[NU Sports] Baz and Tyrell's postgame on-the-field interview on ESPN

[Jonathan Michael Hawkins]

The highlight reel on espn.com is here:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=253230356
<http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=253230356>

Baz clearly comes across as a guy who's got a degree from NU in 
Communications and is getting a Master's in the same - he's so incredibly 
well-spoken and I believe reflects incredibly well on our program.  He 
made sure to throw in a little praise for Coach Dunbar, which was nice to 
hear.  It was especially nice to hear given that this list has been a 
little flooded recently with unreasonably-negative charges and 
poorly-sourced rumors attacking our coaches and the job they've done this 
season.

I was particularly impressed with Tyrell's interview - another well-spoken 
young man who comes across as confident without being arrogant.  It's 
clear from Baz's playful gesture when Tyrell was talking about some of the 
seniors' experience and leadership "rubbing off" on him that there's a lot 
of good things going on in the lockerroom and off the field that we can 
and should be proud of.  Team building is a tough exercise for any coach, 
and Walker and his staff seem to have done a tremendous job of it since 
the tragedy of 2001 and the dark year of 2002.

A good Division I coach is hard to find, but one whose recruiting skills 
are so good as to continue to recruit high-quality, intelligent, and 
often-overlooked talent to a school like Northwestern without compromising 
by taking the criminals and the intellectually inept is worth a great 
deal.  Getting Pat Fitzgerald back on the staff as linebackers coach and 
now recruiting coordinator was a huge hiring success for Walker, and one 
which I believe will benefit both Fitz and the program in the long-term 
and in the short.

Having a season like this one after two six-win campaigns in a row is a 
great positive for this program.  Making this season's tally eight would 
be the icing on the cake, I believe.  But this season already is one in 
which our seniors, underclassmen, and especially coaching staff can and 
should take pride in. They've had some down times against good teams, but 
they've bounced back from those tough losses and upset other good teams. 
Most importantly, they've played with a ton of heart, pride, and guts.

Here's hoping for a great bowl draw and a Victory for the holidays. 
Expect it.

Go 'Cats,

Jonathan