Why Mike Peterson wants his players to eat - yes, eat - fast
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL
South Carolina assistant coach Mike Peterson has a certain way he wants his players to operate, both on and off the field, and it extends to just about every activity in their daily lives.
"Fast!" Peterson said when he met with the media this week. "Eat fast. Drink water fast. Walk fast. Talk fast. Let's do everything fast. Then you never know, we may play fast."
It's all part of certain specific expectations that the former NFL veteran has for his group. It's a mindset that spans off the playing field into the meeting rooms and into every aspect of his players' lives.
"I'm on my guys hard, man," Peterson said. "I tell my guys - the bucks and the ends - I coach them a different way, we're going to practice a certain way, we're going to eat dinner a certain way, we're going to hang out a certain way."
As South Carolina continues to recruit at a higher level on the defensive line, Peterson has the most depth he's had since arriving in Columbia three seasons ago.
Right now, Aaron Sterling, J.J. Enagbare and Joe Anderson are the three primary players working at defensive end with D.J. Wonnum, Brad Johnson and Rodricus Fitten at the BUCK.
Sterling, Wonnum and Johnson are all returning players from last season, whereas Enagbare slides over from defensive tackle, and Anderson and Fitten are freshman newcomers.
Peterson knows that his expectations are high and that there's an adjustment period to his style, but in the long run, there's a method to his madness.
"Me as a coach, it's getting him to trust me and believe in me," Peterson said, specifically talking about Enagbare. "When you've got a new guy in your room, I think that's one of the most important things you want from your player - the player to feel that your coach cares about him. Right now, I don't know if he's all the way in, but I'm sure by the end of the year, he's going to understand that his coach, he really cares about him. When a player realizes that his coach cares about him, you can ask that player to do anything and he's willing to do it for you."
Peterson, who played in the NFL for 14 years prior to becoming a coach, hopes that the thought process of forcing turnovers will also expand off the field and into his players' daily lives.
"You've got to think about it," Peterson said. "And that's what we've been preaching in practice. T-Rob does a really good job of that. Think about getting the ball off, especially my guys. We're not about [just] getting sacks. Everybody gets sacked, let's get a sack and let's get the ball off. That's the big play. We're trying to get the ball whenever we can. When we see a running back walking through the hallway, we're trying to knock the ball off."
