“I’M NOT REALLY A DISCIPLINED RUNNING BACK”
We all have our limitations. We’re not ever going to have a clean shirt, because we’ve spilled something on it. Said shirt will also never be ironed, and matching pants for said shirt will be wrinkled or stained, because they just get that way after three seconds on our body. In the world of Mad Men, we’d be eating half-consumed hot dogs from a garbage can, completely unable in any way to contribute to society, since we hate jazz, look like hell in anything but a cartoonish suit, and have an attention span of OOH LOOKIE FUN QUOTE:
“I’m really not a disciplined running back,” Williams said. “I run my way. I’ve had coaches who have tried to teach me how to do this, do that. And I just can’t do it. At first, it didn’t sit well with Coach Hite at all. He’s constantly [saying], ‘Hammer the hole, hammer the hole. Hammer, hammer, hammer.’ He wants to see contact non-stop. I didn’t listen to him that much. I try not to make the contact. I try to make the people miss.
I’M YELLING FOR NO REASON BECAUSE YOU ARE UNCOACHABLE GOOD JOB.
At least Virginia Tech freshman Ryan Williams, the potential replacement for Darren Evans, recognizes his shortcomings and is open about it. “Frankly, coach, I’m uncoachable. Blitz pickup? You’ll want someone else in here for that, or Tyrod’s gonna be human marmalade smeared on the grass back there. Contact? Contact gets you hurt, coach, and I’m not entering this Maserati in a backwoods demolition derby anytime soon. Also, I only cut to the right. You may think this predictable, but it’s my style. Like a cat with its whiskers cut, my inner gyroscope only goes one direction. In fact, if I stand still long enough, I fall over like an imbalanced Weeble. You may want to move, actually. We’ve been standing here for a while.”
Williams was impressive in VT’s scrimmage, carrying 6 times for 27 yards and returning a punt 82 yards for a TD. Despite being able to only cut to the right and being completely uncoachable. (HT: Nathan.)
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rjsplow says:
So he’s not an ambi-cutter, then.
August 17th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
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cgb says:
Ryan Williams only runs one way, with a bolt of lightening up his ass. Learn to like it Billy Hite.
August 17th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
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chg says:
Just keepin’ it real. Vernon Franklin approves.
August 17th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
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MV3 says:
It is just good to have some VT talk at EDSBS. There will not be any come October. While technically he only cuts to the right, he can go left with use of a spin move, he just will be running backwards for a brief moment.
August 17th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
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Michael says:
At least post the actual questions and answers. Don’t just mash up the quotes to make it look like more than it is:
ON THE LOSS OF EVANS: “Opening against a team like Alabama, it really would’ve helped having Darren in there so we all could get into a rhythm. With the guys we have that don’t have any experience, it’s going to be kind of tough. But we’re just going to have to go for it. We can’t dwell on it. It is what it is now. We have to work for it and work around it.”
ON PLAYING BIG IN EVERY SCRIMMAGE HE’S HAD AT TECH: “I just make plays. That’s what I want to do. Whenever I’m in between those white lines, I’m … just trying to make plays. On the punt return, I did well today. As far as the running back, there’s some things that I can do a lot better. Once I start getting my football feet back up under me, start getting this whole fast-paced, contact thing, getting it timed right like I did during the spring.”
ON WHAT HE COULD DO BETTER: “Make my cuts better. There was a couple times that I could’ve made a cut, but I didn’t take it just because it hasn’t slowed down to me again. Today was the first time we went full-tilt, full-contact.”
ON PUNT RETURNING: “Love it. I love being in the open field. It’s like a big playground. I can just run around everywhere. And I have blockers out there, so it’s not just me. I love making people miss. Punt return is the best thing. You want to be in all the field, make all the moves you can.”
ON WHAT HE SEES ON PUNT RETURNS: “Well, right now, we’re only in skull caps to show the difference between teams. So to be honest with you, it kind of feels like all 20 people are running down. I don’t really know which person is on my team. So I just run away from anything. Even if somebody’s blocking for me … I might make a mistake and juke him.”
ON HIM SAYING, THEN, THAT PUNT RETURNS WILL BE *EASIER* WHEN HE’S FACING AN ACTUAL OPPONENT: “I honestly think it will when we’re facing other people. I’ll be able to separate which team is which.”
ON HIS RUN-FOR-HIS-LIFE STYLE: “That’s been my life, man. Since I was 6 years old, I’ve never had a team that blocked thoroughly, except my ninth grade year in high school. So my whole football career, I’m just running, scat-back, every which way. I’m really not a disciplined running back. I run my way. I just run the way I run. I’ve had coaches try to teach me to just do this and do that. I just can’t do it.”
ON HOW THAT SITS WITH COACH HITE: “At first, it didn’t sit well with Coach Hite at all. He’s constantly, ‘Hammer the hole. Hammer, hammer, hammer.’ He wants to see contact. I didn’t listen to him that much. That’s my thing: I try not to make the contact. I try to make people miss. But I think after a while, after he saw me making plays, he saw that I’m pretty good at what I do. He kind of left me alone. He doesn’t say anything anymore. I’m naturally a hard runner. It’s not like I can’t run between the tackles. I just choose not to.”
ON THE BATTLE FOR CARRIES: “My job is to really not worry about what (Hite) is thinking or what anybody else is doing, but just to focus on myself and get better every day. I just do my thing.”
ON HOW MUCH MORE REAL THE POTENTIAL PLAYING TIME BECAME WITH EVANS’ INJURY: “Very real. I can’t describe it. It was probably the biggest eye-opener I’ve had in football, having our star running back, our horse go down, out for the season, and it’s left up to three of us that don’t have any experience at all. It’s a tough situation.”
ON HOW EVERYONE TOOK THE NEWS: “The team kind of took it as we just have to move forward. Darren will always be with us. I’m pretty sure he’s going to work his tail off. He’s a hard worker. But as of right now, we’re just trying to get everybody else to step up to the plate.”
ON WHETHER IT TURNS UP HIS INTENSITY: “Nah. It doesn’t turn it up or lower it. I just go out there and try my best every day. Whether I’m at 6 or 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1, I’m going to do what I do every day
August 17th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
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Counter Trap says:
I am metaphysically certain this is not the running back “philosophy” Frank Beamer prefers just over two weeks from facing Alabama.
I am just as certain that Rolando McClain is well pleased.
August 18th, 2009 at 9:29 am
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El Kabong!!! says:
Dont’a Hightower just pleasured himself to this interview.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
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Mr. Pelican Pants says:
Speaking of VT, Michael Vick signed on with the Philly Eagles. Since he won’t play QB , they have moved him to punter, since he has perfected the “Pooch Kick”/#drumrollcymbalcrash
I’ll be here all week. Hey, if Vick messes up, will the announcer say he is in the dog house?? Nope, cause he would kill em all if they send him there, allegedly….
August 18th, 2009 at 7:31 pm