Northwestern University Athletics
Head Football Coach Randy Walker Q&A
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 1, 1999
The Wildcat football team, and new head coach Randy Walker, begin 1999 spring drills on Sat., April 3. Walker recently answered some questions regarding his philosophies and general thoughts on the team as he prepares for his first official practice in Evanston.
What are your goals for spring practice and what do you hope to accomplish?
"Hopefully we can implement our offense, defense and kicking game. Not that we need to put together a game plan or a sophisticated attack, but you'd like to get the basic funadamentals and logistics in place for what you are going to try and do in those three aspects of the game in the fall. I'd like the kids to have a good working knowledge of our style of play, our practice tempo and the way we are going to approach trying to become a better football team."
What was your main focus of your off-season conditioning regimen and have you been happy with the results?
"So much of the off-season applies to what you do between January and August. I believe we need to get stronger as a football team and continue to improve our conditioning level. The summer is going to be a critical time for us, and I consider that part of the off-season. I am pleased with things to this point. I am not discouraged, but I certainly believe we've got a long way to go to be the kind of football team, in terms of strength and conditioning, that we need to be.
"That's one thing that is great about the weight room is it doesn't lie. You can talk a good game, but now let's load it up and find out. I want things that are measurable. I know what a 400-pound bencher looks like. I know what a guy who does 600-pounds on the squats looks like and so those core lifts - the power clean, squat, bench press - are real important to me. Seeing what kind of weight we're able to get up in the air right now, we're not as strong as we need to be to compete in the Big Ten Conference. But that doesn't concern me, it's where we are in September that concerns me. We have a lot of guys making great gains, we have a lot of young players that played last year that probably weren't as far along in the weight program as they needed to be. They've made some big progress, but I'm not going to accept or feel good about somebody until they get where I think they need to be."
Tell us about the "winning edge" program that you implemented this year in the morning workouts?
"It gives our coaches, as well as myself, the opportunity to handle the conditioning aspect of the program. As you head into spring ball, the winning edge program helps your team change from being a track and a weight lifting team to becoming a little closer to being a football team. There are some good drills that have a very high correlation to football in terms of quickness and agility that you can really accentuate. It also gives your older players a chance to exhibit leadership qualities. The winning edge is very high-paced, the action is fast and furious and what you are looking for, as the marines say, are 'a few good men.' You're looking for who's going to buckle-up, lock and load, fix the bayonettes and take the hill. I'm excited about implementing the winning edge and seeing who's going to be special, who's going to take over. Football is a team-oriented game and now we are going to start doing some team building type of work in this program."
Will you approach this job any differently than you did at Miami in light of the opportunities the Big Ten Conference presents?
"I've approached football the same way my whole life. I think we can be a great program here, I'm excited what this University has to offer the student-athlete, but quite simply it still comes down to a very basic goal to getting better every day and becoming the best football player and the best student-athlete you can be. As long as I can look in the mirror and have no regrets, I'll feel good about what I've done. I thought that way as a player 25 years ago and I feel that way as a coach today."
What are your trademarks on offense and defense? What can fans expect to see next year?
"We're a balanced offense. But, I would say without question, we start with the run. I think you have to rush the football in order to be a great football team. The years I've felt best about our offense is when we throw it half the time. But I know we have to be able to flat rush the football in the Big Ten in order to win. We try to accommodate our personnel as kids do things differently. I like doing what kids can do and execute and we need to find that out during spring practice.
"Defensively, we've been a 4-3, but with Coach Jerry Brown taking over the leadership of our defense we'll use some of the things he's had success with here at Northwestern. They were a very successful defense in the years they won the Big Ten Championship. His influence will be very obvious on our defense. I want to make sure that we are aggressive and assertive in our approach. I like coming after people and making things happen as a defense. As Bobby Bowden says, 'Hold on to your hats, someone's fixin' to score.' I hope it's us."
