September 15, 2009

Tim Murphy Quotes From Ivy Football Teleconference

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Tim Murphy, the Thomas Stephenson Family Head Coach for Harvard Football, recently took part in the Ivy League's weekly teleconference. Below are his quotes from the event.

Additionally, coach Murphy will give more insight into his Crimson as he takes part in the weekly New England Football Writers' Association Luncheon Wednesday afternoon at Harvard's Dillon Field House.

The event - the nation's oldest weekly football media gathering, now entering its 81st season - begins at noon and features head coaches, players and administrators from around the region from all levels of NCAA competition. For the first time, this year's event will be streamed live via the web on GoCrimson.com.

Fans can login to Harvard's Multimedia section of the website to watch the streams. Recaps of the event will be posted in the afternoon and will be sent to media and area schools as well. Local fans can do even better as the event is open to the public for a fee of $10 per person.

Each school's coach/administrator will speak briefly about his team's last game, a preview up the upcoming games and an assessment of his team's top players. Additionally, the weekly Gold Helmet Award is given to the preceding week's top players. The award is sponsored by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston and the weekly winners - one from Divisions I and one from Divisions II/III - are presented with a plaque.

Tim Murphy Quotes from the weekly Ivy League Teleconference
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009

On Harvard's preseason:
I think we had a very solid preseason with no real surprises positive or negative... like a lot of people, we're just dying to get going.

On Ivy League expectations:
It something you have to constantly remind your team about and make the freshmen understand for a lot of reasons. We seem to have a bull's-eye on our back and our front. (We) seem to be everybody's big game and everybody is all "jacked up" to play us. Our young guys have to learn that you're not going to catch anybody by surprise. The upperclassmen, they get it - but the younger guys get surprised at how each team is ready to play us no matter the situation.

On meeting up with Yale's Tom Williams:
I only met him informally at one Ivy League meeting. He's got a great resume and is very polished. Form any standpoint it looks like Yale got a terrific coach.

On playing important games early in the season:
From one standpoint it is tough because Brown, year in and year is out an outstanding football team. It's a team that was always extremely motivated to play us. It's the same thing with a very talented Holy Cross team. Our kids know, right off the bat, you have to be ready to play.

On James Williams:
James is one of the few dominant offensive linemen in the league. He's one of those guys who makes a quarterback walk one or two inches taller. He's a gifted kid... but what makes him such a great player is the intensity he plays with. He goes after people... he plays with a defensive player's mentality. It takes a lot of our younger players some getting used to in practice because he just beats on people - he doesn't know any other way.

On featuring a running-type quarterback this season:
I think if you go from Neil Rose to Ryan Fitzpatrick, I think that all of them are good enough athletes to run the football. Ryan Fitzpatrick was the total package. You had a 225 pound halfback who could throw the ball as well. Collier (winters) is a very good athlete but we haven't changed much. We are a pass-first, run-second team and I think that's how we'll set it up.