Martin RuckerMartin Rucker

Martin Rucker Chat Transcript

 Martin Rucker

Chat With Tight End Martin Rucker

Junior tight end Martin Rucker sat down with your questions on Nov. 20. Below is a full transcript from the chat.
Moderator: Folks -- Coach Pinkel's press conference has just wrapped up, and we expect to have Martin Rucker in the facility within the next half hour. Keep sending in your questions!
Moderator: Mr. Rucker has entered the building, but has been snagged by a reporter before we could get to him. Since we're so polite, we won't interrupt them, but it will be another minute or two before we get started.
Columbia: The football teams appears to have lost the intensity to play hard. Besides being disgusted from the loss to Iowa State, what will the players do this week to mentally prepare for KU? With two weeks to prepare for Iowa State and play so poorly is very difficult for the fans to understand.
Martin Rucker: We just need to prepare harder. We know that this is the KU game, and it's a big rivalry, and it means a lot to us.
Jackson (Centralia, MO): First, the season ain't over... I know and you know how the Tigers must finish (i.e. Independence Bowl win in 2005). Only one question: Are you going to be a Missouri Tiger next year?!? Good luck against the jaybirds and in the bowl!!
Martin Rucker: Right now, I will be a Tiger next year. Some things could change, but it has nothing to do with this team and how we finish. It will be a personal decision based on things I need to weigh at the end of the year.
Josh (Kansas City): Tight ends are a valuable attribute to a team. Do you feel that in the spread offense you and Coffman are being thrown to enough? In the Big 12 the tandem between you two is hard to stop, but you two are hardly on the field at the same time. What is Pinkel and the offensive coordinator thinking?
Martin Rucker: Well, actually we are on the field together a lot. Sometimes when people think we should be on the field and we're not, that's just because of the play call, but we are on the field together a lot.
Kyle (Kansas City): Wouldn't you love to beat Kansas so bad they went home crying to their mommas?
Martin Rucker: Yes. That is a true statement.
Derby, Kan.: Do you think that Chase is a better fit for this offense than Brad Smith was?
Martin Rucker: I definitely do, because Chase is a much better passer at quarterback, while Brad was an athlete who played quarterback. Plus, Chase has been running this offense for a long time.
Andy: Hi Martin - I think the offense is still very good - especially when we have both tight ends on the field - but how do the Tigers develop a toughness mentality again? The line has not provided much of a push the last few weeks, and the D-line has been even softer. That doesn't cut it in the Big 12. Thanks!
Martin Rucker: We just have to practice harder, and with more intensity. This game, because it's a rivalry, will also bring out intensity on its own.
Jon (Webster Groves): Martin -- What is your favorite formation to run your routes from? What is your favorite play that you run, and why?
Martin Rucker: I probably like the inside of the three-receiver side, because it usually matches me up with a linebacker. As for the favorite play, it would probably be a play called "Smash", because we run a safety-seam route, and I get a chance to go deep down the middle of the field.
Peter (Chicago): Martin - I hear you called "T" every now and then. Is that your middle initial, or is there some other story behind it? What nicknames do you have?
Martin Rucker: T is my middle initial. My grandmother gave that to me when I was born, and my family calls me that because my father and I have the same name. The guys call me T, T-Ruck, Truck. And ever since I got turf toe a few weeks ago, some of the coaches call me Toe Truck now.
Jenny (Independence): What do you like to do in your free time? Do you ever go to the other Mizzou sports, like men's basketball or any of the women's sports?
Martin Rucker: In my free time, I like to watch TV -- I like to watch SpongeBob -- but I don't get to do that too often. And I do go to men's basketball games as often as I can.
Craig (Bolivar): I really want a win over those nasty beakers. What will you and the other team leaders do to show the underclassmen how much ANY Tiger hates those ficticious birds?? Good Luck and beat the Jayhawks!!
Martin Rucker: We will just explain to them how big a rivalry this is. Intensity will be turned way up. It's just something you can feel. You can tell walking on campus that this is a team that people don't like. You get on board real quick.
Carl (Ohio): Martin -- Since Saturday is the last time you'll run out of the locker room with this year's senior class, who is the senior you'll miss the most next year?
Martin Rucker: Probably Brad Ekwerekwu, because he came in with me. His dorm room was right down the hall. He stayed at my house over the summer, and he's just a great guy who's a good friend. I'm going to miss him.
Mollie - Columbia: Has your foot injury hindered your performance on the field and what have you done to get better?
Martin Rucker: It has a little bit -- I'm not as fast as I normally am, and I'm not quick. We've done numerous exercises, ice, heat -- everything we can possibly do to treat the injury.
AL - Cape G.: What exactly is turf toe? Good luck!!!
Martin Rucker: It's a sprained big toe. It's kind of like jamming your thumb, only worse.
Martin Rucker: Well, I have a couple more interviews that I have to get done, so I have to get going. Thanks for the questions, and thanks for your support this season. We'll get the Jayhawks on Saturday!
Moderator: Thanks, everyone, for your questions these last several weeks. This is the last Monday weekly press conference of the season, so this is also our last scheduled weekly chat of the football season. Depending on logistics at the bowl site, we'll do our best to have a coach, player, or combination during the week of the bowl game. Go Tigers!