Even for someone who played 14 seasons in the National Football League, opening-day jitters still occur for Hines Ward. The first game of a new campaign comes with expected pressures and emotions like excitement and angst, with the adrenaline pumping all over. Arizona State’s wide receivers coach admits that he has some butterflies heading into week one.
“Anxiety's already hit me,” Ward said. “I want to see what it's like running out to the stadium in front of our Sun Devil family and crowd. It's going to be the first weekend of football, too, so just the players, I know they're excited. They're tired of going up against the same guys, and now they’re going up against some fresh meat.”
Ward feels that the hard work and preparation that went into fall camp have readied his group for the big stage on Saturday. Yet, he also noted the vagueness of truly knowing where his unit truly stands before the game kicks off.
“I've seen the growth, I've seen them take huge strides, but there is an uncertainty of what they're going to do on game day,” Ward explained. “I think all the coaches, we don't really know. The anxiety of really saying, ‘Did I do enough? Did I prepare these guys enough for them to play out when it matters the most?’ So, I'm excited about the opportunity.
“I know I'm putting everything into it. I felt like this week we had a great week of preparation and continued to grow. We still have a couple of days before game day, but you just never know. You never know when the lights turn on and that's something that I haven't been around these guys to experience that. So it's going to be the first time for me. I just want to make sure I do all I can and put them in position in many plays.”
Some of Ward's apprehension lies in the timing of his arrival to the ASU coaching staff. Announced as the wide receivers coach in April 2024, midway through spring practice, he spoke on his desire to have more time with his players in an attempt to remedy more ineffective tendencies before the season begins.
“I need to teach them a lot, and that's my biggest worry is being that I got here so late and not having as much time as I would like to have with them,” Ward remarked. “I just don't want them, when the games on the line that they revert back to their old habits, that's something that I'm trying to break the mold and in the short time that I've been here just staying on their butts each and every day and preaching about consistency and what I want.
“You always worry; I wish I had a whole year with these guys because then I can probably break those bad habits that they have. But I just know when you get tired, you get fatigued, you really got to lean on your technique and fundamentals in order to overcome that. Sometimes, when you get tired and you can't go anymore, you kind of revert back to what's normal. That's something I'm trying to break the mold and break that tendency with these guys. So it's just a matter of this, when I see it, recognizing it, being able to pull them out of the game so they can stay fresh and making sure that they're not going out there and putting bad plays in taste.”
Outside of fatigue, Ward makes it clear that bad habits are natural in sports, yet they need to be ironed out with time and diligence. While the wide receiver group has shown high levels of talent and effort throughout camp, some minor details can take time to fix, comparing the sport of football to golf and generally other aspects of life.
“It's hard to break bad habits,” Ward admitted. “Imagine being a golfer. You just picked up the clubs and golfing, now you try to get instruction from a golf instructor. It's hard to break those habits; when they get fatigued, you do see them revert to some of the things that I was like, well, I didn't coach that.
“So you went back to your old habits. We have a not-that-bad habit, but it's just staying on top of those guys. Are we going to play a perfect game? No, but I just want, for us to just make routine plays consistent.”
In his limited time with the program, Ward has been able to coach a versatile array of players with different backgrounds and personalities. He considers this area of his job as the most important component of his profession, balancing and finding players that complement each other on the field.
“Our job as coaches is to put these guys in the best position so they can make plays,” Ward explained. “We're not going to ask a player to do something that is not very good at it. So picking different personnel packages and putting guys in certain spots so they can succeed. That's really what our job is, and that's what we've done all week so far.”
Ward praised graduate receiver Melquan Stovall as one of the leaders in the Sun Devil locker room. Stovall has been a model of consistency since arriving at ASU last year. Now, as he utilized his experience, Stovall has impressed Ward with how he interacts with the other wide receivers and conducts himself.
“Melquan is kind of the leader of our group,” Ward noted. “Just a steady guy, reliable anytime you call his number. He's always on time, and I'm always preaching to the guys. So I just love his mindset and who he is as a person as well as a football player.”
With a multitude of talented wideouts at his disposal, Ward spoke about two players in particular, redshirt sophomore Jordyn Tyson and graduate Jake Smith, and their playmaking abilities. Smith will be playing football again for the first time in over three full seasons, and Ward feels Tyson has the potential to take a major leap this season and turn some heads.
“Jake has a newfound love for the game,” Ward said, smiling. “I mean, each and every day, he comes with purpose. You’re starting to see him smile a little more and enjoy the game. I look for him, and he's going to make plays, man; he's an explosive playmaker. He's just got to put the ball in his hands and watch him go.
“[Tyson] is going to be his coming out year; I think he's going to have a great year. For a lot of people, he's kind of under the radar, but he's had a phenomenal camp.”
All of the players in this room will have the opportunity to calm their position coach’s nerves this weekend against Wyoming if they turn in a solid showing. Ward made it known that Saturday night's class will not be an easy affair and his players will need to be at their top of their game if a win is on the cards for week one.
“They’re a solid team,” Ward stated. “Won nine games last year. So we gotta bring our ‘A’ game. We're not good enough to think that we just can just go, show up, and win games. We gotta put it into preparation, put in the work, put in the time, and that's what these guys are committing to. So, I'm always on them; just commit.
“Wyoming's not going to beat themselves. We got to go out and make the routine plays consistently, if we do that, we give ourselves an opportunity to win this game.”
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