By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
New Baylor wide receivers coach Dallas Baker and youngsters Javon Gipson and Monaray Baldwin met with the media on Tuesday and provided the latest on where they are with spring football and their development.
Dallas Baker
(How are the WRs looking) Young group, but guys who are fighting through adversity. As a coach, that’s all you can ask for is guys to give it everything they have. I tell them all the time, the only thing you have to do is go hard. Every little mistake you make is my fault. I’m either coaching it or I’m allowing it. But the effort, that’s on you. I’m proud of those guys right now.
(Gavin Holmes) He’s a guy who is getting his confidence back. He had two injuries back to back years. That can affect you. I’m constantly praying for him. He’s praying. I’ve got to give him credit for pushing through that and not worrying about it. He comes out here every day and goes to work, and I really respect him for that.
(Seth Jones) Seth is making plays. Again all the receivers are making plays. It’s a young roster but a guy by the name of Percy Harvin was a freshman (at Florida). I feel that if we didn’t have Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin, we wouldn’t have won that national championship, to be honest. He’s a young guy, but he’s making plays like the rest of those receivers. All those guys are stepping up. I take my hat off to them. I love this room already.
(Monaray big play in Sugar Bowl) I think that was a confidence booster for Monaray. Of course, I wasn’t here, but you can see it in the way he walks and the way he talks. I talked to his parents this weekend, I love Monaray. I’m in a position where I’m the new guy, I’m learning, Monaray is helping me. So anytime you have a guy like that, you can’t help but love him.
(How do you coach this group as a new coach) It’s a clean slate. I’m not just talking about myself. I went through three coaching changes when I was a player, so that’s all I ask for. The only thing I pray to God about is for me is to help them, but always to remember what it’s like to be 18 to 24 years old. I think sometimes we forget that. So I want everyone to start with a clean slate. I want everyone’s self esteem to be high. When self esteem is high, there’s no limit to what you can do.
(What do want to establish with a new group) A relationship. Everywhere I go, a relationship. That’s what I love about Baylor. Not to talk about anyone in the wrong way, but when we played football years ago, it was different. Coach gave you tough love, but it was mostly about football. So for me, I try to talk about more than just football. To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved. If you build a relationship and these guys trust you, again there’s no limit to what you can do.
(Have players made strides this spring) On and off the field. A guy who sticks out is Javon Gipson. This guys an A-B student, I think he only has one B right now. He goes hard in the weight room, plays every position on the football field. We met this Sunday after church, and we were just talking about life. A young man like that making strides in the right direction, all I can do is ask God to continue to help me. It’s not about me, it’s about him.
(Coaching young receivers) I don’t think it matters whether they’re a younger or older room. Again it goes back to trust. If guys can trust you, you have them. If they don’t trust you and you have an older room, that’s usually what happens like this guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Same thing could happen with a young group, So trust and relationships is the biggest thing. It doesn’t matter if the room is young or old, it’s the relationship.
(What do players ask you) Monaray is one of those guys who likes to ask national championship and Super Bowl questions. For me I’ll be honest, it makes me uncomfortable. I’m laid back and quiet. But whatever gets them to believe in you and trust you, I’ll talk about it. Not during meetings, it has to be on our free time.
(Are WRs building connections with QBs) Yes. You can see why the guys won the Sugar Bowl, but this is a new year. It’s 0-0. There’s talent all over the field, all over the quarterback room. So I think the big thing is these guys put time in with the quarterbacks on their own. So again the more time you spend with someone, the more you trust them.
(What drew you to Baylor and Aranda) I was at the University of Buffalo with Maurice Linguist, who actually played here. He’s really good friends with Coach Bell. Coach Mo talked about Baylor a lot. I played with guys like Paul Mosley and Danny Sepulveda in the NFL, so I knew about Baylor. Just hearing the stories of how it’s a Christian university. It was toward the end of our season at the University of Buffalo, and I always do the same thing. I pray and I fast and ask God to help me become a better football coach, and a better husband and a better father, and just a better human being, and for my relationship to grow with Him. Not asking for anything, but usually when that happens, my blessings usually overflow. I was praying and I was fasting, and I was on an airplane headed to Tampa. Coach Aranda called and left me a message. I had this number I didn’t know, and I listened to the voicemail and it was him. He asked me to call him back, so that’s kind of how I got every job to continue to be the person God intended for me to be, and my blessings have overflowed.
(Coaching with Maurice) I was at Universal with my wife, my daughter and niece. I didn’t have a job and I was praying and fasting, and Coach Mo asked me to interview, and then he called me later to ask me if I want a job. I loved the opportunity I had there, I loved Coach Mo, he’s a great coach and human being. That’s a brother for the rest of my life.
Javon Gipson (RSFR)
(Competition pretty high) I would say yes. Every day in the meeting room, we try to make each other better. It’s a good competition between each other. Every time we come outside, we’re all ready to get better, to compete with each other and the other side of the ball.
(What did you learn from the older guys) RJ and Tyquan, they’re really good leaders. Every day at practice, they brought the energy. Tyquan, every time he’d come out, he’d say, ‘The grass is green, the sky is blue, we’ve got work to do.’ That’s always stuck with me. Every time we step out on the field, I feel so blessed, because they’re so passionate every time they stepped on the field. I’ve definitely taken my passion into the game, just like they did.
(How do you replace that energy and leadership in the room) Just like I said, every time we’re in the meeting room, we’re always competing, trying to look at little things in the film room. We always try to bring energy every day. We know we’re a young group, but at the same time, we still know we’re all dogs. So, we’re going to bring it every time. Just a lot of energy between us.
(How much does Coach Baker help) Yeah, he brings a lot of energy. Currently, right now, I’m not practicing because of my hamstring, but I’ll be back Thursday. But, every time I come out, we start doing the griddy (I looked it up, it’s a little dance players do after touchdowns) with each other. But, he definitely brings the energy every day.
(Who’s got the better one) Me, for sure. I’ve got to teach him.
(What you bring to the group) I feel like I bring a deep threat, over the middle, big body, fast, strong hands, too. I feel like I bring a lot of stuff to the table, and my speed, also.
(What have you been able to do) After practice, I’m always watching film. I’m not really able to watch practice while I’m off to the side doing other drills. But today, I was able to open up and fully spring. So, hopefully Thursday, I’ll be out there on the field, helping the guys.
(Been frustrating being out) Yeah, it’s been frustrating, but it’s in God’s hands. He gives his toughest battles to his toughest soldiers. I just know it’s in God’s hands, it’s a testimony. I just keep pressing every day to get better.
Monaray Baldwin (Soph.)
(What did you learn from Tyquan and R.J. about being a leader) You’ve got to learn how to become friends with everybody, because that’s the biggest thing. You can’t coach people that you don’t talk to. So, you’ve got to start hanging around with people off the field. I try to hang with everybody and coach everybody up inside. I may not be the biggest leader, up front with the group, but I try to get around everybody one-on-one. That’s what I really got.
(How much of a confidence boost was that long touchdown in the Sugar Bowl) It was a really big confidence boost, because I know what I’m capable of, but then when I got to show everybody what I’m capable of, it was big for me. And it also helped me, because it showed that the coaches and the players trusted me to put me in the game at that moment. So, that really helped me out a lot, too, to know that they trusted me to put me in the game at that moment.
(How do you build on that to become more of an impact player) I always know what I’m capable of, but now it’s just time for me to work my way up the depth chart, help everybody else out and show them what I’m capable of. Because we’re all good in the room, it’s just a matter of making your plays when your number is called.
(See an opening with all the receivers that are gone now) Yes, I do. In my opinion, it’s wide open. So, we’re all just coming out here having a friendly competition, and competing and whoever they choose is who they walk with.
(What have you seen from Gerry and Blake) They’re both looking good. I think they’re both really good quarterbacks. I don’t know what’s going on with the competition. But, as long as they both look good, it doesn’t really matter who’s throwing it. They both look good.
(On asking Coach Baker about his playing experiences) It’s good, because really any question I have, he has an answer for it. I’m just curious to ask him because he’s been there, that’s where we all want to go. I’m just curious. He doesn’t like to talk about it, but I tried to get it out of him.
(He’s a high-energy guy) Coach Baker, he’s just really big on having energy. They want us to create our own energy, so we don’t have to pull it from other places. Because if you create your own energy, and it uplifts everybody else and everybody sees it, then you practice better that way. So, Coach Baker tries to do that himself. I think that’s good.
(Biggest thing you’re trying to improve on this spring) I would say blocking. And I think we can say that as a whole, bedause everybody knows what we can do as a team – we can throw the ball, we can score points. But, one of our biggest things is we want to be the best blocking team in the country. So, we’ve all been focusing on that as an offense.
(Has your confidence grown from the coaches supporting you) Of course. I feel like they all have confidence in all of us. But, for me personally, I jut think that I’ve got to come out here day by day and do what I do. And I think the more you catch passes and the more you make plays, it’s going to keep going up. So, I try to come in here and make plays every day and just be happy.
(What it’s like being a local kid with a chance to make a big impact) I mean, it’s good. I never thought I would be here, to be honest. But, it’s right down the road. I went to some games growing up. And it’s like surreal for me to actually be here now. I can always go home if I want, and my people always come up here all the time. it’s just good being close to home.
Publisher
New Baylor wide receivers coach Dallas Baker and youngsters Javon Gipson and Monaray Baldwin met with the media on Tuesday and provided the latest on where they are with spring football and their development.
Dallas Baker
(How are the WRs looking) Young group, but guys who are fighting through adversity. As a coach, that’s all you can ask for is guys to give it everything they have. I tell them all the time, the only thing you have to do is go hard. Every little mistake you make is my fault. I’m either coaching it or I’m allowing it. But the effort, that’s on you. I’m proud of those guys right now.
(Gavin Holmes) He’s a guy who is getting his confidence back. He had two injuries back to back years. That can affect you. I’m constantly praying for him. He’s praying. I’ve got to give him credit for pushing through that and not worrying about it. He comes out here every day and goes to work, and I really respect him for that.
(Seth Jones) Seth is making plays. Again all the receivers are making plays. It’s a young roster but a guy by the name of Percy Harvin was a freshman (at Florida). I feel that if we didn’t have Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin, we wouldn’t have won that national championship, to be honest. He’s a young guy, but he’s making plays like the rest of those receivers. All those guys are stepping up. I take my hat off to them. I love this room already.
(Monaray big play in Sugar Bowl) I think that was a confidence booster for Monaray. Of course, I wasn’t here, but you can see it in the way he walks and the way he talks. I talked to his parents this weekend, I love Monaray. I’m in a position where I’m the new guy, I’m learning, Monaray is helping me. So anytime you have a guy like that, you can’t help but love him.
(How do you coach this group as a new coach) It’s a clean slate. I’m not just talking about myself. I went through three coaching changes when I was a player, so that’s all I ask for. The only thing I pray to God about is for me is to help them, but always to remember what it’s like to be 18 to 24 years old. I think sometimes we forget that. So I want everyone to start with a clean slate. I want everyone’s self esteem to be high. When self esteem is high, there’s no limit to what you can do.
(What do want to establish with a new group) A relationship. Everywhere I go, a relationship. That’s what I love about Baylor. Not to talk about anyone in the wrong way, but when we played football years ago, it was different. Coach gave you tough love, but it was mostly about football. So for me, I try to talk about more than just football. To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved. If you build a relationship and these guys trust you, again there’s no limit to what you can do.
(Have players made strides this spring) On and off the field. A guy who sticks out is Javon Gipson. This guys an A-B student, I think he only has one B right now. He goes hard in the weight room, plays every position on the football field. We met this Sunday after church, and we were just talking about life. A young man like that making strides in the right direction, all I can do is ask God to continue to help me. It’s not about me, it’s about him.
(Coaching young receivers) I don’t think it matters whether they’re a younger or older room. Again it goes back to trust. If guys can trust you, you have them. If they don’t trust you and you have an older room, that’s usually what happens like this guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Same thing could happen with a young group, So trust and relationships is the biggest thing. It doesn’t matter if the room is young or old, it’s the relationship.
(What do players ask you) Monaray is one of those guys who likes to ask national championship and Super Bowl questions. For me I’ll be honest, it makes me uncomfortable. I’m laid back and quiet. But whatever gets them to believe in you and trust you, I’ll talk about it. Not during meetings, it has to be on our free time.
(Are WRs building connections with QBs) Yes. You can see why the guys won the Sugar Bowl, but this is a new year. It’s 0-0. There’s talent all over the field, all over the quarterback room. So I think the big thing is these guys put time in with the quarterbacks on their own. So again the more time you spend with someone, the more you trust them.
(What drew you to Baylor and Aranda) I was at the University of Buffalo with Maurice Linguist, who actually played here. He’s really good friends with Coach Bell. Coach Mo talked about Baylor a lot. I played with guys like Paul Mosley and Danny Sepulveda in the NFL, so I knew about Baylor. Just hearing the stories of how it’s a Christian university. It was toward the end of our season at the University of Buffalo, and I always do the same thing. I pray and I fast and ask God to help me become a better football coach, and a better husband and a better father, and just a better human being, and for my relationship to grow with Him. Not asking for anything, but usually when that happens, my blessings usually overflow. I was praying and I was fasting, and I was on an airplane headed to Tampa. Coach Aranda called and left me a message. I had this number I didn’t know, and I listened to the voicemail and it was him. He asked me to call him back, so that’s kind of how I got every job to continue to be the person God intended for me to be, and my blessings have overflowed.
(Coaching with Maurice) I was at Universal with my wife, my daughter and niece. I didn’t have a job and I was praying and fasting, and Coach Mo asked me to interview, and then he called me later to ask me if I want a job. I loved the opportunity I had there, I loved Coach Mo, he’s a great coach and human being. That’s a brother for the rest of my life.
Javon Gipson (RSFR)
(Competition pretty high) I would say yes. Every day in the meeting room, we try to make each other better. It’s a good competition between each other. Every time we come outside, we’re all ready to get better, to compete with each other and the other side of the ball.
(What did you learn from the older guys) RJ and Tyquan, they’re really good leaders. Every day at practice, they brought the energy. Tyquan, every time he’d come out, he’d say, ‘The grass is green, the sky is blue, we’ve got work to do.’ That’s always stuck with me. Every time we step out on the field, I feel so blessed, because they’re so passionate every time they stepped on the field. I’ve definitely taken my passion into the game, just like they did.
(How do you replace that energy and leadership in the room) Just like I said, every time we’re in the meeting room, we’re always competing, trying to look at little things in the film room. We always try to bring energy every day. We know we’re a young group, but at the same time, we still know we’re all dogs. So, we’re going to bring it every time. Just a lot of energy between us.
(How much does Coach Baker help) Yeah, he brings a lot of energy. Currently, right now, I’m not practicing because of my hamstring, but I’ll be back Thursday. But, every time I come out, we start doing the griddy (I looked it up, it’s a little dance players do after touchdowns) with each other. But, he definitely brings the energy every day.
(Who’s got the better one) Me, for sure. I’ve got to teach him.
(What you bring to the group) I feel like I bring a deep threat, over the middle, big body, fast, strong hands, too. I feel like I bring a lot of stuff to the table, and my speed, also.
(What have you been able to do) After practice, I’m always watching film. I’m not really able to watch practice while I’m off to the side doing other drills. But today, I was able to open up and fully spring. So, hopefully Thursday, I’ll be out there on the field, helping the guys.
(Been frustrating being out) Yeah, it’s been frustrating, but it’s in God’s hands. He gives his toughest battles to his toughest soldiers. I just know it’s in God’s hands, it’s a testimony. I just keep pressing every day to get better.
Monaray Baldwin (Soph.)
(What did you learn from Tyquan and R.J. about being a leader) You’ve got to learn how to become friends with everybody, because that’s the biggest thing. You can’t coach people that you don’t talk to. So, you’ve got to start hanging around with people off the field. I try to hang with everybody and coach everybody up inside. I may not be the biggest leader, up front with the group, but I try to get around everybody one-on-one. That’s what I really got.
(How much of a confidence boost was that long touchdown in the Sugar Bowl) It was a really big confidence boost, because I know what I’m capable of, but then when I got to show everybody what I’m capable of, it was big for me. And it also helped me, because it showed that the coaches and the players trusted me to put me in the game at that moment. So, that really helped me out a lot, too, to know that they trusted me to put me in the game at that moment.
(How do you build on that to become more of an impact player) I always know what I’m capable of, but now it’s just time for me to work my way up the depth chart, help everybody else out and show them what I’m capable of. Because we’re all good in the room, it’s just a matter of making your plays when your number is called.
(See an opening with all the receivers that are gone now) Yes, I do. In my opinion, it’s wide open. So, we’re all just coming out here having a friendly competition, and competing and whoever they choose is who they walk with.
(What have you seen from Gerry and Blake) They’re both looking good. I think they’re both really good quarterbacks. I don’t know what’s going on with the competition. But, as long as they both look good, it doesn’t really matter who’s throwing it. They both look good.
(On asking Coach Baker about his playing experiences) It’s good, because really any question I have, he has an answer for it. I’m just curious to ask him because he’s been there, that’s where we all want to go. I’m just curious. He doesn’t like to talk about it, but I tried to get it out of him.
(He’s a high-energy guy) Coach Baker, he’s just really big on having energy. They want us to create our own energy, so we don’t have to pull it from other places. Because if you create your own energy, and it uplifts everybody else and everybody sees it, then you practice better that way. So, Coach Baker tries to do that himself. I think that’s good.
(Biggest thing you’re trying to improve on this spring) I would say blocking. And I think we can say that as a whole, bedause everybody knows what we can do as a team – we can throw the ball, we can score points. But, one of our biggest things is we want to be the best blocking team in the country. So, we’ve all been focusing on that as an offense.
(Has your confidence grown from the coaches supporting you) Of course. I feel like they all have confidence in all of us. But, for me personally, I jut think that I’ve got to come out here day by day and do what I do. And I think the more you catch passes and the more you make plays, it’s going to keep going up. So, I try to come in here and make plays every day and just be happy.
(What it’s like being a local kid with a chance to make a big impact) I mean, it’s good. I never thought I would be here, to be honest. But, it’s right down the road. I went to some games growing up. And it’s like surreal for me to actually be here now. I can always go home if I want, and my people always come up here all the time. it’s just good being close to home.
