Bobby Bowden Sunday Media Q & A: Part 2-

This is the second part of Bobby Bowden's Sunday media conference. He talks about the O.C. position, Florida, and the bowl game.

Q: Would you want to wait until after the season ends before you contact someone about the job?

A: I'll probably wait until after the season is over because I don't think they want me contacting another coach from another school until their season is over.

Q: You mean the regular season?

A: Regular – well, I'll probably start making inquiries after the season is over. I don't know what I'll do. Right now, I'm just thinking about names.

Q: Because of the nature of that position, recruits are going to want to know who that person is. You will want to move as quickly as possible, won't you?

A: As quickly as feasible. The most important thing is to get the right man, no matter what recruits think. If I bring the wrong man in, they'll have to suffer with it for three or four more years. If I bring the right man in, that's the most important thing.

Q: What will you look for in the right man?

A: The best offensive person I can find. I don't want to talk about that much. I've got four coaches up there wondering if they've got a job. I don't want to discuss what I'm thinking because it might affect them. It's best to not even talk about that.

Q: Even with the disappointment that this is happening, is there something exciting about the times you do make changes on your coaching staff? In other words, you can re-mold or re-shape it?

A: It does have that. Any time you bring a new person in, it causes some hope or excitement or something like that. It does have that. How many jobs can you think of last year where a coach fired his staff and brought in another staff and it didn't work?

Q: Was last night a little bit of a step forward?

A: We needed to win bad. We needed to win.

Q: Twenty-five years in a bowl, that's important to you isn't it?

A: Yeah. If you've got streaks going, you sure hate to lose 'em. We broke a lot of them this year. You hate to break those streaks. But you know what, I'll let you have every record we've got and break it if you let us have a great year next year.

The approach I took with our players last night was I told our guys we've got a chance to be pretty good next year. We've got so many of you guys coming back with experience. But we need to win for our seniors. They want to go out on top. We don't need to wait until next year. We need to try to do it now.

Q: Talk about the challenges of where this team is and playing against a team that is two or three in the country and how far away are you from being at a level that is competitive with those teams and winning those ball games?

A: Competitive with Florida?

Q: With a team that is in the top five?

A: We are probably a lot more immature than they are. We are probably, in talent level, pretty close but there is a difference between playing a talented guy who is a senior and a talented guy that is a freshman or sophomore. I think we will be close talent-wise. Maybe not as close up on the line of scrimmage but you have got to play errorless ball.

Q: How much will the loss of Antone Smith going to hurt your running game?

A: Well, I will tell you how much it meant. Last week we had decided that since he is being more productive to start him and take (Lorenzo) Booker and work him more as a wide receiver. So that is the way we had prepared last week and after two plays we get it. Then Booker had to go out and play tail(back) which is good because he did a good job but we were really going to try to feed Antone a little bit and see what he could do. That is out now.

Q: You mentioned winning for your seniors and going out on a high note and no matter where you play or who you play in a bowl game you won't play a higher ranked team than Florida. Do you even have to mention that to the players that this is the way to go out on a high note?

A: Florida - I wouldn't even have to tell them that. Everybody knows. Florida against Florida State is different. It is, that is kind of one you know before the season even starts.

Q: Is this game similar to last year after you had lost to Florida, prepared to play Virginia Tech, nobody gave you a chance, and then you pulled out a victory?

A: Yeah, you never know. They have been through it so they know what can be done.

Q: Do you think the nature of this game, with it being a rivalry, has the possibility of being that sort of defining moment?

A: Well there is no doubt about this game, it will always be one, you darn right. Florida, right now, looks about as good as anybody in the country.

Q: What is your relationship with Urban Meyer?

A: I never see Urban. I think Urban might have visited Florida State when he was an assistant at Notre Dame or maybe somewhere else. So anyway, when he became the head coach at Florida I ran into him at a Nike deal and got to meet him and his wife and had lunch with him. I don't know if I have seen him since then, maybe once somewhere. He reminds me of Charlie Pell a lot, style. He doesn't remind me of Spurrier, two contrasting styles. He is more like Charlie Pell. I thought Charlie was a great coach.


Q: When evaluating the quarterbacks, how difficult is it to realize that Drew has now had 20 starts and Xavier is making similar mistakes but doesn't have similar experience, does that make it more difficult to evaluate maybe who is better for the job right now?

A: Yeah, I think you have to keep all of that in consideration. Drew is a guy that was in there when we beat Virginia Tech and Drew was the guy in there when we did this and that. Lee was in there when we did this. Yes, all of that has to be considered.

Q: Where do you sense Drew began to struggle?

A: Well you know, he hurt his foot and I will ask him a lot of times, 'Drew is your foot okay' and he might say I think it will be okay or I can feel it a little bit. Now how much that is affecting him, I don't know how much it affecting him, but it could affect him some. He doesn't look as consistent as he was a year ago. Maybe that will come back. Plus, that team yesterday had a good blitz package and remember they lead the nation in blitzes and that isn't by accident. They have the leading blitzer in the country. When they come, they come. I am talking about you better get ready so you don't know how much that has an affect on the dog gone quarterback.

Q: Have you seen anything of Tim Tebow?

A: I just see highlights of him every now and then. He must be a phenom.

Q: I was wondering your impression of him since you did recruit him early on.

A: We would have but we didn't have a shot at him. His mother and dad went to Florida and plus we were playing two freshman at that time. I don't think we had a shot at him. Would have loved to have had a shot.

Q: Is Lawrence Timmons at the point where he is the best play on the field some days?

A: I wouldn't be surprised. He is mighty good. He is beginning to show. He had a great spring for us. He was chosen as the outstanding, most valuable player during spring training I believe. He had a good spring and he has played good this year. Lately, the last couple games he has really played good.

Q: Would you prefer San Francisco or Boise?

A: I can't answer that.

Q: Do you like the Pac-10 or the WAC?

A: I like that high mountain, that sierra mountain league, whatever it is.