University of North Carolina Athletics
A Q&A With Coach Jim Webster: Part II
December 8, 2001 | Football
By: Joe Bray
TarHeelBlue: How important is the mental aspect of football?
Coach Webster: "I think the mental part of it is an on-going challenge. When you come into a program you've got guys who have been exposed to a certain mental state of mind for four or five years. You're not going to come in and change it in just a few months.
"I think you're better off as far as mental aspect with the freshman we've got now, because they've just been exposed to the mentality of the staff we've got now. It's the guys who have already been in the program that you have to change, because they've been exposed to a different way of thinking and doing things.
"The challenge is also on-going because of the outside forces you have pulling at these kids. They've got cars, they've got girlfriends, they've got video games, they've got class work and there's a war going on. With all these other things going on, it is a continuing challenge to get a young man focused mentally on playing football.
"It really is a continuing challenge, because I think that any coach who thinks he has won that battle has actually lost that battle. You have to constantly remind yourself that we weren't faced with nearly what these kids are faced with today.
"Things in our environment were pretty constant when we were growing up. You didn't have some of the things you have now. You didn't have the deadly drugs, you didn't have AIDS, you didn't have the threat of chemical warfare and terrorism. You didn't have all those things, Plus, you had a more stable family structure.
"Because you do have all these things, the mental part is a constant challenge."
TarHeelBlue: How much has the team progressed mentally since you got them early this year?
Coach Webster: "As far as this team is concerned, you have to look at the season to see if we were able to turn it around mentally. Would this team have won seven ball games under different leadership? Would this team have beaten Florida State, would this team have finished in third place in the ACC? Would this team have made the Peach Bowl?
"When you look at the things we have accomplished you have to look at why those things happened and certainly, you have to say some of those things were accomplished because of a better mental approach."
TarHeelBlue: What is the best thing Coach Bunting did this season?
Coach Webster: "I told John (Bunting) last night that I think the greatest thing he did as the head coach this year is that he stayed the course. That is the biggest thing that he did, and that is why we are where we are now.
"Every head coach has a plan. There are some things that are negotiable, and some things that aren't negotiable. Early in the season people were questioning what we were doing, and you've got to decide if you're doing the right thing or not. People do have good ideas about how things should be done.
"John listened to what people said and went 'OK, I've listened, but this is what I think needs to be done, and this is the way were going to go about getting it done.'
"John never panicked. (Laughing) Now I'm not going to say that other people didn't, but the important part is that John never did.
"There were a lot of things that played a part in why we were able to do what we were able to do. Not just one thing, but a lot of things."
TarHeelBlue: What's the most important factor in winning a football game?
Coach Webster: "I'm a firm believer that college football is a game of emotion. Emotion is the most important factor in winning a football game.
"These kids aren't getting paid millions a year, so it's not about money. You have emotional reasons for wanting to win? Things like going to a bowl game, winning the ACC championship, beating your rival. All those things involve emotion.
"You have to have your team ready to play from the X's and O's standpoint, but the most important part is having your team emotionally ready to play. It's not something you do on Monday, it's not something you do on Tuesday, it's not something you do before pregame warmups, it's something you do every step of the way."
TarHeelBlue: What about during a game?
Coach Webster: "You've got to motivate them during the game. You can't just talk to them right before the game and go, 'Let's go get them, rah rah rah.' During the course of a game, it's third and two, we've got to stop them. You've got to be figuring out a way to get those guys motivated to go.
"Let's say you've got a six-point lead, and they've taken over the ball on the fifty and a touchdown and extra point will beat you. You better get that defense motivated before they go out on the field.
"When you see me down there talking to my guys, I'm motivating them. You've constantly got to motivate your team every snap, every play, during the course of a game. You've got to be constantly encouraging your team.
"People may say there's something wrong if you have to do that on every play. No, there's nothing wrong with that. I just think that's the name of the game. If you want a flower to grow, you water it every day. You're nourishing it. You eat food every day. You don't just eat once a day, you eat several times a day.
"You have to motivate your players on every play, because every play in a ball game is the most important play. You can't say you'll motivate them before the game and then again at the half. You can't do that.
"I think we've done a great job at motivation this year. A lot of times people will see a coach hollering and screaming on the sideline and think 'Boy, he's really getting on that player.' It's not always that you're getting on them, often you're motivating that player.
"The fans don't hear what you're saying, they just see what you're doing. They assume that when you're in a guy's face you're telling him he screwed up. They don't know you're going 'Great job man, you're doing a great job out there!' I'm not down on him, I'm getting him motivated, I'm getting him fired up and ready to play.
"Sometimes motivation can be as simple as a pat on the back or on the head. Or just looking at them and smiling. You don't have to holler and scream on every play. When I say motivate a guy on every play I don't mean you have to yell at him.
"You can look at your player and just smile at him. That's motivation. You can be walking past a guy, he's walking one way and you the other way, and you just reach down and pat him on the leg and keep walking. That's motivation.
"You can get a cup of water from a trainer and take it to a player and just keep moving. That's motivation. Or you can see a guy sweating like heck and you toss him a towel. That's motivation.
"You see a guy on the bench and he's rubbing his wrist, you go to a trainer and say 'Hey, go check that guy out.' That's motivation because motivation is showing a player you're attentive to what his needs are. e attentive to what your player needs. My guy needs water, 'Hey, get him some water.', my guy needs a towel, 'Hey, get him a towel.'
"It's letting your player know that you care about him, you care about what he's doing, and you want to make sure he's got everything he needs to go out on that field and be successful. You care about him. That's motivation.
"You meet the guys coming off the field, going 'Great job, great job.' That's motivation, and you've got to do that, but you also have to do it in different ways. You can't just pat a guy every time and that's all you do. You have to change things up and do different things.
"I think that's what's been done with this football team. I think that we've tried to hit all areas. We've tried to make certain that they've got what they needed."
TarHeelBlue: You love this school and would do anything for it. Do the players feel that way, or does that feeling come later?
Coach Webster: "I think it comes over time. (Laughing) It's just like wine, it gets better with age. I think you have more of an appreciation for the school and the program over time.
"I think when you're involved with something and you're doing it, you take it for granted a little bit, plus you're busy doing it. You don't really have the time to appreciate with all that's going on.
"I think that when you get near the end of your time here your senior year, then it's like all of a sudden, 'This is my last game at Kenan Stadium.' There is more of an appreciation of a program after you're gone and you look back, because you have so many things to do while you're here.
"When you get away from school and meet other people who speak so favorably of Carolina and comment that they would have loved to come here, it really makes you appreciate this place.
"That's not to say the current players don't love this place, it's just that there's more appreciation when you can step back and look at things rather than being in the middle of them."
TarHeelBlue: How do the coaches feel about our fan support?
Coach Webster: "I think our fan support this year's been really good. Against SMU, every seat wasn't filled, but I thought our fans were great. The excitement was high, and it was a loud crowd.
"I really believe the people who came to the game appreciate what this football team has accomplished.
"It's up to us to perform so that they will want to see us play. We need to give them a reason to say 'Hey, this is great.'
"Win, lose or draw, I think the main thing that people want to see is to see us play hard."
TarHeelBlue: Has your first year back lived up to your expectations?
Coach Webster: "When you're an alumus of a school and you're back working at that school, I think you put a lot more pressure on yourself than someone's who's not an alumnus of your school because it's personal.
"Sometimes that can really make it tough. For example, some people say the worst coaches are fathers coaching their sons, because it gets too personal, it gets too intense. It's the same thing here.
"I've put a lot of pressure on myself here that I hadn't done at other schools. You really take losses hard, because it's like a personal defeat. The emotion's much greater because I wore that blue helmet.
"It's like whenever a tackle's made or missed, it's like you either made or missed that tackle. There's a lot more pressure because you played here. I feel the weight of every guy that's ever played football here at Carolina on my shoulders every time we go out on the field, I really do.
"I feel an obligation to them. I don't want to let them down.
"It's been a very pressurized season, but it's also been a very rewarding season. It's been rewarding to see the smiles on the fan's faces.
"The thing I've enjoyed the most is after a victory, just standing back and watching the excitement and the joy on our fans' and players' faces.
"The thing I enjoyed the most (against SMU) was just standing back and watching. Seeing John and Dick Baddour up on that stand accepting the bowl bid was just like Christmas. The fun part of Christmas is seeing someone light up when you give them something. That's the way I felt.
"The fun has been giving our fans big victories, wins over Clemson, Florida State and East Carolina, the Duke game, all of them were great. To be able to watch people enjoy that is great.
"Now on the other end of the spectrum is the Wake Forest game. That was a heartbreaker."
TarHeelBlue: How did you react after the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl invitation?
Coach Webster: "It just thrilled me to no end to see how happy everyone was when we accepted a bowl bid that nobody thought we would get at the beginning of the season. Looking at everybody's faces was just a joy.
"I went up to Chancellor Moeser to thank him for letting us be here and letting us build the program back up. He asked me how I was doing - because of that accident the day of the Duke game. He was concerned about that, which really made me feel good.
"Then I ran into Dick Baddour and thanked him for the opportunity to come here. It's not something I take for granted. I mean, how many people thought John Bunting was the best guy for the job when the decision was made?
"Not many people knew much about John Bunting back then, so I'm very appreciative that the Chancellor and Dick Baddour gave us the opportunity to come here and build this program.
"I looked at the Chancellor's face on that podium, and there couldn't be a prouder person in the stadium than he was. I've been at schools where the Chancellor could not care less, but the Chancellor is not like that here.
"That's why it gives me such joy to say thanks for bringing us here, now here's your reward, and that's the Peach Bowl."
Part III: Monday, Dec. 10:
Webster will discuss discipline, his relationship with Julius Peppers, plus more.
