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Freshman
 
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Last Login: 3/17/2008 9:53:28 PM
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Good read on new Bears receivers' coach, Dedric Ward.
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060807/SPORTS0401/608070355/1052
[quote]
First-hand knowledge
MSU receivers coach played eight seasons in NFL, won Super Bowl. Dedric Ward knows what it takes to succeed in the Gateway
by Kyle Neddenriep
Footballs whizzed behind helmets, careened off shoulder pads and just past the outstretched fingertips of wide receivers.
A couple balls even bounced off of facemasks, then rolled away awkwardly on the turf.
Dedric Ward, who had been on the other end of these drills hundreds of times before, was the one doing the firing this time.
"Am I throwing too hard?" Ward asked loudly, repeating himself several times as the drill continued for several minutes during Missouri State's first fall practice.
No one dared answered "Yes!" for the fear that Ward really might start putting some mustard on the ball.
That's the thing about having an eight-year NFL veteran as a coach. The respect tends to be there even before any face-to-face meetings.
"When a guy has a Super Bowl ring, you tend to look up to him," said junior receiver Jeremy Nicholson. "That's a dream. And then you add those Gateway (Conference) championships that he won. That's what we're striving for."
Ward won those championships during his playing days at Northern Iowa from 1993-96, where he was a two-time All-American and still tops the school's all-time receiving yardage list with 4,539 yards.
He's reunited here with coach Terry Allen, who left Northern Iowa for Kansas the same year Ward was drafted in the third round by the New York Jets.
Allen said the leadership qualities that have drawn Ward into coaching were evident early on. A nudge from Bill Parcells, who Ward played under for five of his eight NFL seasons, was all the incentive he needed to give coaching a shot.
"Coach Parcells wanted him to become a coach (and) I have an awful lot of respect for Coach Parcells," Allen said. "That seemed like an easy fit. Dedric's work ethic has always impressed me and he's decided this is what he wants to do. He has a great understanding of the game."
Ward spent four seasons with the Jets, his best coming in 2000, when he caught 54 passes for 801 yards and three touchdowns. After that season, he spent two years with the Miami Dolphins, then played for the Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots in 2003, before closing his career with Parcells and the Dallas Cowboys in '04.
After he decided it was time to get out of football, Ward took Parcells' advice and decided to give coaching a try. He said working with Allen again, this time as a colleague, is a natural fit.
"He's a guy who gave me an opportunity from the beginning so it was a no-brainer," Ward said. "It came down to me looking at coaching as a career and a realistic possibility for my future. After being around a guy like Parcells, who expects his players to be like coaches on the field, it's kind of a natural transition."
Though he currently has a home in Las Vegas and has lived in New York and Miami, moving back to the Midwest wasn't a tough sell.
A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Ward said living in Springfield won't be a culture shock for him.
"I've lived on both coasts so I've seen what it's like everywhere," he said. "People are great in the Midwest. I always enjoy being back here. You drive down the street and people wave at you. When you're at a stoplight, people aren't honking at you right when the light turns green. It's more of a comfortable, friendly atmosphere."
That's not to say he'll be taking on an overly-friendly relationship with his group of receivers this fall.
He takes his coaching style from Parcells, who is known for his no-nonsense approach.
That showed during the Bears' first practice on Thursday, as Ward both encouraged and corrected during a "bad ball" drill, where receivers attempt to make catches on balls thrown in tough-to-catch places.
Ward believes there are a few able-bodies at a position that is searching for a playmaker after the graduation of Michael Sparks, who accounted for a team-high 663 receiving yards last year.
Senior Calvin Nealy (28 catches, 327 yards) is the top returnee by the numbers, along with Nicholson (15 for 187) and sophomore Chris Geisz, who saw action on special teams last year.
Tamarkus McElvane and Eric Davis join the Bears from the California junior college ranks with designs on cracking the starting lineup.
Getting to the top of the Gateway — something Ward knows plenty about — will depend a lot on how the receivers perform in Allen's pass-happy attack.
"We have 12 (receivers) and I told them at our first meeting that it's a great situation because everyone is going to be evaluated the same and the best guys will play," he said. "Whether you are a freshman or a transfer or been here for four years, playing time will be decided on how you practice."
Ward knows it's a long shot to turn out any NFL players, though at 5-foot-9 he defied the odds himself in making it.
But now that he has the ear of these young athletes, Ward hopes that he can make a difference in more places than just the football field.
"I know it helps that I've been there and been in the fire and know what it means to compete at a high level," he said. "But hopefully this isn't all about X's and O's and football only. It should be about life lessons.
"I want to be able to show these guys some leadership and things that they can take with them when they are done playing. Whether that's the next level in the NFL or another part of their life, hopefully my experiences can help these young guys make good decisions down the road."
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Fresh, new hardware on the way...
WEAR MAROON!!!!!
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Forum Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 9/25/2006 8:58:37 AM
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Good article, I knew his name was familiar!
The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.
- George Carlin
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