 TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
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By Brian Nowicki Today was Spring media day for the University of Toledo football program and I had the pleasure to attend the event, along with photographer Paul Nelson. We got to talk to a few of the players and Head Coach Tom Amstutz about Spring practices and the upcoming football season.  Of course the main focus was on the battle to replace Bruce Gradkowski at quarterback. "I have to go out there every day with the mindset that I am going to be competing," said sophomore quarterback Clint Cochran. Clint is one of three quarterbacks on campus this Spring that will be battling for the starting QB spot. He has entered Spring practices #1 on the depth chart with redshirt freshman Brandon Summers in the #2 spot. Sophomore John Goolsby is listed #3 on the Spring depth chart.In a Spread offense you want a guy that has a lot of experience and knowledge of the offense. While none of the quarterbacks have a lot of collegiate experience, Clint Cochran has the edge in this category. "My strengths come from the experience and knowledge of the game, and also my arm strength and being able to put the ball where it is supposed to be," said Cocrhan. He is also very knowledgeable in the classroom. Clint is a bio-engineering student and he will be doing a co-op job related to his field this summer. There is no question that he is serious about his academics. "After practice you just want to go home and go to sleep, but you have to hit the books," said Clint. He continued, "academics is why we're here. It's not what we got a scholarship for, but it's why we're here." Clint isn't all about academics though. He understands that he has to provide leadership as the most experienced quarterback on the team and he wants to be the man on the field. "I want to be the guy who wants it the most," said Cochran when asked about the battle for the starting QB position. And despite battling it out for the starting position, Clint Cochran and Brandon Summers get along pretty well. "We work together on the field and off the field," Clint said. Clint is more of a pocket passer, while Brandon Summers is more of a mobile quarterback. "Brandon's got a gift with his legs," said Clint Cochran when asked about Brandon Summer's strengths. There is no question that Summers brings another dimension to the quarterback position with his feet, and he can throw the ball pretty well too. "Brandon Summers is a young quarterback that has multiple levels of talent," said Head Coach Tom Amstutz. "He's a runner and a quarterback that is maturing," Amstutz concluded.  Last year Brandon Summers spent most of his time learning the offense and watching Bruce Gradkowski. "I learned a lot (watching Bruce)," Summers acknowledged. "I went up to him a couple of times and asked him questions." And if the quarterback position does not work out for Brandon, he will adjust. "Whatever helps the team out, I would be willing to do," Summers said when hypothetically asked if he would be willing to switch positions.Brandon's younger brother Derrick signed a national letter of intent with Toledo on February 1st and plans on joining Brandon at Toledo this fall as a linebacker. "It's going to be just like old times," Brandon said when asked about his brother coming to Toledo. "I'm glad he's not on the other team." Obviously Head Coach Tom Amstutz has a big decision to make at the quarterback position. While he pointed out that Clint Cochran has the most experience and a lot of knowledge of the offense, he also pointed out that Brandon Summers adds the running dimension to the quarterback position and both have made an impact already. "Those two candidates really caught my eye in the first couple days of practice," said Amstutz.  Whoever becomes the quarterback is going to have a lot of talent to throw the ball too. Everyone I talked to today had nothing but good things to say about Steve Odom, Nick Moore, Robin Bailey, Stephen Williams, and David Washington. "All of our receivers who started in the bowl game are all back this year," said Amstutz. He went on to talk about Steve Odom's senior leadership, Nick Moore's big second half of the season last year, and talked about the speed and size of David Washington, Robin Bailey, and Stephen Williams. "These guys are big and tall receivers that can really run and catch the ball," said Amstutz. He concluded, "I'm excited about our receiver position and I believe it is a spot that can really improve a lot this year."Senior wide receiver Steve Odom will be looked upon to provide leadership on offense. He has started every single game of his Rocket career and has caught at least one pass in every game. That translates to 37 straight games with at least one reception, which is the longest current streak in Division I-A football. "I read about it (the streak) the other day in the newspaper," said Odom. He continued, "I never really thought about it. I just play the game." Along with having a reception in 37 straight games, Odom is within reach of Lance Moore's career reception record at UT. Odom needs 52 receptions this season to tie Moore's record. Last season he had 55 receptions for the Rockets. He also needs 8 more touchdown receptions to tie Moore's career touchdown reception record at Toledo. Despite the success, Odom has not let it go to his head. "The coaches, the teammates, the play calling has all contributed to my success," said Odom.  Senior linebacker Mike Alston is very excited about the upcoming season. "We're ready to go out and get a couple of shutouts as a defense and win a championship," said Alston. In 2004, Toledo's defense gave up 31.1 points per game and 417.5 yards per game. Tim Rose came in as the new defensive coordinator in 2005 and quickly turned the Rockets' defense around. Last season the defense improved to just 21.8 points per game and 317.7 yards per game. A lot of that success can be contributed to Tim Rose and Alston agrees. "He's got a lot of energy," said Alston. "He's a great motivational speaker and he really gets you fired up," Alston went on. "He's a really great guy and it's nice to have his presence on defense."As a senior, Alston knows that some of the younger guys will look up to him as a leader. "Some of the younger guys are going to be looking up to me," said Alston. "I need to communicate with the younger guys and make sure that there is a lot of communication on defense," he concluded. Every Spring you hear about a couple of players moving from one position to another, but one really caught my attention and that is Tyree Pollard. Last season Pollard was a defensive tackle for the Rockets, but this Spring he is getting a look on the offensive line. "I think Tyree is a really big and talented football player," said Amstutz when asked about the move. "I think he really has the opportunity to be an outstanding, All-MAC type of performer on offense, so I am going to take a look at him on offense in the Spring and see if he can be that dominate type of player on the offensive side of the ball." There has been some controversy already this Spring when it was printed in a local newspaper that Ray Williams was participating in winter conditioning and would be practicing with the team during Spring practices. Ray Williams is a former Mr. Football in the state of Ohio in 2003 and was on his way to West Virginia with a football scholarship before his world turned upside down. On April 16th of 2004, Ray and two of his high school teammates attempted to rob a drug dealer who was sitting in his car, using a fake gun. The drug dealer pulled out a real gun and shot one of Ray's teammates to death. Williams did not serve any jail time, but was told he had to attend college within six months and maintain at least a C average in order to not violate his probation. He enrolled at Toledo in January of 2005 and has asked Head Coach Tom Amstutz to allow him to walk onto the football team. So news that he is practicing with the team has added some controversy to the football team at Toledo. I talked to Tom Amstutz about Williams and his role at UT and on the football team. "My expectations for him (Ray Williams) as a player is a bit different," said Amstutz. He continued, "this Spring he is going to be a part-time player. He's gonna come out on Fridays and Saturdays and play. But, we want him during the week, Monday through Thursday, to concentrate on academics first." Amstutz said that he will be allowed to play on Fridays and Saturdays to get a feel of the team, but he is going to be slow with him as far as being a football player at Toledo. "We're proceeding with caution and our first concern is for Ray to make sure his life is in order and his academics are in order," said Amstutz. "Football is later down in his priorities right now," he concluded. Amstutz said that Ray Williams is not on a football scholarship and that he does not know how much he will play this fall if he is a part of the team. Have a question or comment for Brian? Email |