Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 21, 1994 TAG: 9410210023
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DWIGHT FOXX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LEXINGTON LENGTH: Medium
VMI linebacker Mike Edwards doesn't go home often during football season. But when he does, it's four-wheeling time with his younger brother, Charles.
Edwards says he and his brother drive through the woods near their family's Penhook home and tear up things. And as the Keydets' ``whip'' linebacker that's what he's supposed to do to, it's his job to tear up opposing teams' defensesoffenses.
In the Keydets' defensive scheme, Edwards is an outside linebacker who is expected to be a jack-of-all trades: stop the run, pressure the quarterback and disguise when he is going to blitz.
``Mike had a good spring and a good [fall] camp,'' said Bill Stewart, VMI's coach. ``He played well the first couple of weeks at inside linebacker, but it seemed better for him and the team if we moved him to outside whip [linebacker] - the `Willie' [or weak-side] linebacker. He's really, really played well the past two or three weeks.''
One reason for Edwards' move to the whip position is his speed. He is the fastest of the Keydets' linebackers with a time of 4.5 seconds for 40 yards. That speed has helped him make 19 tackles, force a fumble and spend a lot of time on the field in VMI's past three games.
``We've got to spell Mike some,'' Stewart said. ``Last week [in a 49-14 loss to Tennessee-Chattanooga], he played probably 70 plays. He played a lot of special teams; he's on all of our special teams. We've got to have somebody spell him in and out sometimes.''
The former three-sport scholastic standout plans to stay at outside linebacker. He felt like he was physically overmatched at times at inside linebacker at 6-foot, 202 pounds. In the weight room, he's very strong in the power-clean lift (285 pounds) and in the squat (445 pounds), but he doesn't like talking about his bench press.
``Most inside linebackers weigh 230 pounds,`` Edwards said. ``When I was on the inside, I sacrificed a lot of size. I wasn't able to use my speed as well at inside linebacker. My bench [press] suffers; the coaches tell me it's mental.''
Stewart may not be happy with Edwards' strength, but he raves about Edwards' being a great knee-benderhis aggressiveness. The coach gets down in a linebacker's stance, knees bent, and explains how the sophomore explodes to the ball. With added bulk and repetitions, the young linebacker could be one of the Southern Conference's best, Stewart said.
``I'm glad he's conscious of it,'' Stewart said of Edwards' lack of bulk. ``I want him to say to himself, `I'm the man on every play.' There are two ways to play linebacker: You can either do it, or attack your responsibilities. Right now, Mike is at the `do it' stage. Through repetition, he'll attack it.''
Edwards wants to attack losing, too. In his senior year at Franklin County High School in 1992, the Eagles went 0-10. In his first year-and-a-half at VMI the team has gone 1-16, including 0-6 this year. He talks about teammates such as Demond Ferebee, from Deep Creek High School in Chesapeake, and Jeff Berkley, from Pulaski County, who have experienced success.
``A lot of the guys come from winning programs,'' Edwards said. ``They know the mentality of having a winning program; I haven't quite seen it yet. Everybody takes it [losing] hard. Winning is what drives me. I want to feel that feeling.''
Edwards wants to see the team enjoy itself and be emotional when someone makes a great play - something he has not seen much in his first two years at the Lexington school.
``The real key is I don't think we have fun,'' he said. ``After you get down by so many points, it's hard to get emotional. Someone will make a great play and then we'll just go back to the huddle. I believe if we strike [score] quick, we'll take it [a victory].''
Edwards wants to bring the same passion to the game that he sees in San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deion Sanders. During the summer, the electrical engineering major completed an internship as a sales representative with Nabisco in Atlanta. While he was there, Edwards had a chance to see his favorite football player play baseball for the Cincinnati Reds.
``I went to a Falcons practice, but Deion [who left the Atlanta Falcons as a free agent] wasn't there,'' he said. ``The people I talked to said his work ethic is just unbelievable. I want to have the same type of work ethic, because I always strive to be the best.''
by CNB