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KNOXVILLE — University of Tennessee sophomore safety Eric Berry sat and spoke with a few print media reporters moments ago, and his rare fascination with dentistry reemerged.

As Berry discussed crown moldings and wisdom teeth and creepy drills and whatever else dentists talk about — scaring people, if you ask me — I couldn’t wrap my brain around this thought:

Why would a future dentist want to constantly try knocking people’s teeth out on a football field?

Then, it hit me.

He’s self-serving.

That said, today’s “I type it, you read it” is the “If Eric Berry Was A Cardiologist He Would Feed People Fatty Foods” edition.

Here are Tuesday’s interview with UT’s entire defensive coaching staff — coordinator John Chavis, defensive ends coach Steve Caldwell, defensive tackles coach Dan Brooks and secondary coach Larry Slade.

We’ll have some Alabama player and coach Q-and-A’s on the web Thursday. If anyone has a better name than “It’s Rolling, Baby,” let me know. We’ll also get to UT’s offensive staff before Saturday’s game.

JOHN CHAVIS ON ALABAMA

Q: How important is it to stop Alabama in the first quarter? They’ve scored a ton of points there this season.

CHAVIS: “They have. I think this past week, for a minute and a few seconds, has been the only time they’ve trailed in a ballgame. They’ve done a terrific job of starting fast, and they’ve finished them all off. That’s why they’re coming in here undefeated.

Q: Do you agree that ball control and a solid running game have been the keys to Alabama’s undefeated start this season?

CHAVIS “That’s a big part of it. You look at time of possession, and I think that tells you a lot right there. They’ve been able to possess the football for long periods of time. They’re leading the league in time of possession, and I don’t think that’s by mistake. I think it’s their commitment to run the football, the ability to run the football, and they do it quite well.

Q: You said the defense played as well Saturday against Mississippi State as well as it has all season. Do you think you’re over the hump?

CHAVIS: “It’s hard to say. You’d like to think that you’re always climbing to the point that you want to reach. There’s no question about that. But I think there’s always going to be some ups and downs. Sometimes you take a step back. You don’t like that, but you’re not going to be at your very best all the time, and that’s a fact of life in no matter what you do. Some of you guys do a great job of writing stories, but some of them, from time to time, aren’t very good. But you’re still trying to get better every day, and that’s what you try to do as a football team. Certainly we don’t want to take a step back, but as long as we keep progressing in the right direction, we’ll be OK.”

Q: As good as Alabama’s running game has been this season, some teams — especially Kentucky — contained it. Did Kentucky play especially well that day, or did Alabama not execute?

CHAVIS: “You look at the film, and it’s a little bit scary. Kentucky did a great job slowing their run down, but (Alabama) had receivers behind people all the time, and you get concerned about that, in terms of giving up a big play. It’s a commitment to commit enough people in the box, and they do a great job with formations, with motions, with shifts, trying to make your support soft, or try to get you in a bad support situation where they can run the football. They’re very creative. They use their personnel. They’ll use a two tight end package, and they’ll use a one tight end package. They use their personnel well, and they use a multitude of shifts and motions to help them run the football, and they’re talented enough, so when you put all those things together, you’ve got to be right. You play man coverage, and you’ve got to be right in terms of the people you have in the box. What I mean by ‘being right’ is that your run fits have to be correct, because if you’re going to play man, and you don’t have anyone to overlap, then you can’t make a mistake. If you do, it’s going to happen. That’s the one (bad) thing Kentucky did, was they made one mistake in the run game, and ultimately, it cost them. It cost them a 72-yard touchdown run, and that was the difference in the ballgame.”

Q: Is Alabama different under new offensive coordinator Jim McElwain?

CHAVIS: “(Saban) has put his staff there, and they do a great job of running the football. I don’t want to use the word ‘typical,’ because I think they do a great job. They do what Coach Saban wants their offense to do, and that’s to run the football and keep their defense off the field, make first downs and score points. They do a tremendous job of that.”

Q: What are your thoughts on Alabama freshman wide receiver Julio Jones?

CHAVIS: “I think those guys happen. Obviously, we’ve already played against one freshman like that over at Georgia. They’ve done a great job with him. We had a freshman over here at Tennessee on our side of the football last year that was playing as well as any freshman in the country. There are not that many of them that you’re going to see every year, but there are a few of them. Certainly, it takes a talented individual. It takes an individual with a lot of intelligence. And then, just making that adjustment. It’s a tough deal for kids, leaving home to go somewhere and participate in college athletics, whether it’s college or whatever. And some of them make that transition a lot easier than others.”

Q: What did you think of the crowd chanting Eric Berry’s name near the end of the Mississippi State game?

CHAVIS: “Being in the (press) box, you don’t hear any of that. I didn’t know even know until somebody mentioned it (Monday), but there’s been times like that here. Usually, you hear guys on the other side of the ball, because they get a chance to show their ability when they’ve got the ball in their hands. Usually, you see them on the other side of the ball. But I’ve seen that happen at Tennessee and other places. I was totally unaware of it until somebody told me (Monday), but it’s good to see our fans — and our fans are great — recognize and appreciate what Eric is doing for this program.”

Q: Does last season’s disappointing performance at Alabama add incentive to this game?

CHAVIS: “To me, I don’t like to look at it like that. Every year is a year on its own with different players, but some of them are the same. But certainly, when you get embarrassed — and we were embarrassed by that performance last year — they were able to advantage of some things and did a tremendous job, and you have to give them credit for that. You want to put your best foot forward, and it doesn’t matter what you’re doing. And when you don’t, when the standards don’t meet up to the standards that you’ve set, then you better look at yourself, and you better figure out ways to do it. I couldn’t believe you still had a heartbeat if you didn’t feel that way. I’m not into revenge or redemption or any other words that you want to use. It’s a football game that will be played between the players from Tennessee and Alabama. There’s great history there. You all know that. You’ve covered it for a long period of time. And it will be be played between the lines. There’s nothing that can be said or needs to be said that will change that. I think if you’ve got the right kind of players — and I think we do, at Tennessee, and I think they do at Alabama — then it will be a battle that will take place between the lines. It’s certainly what you look forward to in the SEC.”

Q: What is your evaluation of Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson?

CHAVIS: “He’s a guy that plays within their system. He’s got a lot of savvy. He’s a tough individual. He can make plays running. He can make plays with his arm. He’s a complete quarterback. Right now, he’s operating as well as anybody in this league, and we’ve got some really fine quarterbacks in this league. You look at Tebow, who wins a Heisman as a sophomore. You look at Stafford at Georgia, and the kind of year he’s having right now as a junior. And you look at Wilson, and the way he’s responded. Last year, he was up and down. He’s having a great year this year. When you look at it, a lot of things they’re doing offensively starts with him.”

Q: Is it generally more difficult to exploit weaknesses against veteran quarterbacks?

CHAVIS: “I think a lot of that depends on the personnel around them. All three of those guys have one thing in common: They’ve got some great personnel around them. We may see the best offensive line that we’re going to see. That certainly makes it a lot easier for a quarterback to be able to do things that he can do. But certainly, he’s capable of doing those things. Experience is a big part of it. I’ve had opportunities in this league long enough to see you quarterbacks grow. You can tell, even at an early age in most situations, and you can have a projection of where you think they’re going to be. Looking at John Parker, you saw him grow from being a talented guy last year to being a guy right that’s not only talented, but also in full control of what they’re doing offensively.”

Q: It seems like you guys are getting more pressure on the quarterback the past few weeks, whether from sacks or simple hurries. What has caused that improvement?

CHAVIS: “I think a big part of it is our two first-year starters (Robert Ayers and Wes Brown) have really done a tremendous job in getting the young guys in there, and I think a certain amount of it is talent level. Steve Caldwell has done a great job preparing those guys each week, but it’s getting more and more speed out there. We lost two seniors, but we got faster at the position. It doesn’t matter how well you coach them — and they have to be well-coached — but I think the biggest thing is we’re putting more speed on the field. We’re getting back to the point where we’re accustomed to being. When we started this thing 13, 14 years ago, we built our philosophy around speed. You certainly have to have it. Not that we’re looking to take credit for anything, but we were one of the first people in the league to take a 210-pound linebacker and convert him into a speed rush (defensive) end. Since then, I think everybody in the league has gone in that direction, in terms of the success we had with Leonard Little. You’re looking to have speed out there, and I think that’s a big part of it. They’re well-coached. I think the young talent is there, so we’re excited about what we’re seeing.”

Q: Does focusing on speed help or hurt in stopping the run? How do you feel about those ends against the run?

CHAVIS: “Good, because of our style. Our whole philosophy, you go back, and it hasn’t changed since day 1. We’re going to stop the run with numbers, which means that we’re going to find ways to get different people in the box, and we want to stop the passer with speed. And when we’re doing that, we’re at our best. You may give up a little bit in the run game by having that speed out there, but we’re going to get enough numbers in the box to stop the run. It’s not by accident. You look at numbers, and if you want to judge us by the defense last year, then that’s a different standard. We were not what we were accustomed to being. We’re getting back to where we’ve been at Tennessee. I think we’re very close right now. When we’ve been at our best is when we’ve had speed on the egde.”

Q: Alabama’s offense is statistically one of the league’s most balanced. Does that add to the challenge?

CHAVIS: “It starts with the running game. If you start looking around the league, you’ll see there’s a lot of good defenses in the league. It’s tough to run the football, because it’s no secret; everybody’s doing the same thing. They’re packing people in the box to stop the run, and you’ve got to be able to take advantage of it outside. And they’ve got skill people outside. Some people will take a little bit different approach, and they’re going to go skill versus skill, and look at it from that standpoint. But with Alabama, they’re going to run the football, and they’re going to make you stop the run, and they’re going to be able to match up with the skill outside. It will be a physical football game, and that’s what you look for any time Alabama and Tennessee play each other.”

Q: Would you cringe just a little bit if Coach Fulmer wanted to play Eric Berry a little on offense?

CHAVIS: “Not really. You have to live in your hopes, and not your fears. If I ever get to the point where I’m afraid of anything, then I’m going to stay at home and ... I can’t wear my wife’s dress right now. The size isn’t right. But if I ever get home, than I’m going to just stay at home and probably start cross-dressing. You’ve got to do what you need to do to win and be successful. If that’s going to help us, then I’m all for it. Berry’s a very, very talented young man. Certainly he could handle that, and if Coach chooses to do that, I’ll very very happy.”

Q: Well, obviously “scared” isn’t the right word, but does your lack of defensive tackle depth concern you against Alabama’s offensive line?

CHAVIS: “It always it, but we are where we are. We’re never going to make excuses. We’re going to take what we’ve got, just like we did last week. We were hopeful that (Walter Fisher) would be able to give us some snaps. He tried to; couldn’t. We gave Robert Ayers some snaps inside. We played some young guys. Everybody’s in that situation, when you look around the league. I think that’s one of the things that has brought even more parity in college football. You have to be able to overcome injuries. We’ve been able to do a pretty good of that, because we’ve tried to play young people.”

Q: What do you think of the sophomore defensive end Chris Walker’s recent surge?

CHAVIS: “He’s a talented athlete. He was highly-recruited guy, and not just by us, but he was a highly-recruited athlete and a very talented guy that’s worked hard. A lot of it is his personality and his demeanor. It’s important to him. He’s going to work hard to get done what it is that he needs to get done. He’s applied himself. Coach Caldwell’s done a great job coaching him, but the talent’s there. You put all those things together. You put the great attitude, you put the talent, you put good coaching in there, and you have an opportunity to see good things happen on the field.”

Q: What advantages did you gain by moving back up to the press box during games?

CHAVIS: “It’s a little bit quieter environment, but that’s not really (a big deal). If you know ahead of time ... I’ve never been a guy that pulls things out of the hat. I have a routine that I go through on Thursday night, and unless we’re having to make a lot of adjustments, we pretty much know what we’re going to call. But the biggest thing is being able to see personnel and see things happen on the field, and to get it to our defense quicker. That’s the biggest thing that we have to be able to do, because we have to communicate signals. We have to get those signals to them. Mississippi State had done a tremendous job of getting people in an up-tempo situation where they were getting to the line and snapping the ball quick. Defenses were not ready, and we didn’t want to do that. That doesn’t look good then that happens. We want to be able to get the ball to our defense as quickly as possible to get them settled and play. Now, what’s the downside? From my standpoint, there is a downside, and that’s (the loss of) that eye-to-eye contact that you have with your players. Certainly I don’t like missing that, because when you’re around long enough, you know them, and that eye-to-eye contact will tell you a lot of what’s going on on the field.”

Q: What was your thinking in 2001, when you went from the press box to the field?

CHAVIS: “We had a very young defense, and we were playing well in the first half, and I could see at halftime they weren’t settled. I just felt like I needed to be with them, and to be able to look them in the eye when they came off, to be able to communicate just like it was in practice, and to feel that way. There has to be a comfort zone there. The more mature you are, then that’s not nearly as important. But it is important with a young defensive football team or a young football team in general, in my opinion.”

Q: Is defensive ends coach Steve Caldwell your middle man on the sideline now?

CHAVIS: “He and Coach (Dan) Brooks. In terms of the communication, we’ve got phones where we can put them on and talk to them in-between series. You can have communication. As a matter of fact, it’s a good situation.”

Q: What’s the difference in the team’s mood this week after a win?

CHAVIS: “It makes you feel better, certainly. And let me say this about our football team: In the toughest of times, they have been tremendous. You can look at it say that our backs are against the wall, and that’s probably a good statement, but they have responded. That’s the thing I’ve been the most proud of, is that no matter what the circumstances have been, they have been willing to continue to listen, and try to play better. They want to win. They’re competitive. Those guys want to win worse than anybody. I know our fans and us coaches, we all want to win, and that’s part of it, but they want to win. They’ve been good about coming to practice, but when you win, you feel better about yourself, there’s no question about that. We’re in a society that appreciates winning. It appreciates people that are on top, and that’s where these guys want to be. After a win, it’s a whole lot easier. But in credit to those young people that we’re dealing with, they were able to do it after some very disappointing losses, and I’m proud of them for that.”

LARRY SLADE

Q: What are your thoughts on Alabama’s wide receivers?

SLADE: “They’re very good. With their ability to run the ball as well as they run it, it creates problems where you have to match up and play some man to man. It is a tremendous challenge for us.”

Q: It looked like your guys played more man-to-man coverage against Mississippi State. Is that true?

SLADE: “We mixed some things up, yeah. We’re going to continue to do the things that we do well.”

Q: Have you seen many true freshman wide receivers make an impact like Alabama’s Julio Jones?

SLADE: “Not many. You talk about Eric Berry and a Julio, and those kind of guys are exceptional athletes. You look at Julio, you would never know that he is a freshman. He makes adjustments. He’s physical. He goes and gets the ball. He does all the things that great receivers do.”

Q: How would you compare Jones to Georgia true freshman receiver A.J. Green?

SLADE: (Jones) is a bigger kid. They’re kind of different guys. The Green kid is probably a little bit faster, but Julio makes that up with his size and being physical like he is.”

Q: Did Alabama expose your secondary more than any opponent last season?

SLADE: “It was one of those deals where you were going through a transition, and there were things you see out there and you shake your head, but you knew that they would get better as the season went on. Brent (Vinson), for example, it was either his first start or somewhere like that. It’s a little bit different this year.”

Q: So you’re saying your guys look better on film this season?

SLADE: “Oh, it’s night and day.”

Q: Do you sense that Eric Berry is excited about a potential matchup with Jones?

SLADE: “I think there’s always a twinkle in his eye when you say, ‘Let’s line up and play football.’”

Q: What has pleased you more than anything about your defensive backs?

SLADE: “I think their expectations. They expect to make plays, and we have to keep doing that job as far as stopping big plays, which is our goal every week. If we do a better job of that and understanding that, understanding leverage principles and those kind of things, (we’ll be even better). They’re trying to be more physical. I’m impressed with that.”

Q: How do you feel about your secondary’s play on third-and-long situations, especially last week against Mississippi State?

SLADE: “That’s the key. I think when you look at Tennessee, or most defenses, we are really good in third and long. Third-and-medium, it gets a little tougher. Third-and-1, third-and-2, that gets to be really hard. When you are evaluating your team, third and long, you want to be 80 percent or better. As you get into third-and-medium, that percentage goes down. That was big, being able to get off the field.”

Q: Any thoughts on why Alabama’s offense has been so much more successful in the first half than the second half?

SLADE: “They have ability to score anytime. They are a great running football team, and sometimes it’s just controlling the clock. I think they lead the conference in time of possession. You can’t score on offense if they have the football. I think they take that approach sometimes.”

Q: Honestly, does Berry ever surprise you at this point?

SLADE: “I think we share the same kind of expectations. If Eric is out there and they’re throwing the ball around, we expect him sooner or later to make a football play. If they’re running the ball, that’s just part of his expectations too, to go and stone somebody. That helps you from an emotional standpoint, to ignite you, whether it’s a big play orr a big hit to get you going.

“I think the thing that probably impresses me most is his work ethic off the field. He is prepared. I’ve had guys that may have been more athletic but didn’t make as many plays. Eric makes a lot of plays because he is prepared. He sees things, he expects things to happen, he recognizes formations and tendencies. His work off the field is what I’m impressed with.”

Q: What impact does Berry have on opposing offenses?

SLADE: “I think as an offense, you want to know where he is. I think that as far as (our) team is concerned, people want to emulate him. They want to see him make big hits. And sometimes it’s not a guy’s nature. But if he gets an opportunity to do the same thing, then he tries the same thing. That’s the impact, that he gets people around him better.”

Q: It seems like Berry is baiting quarterbacks into mistakes at this point. Do you agree?

SLADE: “All that goes back to what I said earlier. When you understand what the opponent is doing, then you can play those games. He’s gotten better, but he’s still got a ways to go. He’ll tell you this. He’s still working hard. We use an expression: When you’re green you’re growing, and when you’re ripe you’re rotten. And he still sees himself as growing.”

Q: What was that expression again?

“When you’re green you’re growing. When you’re ripe you’re rotten. We call it the ‘Disease of Me.’ You start getting complacent, and you don’t work as hard. You start reading all the articles about how good you are and that type of thing.

“The thing with Eric is he’s still growing. He’s still growing. He’s still working at getting better. He is not complacent, despite all of the accolades and despite all of the ‘You’re the greatest safety that’s ever played.’ I think that guy goes out every day and he sees himself that way and prepares himself that way.”

Q: Would you be concerned if Berry played some offense or as a return specialist?

SLADE: “He’s a playmaker. In modern football, you try to get those guys and get them the football, whether it’s offense or special teams. There’s just so many snaps that he has, so we have to be very careful about that. What you need is about three or four of those kind of guys.”

Q: So you wouldn’t turn your back if he lined up on offense? Would you be curious to see what happened?

SLADE: “There would be good things happening if he was over there. He would find a way to make a football play. I really believe that.”

STEVE CALDWELL

Q: The defense have five sacks against Mississippi State. So I guess we can stop bothering you with that question, huh?

CALDWELL: “That’s been everybody’s big question every Tuesday, and it was fun to watch the kids be able to turn loose. Get the other team where they had to throw the football to win and we were able to lay our ears back and go have some fun. Hopefully that will carry over to this week.

“First, we (had) to make (Mississippi State) throw the football. They’re going to line up and run it at us. It was exciting for the kids and exciting for us. And that guy (Bulldogs quarterback Tyson Lee) was hard to catch. We should’ve had at least eight. We missed him two or three more times.”

Q: What were your thoughts on switching places with Chavis and coaching from the sideline Saturday?

CALDWELL: “I was a nervous wreck. John and I started in the booth together, and then when Larry got here, somewhere — I think maybe a year after — Larry wanted to be in the press box. Larry came up and John went down, I guess. I’ve been up the whole time. I came down for six ball games, half a season or maybe a season, until this week.

“I felt like a fish out of water. I told the kids, ‘I’m a nervous wreck. Take care of me down here, don’t let me get run over and let me get hurt.’ Just the environment down there is unbelievable. It was neat to line up the kickoff coverage team and look them in the eye. It was just a different feel where they’re wild-eyed and ready to play, instead of in the booth, (where) you’re away from everything and concentrating on what you need to concentrate on.

“I knew I wouldn’t be able to see. I have the same problem in practice when we have a scrimmage. You just can’t, unless you get way in the back.

“Somebody took a funny picture of me, and I’m not sure what I was doing but I guess I was having a good time down there, any way.”

Q: What are your thoughts on Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson:

CALDWELL: “He’s operating the offense very well. I think they’ve put a lot of faith in him, and he’s leading their offense. He’s got a great group of offensive linemen in front of him and some good receivers and great backs. They’re just an all-around offensive team right now.”

Q: It seems like Alabama’s running game has really helped Wilson, too. Do you agree?

CALDWELL: “Any time you can line up and just run the football, it takes a lot of pressure off you offensively. As they’re doing, they’re throwing the football when they want to. They don’t get into many situations where they have to throw the football. As a defensive coach, that’s what we have to try to do.”

DAN BROOKS

Q: What are the biggest keys to containing Alabama’s offense?

BROOKS: “You’ve got to stop the run, and then you’ve got to try to get some pressure on Wilson.”

Q: What has Alabama’s improved running game meant for Wilson this season?

BROOKS: “I think every everything in the world. Their offensive line is so experienced and does such a good job, and everybody’s trying to load up to stop the running game, and that allows him to have time with the playaction passing game. Their offensive does a good job when they’re throwing the football, dropback and playaction. They’re a very experienced group, and they’re a very talented group, so they do a great job. They’re giving him time to throw the ball down the field.”

Q: Does Wilson look like a senior on film?

BROOKS: “It seems like he’s been down there forever. We talked about that when we started watching film on Sunday. It seems like he’s been around there forever. We’ve been up here a long time, and seen some good ones down there, but it seems like he’s been there a long time. He is playing like a veteran quarterback in the Southeastern Conference. You can tell he’s been around and obviously now been around this offense. He’s obviously a quality SEC quarterback.”

Q: Will this be a more physical game than Mississippi State? Alabama seems to play with a similar mindset, but with more talent.

BROOKS: “I told these guys not to take away anything from what we’ve played against, but (Alabama) is the best offensive line we’ve played against in a long time. You look at what LSU had last year in the championship game, but they were different. This group’s experienced. They’re played a lot together. They know what each other (guy) is going to do. They’ve been in the scheme now. Their offensive line coach has done a great job, and those players have done a great job. You take the five linemen and their two tight ends, and they’re making them go. In my opinion, the whole offense is based around those guys.”

Q: How did junior defensive tackle Andre Mathis grade out against Mississippi State — the first real SEC action of his career?

BROOKS: “I don’t know how well … you’re not going to grade out great. But he did a nice job. He was active. That was the biggest thing with Andre. He’s had to buy into playing in there and get his pad leverage down, and that becomes even more critical this week. I thought he did a nice job of being active and trying to run to the ball. He was physical when he got there. He made some plays. It was encouraging to see him buying into being that guy that goes into game. Somebody had to take up those sacks. Right up until game time, we thought (Walter Fisher) might be able to get a little bit, and he just couldn’t do it, and you don’t want to put a guy into that situation, because in there, where he plays, you could mess him up for the year or whatever. You don’t want to do that, so we went into the game prepared that somebody had to (play some snaps). Andre gave us a nice little lift there.”

Q: Do you feel better about senior defensive tackle Walter Fisher’s chances to play against Alabama?

BROOKS: “We do. It will be a go-through-the-week kind of thing, because that injury sometimes takes a long time, so we won’t know. We’ll have to continue to push those other guys in case he can’t. Robert Ayers didn’t get much (time) inside, but he went inside and helped a little bit. He’s eager to do that. He’s a great team guy. If we need him, he knows he can go in there also.”

Read Thursday’s print edition for more information, and e-mail Wes Rucker at wrucker@timesfreepress.com

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