Northwestern University Athletics
ON THE RECORD with Mike Kafka, Part Two
8/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | General
Aug. 11, 2009
In the second half of a two-part conversation with NUsports.com's Skip Myslenski, senior quarterback Mike Kafka reflects on his first go-round as a starter at NU and also delves into the subject of who his athletic role models were growing up.
It's definitely been tough. It's hard not being able to go out there and play and be with your best friends and contribute to the team. The reason I came here was to contribute to the team and play and be a starter.
I don't know if I was depressed. I was very upset.
I felt I was working hard and things just didn't happen. But everything happens for a reason and I stayed positive.
I got a lot of support from my family and friends. The coaches, too. They want to see everyone play. But there's only one quarterback who can go out there. It's not like every other position where you have five linemen, four receivers, go down the list.
There's only one quarterback and, at the time, the best way for our team to win was with C.J. (Bachér).
I trusted the coaches and when it was my turn to play, I played and did the best I could.
I made the most of it.
I learned more than I think I could have learned being on the field.
Listening. Going through the ups-and-downs of the season. Being there with C.J. and working through a lot of different things on the field. When adversity hit the team, we sat back and talked about, 'All right, relax, refocus, let's go out there and move the ball, get some completions, chip away.'
Learning that kind of stuff is going to help me out on the field when that kind of thing is happening.
Sometimes, when you play bad, it's the end of the world. Now, I've learned to sit back and understand the situation and know that doesn't mean anything. We have plenty of game left. We just have to keep chipping away.
Those building blocks really built me as a quarterback and I really can't be more thankful for them. Going through those seasons really made me a stronger player. Now I can help teach the younger guys the kinds of lessons I learned through that.
They're different for different guys. There're guys like Jeremy Ebert, who played a lot last year, who caught touchdown passes for us last year (as a true freshman). And there are guys who maybe didn't play. The message to them is to always keep on working hard, it's gonna happen for you. Maybe not right now, but it's gonna happen for you.
For a guy like Jeremy Ebert, I'd say, 'Don't let it slip away.'
It's definitely something I can carry on through the rest of my life, knowing that the hard work did pay off.
Right now I'm the starter and I'm ready to make the most of it. All the other stuff that happened, it doesn't matter anymore. It all helped me prepare for this time right now. That's what I'm really focused on. Right now.
Freshman year, Coach Fitz (Pat Fitzgerald) definitely gave me the Mercedes. I wasn't ready for it. Now, a few years down the road, I think I've earned the Mercedes. That's a good analogy of the career that I've gone through.
This year will depend on how well we can communicate and respond to last year. Last year, we had a good year. But the more we can put that year behind us and get after this year, the better off we'll be
The one thing that will hold us back is being complacent after last year. 'Oh, we did fine last year. We're good.' Without a doubt, I'm going to try my hardest to not let that happen. And I'm not the only guy either. Our senior class will be holding everyone responsible.
Cal Ripken Jr. One of my favorite players of all time. The way he played the game was awesome, awesome. Another plus was that, home or away, he'd sign everyone's autograph. He was great. I have so many Cal Ripken autographs at home, it's not funny.
I've loved him since I was a little kid, so I think it just kind of happened that I play like he played. I don't know if I really modeled myself after him. When I was 12-years old, I don't think I said I'm going to model myself after Cal Ripken. It just happened.
The way he played the game, I can relate to that. He was just a get-after-it-every-day kind of guys.
Brett Favre. It's funny being from Chicago and loving a guy from Green Bay. But he was the same way (as Ripken). I think those two guys are very similar.
They played the game in a way that no one else really did. They played it with fire, a great attitude, a winner's attitude. Every day they stepped on the field just to win. It's amazing how they played so long and never got injured, never got set back.
I've thought about that. These guys who played the longest were the guys who played the hardest out there.
You've just got to take it one day at a time. If you look to far into it, that's when all kinds of thoughts start getting into your head.
That's another thing I learned over the years. You can't really think about the fourth quarter when you're in the first. You've got to think of that play, that series, that drive.
The more you think ahead, the more you fall into that trap of getting ahead of yourself and thinking of things that don't matter.
Obviously, I want to win the Big Ten. That's a definite goal. But I don't want to sell us short. I want to go out and win the national championship too.
Those are big things. I know people are going to read that and say, 'That kid's talking out of his (rear).'
That's fine. There are always haters. There are always some guys who don't agree with you. That's fine.
We don't really care about anyone else's opinion. We know our team and our capabilities. Everybody else's opinion goes in one ear and out the other.
