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ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO: OREGON v WISCONSINDecember 30, 2011Russell WilsonPASADENA, CALIFORNIA Q. How are you feeling today? RUSSELL WILSON: Feeling really good. Q. How excited are you with preparation for the game? RUSSELL WILSON: Real excited. It's been fun so far. Q. What's been most fun activity so far? RUSSELL WILSON: We went to the Lakers game last night, my first Lakers game, that was pretty awesome. And the Lawrie's Beef Bowl was pretty awesome, too. Q. How much beef? RUSSELL WILSON: I ate a little too much. I cut the fats off but I ate about three of them. I had them medium rare. Q. Can you talk about the focus? RUSSELL WILSON: Everybody is extremely focused. Obviously we are playing the grand daddy of them all and doesn't get any better than that so we are excited about the opportunity. Q. How do you feel? RUSSELL WILSON: Feeling great. As the week goes on, the more prepared I get. So I think I've always believed that when you're prepared, you're never nervous you and play confident you and play fast and you play smart and that's the way we have to be. Q. Have you thought what scripture you'll use ‑‑ RUSSELL WILSON: Not sure yet. May just go with my go‑to, Matthew 6:33 but we'll see. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: The transfer has gone unbelievable, from Coach Bielema welcoming me in, Coach Chryst, learning from him on a daily basis is pretty awesome. And the teammates, the team has been great to me and I've gotten to know all those guys extremely well and we have developed some unbelievable relationships and just the fans and in the area of Madison. Being from Virginia, I would never imagined myself winding up in Madison, Wisconsin playing college football but it's been a special place. Q. What is it about this program? RUSSELL WILSON: Coach Chryst is obviously an unbelievable coach, one of the best coaches in the country and he's helped me develop and continue as a quarterback. But he's focused completely on this football game and he's in there studying, studying, studying, just like I am, too. We'll be ready to go and we'll be excited about the opportunities. Q. Are you at a point where you're ready for it and let's go? RUSSELL WILSON: I believe that you can always prepare a little bit more but at the same time I'm always ready to go, too. If I can play a game every single day, I would, but that's not how it works. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: Or he gone defense is obviously very, very talented. Check they can they don't get to the Rose Bowl for no reason. They do a lot of things on defense and we have to play smart and execute and just play one play at a time. Don't put any pressure on ourselves, go out and have fun out there and play great football. Q. What do you have to do to come out‑‑ RUSSELL WILSON: I think one thing that you have to do is capitalize on the opportunities. Every opportunity that we get, game‑altering plays, whether they turn the ball over and we get short field position, we need to capitalize on those opportunities. Q. Anything you've seen that scares you? RUSSELL WILSON: Nothing that scares me, no. You know they have a lot a great defense and they have a lot of talent and they are well coached. It's going to be a battle and that's what we are looking forward to. Q. Is there a sense that‑‑ RUSSELL WILSON: Obviously winning the Rose Bowl is obviously a signature win and if we can do that and come out on top it would be great for the University of Wisconsin and the State of Wisconsin and recruiting and the players, too. The fact that a lot of these guys have been here, this is our second time in a row, and they lost last year. So that would mean a lot to these players. It would mean a lot to me, as well. Q. What's different about the secondary? RUSSELL WILSON: Despite the fact that their secondary is young, they are very talented and you notice that on film, you put the film on and that they have a lot of talent. They go against some of the top receivers in the country every week in the Pac 12 and some of the top quarterbacks, too. They have a lot of talent and it's going to be a great battle. Guys have to make plays and that's what it comes down to, execution and guys making big‑time plays at certain times. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: It's been remarkable. My family has come to pretty much every single game, my brother and fiancée and my mom and sister, they have been able to come every game and also I believe that my dad is at every game, too. That's pretty sweet, too. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: About every Monday on a normal week, we play on Saturday‑‑ on a normal week on a Monday, he normally texts me, let's me know some key points to focus on during the week or whatever, just to stay motivated and that's my big priority, looks out for me and is always taking care of me. Q. What does he say? RUSSELL WILSON: Main thing he says, have fun, it's your last college football game. Hopefully you'll have a lot more football games in the future, but your last college football game, go out with a bang and just lead the guys, make sure everybody is realizing it's a business trip and just play one play at a time and have fun and enjoy it. Q. What's the biggest difference? RUSSELL WILSON: I think the biggest thing is the Rose Bowl is the tradition, the atmosphere, the history behind it and the fact that so many players have played in this game in terms of Hall of Fame‑type players, guys like Drew Brees and Charles Woodson and different players like that. You have guys that have had long, long careers and it means a lot and you want to show up and have the best game that you can possibly play. Q. Have the coaches‑‑ RUSSELL WILSON: No, not at all. Coach Chryst is so focused and determined on being successful and competing, and that's what makes me and him click so well because we are so competitive all the time. He does a great job of making sure everybody understands what our goal is and what our mission is, and the key is to win. The key is to come out and have a great game from the first play to the last play. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: I'm expecting whatever it takes to win and whether it's scoring a hundred points or whether it's scoring ten points, we'll make sure that we do what it takes to put our best foot forward. We obviously know we are going against a great, great offense and they are going against a great offense as well and two great defenses out there, too. It will be a battle. I think the main thing is staying in the moment and weathering storms, when things are not going so well, just keep battling and keep competing. Q. Who do they remind you of defensively? RUSSELL WILSON: Defensively I would say athletically, probably Michigan State. A lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball that can fly around. Got good, fast corners and safeties and they are physical and just like them, so it should be a good game. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: Oh, I love them. I think they are great. Subtle but classic to what Wisconsin is and I think that's the good part about it. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: This week has been great, pretty spectacular just being in L.A., enjoying our team but still having that business mind‑set. We went to the Lakers game last night and that was pretty good to watch the Lakers win and watch Kobe Bryant shoot the ball around a little bit. Q. The whole team? RUSSELL WILSON: A good amount of players went, 40 to 50 players, I would probably say. Not everybody. We were sitting in nosebleed seats watching the game but it wasn't too bad. I was sitting right until the middle of the nosebleeds pretty much so you could see the whole court. So it was kind of cool. Q. What would winning the game mean to you? RUSSELL WILSON: Winning this game personally would show how much I've been through, all the ups and downs and all the great things I've done in the past year, past five years and getting to the point where I am now, and more than anything, it means a lot because I've been with this group for six months and it's been so special, so magnificent every day and I love it. Q. What makes this group so special? RUSSELL WILSON: I think the fact that I've developed such great relationships in such a short period of time with the guys that have such great leadership and guys that have such great worth ethic on a daily basis, that's been pretty awesome to be a part of that. Q. How has baseball helped you as a quarterback? RUSSELL WILSON: Well, I think playing baseball and playing quarterback are very similar to be honest with you. You have to have that mind‑set of one pitch at a time, one play at a time and especially playing quarterback. You have to forget about the play before no matter how good or bad it is, and I think that's the key and characteristic that I do have is amnesia forgetting the plays before and just moving on; no matter how good they are, how bad they are and just forgetting about it and just keep playing. Q. What do you think of Oregon's uniforms? RUSSELL WILSON: I've looked at it a little bit. Haven't seen it in person yet. Looks good. Not really worried about the helmets or uniforms or anything like that. We are more focused on what we need to do to win. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: No, you know where guys are and where they are going to be. It won't be a problem. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: Definitely one of the reasons why I came here, the tradition, the atmosphere, the head coaches, the players, playing in a pro‑style offense, but also being part of something special. When I called the first team meeting in the summer when I first got here in the first week of July, I told the guys, I want to be a part of something special. I want to make sure that we all put our best foot forward and do whatever it takes to win. And we definitely have done that this season, and we have come up through some hard times, losing two games in a row, but the fact that we get an opportunity to win the Big10 Championship, the first one ever, people remember that history and we have embraced history and now it's time to capitalize on another great opportunity. Q. What have you enjoyed the most about this experience so far? RUSSELL WILSON: I think the Lawrie's Beef Bowl was pretty cool. That was pretty special, just going there and watching the guys have a good time, just relaxing a little bit, sitting back with the whole team. Also going to the Lakers game was pretty special. There's only so many times you get to go to a Lakers game and watch some of the elite players in basketball, especially a team like the Lakers and in this cases. You don't see those two teams play in a playoff too much. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: I'm not a nervous type at all to be honest with you, and I'm excited about the opportunity. When the lights come on, it's time to play, and so that's what I'm excited about. I treat every practice like a game so I feel like I've been there the whole week anyway. Q. A lot of your teammates have talked about‑‑ RUSSELL WILSON:  Oregon does a great job of disguising their blitzes and moving around a lot and making different things happen. I think the main thing is just trust your eyes. As a quarterback you just trust what you see, play smart, play fast and guys just have to block it up. We'll do a good job. Q. Everybody seems to have a different key for this game, for you as a quarterback, it's probably everything, but what's the key to winning the game? RUSSELL WILSON: I always say weathering storms, and when things are not going so well, just keep competing no matter what. And every opportunity that we get to capitalize, we must do that, and that's the way I look at it, having that urge and having that sense of urgency to score, but at the same time, don't rush it. You've got to be cool, calm and collected and making sure that everybody is on the same page and that the communication is on a good level. Q. A couple of years ago, you had to sit back and write a paragraph and describe your experience as a Badger. How would you describe it here? RUSSELL WILSON: I may have to write a book one day. But I think more so than a paragraph. I think my time here has been truly special. It's been a blessing in my life. I've enjoyed every second of it. It's been one of those times where I'll never forget all of the moments that I've shared with these guys from being thrown into the ice tub to getting here my first day and hitting a goal post when Nick didn't believe I could hit it. And just enjoying school and getting my education and I'm going to graduate my graduate school program from the University of Wisconsin to developing relationships with the coaches and working with Coach Chryst, a guy who is the best offensive coordinator in the country and a guy who has a great opportunity to be a head coach in the University of Pittsburgh and just developing the relationships I've developed with my teammates is the important part. Q. What do you think of the uniforms? RUSSELL WILSON: Subtle, classy, University of Wisconsin style. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: I think they will be all right. I'm not sure they will be too worried about that. Q. What's been your best memory this week so far? RUSSELL WILSON: My best memory this week so far, I'd have to say the Lawrie's Beef Bowl, that was pretty awesome. Just to relax with the guys and just share that moment with the team, and then also going to the Lakers game, that was pretty spectacular, just being in a great venue with watching some of the most elite athletes play, that was pretty spectacular. Q. Aaron said his best memory is going to be being interviewed with Erin Andrews. RUSSELL WILSON: I don't know, that probably is his favorite one. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: Defense is very talented. They got to the Rose Bowl for a reason. They have a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball and they can fly around and are big and athletic and main thing is execute, play one play at a time, stay in the now and do what we can do to get touchdowns. Q. What makes Montee Ball so special? RUSSELL WILSON: What makes Montee Ball special is his desire to get into the end zone. He has something special to him that not too many people have. And it's good to have two guys in the backfield, meaning me and Montee, I want to get the ball in the end zone so badly and we have that desire to get him in there. The funny thing about Montee is the beginning of the season, he told me he never caught a touchdown pass before, before this season and I said, Montee, we have to work on that. His ability to come on the backfield, too, he can catch the football and that's something he's really worked on and something that has really elevated his game, as well. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: Of course I want to help Montee get that touchdown record, I'm proud of it and I want him to continue to excel and push himself. Before every game, I tell him, hey, let's be great today. And he looks back at me and let's be great. That's kind of our mind‑set is to not settle for being good or being average; it's to take it to another level every single opportunity that we get. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: No, I haven't gotten to see him yet but I'm sure he's a great kid. I watched him play several different times over the season and through his career, so he's got a lot of talent. Q. What are your impressions of what you saw? RUSSELL WILSON: He's very, very effective as you can see by the numbers. But also his ability to run the football and his ability to throw the ball, and to work the system that he works is pretty spectacular. Q. What you said about Oregon's defense, what impresses you about them? RUSSELL WILSON: Their athleticism obviously and their ability to fly around and make plays and cause a little havoc, I guess you could say. It should be a great game, though. The main thing we have to focus on as an offense is playing one time at a time, playing Wisconsin football, getting first downs and not turning the ball over and getting touchdowns when we get the opportunities. Q. You have a big offensive line‑‑ RUSSELL WILSON: The offensive line, they are the fourth biggest offensive line in the entire country including the NFL, average 6‑5, and probably about 320, now 330 after the Lawrie's Beef Bowl. They have a lot of talent and can move extremely well and that's the surprising part about how big they are. They are extremely intelligent, too. They will be excited about the opportunity to face some of the best defensive players in the country. Q. Every time I talk to the players‑‑ they always say they have. Are there more watching‑‑ RUSSELL WILSON: I think the thing about Oregon is they are so unique in their style of play. Obviously offensively, they move so fast with such a great tempo, they do a lot of different things, they have got a lot of talent on both sides of the football and so I think that unique style is so intriguing to college football players and NFL football players, as well. Q. Do you watch that at all and say, gee, how would I do in a system like that? RUSSELL WILSON: I wondered about that, I think I would be pretty good. I'm pretty smart, I can throw the ball around and make the right decisions. I'm glad I'm in the NFL‑style system I'm in and I'm glad I get to be behind these big uglies, I guess you could call them or whatever. It's been a great experience for me here playing the University of Wisconsin. Q. What have they told you about taking the field and playing in the Rose Bowl? RUSSELL WILSON: The guys say it's just so breathtaking. You walk out, come out of the tunnel and you're excited about the opportunity to get out there. But you come out for the Rose Bowl, everything is so amazing and pretty, the field looks great, the crowd is electric, there's so much tradition and there's that sense of history there when you walk out to that field and that's the great thing about it. You know, I think for me, it's just a blessing and it just shows how it's kind of‑‑ the Lord has worked everything out for me and that I get the opportunity to play another college football game and hopefully excel at the highest level possible. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: I definitely grew up watching the Rose Bowl. I watched Drew Brees play, I watched guys like Charles Woodson and several other guys play and excel in the football field and just some of my favorite players have played in this game. I'm excited about that opportunity. I'm excited to be a part of the Rose Bowl and the Rose Bowl tradition. Q. A lot of talk about your leadership skills this year and the special season; can you explain things you did as a leader to hold the team together? RUSSELL WILSON: I think the best thing that‑‑ in terms of holding the team together and making sure everybody was still on the same page, we talked. We had a team meeting and we just discussed what we needed to do and that's to focus on one practice at a time and then one game at a time and one lift at a time. Whatever it is, just be in the moment. We definitely did that. The leaders stepped up from the captains to the seniors to the juniors, they all led in the right way and made sure that we did the right thing at the right time and just worked hard every single day. When we had the opportunities, we had to push ourselves and shine and make sure we stepped up, and that showed throughout the rest of the season and in that Big10 Championship game, that showed up as well. Q. Is this what you expected‑‑ RUSSELL WILSON: To be honest with you, I knew that we had a great team and I knew we could do a lot of great things but we had to put the work in to do it. That's one of the reasons why I came here was I going to be part of an NFL‑style offense and help me in my career. I knew also the leadership we had in this team already, and the guys that were coming back to play here, were very, very talented and they have excelled on the football field. We have had great opportunities to play in the Rose Bowl before, and I know that would definitely be a possibility and that's one of the reasons why I came here. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: When you have a guy like Montee Ball who can score and get in the end zone and then run the ball so effectively behind those big offensive linemen, it really helps. Then when you also have him coming out of the backfield to throw him the football to and make plays and score touchdowns; that helps. And to add on to the fact that I can throw the ball extremely well down the field and make plays and also run the ball, too, it's a little threat. So it definitely helps, but you know, it all starts with the offensive line and their ability to pass protect and also run block for Montee. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: Living in Wisconsin has been a great experience actually. Madison is a beautiful area. Being from Virginia, I would have never thought that I was coming to Madison, Wisconsin and ever since I got here it's been a great experience. The summers have been unbelievable and the guys kept making fun of me; hey, man, it's going to get cold here right around November. It's going to be freezing cold and snowing. And I just kept telling Nick, listen, it's going to be perfect weather throughout the whole time I'm here and watch, and sure enough it's been 40 degrees and not too bad. I can handle 40 degrees. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: The offensive line is extremely talented. They are very intelligent guys and a good bunch of guys who believe in one another. Coach Bielema does a great job of making sure they are on the same page and they work very hard every day. Their excellence is due to the hard work they put in on a daily basis and that's the exciting part about these guys. A lot of those guys are going to have long, long careers and I am excited about their opportunities, too. Q. Is it bittersweet, that this is it? RUSSELL WILSON: Yeah, it's been a great six months or however many months it's been. It's been unbelievable. Every day I've cherished at the University of Wisconsin; it's just been so great to be a part of Coach Bielema's program and the University of Wisconsin and getting my education here and my graduate school program. I'll be done with that halfway through the spring, so that's a pretty awesome experience that I had the opportunity to continue my education, and also continue my football career. It's special and I've developed such great relationships with all of the guys on this team and that's really been a blessing in my life. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: I guess I'm an emotional guy, I'm a sensitive guy sometimes here and there. But at the same time, I realize that the Lord has brought me through here for a reason, and every step of the way is a great step and as long as I follow His plan; I don't know whether I'll be, I'm not really focused on that part. It's been‑‑ every day has been an emotional experience, just getting to know these guys and to be a part of something so special. That's been a great part about it. Q. What was it like walking into the locker room‑‑ RUSSELL WILSON: Well, walking into the locker room wasn't too hard for me. Playing pro baseball, playing the sports that I've played, going from place to place, with all of the trials and tribulations I've had in my life with my dad and all that kind of stuff, I've been so used to getting to know people and just adjusting. I think it's one of my best qualities in terms of adjusting and just speaking up and communicating and that's what I did one of the first days I did when I got to the University of Wisconsin is pulled the team together and told them what I was all about and that I was a competitor and I wanted to be the best and to excel and to be special and to be part of something special, and they liked that. Q. Were you concerned they would not accept you? RUSSELL WILSON: I didn't have any concerns. If I was worried about that I may not have come here. That's the feeling I got here when I came to visit was that they wanted somebody to lead and they wanted somebody to push them and make sure that I was going to compete every day, and they fed off of that. I've developed some great relationships, I've worked hard, and one of the first ones in the film room and last to leave and it's been just a great experience to get to know the guys and to learn the system so quick. That's one of my things, my goal when I got there on July 1 was to learn the entire NFL playbook, the style of play and all that, within a month, basically, three weeks. And I did that, I put my work in, and they fed off of that. Q. To get acclimated so quickly‑‑ RUSSELL WILSON: Yeah, I got used to those guys really quickly. I treat everybody like they are a starter or whatever. I get those guys out there and make sure I'm throwing a lot to them, whether if it's the first‑string guy, Nick Toon, or redshirt freshman, I make sure I throw to them all the time. Q. How about the backup quarterbacks? RUSSELL WILSON: Oh, gotcha. They did a great job of helping me learn the system. There's only so much they can do during the summer but once we got going and acclimated, I would ask them questions about the system and they would ask me questions about how I saw things. One of the things that I've helped them with is the timing of things and understanding what I'm seeing and how to play the game. When you're in the moment and you're playing the game, how to get adjusted to different things. Q. Did you ever think you would play in the Rose Bowl‑‑ RUSSELL WILSON: When I grew up on the east coast, my dad always he would say, it would be special if you would play in the Rose Bowl. And in the back of my mind I thought, yeah, it would be awesome, but no chance of me playing in it. Amazing how things come full circle. I'm here in the Rose Bowl, I know my dad is sitting right there on the 50‑yard line waiting. He's got the best seat in the house, waiting for the game to start, waiting for the coin flip and I'm excited about the opportunity. Q. How much does this justify your decisions? RUSSELL WILSON: Yeah, it's been a blessing. I prayed about it and I knew everything was going to work out despite what things look like after those two losses or whatever. I know things were going to work out, I wasn't worried about it. I knew I just had to keep trusting the Lord like I have and continue to work and continue to excel and try to get better on a daily basis. Q. A lot of things went into your decision‑‑ what was it about Coach Bielema's personality? RUSSELL WILSON: I think the best thing about Coach is he's so outgoing and tries to get to know the players. He got to know me really quickly. He's like a best friend, you know, to be honest with you. He gets to know you but at the same time he makes you work. He wants to see the best out of you. He wants to see the best out of all the players and he wants to see the best out of his program, and that's the exciting part about him. Q. Giving up a chance to get a scholarship‑‑ RUSSELL WILSON: The fact that Jared Abbrederis held on to be a walk‑on or whatever and let me have a scholarship basically or whatever, however it works, the logistics of it is a blessing in my life. He's helped this team out by doing that I think, and Jared is such a great player. It's amazing he's not on scholarship or whatever, because he's so amazing. He can do so many great things, and he works so hard. He goes 110 percent if that's possible, every day, and it's crazy to see him and his development over the season, his intelligence and his knowledge grow, and it's been exciting to see him mature. Q. What's going to happen to the position‑‑ now you're going to leave, is this positionin good hands? RUSSELL WILSON: I definitely think this position is in good hands. You've got Joe Brennan who has been the backup behind me this season. He's learned a lot from me. He asks me a lot of questions and he's got a lot of knowledge from that. You've got Joel Stave who is up‑and‑coming to be a very talented player. He's got great intelligence. He's got a great arm. He's got great athletic ability. Then you have guys, Curt Phillips, who has been going through some things but he'll be ready to go. And so you've obviously got Jon Budmayr, too, and he's working through some things and I believe that he'll be ready to go come the season, just got to keep praying about it and I definitely believe that things will work out for him. I definitely believe that Coach will believe that the right guys are playing at the right time and whoever it is, hand them the reins and hopefully do a better job than I did. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: Basically I had to learn the playbook myself. Coaches couldn't really help you. So I was in the film room by myself taking notes. I had to do flash cards and put a big old ring around the flashcards and I would just flip, flip, flip the flashcards back and forth and just try to learn the playbook. I learned pretty quickly. I'm a pretty quick learner so that's give thing, too. I learned the playbook. My goal was to learn it before preseason camp started so that way going into camp when I took the first huddle, guys trusted in me and guys could hear my confidence in my voice and I definitely believe they fed off of that. Q. Inaudible. RUSSELL WILSON: Well, I think the confidence level feeds off to everybody else on the team, and especially to the offensive players that are in the huddle with me at the time. My goal is to make the other ten guys in the huddle better every single time I'm in the huddle and I believe that confidence and that leadership has definitely shown and helped the rest of the team, as well. FastScripts by ASAP Sports ... FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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