Griff
July-25th-2005, 12:27 PM
I found this one in the Oakland Tribune, it gives us a little incite:
http://www.redskins.com/uploads/photos/perm/main/JGGCADCKHCFL/Newberry_Jared2.jpg
Newberry's great ride at Stanford
SAN FRANCISCO -- This is what it comes down to for Jared Newberry: One more college football game, one final opportunity to forget the losing seasons he has lived through at Stanford, one last chance to leave with a good feeling.
It won't be easy for Newberry and the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday, as Cal is a 241/2-point favorite. But the Big Game has been the scene of many an upset, not to mention wacky endings, especially when it's in Berkeley.
For Newberry, it has been a bumpy ride at Stanford, from walk-on to fullback to linebacker to earning a scholarship to becoming a co-captain.
He has undergone personal changes as well. He grew a ponytail and learned a lifestyle new from his Minneapolis upbringing. However, the home folks still recognize the polite, respectful youngster they remembered.
The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Newberry spoke of his college time on The Farm in a conversation with staff writer Dave Newhouse at Monday's Big Game luncheon.
Q. What brought you to Stanford?
A. I was the last player recruited by (former Stanford) coach (Tyrone) Willingham. He was considering two other players, which pushed it past the (letter-of-intent) signing date, costing me a scholarship. I could have had a scholarship at Eastern Michigan, but after taking my official visit to Stanford, I really liked the environment out
here and wanted to come. I was awarded several outside academic scholarships to take the load off my parents.
Q. Why did you want to go so far from home?
A. The weather was one thing. When I came out here on my visit, it was 65 degrees. And it was 5 or 10 degrees back home. I was sick and tired of the super cold winters. I could have walked on at Minnesota, but I felt it was important for me to go away and grow up, make decisions on my own and not have that safety net right there.
Q. Was it a culture shock coming to the liberal West Coast?
A. A little bit. I thought California was like all L.A. -- palm trees and sunny all the time. It was a little shocking when winter came around, and it got gloomy. It was like, "What is all this, clouds and rain?"
This area is extremely diverse -- culturally, racially and socio-economically. I'm not sure if I'd want to live here (permanently). That's down the line. I do enjoy it, though.
Q. Are you much different from the teenager who left home four years ago?
A. My family jokingly says I've changed. My uncles said when I first left, "You're going to come back home a California boy with long hair." It turns out that's true. But they know I'm the same person.
Q. Did Stanford recruit you as a fullback or linebacker?
A. In high school, I played every position. Offensive line, defensive line, fullback, linebacker. But everyone recruited me as a linebacker. I played linebacker at Stanford in 2000, but the next spring they needed a fullback. It was tough adjusting, because it was only my second year at fullback. I enjoyed it, but my passion was playing linebacker.
Q. Is there a different mentality between offensive and defensive football?
A. Offensively, you're kind of set where you're going to be and who you have to block. Defensively, it's more like wreak and havoc. That's the mentality I have, to get in the backfield and disrupt some plays. Playing this new 3-4 defense, I get a lot of blocks coming my way, and I want to eat up as many as I can.
Q. Do you have that same mentality out of uniform?
A. I try not to wreak too much havoc off the field. I'm taking my last two classes this quarter. I'll graduate with a degree in sociology after the season.
Q. Has your Stanford career been all that you wanted?
A. I think so. I really couldn't ask for much more. My dad tells me, "You've had a storybook career."
Q. What do you see happening with Stanford football?
A. I definitely feel I'm part of the change, and I definitely think things are moving in the right direction. We have guys now believing that it really doesn't matter who the coach is, that you got to play for yourself and compete at a high level if you have pride in yourself.
That (attitude) kind of dipped off once coach Willingham left. Older guys were kind of spiteful about that, and it affected the chemistry of our team. Guys now know they can't use that kind of excuse any more, and they're taking an accountability for what they do on the field. To do the best we can.
Q. Does the team believe in head coach Buddy Teevens?
A. Yep.
Q. Why does Stanford attendance hover mainly at 27,000?
A. I think it's because we're having a tough season. It's a tough situation. Other things are going on in the area.
Q. Will attendance improve?
A. I think so. There are a lot of people who love this university. They'll be back, I'm sure.
Q. Is Stanford's football environment different from, say, Minnesota's?
A. This is a better environment for college football. It's tough playing at the University of Minnesota. They don't have a stadium on campus. It's a huge school, 35,000 students. But they don't sell out their games.
A. I don't mind them at all. They're funny to me. They go out there and have a blast. They do their thing, which is not very conventional. But I go out there (on the football field) and do my thing, and it might not be conventional to everyone else.
Q. Playing in the NFL, is that your dream job?
A. Definitely. I wanted to go to the NFL since I started playing football in the seventh grade. I have the athleticism, and I play with a passion. I talk a little trash, but it's more in jest to make people smile. I try to stay away from fights.
Q. How does Stanford upset fourth-ranked Cal?
A. It's going to take a tremendous effort, consistent play on both sides of the ball. Create some turnovers defensively and win that time-of-possession battle. Unless we can score some quick strikes, but that hasn't been the M.O. of their defense. We'll have our hands full.
http://www.timesstar.com/Stories/0,1413,82%257E10835%257E2543053,00.html
http://www.redskins.com/uploads/photos/perm/main/JGGCADCKHCFL/Newberry_Jared2.jpg
Newberry's great ride at Stanford
SAN FRANCISCO -- This is what it comes down to for Jared Newberry: One more college football game, one final opportunity to forget the losing seasons he has lived through at Stanford, one last chance to leave with a good feeling.
It won't be easy for Newberry and the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday, as Cal is a 241/2-point favorite. But the Big Game has been the scene of many an upset, not to mention wacky endings, especially when it's in Berkeley.
For Newberry, it has been a bumpy ride at Stanford, from walk-on to fullback to linebacker to earning a scholarship to becoming a co-captain.
He has undergone personal changes as well. He grew a ponytail and learned a lifestyle new from his Minneapolis upbringing. However, the home folks still recognize the polite, respectful youngster they remembered.
The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Newberry spoke of his college time on The Farm in a conversation with staff writer Dave Newhouse at Monday's Big Game luncheon.
Q. What brought you to Stanford?
A. I was the last player recruited by (former Stanford) coach (Tyrone) Willingham. He was considering two other players, which pushed it past the (letter-of-intent) signing date, costing me a scholarship. I could have had a scholarship at Eastern Michigan, but after taking my official visit to Stanford, I really liked the environment out
here and wanted to come. I was awarded several outside academic scholarships to take the load off my parents.
Q. Why did you want to go so far from home?
A. The weather was one thing. When I came out here on my visit, it was 65 degrees. And it was 5 or 10 degrees back home. I was sick and tired of the super cold winters. I could have walked on at Minnesota, but I felt it was important for me to go away and grow up, make decisions on my own and not have that safety net right there.
Q. Was it a culture shock coming to the liberal West Coast?
A. A little bit. I thought California was like all L.A. -- palm trees and sunny all the time. It was a little shocking when winter came around, and it got gloomy. It was like, "What is all this, clouds and rain?"
This area is extremely diverse -- culturally, racially and socio-economically. I'm not sure if I'd want to live here (permanently). That's down the line. I do enjoy it, though.
Q. Are you much different from the teenager who left home four years ago?
A. My family jokingly says I've changed. My uncles said when I first left, "You're going to come back home a California boy with long hair." It turns out that's true. But they know I'm the same person.
Q. Did Stanford recruit you as a fullback or linebacker?
A. In high school, I played every position. Offensive line, defensive line, fullback, linebacker. But everyone recruited me as a linebacker. I played linebacker at Stanford in 2000, but the next spring they needed a fullback. It was tough adjusting, because it was only my second year at fullback. I enjoyed it, but my passion was playing linebacker.
Q. Is there a different mentality between offensive and defensive football?
A. Offensively, you're kind of set where you're going to be and who you have to block. Defensively, it's more like wreak and havoc. That's the mentality I have, to get in the backfield and disrupt some plays. Playing this new 3-4 defense, I get a lot of blocks coming my way, and I want to eat up as many as I can.
Q. Do you have that same mentality out of uniform?
A. I try not to wreak too much havoc off the field. I'm taking my last two classes this quarter. I'll graduate with a degree in sociology after the season.
Q. Has your Stanford career been all that you wanted?
A. I think so. I really couldn't ask for much more. My dad tells me, "You've had a storybook career."
Q. What do you see happening with Stanford football?
A. I definitely feel I'm part of the change, and I definitely think things are moving in the right direction. We have guys now believing that it really doesn't matter who the coach is, that you got to play for yourself and compete at a high level if you have pride in yourself.
That (attitude) kind of dipped off once coach Willingham left. Older guys were kind of spiteful about that, and it affected the chemistry of our team. Guys now know they can't use that kind of excuse any more, and they're taking an accountability for what they do on the field. To do the best we can.
Q. Does the team believe in head coach Buddy Teevens?
A. Yep.
Q. Why does Stanford attendance hover mainly at 27,000?
A. I think it's because we're having a tough season. It's a tough situation. Other things are going on in the area.
Q. Will attendance improve?
A. I think so. There are a lot of people who love this university. They'll be back, I'm sure.
Q. Is Stanford's football environment different from, say, Minnesota's?
A. This is a better environment for college football. It's tough playing at the University of Minnesota. They don't have a stadium on campus. It's a huge school, 35,000 students. But they don't sell out their games.
A. I don't mind them at all. They're funny to me. They go out there and have a blast. They do their thing, which is not very conventional. But I go out there (on the football field) and do my thing, and it might not be conventional to everyone else.
Q. Playing in the NFL, is that your dream job?
A. Definitely. I wanted to go to the NFL since I started playing football in the seventh grade. I have the athleticism, and I play with a passion. I talk a little trash, but it's more in jest to make people smile. I try to stay away from fights.
Q. How does Stanford upset fourth-ranked Cal?
A. It's going to take a tremendous effort, consistent play on both sides of the ball. Create some turnovers defensively and win that time-of-possession battle. Unless we can score some quick strikes, but that hasn't been the M.O. of their defense. We'll have our hands full.
http://www.timesstar.com/Stories/0,1413,82%257E10835%257E2543053,00.html