CHAD GREENWAY and ABDUL HODGE
Iowa LB Chad Greenway
The interview session had just started. Abdul Hodge had a table at the entrance, so all the media types went to him first. Greenway was sitting by himself, and since that would soon change in a big way, I sat down to be able to fire out a few questions before the swarm hit.
CFN: (looking at all the media around Hodge) Yeah, he’s got the media, but you’re going to make more money than him next year at this time.
Chad Greenway: I don’t know about that.
CFN: Out of all the great Big Ten linebackers in here, what about you stands out above the rest?
CG: I don’t know if I do any one thing better than any of these other guys. A.J. Hawk is just a great player. Abdul is a great hitter, and he’s great in coverage for a middle linebacker. He does everything well, and that’s why he’s getting all the recognition that he has been getting. I think I do everything well, but I need to work harder to be like those two.
CFN: What, in your mind, do you specifically need to do to get better to be at the level you want to be at?
CG: I think I need to work on getting using my hands better and the way I take on linemen (note: Greenway’s hands are the size of Shaq’s. They’re true meathooks.). It might have something to do with starting out as a safety, but I’m still trying to work on playing around bigger people. Physically, I know I can handle it but I have to do it and do it and do it to get more used to it.
CFN: It’s easy to say how one guy can compliment the other, but what does Hodge do to make you better, and vice versa?
CG: It’s his intensity level. He brings it every game, every practice and every play. It raises our whole defense up, and hopefully I can do the same thing with my play. I learned from players like Bob Sanders and Matt Roth how you’re supposed to be a leader and play well enough to make everyone around you better.
CFN: Much has been made about all the changes on the D line. Can it be close to as good as it was last year?
CG: It looks great; it had a great summer. We were really impressed, and it’s going to be a lot better than people are giving it credit for. We knew they needed to take two or three steps this summer, and they really have. Their conditioning levels are up, they work like we need them to, and they’re going to be more than fine. It should continue this fall.
CFN: Is the coaching staff asking more out of you because of the inexperience up front?
CG: Not in any one specific way, but I do realize I have to be more of a leader and help the D line as we go along. I don’t need to make five more tackles per game, or anything like that. I need to use my experience to do what I can to make everyone else better and show them how things work.
CFN: You weren’t originally a linebacker. How can you just become a great linebacker? Don’t you need to have certain instincts that only come from playing the position for several years?
CG: Work ethic. I felt that if I worked at it and worked at all of the little things and did everything the coaches told me, I could become a good player. They really have molded me and made me what I am.
Iowa LB Abdul Hodge
CFN: As a veteran, what about college football do you see now that you didn’t a few years ago?
Abdul Hodge: Anybody can beat anybody. If you’re not playing everyone like national champions, you can get beat by anyone. That’s especially true for the Big Ten where if you take anyone likely, you’ll lose.
CFN: You’ve been at Iowa for the resurgence. How have your expectations changed since the time you first came to Iowa.
AH: The bar has definitely been raised. Back when Coach came, it was a good thing to win seven games. Now we’re past that, and we know we can compete with anyone in the country and we can beat anyone. Now we go into seasons, and go into every game, knowing that we should be able to win. We definitely shoot for bigger things now.
CFN: How does Chad Greenway make you better?
AH: Chad is a very, very energetic guy. He goes 100% all the time. He’s also a good guy off the field. To see him progress as a linebacker is amazing. He’s so athletic and versatile that he can do everything well and can take the pressure off me.
CFN: Talk about playing for Kirk Ferentz. Chad Greenway mentioned that he wouldn’t be anywhere near the player he is without Ferentz and the rest of the coaching staff.
AH: He’s the best. He’s a great teacher and a great motivator, but I really like how he cares about the players more than anything else. He puts us first and is always looking to make us better. It’s not just about us as football players; he wants us to do well for us. Any time you have a coach who cares about you, you want to play that much better. You know that he’s thinking about your best interest, as well as the team’s best interest..[size=-1] [/size]
Iowa LB Chad Greenway
The interview session had just started. Abdul Hodge had a table at the entrance, so all the media types went to him first. Greenway was sitting by himself, and since that would soon change in a big way, I sat down to be able to fire out a few questions before the swarm hit.
CFN: (looking at all the media around Hodge) Yeah, he’s got the media, but you’re going to make more money than him next year at this time.
Chad Greenway: I don’t know about that.
CFN: Out of all the great Big Ten linebackers in here, what about you stands out above the rest?
CG: I don’t know if I do any one thing better than any of these other guys. A.J. Hawk is just a great player. Abdul is a great hitter, and he’s great in coverage for a middle linebacker. He does everything well, and that’s why he’s getting all the recognition that he has been getting. I think I do everything well, but I need to work harder to be like those two.
CFN: What, in your mind, do you specifically need to do to get better to be at the level you want to be at?
CG: I think I need to work on getting using my hands better and the way I take on linemen (note: Greenway’s hands are the size of Shaq’s. They’re true meathooks.). It might have something to do with starting out as a safety, but I’m still trying to work on playing around bigger people. Physically, I know I can handle it but I have to do it and do it and do it to get more used to it.
CFN: It’s easy to say how one guy can compliment the other, but what does Hodge do to make you better, and vice versa?
CG: It’s his intensity level. He brings it every game, every practice and every play. It raises our whole defense up, and hopefully I can do the same thing with my play. I learned from players like Bob Sanders and Matt Roth how you’re supposed to be a leader and play well enough to make everyone around you better.
CFN: Much has been made about all the changes on the D line. Can it be close to as good as it was last year?
CG: It looks great; it had a great summer. We were really impressed, and it’s going to be a lot better than people are giving it credit for. We knew they needed to take two or three steps this summer, and they really have. Their conditioning levels are up, they work like we need them to, and they’re going to be more than fine. It should continue this fall.
CFN: Is the coaching staff asking more out of you because of the inexperience up front?
CG: Not in any one specific way, but I do realize I have to be more of a leader and help the D line as we go along. I don’t need to make five more tackles per game, or anything like that. I need to use my experience to do what I can to make everyone else better and show them how things work.
CFN: You weren’t originally a linebacker. How can you just become a great linebacker? Don’t you need to have certain instincts that only come from playing the position for several years?
CG: Work ethic. I felt that if I worked at it and worked at all of the little things and did everything the coaches told me, I could become a good player. They really have molded me and made me what I am.
Iowa LB Abdul Hodge
CFN: As a veteran, what about college football do you see now that you didn’t a few years ago?
Abdul Hodge: Anybody can beat anybody. If you’re not playing everyone like national champions, you can get beat by anyone. That’s especially true for the Big Ten where if you take anyone likely, you’ll lose.
CFN: You’ve been at Iowa for the resurgence. How have your expectations changed since the time you first came to Iowa.
AH: The bar has definitely been raised. Back when Coach came, it was a good thing to win seven games. Now we’re past that, and we know we can compete with anyone in the country and we can beat anyone. Now we go into seasons, and go into every game, knowing that we should be able to win. We definitely shoot for bigger things now.
CFN: How does Chad Greenway make you better?
AH: Chad is a very, very energetic guy. He goes 100% all the time. He’s also a good guy off the field. To see him progress as a linebacker is amazing. He’s so athletic and versatile that he can do everything well and can take the pressure off me.
CFN: Talk about playing for Kirk Ferentz. Chad Greenway mentioned that he wouldn’t be anywhere near the player he is without Ferentz and the rest of the coaching staff.
AH: He’s the best. He’s a great teacher and a great motivator, but I really like how he cares about the players more than anything else. He puts us first and is always looking to make us better. It’s not just about us as football players; he wants us to do well for us. Any time you have a coach who cares about you, you want to play that much better. You know that he’s thinking about your best interest, as well as the team’s best interest..[size=-1] [/size]
:finger::drink:
