RoaminSooner
1/26/2011, 06:57 PM
Good read.
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/q-and-a-with-running-back-demarco-murray/
January 26, 2011, 5:45 AM
Q. and A. With Running Back DeMarco Murray
By MATT WALDMAN
DeMarco Murray burst onto the national scene his freshman year at the University of Oklahoma with his big-play athleticism. Although a torn hamstring as a sophomore and minor injuries as a junior forced Murray to miss six games as well as a chance to play in the B.C.S. title game, he still ranks sixth in career yardage among Oklahoma runners and he owns the school’s all-purpose yards record. Murray sat down with the Footballguys.com staff writer Matt Waldman after the first day of Senior Bowl practices this week to talk about the craft of playing running back.
MW: One of the strengths I have observed with your game as your career has progressed is your maturity as a decision maker. You now often take what the defense gives you and as a junior and senior you were lowering your pads and getting the tough yards. Because you are a superb athlete it’s easy to rely on that athleticism too much. Watching you play as a freshman, you frequently chose to outrun people to the corner. Can you tell readers when you made the change to your running style?
DM: It pretty much happened when I first got to Oklahoma in the summer and coming into practice…because when you get to college there are another 100 DeMarco Murrays out there. Everybody’s fast, everybody’s strong, but if a person is going to compete at a high level today they have to get better in the weight room, on the football field and in the classroom as well.
I just had the mind-set going in that I wanted to play my first year and I wanted to play all four years when I got there – and I wanted to contribute on special teams. I knew I wasn’t the biggest guy, but I knew that I had a big heart and if I was given an opportunity I was going to shine no matter what. So I just worked really hard.
I also got to see Adrian Peterson for a year there. And he demonstrated how hard he worked – even when he wasn’t getting the ball.
It’s just about hard work and that mind-set of competing.
MW: I would think you saw other players with unbelievable talent who weren’t making that adjustment. They thought that they could outrun everybody and try to make the big play on every play. It sounds like you had a great example with Adrian Peterson to realize that didn’t work all the time.
DM: Yeah, it’s like you said, there’s times where you think you are the fastest guy and you’re going to get outside. Everybody goes through that when you’re learning the game and learning new techniques. There were times in my past where I could have maybe stuck it inside but I stuck it outside…and I was trying to do a little too much at that point.
MW: Talk to me about what you are seeing and reacting to as a runner on any given play: the formation; the defensive keys you’re trying to read before the snap and then after the snap what you’re thinking and reacting to in order to make the play.
DM: I used to read the second-level defenders. At any level (of football) you have to read the 3-technique, the 5 or the 9. When I first got there, I was constantly worried about the second level guys and missing some of my cuts. Most of your yards you make cutting off linemen whether they are in your face or they stay in their gap. You have to watch film and stay the course and be patient. That’s one of the things that my coaches stressed for me.
When I got there, they kept telling me to read the 3-technique, keep reading your down linemen because they will tell you where to go; and once you get to the second level, then just be a player – be an athlete. But you have to read the down lineman and that’s one of the great things about running back, you have to have patience and the skill to press the line of scrimmage and do the things that will benefit the team.
MW: It seems a like running the football is a lot like music. There’s a rhythm to it, a flow, and with practice and watching film is there a point where it just begins to click? Is there a point where you go from thinking too much about technique until it finally becomes second nature?
DM: Yeah, everyone overthinks it sometimes or at some point or another. You just have to relax, slow down and let the game come to you. You have to trust your eyes. Your eyes won’t lie to you. Trust your eyes; trust your keys and trust your technique and it all takes care of itself. The more reps you get can also helps. But for me it’s film that helps me the most. Even mental reps can help you see others’ mistakes so you don’t make them.
MW: Injuries have obviously played an unfortunate part in your college career – which has been a terrific career, nonetheless. I’m curious if you think that your injury as a sophomore contributed to your injuries as a junior due to your body trying to compensate for the original ailment.
DM: I don’t think too much about the idea of compensating. Some say you use your thighs or hamstrings more because your knee hurts. I just think it’s all a part of God’s plan. We have no control over injuries. Its just part of life; you can walk down the street and twist your ankle. I’m just blessed to have had the career I’ve had, be a part of University of Oklahoma history and win as many games as we won as a team.
MW: What is the most important think you’ve learned as a college football player?
DM: That playing the position of running back is not just about running with the football. You have to be able to protect the quarterback. That’s one of the biggest things that was coached at Oklahoma and we worked on it all year as well as catching the football. You want to be an every-down back and not just a first-, second- or third-down back. You want to be a player that the coaches have trust in you to carry the ball as well as catch and block. I just continue to work hard and take pride in blocking for the quarterback and catching the ball.
MW: Last question, who is a peer of yours at the running back position in college football that you enjoy watching play?
DM: I like LaMichael James. He’s a smaller guy. Oregon runs a similar offense, and he runs a lot from the gun. He’s a shifty guy that puts on a show. He’s a playmaker that definitely should be on a lot of people’s minds next year.
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/q-and-a-with-running-back-demarco-murray/
January 26, 2011, 5:45 AM
Q. and A. With Running Back DeMarco Murray
By MATT WALDMAN
DeMarco Murray burst onto the national scene his freshman year at the University of Oklahoma with his big-play athleticism. Although a torn hamstring as a sophomore and minor injuries as a junior forced Murray to miss six games as well as a chance to play in the B.C.S. title game, he still ranks sixth in career yardage among Oklahoma runners and he owns the school’s all-purpose yards record. Murray sat down with the Footballguys.com staff writer Matt Waldman after the first day of Senior Bowl practices this week to talk about the craft of playing running back.
MW: One of the strengths I have observed with your game as your career has progressed is your maturity as a decision maker. You now often take what the defense gives you and as a junior and senior you were lowering your pads and getting the tough yards. Because you are a superb athlete it’s easy to rely on that athleticism too much. Watching you play as a freshman, you frequently chose to outrun people to the corner. Can you tell readers when you made the change to your running style?
DM: It pretty much happened when I first got to Oklahoma in the summer and coming into practice…because when you get to college there are another 100 DeMarco Murrays out there. Everybody’s fast, everybody’s strong, but if a person is going to compete at a high level today they have to get better in the weight room, on the football field and in the classroom as well.
I just had the mind-set going in that I wanted to play my first year and I wanted to play all four years when I got there – and I wanted to contribute on special teams. I knew I wasn’t the biggest guy, but I knew that I had a big heart and if I was given an opportunity I was going to shine no matter what. So I just worked really hard.
I also got to see Adrian Peterson for a year there. And he demonstrated how hard he worked – even when he wasn’t getting the ball.
It’s just about hard work and that mind-set of competing.
MW: I would think you saw other players with unbelievable talent who weren’t making that adjustment. They thought that they could outrun everybody and try to make the big play on every play. It sounds like you had a great example with Adrian Peterson to realize that didn’t work all the time.
DM: Yeah, it’s like you said, there’s times where you think you are the fastest guy and you’re going to get outside. Everybody goes through that when you’re learning the game and learning new techniques. There were times in my past where I could have maybe stuck it inside but I stuck it outside…and I was trying to do a little too much at that point.
MW: Talk to me about what you are seeing and reacting to as a runner on any given play: the formation; the defensive keys you’re trying to read before the snap and then after the snap what you’re thinking and reacting to in order to make the play.
DM: I used to read the second-level defenders. At any level (of football) you have to read the 3-technique, the 5 or the 9. When I first got there, I was constantly worried about the second level guys and missing some of my cuts. Most of your yards you make cutting off linemen whether they are in your face or they stay in their gap. You have to watch film and stay the course and be patient. That’s one of the things that my coaches stressed for me.
When I got there, they kept telling me to read the 3-technique, keep reading your down linemen because they will tell you where to go; and once you get to the second level, then just be a player – be an athlete. But you have to read the down lineman and that’s one of the great things about running back, you have to have patience and the skill to press the line of scrimmage and do the things that will benefit the team.
MW: It seems a like running the football is a lot like music. There’s a rhythm to it, a flow, and with practice and watching film is there a point where it just begins to click? Is there a point where you go from thinking too much about technique until it finally becomes second nature?
DM: Yeah, everyone overthinks it sometimes or at some point or another. You just have to relax, slow down and let the game come to you. You have to trust your eyes. Your eyes won’t lie to you. Trust your eyes; trust your keys and trust your technique and it all takes care of itself. The more reps you get can also helps. But for me it’s film that helps me the most. Even mental reps can help you see others’ mistakes so you don’t make them.
MW: Injuries have obviously played an unfortunate part in your college career – which has been a terrific career, nonetheless. I’m curious if you think that your injury as a sophomore contributed to your injuries as a junior due to your body trying to compensate for the original ailment.
DM: I don’t think too much about the idea of compensating. Some say you use your thighs or hamstrings more because your knee hurts. I just think it’s all a part of God’s plan. We have no control over injuries. Its just part of life; you can walk down the street and twist your ankle. I’m just blessed to have had the career I’ve had, be a part of University of Oklahoma history and win as many games as we won as a team.
MW: What is the most important think you’ve learned as a college football player?
DM: That playing the position of running back is not just about running with the football. You have to be able to protect the quarterback. That’s one of the biggest things that was coached at Oklahoma and we worked on it all year as well as catching the football. You want to be an every-down back and not just a first-, second- or third-down back. You want to be a player that the coaches have trust in you to carry the ball as well as catch and block. I just continue to work hard and take pride in blocking for the quarterback and catching the ball.
MW: Last question, who is a peer of yours at the running back position in college football that you enjoy watching play?
DM: I like LaMichael James. He’s a smaller guy. Oregon runs a similar offense, and he runs a lot from the gun. He’s a shifty guy that puts on a show. He’s a playmaker that definitely should be on a lot of people’s minds next year.