University of Tennessee Athletics
Comments of UNLV Head Football Coach John Robinson
August 31, 2004 | Football
Aug. 31, 2004
Q1. You have two good quarterbacks coming into the season's opener. Have you named your starter for the first game?
A- "Kurt Nantkes was our starter last year. He suffered through an injury-plagued season. He had an abdominal strain, which is kind of an expanding injury in college sports right now. It kept him out all of spring practice.
"We have a young quarterback named Shane Steichen, who was a freshman last year. We said we were going to let them compete in the fall. Steichen had the job all spring, and Nantkes and Steichen competed throughout the fall. Nantkes is healthy. It was a good competition type thing for both of them. Nantkes is experienced and I think he is going to be a good quarterback. We feel both of them will be improved over what we were last year, which was not very good. I think we can improve at that position.
"We will play both at quarterback. I think that is the thing about the first couple of games, is that you have got to continue to look. We really have the feeling that pre-season practice is shortening in the terms of the amount of work that you get done. So I think you have to continue to work into the first game to continue to evaluate your squad. But those two will be our quarterbacks."
Q2. With 52 upper classmen on your roster, certainly the experience level of your team has to be helpful to your squad?
A- "I think this is the first time since I have been here that we have any kind of depth and experience that we would like have. That part is true. We have had a difficult injury issue this fall that has cut into some of that experience. We are a more experienced team."
Q3. Despite the injuries, what kind of progress do you feel your team has made in the pre-season?
A- "It is the worst injury situation I think I have ever had in my career. We have four starters that are not going to play in the game, and two of them are out for the year. We just lost Pete Dunbar last night to a knee injury, and although it is preliminary, it doesn't look good. And we lost tight end Greg Estandia, and a real good punt-returner and wide receiver in Tremayne Kirkland. This looking like a war zone here. But that is part of college football. We will get a couple of the as the season goes on. We have a chance as the season goes on to probably be a better team than we have been."
Q4. What do you expect from this Tennessee team?
A- "I think you look at their personality. It is too early in the year to try and evaluate the individuals, but certainly looking at their personality in an established program and say this is what they are going to do. They have long had the reputation of having great speed and they certainly have great size. So from the basic physical attributes, Tennessee is known for both of them. That kind of scares you. We played against them years ago and they had the three fastest human beings in the world playing for them. I remember three great receivers back then, and I don't think it is the same three guys but they have an elite program and very, very good players."
Q5. Having coached Anthony Munoz when he was at USC, talk about Michael and how he reminds you of his dad.
A- "The last time I saw him he was in the ninth grade, or something like that, and he was only 6-4, 280 then. So I am sure he has grown a little bit since then. But they are a great family. Anthony, Michael's dad, is one of the great, great human beings I have ever been around. He is maybe one of the best players at his position to ever play the game. He had a lot of injury problems at USC and he didn't have a full career. But he had a great career while he was playing at USC. But he is a great person. And, that is one of the great joys in coaching just to see father and son and talk about the continuing effect football has had on two men; one the father and the other who can, maybe, approach what his father did. But I know they are both great guys."
Q6. What memories do you have of playing in Neyland Stadium?
A- "I have half-timers disease. I forget about half of the things that happen to me. I remember winning. It was a great experience. I think one of the things in a coaching career and a player's career is that you remember the big places and the big games. Tennessee is a big place and one of the best environments in all of college sports. For our kids this is an unusual setting. If you are in the Southeastern Conference, there are a lot of those experiences. But for our kids it is a unique experience. That is what I am trying to say to them. That this is a treat to get to go here and play, and experience this thing with all of these people. But this is the thing you dreamt about when you were a kid. When you are a kid, you dream about playing at Tennessee, USC, Notre Dame or somebody like that. So here you are, and you get a chance to go there. I think this is a treat for us. I realize they are a tremendous favorite and all of that. But we are going down there with the attitude that this is a tremendous chance for us."
Q7. What are your thoughts on Tennessee defensively?
A- "As you watch them play you understand they have a tremendous group, and they have a tradition of being very good. Like us they have young players. Young players contribute faster on defense. And I think it is true in the NFL too. If you have got it, .if you are one of those great athletes then you can walk in and play defense, particularly an attacking defense. So I don't know if youth as corner or something like that becomes a scary thing. I expect their defense to be very good. I honestly don't know very much about them, other than what we watched on film of them from last year. But the guys coming back are good. They impressed me."
