SETTING THE STAGE
(secondary). How will Bielema manage — if that's the right word — the demeanor of his assistants? "I've never encouraged or discouraged a certain kind of coaching,'' he said. "I hire a guy who I think is going to coach in a certain way. Once I've
watched him in action, I might give suggestions or input.'' But he stressed, "I'm never going to try and change a guy who has a certain style'' whether vocal or not. He added, "The most important thing this spring is to make sure everybody is on the same page – same verbiage, same language – and get the guys on board with the way we do things every day.'' That, he said, will come "before any X's and
O's.''
Since change is inevitable on a coaching staff, particularly after a run of success, Bielema has been afforded an opportunity to break from routine in some cases. "If someone coached in a certain way,'' he said, "I love to hire the exact opposite; someone who changes the room and chemistry.'' There will definitely be some changes in the of- fensive huddle this spring with the departures of quarterback Russell Wilson, wide receiver Nick Toon, fullback Bradie Ewing, tight end Jake By- rne, center Peter Konz, right guard Kevin Zeitler and right tackle Josh Oglesby. The returning quarterbacks, Joe Brennan and Joel Stave, will get so much media attention that by the time the spring game is played — April 28 at Camp Randall Stadium — there's a very good chance that everyone will know the correct pronunciation of Stave (STAH-vee), a walk-on freshman.
« Once again the Badgers lose a pair of All-Americans up front in Peter Konz and Kevin Zeitler, but Travis Frederick and Ricky Wagner are back to anchor the of- fensive line.
"They've made some nice progress since the fall to where they are today as far as their physical development,'' Bielema said of Stave and Bren- nan, a redshirt freshman and Wil- son's backup. "I'm anxious to watch those guys this spring to see where they are at.'' Curt Phillips, who's still battling to overcome three ACL surgeries on his right knee, has been cleared medically to take part in most of the
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