April 2, 2001

Head football coach Kevin Steele sat down Monday afternoon and chatted with fans online. The following is a transcript of the chat session.

Head baseball coach Steve Smith will be our next guest. For a complete schedule of Baylor coaches scheduled to chat, click here.

BORK02: I am a huge Baylor Football fan, and would like to first of all thank you for taking the time to answer questions from us. I was present at the Green and Gold and was very impressed by the freshman walk-on Gold running back Draa. He found his assignments quickly without second guessing himself or stutterstepping. What are our plans to keep him here and involved in the running game. I was eager to see the way he handled the passing game and could you tell me what he is like as far as attitude because we have had problems with our tailbacks in the past(Ben Gay) and are we going to use a lot of one back, and shotgun plays this coming season. The defense looked great, and I believe you are doing a great job with the team. Sic' Em BEARS!!

Kevin Steele: Frankie is a highly competitive, tough, smart player. His quickness is his strongest athletic trait, and like other positions, he gives us competition, and competition makes everyone better.

Randel: Coach Steele, What is the QB situation going to be like this year? We started 5 different QB's last year and none of them looked to be the answer for long term. Who is going to be the Guy this year? And after this year, who can we look forward to being our signal caller and getting this thing turned around?

Kevin Steele: We do have long range planning, but first let's get through this year. Greg Cicero is listed as No. 1, Josh Zachry at No. 2, and Aaron Karas finished the spring at No. 3. The problem is that we recruited Cicero out of juco because we knew we had no experience at QB, meaning out of all those we started last year, they were all freshmen or redshirt freshmen. Tough to do in the Big 12.

Skipper: Coach Steele, during the spring scrimmage our cornerbacks were playing the same 8-10 yards off the line of scrimmage that seemed to be the norm much of the last two years. Do you anticipate us playing some bump and run coverage this fall?

Kevin Steele: We will play press coverage, putting guys on up on the line of scrimmage. We did in the spring game, playing them at 7 yards. That is because Coach Jette and Coach Haley only played four defensive calls the entire game. We did this not to show in an open scrimmage the changes Coach Jette has brought to the secondary.

Greg Hughes: Being honest do you really think Baylor should stay in the BIG Xll, or move to another conference?

Kevin Steele: Greg - I would never intentionally be dishonest. Baylor is in the Big 12, will stay in the Big 12, and from the powers running the NCAA, you will always see private schools represented in every conference. For example, Northwestern in the Big 10, Duke in the ACC, Boston College in the Big East, Stanford in the Pac-10, and Vanderbilt in the SEC. And Baylor in the Big 12.

BEARFAN: I've been watching Baylor football and I was wondering what is the tightend situation like? I know Andrew Oborotti is starting at that spot. What about Anthony Dozer and Shane Williams, both of those guys have hands, are they gonna play? Anthony Dozier looked really good in the spring game.

Kevin Steele: They all had a good spring. All three are talented tight ends and very similar. Dozer and Obriotti are seniors, and Williams will be a RS sophomore with a bright future.

Greg4BU: Coach Steele, How is the secondary looking this year with the losses of some starters from last year such as Gary Baxter?

Kevin Steele: Obviously the loss of a player as talented as Baxter is tough, but it's part of the college game. We have some very good young corners who have played well for us, like Bobby Hart and Eric Giddens, as well as players we had redshirted last year (Matt Johnson and Marcus Stenix). We also moved Randy Davis and Daniel McLean from free safety.

Randel: Any hopes of granting Tommy Frazier eligiblity?

Kevin Steele: I brought that up on several occasions to Tommie, and he said, "No way. I'm too old."

David: Realistically, what can we expect to see as a won-loss record next year. It is getting very tough to spend a quick hundred dollars to see blow outs.

Kevin Steele: We appreciate your support. Hope you will continue to support us. The toughest part of the rebuilding process is behind us, as far as predicting win-loss records, I'll keep that private.

Bears131: How do you feel Karas looked in the spring. It was disappointing to see him low on the depth charts.

Kevin Steele: Aaron had a productive spring. He wound up third. He is a redshirt freshman, so I think his future can be very bright, given time.

Matt McCracken: How would you rank Baylor's recruiting class compared to other Big 12 schools and after spring football are you pleased with your new recruits and do any stand out that we should see make an immediate impact?

Kevin Steele: We only had one juco signee in spring practice, and he was injured 12 of the 15 days. I don't think a true assessment of the class will come until after the fact.

Skipper: Coach, which of the incoming freshmen might have a good chance of seeing playing time this fall?

Kevin Steele: I only base this on the fact of position needs, in that it is very difficult to play in the Big 12 as freshman. We do have some visible needs at wide receiver and linebacker, in particular, for depth purposes.

John Brockett: Coach, You said upon arriving at Baylor that there is a misconception that there is not enough talent at Baylor to win right away. After your two seasons here, do you feel there is enough talent now to win in the Big 12?

Kevin Steele: John, in assessing this situation at the time, I felt like Colin Powell said of war: If you tell everything, the people back home will know it (fans), the enemy will know it (opponents), and worst of all, the troops (your team) will know it. I made the assessment that we needed hope no matter how difficult the task. I would do it the same way again, in terms of assessment. We are much improved across the board, but ultimately it has to show up on the field. Win.

Matt McCracken: How does the kicking game look for next year? I know how important this can be in close games.

Kevin Steele: We worked extensively on the kicking game this spring. We've got to get more consistency from them. They are very talented and have good legs, but we need more consistency to really see improvement. They have the ability to do so.

As far as the coverage teams, we will have to stay healthy and avoid using too many young people on coverage teams.

ncbear: Coach--Which of the current OL on the team (not incoming JUCOS) made the most progress during spring practice and are you expecting the 3 JUCO OL to start in 2001?

Kevin Steele: We recruiting the JUCO talent based on the premise that we felt they could compete for starting positions. They would either achieve that or make others around them better through competition. I think of the older players, Cedric Fields made the most improvement. Three young guys - Brad Schlueter, McDaniels, and Sipes made a lot of improvement, but are still young for OL in this league.

WantToBeABearFan: I go to school here and love football. But there wasnt very much to look forward to this past year. Every game we were down by 20 at half time and most of the time we had a big 0 points at half time. It was horrible to watch and embarassing to see more visting vans than home fans bc our team sucks so bad. And worse to see half the crowd of a few thousands, which I had more people watch me in high school leave at half time. YOur team is was horrible and has been for years. Sports Illustrated thinks we should be kicked out of the Big 12. PLease tell me we will win one game in the big 12 next year, or even score a touchdown in more than 3 games. Hopefully this will happen before i graduate. I want to cheer for you guys. But you have to give me something to cheer about. Something to be proud of. You guys suck, is there any hope next year

Kevin Steele: I understand your frustration, and I'm sorry that you choose to vent it in such a aggressively negative manner. Yes, we will win in the Big 12, and yes, we will score TDs. You've gotten a good education that will help you later in life after graduation, that some jobs you take won't be done - you will have to build them. That is a tough, intense, difficult process. It takes time, but the rewards are much more gratifying.

Scott: Over the last 14 years as a former student and current fan of Baylor Football, there hasn't been much to cheer for, (except the occasional blue-chip recruit that din't pan out.-- Odell James is the most prominent.) Now we aren't even seeing those names on our signing lists. Since it's so difficult for Baylor to get the big name players on a consistent basis, do you find yourself having to kick the weeds for unheard of players more than the other so-called "big time schools?"

Kevin Steele: I think the article in the Dallas Morning News that recapped the last five years of recruiting and the signing day rankings are strong evidence that very rarely do the most prominent names and the highest ranked signing classes pan out. We recruit the big names and "kick the weeds". Players are found everywhere, Jerry Rice was found by the 49ers at Mississippi Valley. It's no different from high school to college.

SABear Fan: Coach, I remember after the Texas game one of their players was quoted as saying, 'They have the talent to compete but once you jump on them they get down.' Is the confidence level of the players a concern and if so, how do you solve that? Obviously, winning would help but we don't have the luxury of an easy schedule.

Kevin Steele: Winning is the biggest confidence builder. It's no different than any other human being in any other field or endeavor. It takes constant attention and care, and in many ways, to rebuild one's confidence. Sometimes the progress early is slow and then explodes.

Cody Miller: What kind of reaction have you received from the Texas high school coaches? The only success our previous regime had was in alienating the high school coaches. Do you feel like you had to go back and reestablish Baylor football to these coaches? thank you for your time.

Kevin Steele: Our relationship with the HS coaches is very positive and enjoyable. As a staff, we feel that the Texas HS coaches have embraced what is taking place here more than anyone. Ironically, it may be because many of them have rebuilt football programs themselves.

ThereIsHope: We trust in you coach. Go get em! Give us something to cheer about. Can you turn around this program and give us Bear fans something to cheer about here?

Kevin Steele: Yes we can turn this program around, and yes we will turn this program around. Thanks for your support.

Patrick Shannon: Thanks for being here, Coach Steele. I appreciated the heck out of your willingness to press the electronic flesh (so to speak). I, for one, really look forward to these. I've got a few questions so I'll try to be brief. First: The Clemson offense that we were running at the Green/Gold Scrimmage looked nothing like the 2000 offense (to me). Is that a correct assessment? Or was it phased in last year (i.e. how much new stuff are the guys on offense being asked to learn)? Secondly, Cicero, as talented as he may be, isn't billed as the running QB that Bowden has in Dantzler or even Shawn King (at Tulane). 1st Q: Is that a fair statement of Cicero's rushing ability (i.e. How big a running threat will he be)? 2nd - If it is a fair statement, then how, with this offense, do you compensate (i.e. keep the defenses honest)? Thanks again for agreeing to do this chat & Good luck this fall. See you at FC on 9/8. SIC 'EM!!

Kevin Steele: We've had the intent from the very beginning of spreading things out gradually, it's never seemed to work as we first intended. Stability, injuries, and things of that nature. The last part of last year, even with all that happening, we went ahead and spread things out. It does have some elements of the Clemson offense. Cicero does have straight line speed, but he is no Dantzler. There is one misconception -- Shawn King was not a running QB and ran very little at Tulane. In the offseason, we've watched repeatedly the offense of different schools running different versions of it. One of our coaches who thought Shawn was a runner was shocked how rarely he did in fact carry the football.

BearFanatic: The biggest question that I have as we head away from spring training is simple. Who are the studs on the D-Line going to be? Are the recruits that good? Will there be instant help from the JUCO transfers? As a spectator I feel that we are sitting on the verge of having one of the best defenses we have had at baylor if the past decade but we need help on the d-line. Keep up the good work coach and take comfort in the fact that a good portion of the student body still backs you:) Please respond on the D-line situation.

Kevin Steele: Thanks for your support. The defensive line is actually the most improved segment of our team coming out of the sprin. KEvin Stevenson is coming into his own as a junior, which is really the time a DL usually does. Travis Hicks, Ethan Kelley, Luke Groth all had productive springs. Charles Mann and Aaron Lard, returning starters at ends, improved with backups Joe Simms, Long and Crawford. We also have Jeter, Jackson and Collier coming in as juco help, so our depth is much improved, but more importantly, we're older, more experienced.

Noe: The Big 12 is obviously a very competitive league, and it is very difficult to win. You are now entering your third year at Baylor, and it seems that people are expecting more results on the field. If we win one or two non-conference games but continue to get blown out by Big 12 opposition and go winless in conference, how much more time do you expect the Baylor administration to give you? Also, when you first came here you inherited most of Dave Roberts' team. His last year, Roberts was very competitive, winning a conference game and coming very close to winning in Austin and Boulder. Most of the starters from that team were back your first year, but it was obviously a disaster. What caused it?

Kevin Steele: Change caused it. One Big 12 win is not enough. As far as time given, I don't worry about that, that's up to the administration. I'll be able to coach as long as I want to coach, somewhere, in some position. But... I look forward to seeing you support the Baylor program through the turnaround and the successes that lie ahead.

Cody Miller: What is your opinion on our running back situation? Are numbers seem to be very limited.

Kevin Steele: We actually have, with the three incoming young players and the maturity of Barnett, Golden, Ricks and Evans, the most improved offensive segment in the spring.

Mike: Who do you see as our offensive playmakers? Break a big play etc. Good luck and we appreciate your hard work!!

Kevin Steele: This spring we stressed making plays in a big way. Cicero, Reggie Newhouse, Marcus Roberts, Barnett and Golden probably had the most success in that area. We obviously have to become more playmaker-oriented in the fall.

excalibear: what is the role of our assistant head coach? is he ready to be a head coach?

Kevin Steele: The role of the asst. head coach is a title in our structure in which he handles administrative duties when I am out of town and things that I pass on to him because of workload.

ThereIsHope: It almost seems as if there is a fraternity feel between coaches. I heard not too long ago that Tommy West, head coach of Memphis sent his staff to Clemson, to watch Tommy Bowden's team, and Bowden welcomed them with open arms. Is this something that is regularly accepted? Or is it just some coaches let it happen when teams that have no shot at playing each other ask to do so?

Kevin Steele: No, the brotherhood of coaches is very strong. Sharing ideas from an educational standpoint is common, although it rarely happens in conference, and most times goes unnoticed. While at Nebraska, we visited Florida State or they came and visited us every year for many years. Ironically, we were paired in bowl games 4 or 5 times.

Matt McCracken: Coach, I saw a big improvement in strength from the players from your first year to the second. Will there be an equally impressive gain this year? If so, I think Baylor will be competitive in the Big 12. It seemed like we could hang with most teams in the first half, but would lose out in the second due to lack of depth and player fatigue. Good luck this year and Go Bears!

Kevin Steele: Matt - Are you a coach? Because you had a very astute observation. We have gotten stronger. Some of this is due to maturity (age). Depth does play a big part in second half football in the Big 12.

George: Do you expect Derek Lagway to be able to contribute this season? Also, have you received official word on whether Greg Cicero will be granted another year of eligibility?

Kevin Steele: We're going to give Derek every opportunity to successfully complete his career here. He is improving. I do expect Cicero to receive his sixth year.

Bearnanza: Coach, Wanted to give you a word of encouragement. I'm very pleased with the building work you and your staff have done. I believe you are putting in place the fundamentals that are needed for a long term winning program. Keep it up and don't get discouraged. What can Baylor Fans do to give you support??

Kevin Steele: As a coach and the son of a coach, from a coaches perspective, 95% of the fans already give us more than enough support. The other 5%, who make a lot of noise, would be disappointed if they knew they really go unheard. As far as fan support, I think the single biggest thing fans can do is come early, stay late, and cheer for the players - even through the tough times.

I've got a team meeting -- I've enjoyed it. Baylor is a great institution. We can be, and will be, successful. Thanks!