Quotes From Ralph Friedgen at 2001 Football Media Day
8/10/2001 8:00:00 AM | Football
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The following are head football coach Ralph Friedgen's comments from the University of Maryland's 2001 Football Media Day:
On getting ready for the season
"The time is here. I'm excited about it and I'm ready to go and I think our team is ready to go, too. I've talked to our team in terms of the year as a four-quarter event. We start off with our winter workouts in January. Second quarter is our spring practice. Third quarter is our summer preparation and now we're in the fourth quarter."
On preseason strength and conditioning preparation
"One of the things our players wanted to know when I got here is what our staff was going to do to help them win. I promised them that when we start the fourth quarter of the year, they were going to be bigger, stronger and faster than they've ever been. The kids have done a phenomenal job, better than I expected."
On results from strength testing
"Our team strength index is 655.72, which is comprised of the power clean, bench press, and squat. This is 31 points above our highest ever strength index. Raymond Custis had a strength index of 763, which is the highest ever for a defensive back. Durrand Roundtree set the record for strength index at 844, which included a bench press of 490, a squat of 760 and a vertical jump of 36.5. To me, they're very important numbers. They show that our kids have made great preparations. That doesn't ensure you are going to win, but it gives us a chance to win. It lets me know that they have made the preparations and they have a burning desire to win."
On the offense's youth and the situation at running back
"Our offense is a very young team. We only have four seniors -- Shaun Hill, Melvin Fowler, Guilian Gary, and Daryl Whitmer. At the running back spot, I don't know if you can replace LaMont [Jordan]. Marc Riley, Bruce Perry and Chris Downs are going to battle it out. I'm going to give Rich Parson a shot at wide receiver. Mario Merrills and Jason Crawford are two freshman that also enter into that picture. We're going to try to fit these guys in and take advantage of what these guys do well and minimize what they don't do well."
On the wide receivers
"We have four returning letterman -- Guilian Gary, Jafar Williams, Scooter Monroe and Daryl Whitmer. Our newcomers - Rob Abiamiri, Steve Suter, Maurice Shanks, Ike Roberts and Derrick Fenner will all have an opportunity to play. I like to carry six wide receivers on the travel squad, but we use a lot of different formations and if I see a guy who can help us on special teams, there may be a seventh."
On the tight ends
"I think we're in good shape here. Jeff Dugan is a solid tight end and one of the best blockers I've seen in the ACC. Another guy I'm very impressed with who hasn't had a lot of production here at Maryland is Matt Murphy. Matt is 6-5, 265, a great blocker and has good hands. I think it's a confidence thing more than anything with him. I'm going to work hard with him because he's a guy who can help us."
On the offensive line
"We have one senior on the offensive line and that's Melvin Fowler. I think he's one of the better centers in the league and there are quite a few good centers in the ACC. I look for him to be a leader on our offensive line. We have some returning lettermen, with Matt Crawford, Todd Wike, Eric Dumas and Lamar Bryant. Our newcomers have done a great job in spring practice - C.J. Brooks, Lou Lombardo, Kyle Schmitt and Russell Bonham figure in somewhere. With Russell, it's a question of how fast he can learn."
On the quarterbacks
"Shaun Hill has had a great summer. I think he's very excited to get going. I think he feels more comfortable with things and I'm anxious to see how much he has progressed since spring ball. Latrez Harrison will be the backup and has made some progress. The injury to Chris Kelley is a tough break but it should be an advantage for Latrez, because he'll be getting more reps and hopefully that will give him an opportunity to get better."
On Chris Kelley's injury
"I talked to the doctor today. The operation went better than anticipated. They think the knee is as stable now as it was before this latest injury. He needs to rest his knee from physical activity for 4 weeks. He will start getting back around 6 weeks and he'll be ready to play at 8 weeks. I think that's real good news. He says he has full range of motion and no pain.
I think he's handling this thing really well and I'm gonna keep him really involved on this team and we'll see how it goes as we progress onto the season."
On the linebackers
"Our defense is where we have our experience. The strength of our defense is our linebackers. E.J. Henderson is one of the better, if not the best linebacker I've seen in the ACC. I probably didn't appreciate how good of a player he was when I coached against him last year. He runs from sideline to sideline and he gives us great leadership. I think he's going to be a great football player for us this year and the future. Monte Graves and Andrew Henley, who had a great spring will back up E.J.
Leon Joe will start off at the WILL linebacker position and Reggie Lewis will back him up. Depending on what happens with Marlon [Moye-Moore], I'm sure we'll work him in. Aaron Thompson and Mike Whaley will also start. Jon Condo is a guy who is a backup at linebacker, but for all intents and purposes, I think he'll be our snapper on punts and field goals."
On the secondary
"Tony Okanlawon will start on one corner, with Dominique Foxworth behind him. He came in here and had trouble with 185 on the bench and now he's up to 270. The progress he's made has been incredible. Curome Cox will be at the other corner and will be one of the leaders of our team. I love Dennard Wilson's competitiveness and toughness. We have some experience at safety with Randall Jones and Tony Jackson at the strong safety, who is one of our stronger players and leaders."
On the special teams
"Brooks Barnard has had a great summer. We've got a heck of a punter with him. It amazes me how far he can kick it. When he gets his form down, he's going to be something. I don't know who's going to be the placekicker yet. I'm going to put both Vedad Siljkovic and Nick Novak under a lot of pressure in this camp. I think they were about even in the spring. Vedad is a little faster, and Nick is a little more accurate. I'm going to put the pressure on and see who can handle it the best."
On dealing with the heat
"I'm accustomed to the heat. One of the things you have to do is vary your practice times. I have four different practice schedules. The first seven or eight practices is my installation phase. The first three days are in shorts and shoulder pads. It's not a lot of hitting. It's a lot of learning and understanding. If this heat persists, then we're prepared to go early in the
morning and then in the evening, so they have some time to recover. You just have to be aware of the heat. Our trainers do an outstanding job. Our guys are always hydrated and keeping the electrolytes up and doing all we can."
On true freshman Jason Crawford
"He's a big guy that has it all. He has some acceleration - that burst you look for - plus I've been very pleased with the way he catches the ball out of the backfield. When you have a guy 6-2, 220, he can handle the protection. I like to have a guy who can, run, block and catch and that I can dictate."
On the expectations for the season
"I think there's an excitement. I think the alumni and fans are happy I'm here and I'm happy that I'm here. I've tried not to set too high a goal, but I've done that for myself all my life. I've got my goals, but I want the team to also have their goals. You have to face adversity. That's just part of the season and part of the game. It's how you deal with that adversity, how you fight through it and how you solve the problems that determine how successful you are. That's the challenge our team faces. I try to take them one game at a time and see what happens."
On the schedule
"I think it's a situation where we have to improve weekly. We have an opportunity on our schedule to grow. We have to be at our best in October and November. It's a matter of how we are going to get better each week. That's how we're going to get good. You can't be looking ahead. You have to conquer the day, and at the end you'll be happy with the results."
On a plan for success in his first year as head coach
"The first thing I wanted them to do is get bigger and stronger. I make that important to them. They know they're stronger now. We're going into some battles right from the start and we have to know that we can win. The second thing I'm going to preach to them is not to lose games. We can't have the critical errors and still win. Our margin for error is low. We can't have penalties, turn the ball over, drop passes, give up sacks, lose contain, or give up big plays. What I am trying to teach them is to not lose the game. Make the other team beat you because if you do that, they'll beat themselves half the time. Plus, I'm going to show them where they are succeeding. I'm going to brainwash them and show them that they can be good. Then they start seeing the glass is half full, not half empty."
On his competitive nature
"I want them to finish everything they start. Whether it's class, a drill or a game. Everything is competitive to me. That's what I want for them. We have to experience success first. They have to beat somebody and that's when you have a different persona about yourself and the way you play."
On how the team has prepared for the season
"I think so far, they've exceeded my expectations. I really don't have that many complaints as far as them missing workouts. I'm the type of guy where if you give me all that you got, then I'm happy. It's when you don't give me what you have -- when you're an underachiever -- that's what irritates me."
On the importance of the home opener against North Carolina
"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't important. It's going to be easier if we win that game, but the sun's going to rise Sunday morning if we win or if we lose. I'm going out to win that game, don't get me wrong, but I'm going to put it away if we don't. I think it's more important to our fans and alumni because they need to keep this excitement going."
On having a balanced offensive attack
"I think there are certain things we do better in the running game, because we're more adapted to running more in recent years. But I think you have to be able to do both to be successful. Defenses are going to take away what you do best. If you run it well, they're going to take away the run. If you throw it well, they're going to take away the pass and make you beat them on the ground. We have to be able to adapt and have a balanced offensive attack."
