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Wednesday, July 23, 2008
A look inside SEC Media Days
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hoover, Ala.-After leaving the laid-back shores of Lake Oconee, the site of the ACC kickoff, this morning we are in this Birmingham suburb to begin three of the most intense days in our business-the annual SEC Football Media Days.
This event is not for a media member who just has a passing interest in the sport. It is 12 hours of wall-to-wall, hardcore football talk spread over three days. But to me these meetings mark the official beginning of football season. It’s tiring, but it’s fun.
Let me give you a sense of how this works and to set up the schedule for the rest of the week.
Today’s first session begins at about 1:45 p.m. when SEC commissioner Mike Slive addresses the assembled print media. He stands before a podium in a very large ballroom and gives his introductory remarks and catches us up with any news that is going on in the conference. Then the interviews begin.
Each day we spend about 4-5 hours interviewing players and coaches from four of the 12 SEC schools. Today’s schools are Florida, Mississippi State, LSU, and Vanderbilt Among the players scheduled to meet with the media today are Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, the Heisman Trophy winner. His teammate, OT Phil Trautwein will also be here. Old Phil might get a little lonely during the interview sessions because most of the writers will want to talk to Tebow. And when they talk to Phil, most of the questions will probably be about his quarterback.
FYI: I am working on a story about Tebow and the incredible travel schedule he has kept since winning the Heisman Trophy. It will be in Thursday’s print section and should be posted on ajc.com sometime tonight. You won’t believe what this guy does in the little free time that he has.
Each player and coach spends just over two hours being interviewed. And during that time they have to make stops in 10 different rooms. They spend 40 minutes in the print/internet room because it is by far the largest and then 10 minutes each in a radio/internet room and three different rooms for local television in the SEC markets. Raycom, SEC-TV (that’s not a network but some shows that are produced for cable outlets like FSN South), CSS, CBS, and ESPN all have their own rooms and get 10 minutes each with each participant.
The coordination of this is very complex. The coaches and players are pulled from room to room through the Wynfrey Hotel like rock stars or presidential candidates in a desperate effort to stay on schedule. The time for every appearance in every room is scripted for all of the players and coaches. If one coach or player lingers too long in one room it can throw off the entire schedule.
For example, here is the schedule for Georgia coach Mark Richt once he arrives here Thursday morning. All times are Central:
8:40-9:20-Print
9:20-9:30—CSS
9:30-9:40-TV1
9:40-9:50-TV2
9:50-10:00—TV3
10:00-10:10-Raycom
10:10-10:20—Radio/Internet
10:20-10:30-SEC-TV
10:30-10:40-CBS
10:40-10:50—ESPN
Two coaches and four players are put through this cycle. Then two more coaches and four more players are brought in and the process starts all over. This goes on for three days. Just telling you about it makes me tired.
But here is the lineup for the week with the players in parentheses:
Today (2:10 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.)
Florida (Urban Meyer, QB Tim Tebow and OT Phil Trautwein).
Mississippi State (Sylvester Croom, QB Wesley Carroll and LB Jamar Chaney)
LSU (Les Miles, C Brett Helms and DE Tyson Jackson)
Vanderbilt (Bobby Johnson, S Reshard Langford and WR George Smith)
Wednesday (9:40 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
Alabama (Nick Saban, OL Antoine Caldwell, S Rashad Johnson)
Georgia (Mark Richt, WR Mohamed Massaquoi, DT Jeff Owns)
Ole Miss (Houston Nutt, DE Peria Jerry and OT Michael Oher)
Tennessee (Phillip Fulmer, DE Robert Ayers and RB Arian Foster)
Friday (9:40 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
Auburn (Tommy Tuberville, C Jason Bosley, DE Sen’derrick Marks)
Kentucky (Rich Brooks, DE Jeremy Jarmon and WR Dicky Lyons, Jr.)
Arkansas (Bobby Petrino, LB Elston Forte and C Jonathon Luigs)
South Carolina (Steve Spurrier, LB Jasper Brinkley and WR Kenny McKinley).
Let the fun begin.
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