent class on, "How to Beat AP's #1, 101." You gotta believe, bottom line. I believe. I believe Zook's the Coach of the Year! J, my question...I don't think NWU is bringing much of a run game this weekend; can you tell Will Davis to bull-rush on every down for me? Thanks. He kicks butt. Second question, don't you just love superduper fast and overpowering d-ends? Gotta love 'em, and we sure can't complain even if they weren't. Congratulations, J! See you next December when we get back. 101st Airborne, Screaming Eagles!!!!!!!!

J Leman: First of all, Northwestern has run for over 100 yards the last three games. Sutton's back, and he has been playing well. I agree, a good pass-rushing defensive end makes all the difference to a defense. I'll tell the family "Hi," Chris. I'll cheer on the Salukis at the same time for you.

Charlie J. (Urbana): This is now the second time this year that you guys have defeated a top five team as an unranked opponent, not to mention a beating a top-20 Penn State team. Do you think you deserve to be ranked higher than 19th?

J Leman: I think we can play with anybody in the country. That was obvious last week. Sometimes, you don't take care of business in games you should win, and you're forced to suffer the consequences. We can't talk about what might have been. We have to focus on what we can still do. Rankings are somebody's opinion. I'll take our team against anybody.

Rachael, Champaign: Hi J, You are not the biggest linebacker, but you seem to have a power that is way bigger than your physical size... where do you get that power?

J Leman: As most people know, I'm a spiritual man. Every game, before I go out, I pray for the Holy Spirit to empower me and let me see the play before it happens. I also give as much effort as I can on every play, no matter what.

Al Green: How do you feel about knowing that after you leave, your old team will be one of the top, if not the top team in the Big Ten next year?

J Leman: It feels really good. Going from doormat to a soon-to-be dominator is quite an accomplishment. Hats off to all the players and coaches, as well as the fans who believed when it looked bleak.

Susan (Champaign): Help me 'tackle' this, to me, your uncanny ability you have to sniff out the ball carrier. Before the ball is snapped, what and who are you reading on the offense. What is going through your mind?

J Leman: There are a lot of things that go though my mind. Here's the list: 1. What's the personnel in the game? 2. What plays do they run out of that personnel group? 3. What's the formation? 4. What plays do they run from that formation? 5. Read the offensive linemen--are they light or are they heavy? Are they leaning one way or another? 6. Also, before the game, I pray for intuition and instinct.

Mark (Rockford): I remember you saying that you didn't even think about leaving early last year because you didn't think the program was turned around yet. Beating OSU, getting 8 wins (maybe 9), and getting to a bowl game, can you finally say that it is turned around?

J Leman: We're on our way. The hallmark of greatness is consistency. We have to continue to have success, week-in and week-out. That being said, I think we have come a long way in turning the program around.

Bob (Columbus, OH): Congrats on the big win here Saturday, you guys deserved it. If Weil cant go vs NW will you replace him with another blocking-type back or use more sets with both Dufrene and Mendenhall instead? Good luck!

J Leman: I'd love to play a little offense, but I don't think Coach would let me. The offense played without Weil for most of the game, and although he's an integral part of the offense, Rahkeem (Smith), a former linebacker himself, can fill in well. And we all saw what happened when Rashard Mendenhall and Daniel Dufrene were in at the same time---an 80-yard run.

Colin (Indiana): Tyrell Sutton is a dynamic offensive player for the Wildcats. Talk about what the defense can do to contain him this Saturday. Thanks J!

J Leman: Whenever you play a great back like Sutton, it's essential to wrap up and go down with the ball carrier. If you try to knock him out, he'll bounce off you. The number one thing is to get a great back on the ground.

Steve (Chicago): How glad are you now that you redshirted that first season? To be honest, I can't imagine this team without you. Congrats on a great career.

J Leman: Thanks, Steve. I'm extremely grateful. I was actually going to play my true freshman year, as the coaches told me I would be on special teams. The day after they told me that, I suffered a severe high-ankle sprain. This left me hampered for a good portion of the season, so they decided to redshirt me. It was a blessing in disguise.

Mark (Chicago): I've heard your house, Fort Monk, is a pretty sweet place. How does it feel to have lived with some pretty awesome dudes?

J Leman: It's a great place to live. But we're missing our former roommate, who moved out two years ago, Mark McGoey, who was really the true founder of the house.

Derrek (Peoria): The 4th down gamble by Zook has been talked about a lot now, but as a linebacker, what did you think? To me that says a lot about Zook's faith in his defense, because you guys had already shut them down when they had a short field.

J Leman: I was saying, "go for it!" As a defender, I know how hard it is to stop a sneak from such short yardage. It also speaks volumes about Coach Zook's faith in the defense. Put us in any situation, and we'll respond.

Justin (Denver): J, Illini nation is proud of you, man! To me you are the poster boy for the turn around of Illinois Football. Tell me how good it feels to know that your class are the leaders of this resurgance. I know the big time recruits get a lot of the hype, but it's you seniors who have guided them. Good luck and please take care of the Wildcats. See you in January.

J Leman: As seniors, our biggest goal has always been to turn the program around. To see that come to fruition in our final year is very satisfying. It's also satisfying to see the foundation laid for the future of this program. The future is bright.

Larry (Champaign): How does Coach Zook replace the loss of J Leman in 2008? Obviously there is still some talent at linebacker, with Brit and Martez, but it seems like there is going to be a void there in the middle.

J Leman: There won't be any void. Brit Miller, as well as Ian Thomas and other young players, have the talent and the knowledge to be great players. I don't think the Illinois defense will miss a beat.

Timmy (Carbondale): Great job on the "Illini Cribs" video tour of our facilities J. Pierre Thomas set the bar high, but I think you might have eclipsed it. My question is, who hosts the segment next year?

J Leman: My vote would be either for Vontae Davis or Brit Miller. It will be an improved version, since our facilities will be much improved between now and then with the Stadium construction.

Alex (Bloomington): What were your thoughts when Coach Zook was hired 3 years ago? Whats it like to play for him?

J Leman: I was excited when he was hired. The guy's a winner. It's been great to play for him; he's taught us so much. Most importantly, to play in the moment, whether in the game, or in life. If something good happens, keep going. If something bad happens, keep going. Stay in the moment.

J Leman: Thanks, fans, for sending in all of your questions. Sorry we couldn't get to all of them. J is off to class. This is the last chat of the regular season. We hope to set up one or more during bowl-game preparation, so stay tuned.

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