University of Georgia Athletics
An Inside Look At The 2009 SEC Media Days
July 24, 2009 | Football
Jeff Owens documented his trip to the 2009 SEC Media days with a camera borrowed from FSN.
Photo Gallery | Quotes from former Bulldogs | Watch Video | Richt Interview
SEC Media Days is underway at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Ala. Georgiadogs.com was there today with head coach Mark Richt, quarterback Joe Cox and defensive tackle Jeff Owens to bring you a behind-the-scenes look at the annual event.
Also in attendance for Thursday's session: Alabama (Coach Nick Saban, OL Mike Johnson, LB Rolando McClain); Mississippi (Coach Houston Nutt, QB Jevan Snead, DB Kendrick Lewis); and Florida (Coach Urban Meyer, QB Tim Tebow, LB Brandon Spikes).
Here's a play-by-play of what happened Thursday.
6:45 a.m. (ET): Athens Ben-Epps Airport. The sun's just coming up, and everyone is yawning. Joined by three members of the UGA Sports Communication staff, Richt, Cox and Owens are all suited up. Sure, it's early morning and most people are still sleeping, but Owens is on his phone. Not talking, mind you, but Tweeting. (See twitter.com/jeffowens95).
The group boards the University's 8-seater plane, and embarks on a short flight to Hoover.
7:10 a.m. (CT): After departing Athens, Ga., at 7:07 a.m., the plane arrives in Alabama at 7:10 a.m. Welcome to the Central Time Zone. The start of a hectic day is now only a 15-minute drive away.
7:40 a.m. (CT): Once we arrive at the Wynfrey Hotel, we're ushered into a suite on the third floor, where Richt has a small media session with a group of writers, both local and national. I spotted Chris Lowe of ESPN, Dennis Dodd of CBSSportsline.com, Anthony Dasher of UGASports.com and other familiar faces. Cox and Owens sit to the side as onlookers, knowing that they'll have plenty of media to speak to in just a few minutes.
8:20 a.m. (CT): The door to the suite opens and we all glance over to see just who is joining us. In walks Alabama head coach Nick Saban and the Alabama entourage. Richt looks up, smiles. "Hey, Nick." He says hello in return and then sits on the far side of the room with a separate group of media. Owens looks at Cox and smiles. "Should I go talk to Saban? He did recruit me..." They both laugh.
8:30 a.m. (CT): David Ching, sports editor at the Athens Banner-Herald, comes over to interview Owens. Being his second year at SEC Media Days, Owens is prepared. He pulls out a small video camera and turns the table on Ching, asking a few questions of his own. FSN has lended Owens, as well as a few other players, a video camera to document his trip and conduct interviews. I think Owens has a future in broadcasting once his football career is over.
8:40 a.m. (CT): Time for the players to face the media. I follow Owens and crew to his first stop: "TV1," a room with about 20 television cameras and several other media personnel. It's pretty obvious Owens has been here before; he moves confidently and methodically to the front of the room, taking his seat in front of the cameras, all while using his own camera to document the experience.
And the first of many questions about Twitter is asked. "I'm just Tweeting about being here." And your blog? "Everybody check out my blog, jeffowens95.blogspot.com."
There are a lot of questions about the defense, and Owens keeps referring to the "JKG set"—Jeff Owens, Kade Weston, and Geno Atkins across the middle. He's truly fired up about the potential that the defensive line has this year.
The print & internet press conference room.
8:46 a.m. (CT): One question I'm sure these guys will hear all day: What can you say about (Florida quarterback) Tim Tebow? Owens responds with a smile. "Tim Tebow is a great football player. I hope I get to interview him today."
8:50 a.m. (CT): Richt is in the "Print/Internet" room, which is filled with hundreds of writers typing (and blogging and Tweeting) away on laptops. Someone in the giant crowd asks Richt for his opinion on the location of the Georgia-Florida game.
"I want to focus on winning that game." Sounds like this will be his go-to answer to that question from here on out.
What about the "blackout?" Richt says they may wear black jerseys again, but if the fans don't want to support it then it won't work. "Our fans may not want to after what happened at the Alabama game last year." For the record, Georgia is 2-1 while wearing the black jerseys, including two very exciting wins to go with that one loss.
9:03 a.m. (CT): You're up Joe. As we head into another makeshift press conference room, 8 TV cameras surround Cox and company as he walks. Another couple dozen cameras and media members are waiting for the fifth-year senior. He sits down at the table and straightens his tie. He's become comfortable being in the spotlight, now that he's taken the reins from former quarterback Matthew Stafford.
A faceless crowd fires question after question about Stafford and what it's going to be like without him and Knowshon Moreno. Joe is prepared, having heard these questions several times before.
Do you realize that people are doubting you and this team? "We look forward to proving people wrong," he says.
9:17 a.m. (CT): Next up for Joe: CBS interview. You'll probably see bits and pieces of this interview throughout the 2009 football season. They ask Cox about personal goals for the season. "I just want to win," he says.
9:30 a.m. (CT): Richt heads into "TV1," ready for another barrage of questions. The microphone stand is full, so one television station had to improvise. "I like the microphone propped up by the styrofoam cup. Great stuff," he says, and opens it up to questions. A few seconds of silence. "I like this crowd," he says. They get rolling with questions quickly, however, and most are repeats of earlier ones. Richt is a pro and answers each one with patience and sincerity.
Joe Cox during an interview with CSS.
9:50 a.m. (CT): We head down the hall to CSS's makeshift studio and Richt tapes a segment for "Talkin' Football" with Tony Barnhart, Mark Schlabach and Bob Neal. Cox shows up minutes later to do his spot. It's like Richt, Cox and Owens are playing musical chairs with the media. Cox answers more questions about Stafford with a smile. "I've heard them all, but it is pretty cool to follow in his footsteps," he says.
CSS's Sandra Golden asks Cox about rising-sophomore receiver A.J. Green. "Sometimes at practice we'll all look at each other and say, 'How did he do that?'" It sounds like he's excited to have the chance to throw to a guy like Green on a regular basis.
With recruiting season in full-swing, Joe is asked about his signing day and whether he pulled the popular last minute hat switch. He laughs and says, "I didn't have any hats to switch."
10:30 a.m. (CT): A quick pass through the hotel lobby and it's mostly full of Alabama fans with a few Florida and Georgia fans here and there. It helps that this event isn't too far from Tuscaloosa, Ala. We get a few quiet boos as the opposing fans notice our Georgia gear.
11:00 a.m. (CT): We've all retreated to a side hallway while we've got a few minutes to kill. We get a quick video interview with Richt, which you can watch on GXtra later tomorrow (Friday).
After a short breather, the three Georgia reps split up to fulfill more media obligations.
11:30 a.m. (CT): It's time to visit what they call “Radio Row," a wide corridor on the first floor where dozens of radio stations are broadcasting live. Stations from Atlanta, Jacksonville, Memphis and a number of other cities are present to talk to the array of SEC superstars in attendance. Cox and Owens move station to station, and it seems like they're having a good time with it.
12:30 p.m. (CT): We head back upstairs for lunch (Chick-Fil-A) and relax for a few minutes before we head out. We move back downstairs through the lobby while Cox, Owens and Richt spend about 15 minutes signing autographs.
1:10 p.m. (CT): After a long and hectic day, it’s back to the airport where the plane is waiting on the runway.
3:20 p.m. (ET): A little turbulence on the way back, but otherwise a smooth flight back to Athens and another SEC Media Day in the books. Only 44 days until kickoff!
