Krangodnzr
Captain of Team Murray
http://www.nfldraftblitz.com/carlmorrisinterview.htm
Recently editor Chris Horwedel had a chance to bounce some questions off of one of the true sleepers of this year's draft class, wide receiver Carl Morris. Carl's a talented pass catcher who began to get national respect with his play in the Hula Bowl. The fact that's risen to such a level so quickly after only taking up football in the 11th grade is astounding. Had he played all through high school he'd probably be playing for Ohio State or Miami (Fl) right now.
Carl owns 8 Harvard records, won Ivy League Player of the Year and is considered by some the finest receiver to EVER play in the Ivy league.
The 6-3 205lb Morris caught 90 passes this year and looks primed to play on Sunday. Hey, if worst comes to worst, he's still got that Harvard education to fall back on!
Chris Horwedel: Carl, Do you think people overlook talented players just because they play at a lesser level?
Carl Morris: Yes I think it happens all the time. Many people feel that if you go to a smaller school, it's because you had no other choices and that you in fact lack the skills of players at a big time school. Many people often do not understand that talented players at smaller schools are on the same skill level as those at the bigger schools, the major difference between a small school--and a big one--is the depth of highly rated players on the roster, not the overall ability of each school's top players.
Chris Horwedel: What do you consider to be the strengths of your game?
Carl Morris: I think that I catch the ball very well in (away from my body with my hands) and also in traffic. I am able to affectively use my size and to get myself open. I feel that my biggest asset is my competitive spirit--I hate to lose and somehow find a way to make a play to help our team come out with a win.
Chris Horwedel: What skills do you feel need some refinement?
Carl Morris: Since I started playing football so late, I feel I still have a lot things that could be refined further. Most importantly, cleaning up my route-running and working on being more explosive off the line and out of breaks. I look forward to the challenge at the next level and feel confident that I will be able to turn these areas into strengths very quickly.
Chris Horwedel: Which teams have showed interest in you to this point?
Carl Morris: The teams that I have heard the most from have been Minnesota, Miami, Arizona, Baltimore, Houston, the New York Jets and San Francisco.
Chris Horwedel: What do you consider the be the most important trait for a receiver?
Carl Morris: Being able to read and understand defenses and then get yourself open. You can be the fastest man in the league and as quick as lightning but if you can't get open then you'll never be anything but a decoy.
Chris Horwedel: What are your short term goals?
Carl Morris: To make an NFL roster, then work my way into the rotation and get in position to help my team out this season.
Chris Horwedel: If you could pick, which NFL team would you prefer to play for? Why?
Carl Morris: I don't really have a preference, I just want to continue to play anywhere. Although I would like to be in a little warmer climate than Boston (four years of playing in the cold have given me a new appreciation of warm weather), I can still handle the cold weather better than anyone out there.
Chris Horwedel: What do you do with your free time?
Carl Morris: Try to catch up on all the school work I have had to miss between all star games and the combine. I'm on my last semester at Harvard and I'm wrapping things up for my Economics degree. I'm looking forward to giving that diploma to my parents.
Chris Horwedel: What's your current 40 time? Are 40's overrated?
Carl Morris: I ran a 4.59 at my pro day and a 4.62 & 4.65 at the combine. I feel that the 40 is highly overrated. The game is not played on a track and there is almost no instance in the game where a player will run 40 yards in a straight line. I feel that I play faster than my 40 time and that is what its really all about. I don't worry about the 40 as much as many people do, because I feel that your play will speak louder than anything you do on a track.
Chris Horwedel: What will you do with yourself if football isn't an option?
Carl Morris: I would like to start my own business using my Economics degree. I think that I would get involved with small businesses and help them to invest their money wisely and help them to increase growth and capital.
Chris Horwedel: If you were starting a team tomorrow and could pick any three players from the NCAA to play for you, who would they be?
Carl Morris: I would start with Carson Palmer or Byron Leftwich. I got the chance to catch some passes from Palmer at the combine and he has an incredible arm and is very accurate. Leftwich has an incredible arm, too, and I feel they both make great decisions. Next I would pick up Terrence Newman because he has exceptional speed, quickness and skill. When you have a corner like that you can do many things on defense. Finally, I would pick Charles Rogers. He has all the skills you look for in a wide receiver and more and he knows how to make big plays.
Chris Horwedel: Who was the best player you faced this year?
Carl Morris: There is a tight end out of Dartmouth, that few people have heard of (Ivy League curse I guess). Casey Cramer has been an All-American the last two years. He's one of those guys who just goes out every week and produces. He's got good size and great hands, very similar to Eric Johnson (Yale '01, now San Francisco 49ers). But, I think the best players I saw all year were in practice each day. Jamil Soriano, plays OT/ OG for us and has great size and is very quick a lot of teams have been here to work him out and see him in person. He's a draftable player and I look for him to do very well at the next level in the same fashion as Matt Birk (Harvard '97, Minnesota Vikings). Finally Dante Balestracci is a junior here at Harvard who has incredible instincts and makes plays whenever we need one. He will be picked up next year and make some team very happy. He is very similar to a former linebacker who I played with here my freshman year, Isaiah Kacyvenski (Seattle Seahawks).
Chris Horwedel: Is there a player you liken yourself to?
Carl Morris: I do not really have a player that I would say I liken myself to. I share many qualities with many different players. But since I am still refining my skills and learning things about the game I feel that my game is not fully developed and that I have not come close to tapping my potential so I can not really compare myself to others yet because my game is still changing so much.
Chris Horwedel: What do you do to get yourself up for a game?
Carl Morris: I like to stay as relaxed as possible before games. I usually lay in front of my locker and just listen to music to get ready. I don't like to be too excited because I feel that you always have to be under control when you're on offense in order to make all of your reads and conversions. I stay relaxed until about 5 minutes to kick off and then I cant help but get worked up and excited until the first snap.
Chris Horwedel: Do college athletes deserve to be paid? Why?
Carl Morris: As much as I would like to be paid, I don't feel that college athletes should be paid. We are receiving an incredibly expensive education ($160,000 in my case, although it's not free) and more importantly than that, if one team gets paid then that means all other teams would have to be paid also. This would mean that every team would have to come up with enough money to pay all players and most sports do not generate enough income in order to do this, which would cause most schools to cut these programs from their athletic department. That could slowly destroy college athletics as a whole.
Recently editor Chris Horwedel had a chance to bounce some questions off of one of the true sleepers of this year's draft class, wide receiver Carl Morris. Carl's a talented pass catcher who began to get national respect with his play in the Hula Bowl. The fact that's risen to such a level so quickly after only taking up football in the 11th grade is astounding. Had he played all through high school he'd probably be playing for Ohio State or Miami (Fl) right now.
Carl owns 8 Harvard records, won Ivy League Player of the Year and is considered by some the finest receiver to EVER play in the Ivy league.
The 6-3 205lb Morris caught 90 passes this year and looks primed to play on Sunday. Hey, if worst comes to worst, he's still got that Harvard education to fall back on!
Chris Horwedel: Carl, Do you think people overlook talented players just because they play at a lesser level?
Carl Morris: Yes I think it happens all the time. Many people feel that if you go to a smaller school, it's because you had no other choices and that you in fact lack the skills of players at a big time school. Many people often do not understand that talented players at smaller schools are on the same skill level as those at the bigger schools, the major difference between a small school--and a big one--is the depth of highly rated players on the roster, not the overall ability of each school's top players.
Chris Horwedel: What do you consider to be the strengths of your game?
Carl Morris: I think that I catch the ball very well in (away from my body with my hands) and also in traffic. I am able to affectively use my size and to get myself open. I feel that my biggest asset is my competitive spirit--I hate to lose and somehow find a way to make a play to help our team come out with a win.
Chris Horwedel: What skills do you feel need some refinement?
Carl Morris: Since I started playing football so late, I feel I still have a lot things that could be refined further. Most importantly, cleaning up my route-running and working on being more explosive off the line and out of breaks. I look forward to the challenge at the next level and feel confident that I will be able to turn these areas into strengths very quickly.
Chris Horwedel: Which teams have showed interest in you to this point?
Carl Morris: The teams that I have heard the most from have been Minnesota, Miami, Arizona, Baltimore, Houston, the New York Jets and San Francisco.
Chris Horwedel: What do you consider the be the most important trait for a receiver?
Carl Morris: Being able to read and understand defenses and then get yourself open. You can be the fastest man in the league and as quick as lightning but if you can't get open then you'll never be anything but a decoy.
Chris Horwedel: What are your short term goals?
Carl Morris: To make an NFL roster, then work my way into the rotation and get in position to help my team out this season.
Chris Horwedel: If you could pick, which NFL team would you prefer to play for? Why?
Carl Morris: I don't really have a preference, I just want to continue to play anywhere. Although I would like to be in a little warmer climate than Boston (four years of playing in the cold have given me a new appreciation of warm weather), I can still handle the cold weather better than anyone out there.
Chris Horwedel: What do you do with your free time?
Carl Morris: Try to catch up on all the school work I have had to miss between all star games and the combine. I'm on my last semester at Harvard and I'm wrapping things up for my Economics degree. I'm looking forward to giving that diploma to my parents.
Chris Horwedel: What's your current 40 time? Are 40's overrated?
Carl Morris: I ran a 4.59 at my pro day and a 4.62 & 4.65 at the combine. I feel that the 40 is highly overrated. The game is not played on a track and there is almost no instance in the game where a player will run 40 yards in a straight line. I feel that I play faster than my 40 time and that is what its really all about. I don't worry about the 40 as much as many people do, because I feel that your play will speak louder than anything you do on a track.
Chris Horwedel: What will you do with yourself if football isn't an option?
Carl Morris: I would like to start my own business using my Economics degree. I think that I would get involved with small businesses and help them to invest their money wisely and help them to increase growth and capital.
Chris Horwedel: If you were starting a team tomorrow and could pick any three players from the NCAA to play for you, who would they be?
Carl Morris: I would start with Carson Palmer or Byron Leftwich. I got the chance to catch some passes from Palmer at the combine and he has an incredible arm and is very accurate. Leftwich has an incredible arm, too, and I feel they both make great decisions. Next I would pick up Terrence Newman because he has exceptional speed, quickness and skill. When you have a corner like that you can do many things on defense. Finally, I would pick Charles Rogers. He has all the skills you look for in a wide receiver and more and he knows how to make big plays.
Chris Horwedel: Who was the best player you faced this year?
Carl Morris: There is a tight end out of Dartmouth, that few people have heard of (Ivy League curse I guess). Casey Cramer has been an All-American the last two years. He's one of those guys who just goes out every week and produces. He's got good size and great hands, very similar to Eric Johnson (Yale '01, now San Francisco 49ers). But, I think the best players I saw all year were in practice each day. Jamil Soriano, plays OT/ OG for us and has great size and is very quick a lot of teams have been here to work him out and see him in person. He's a draftable player and I look for him to do very well at the next level in the same fashion as Matt Birk (Harvard '97, Minnesota Vikings). Finally Dante Balestracci is a junior here at Harvard who has incredible instincts and makes plays whenever we need one. He will be picked up next year and make some team very happy. He is very similar to a former linebacker who I played with here my freshman year, Isaiah Kacyvenski (Seattle Seahawks).
Chris Horwedel: Is there a player you liken yourself to?
Carl Morris: I do not really have a player that I would say I liken myself to. I share many qualities with many different players. But since I am still refining my skills and learning things about the game I feel that my game is not fully developed and that I have not come close to tapping my potential so I can not really compare myself to others yet because my game is still changing so much.
Chris Horwedel: What do you do to get yourself up for a game?
Carl Morris: I like to stay as relaxed as possible before games. I usually lay in front of my locker and just listen to music to get ready. I don't like to be too excited because I feel that you always have to be under control when you're on offense in order to make all of your reads and conversions. I stay relaxed until about 5 minutes to kick off and then I cant help but get worked up and excited until the first snap.
Chris Horwedel: Do college athletes deserve to be paid? Why?
Carl Morris: As much as I would like to be paid, I don't feel that college athletes should be paid. We are receiving an incredibly expensive education ($160,000 in my case, although it's not free) and more importantly than that, if one team gets paid then that means all other teams would have to be paid also. This would mean that every team would have to come up with enough money to pay all players and most sports do not generate enough income in order to do this, which would cause most schools to cut these programs from their athletic department. That could slowly destroy college athletics as a whole.
