 | | Guy Morriss joined us for a live chat on Thursday. |
Guy Morriss Chat WrapGuy Morriss took the reins of the Baylor football program on Dec. 11, 2002, when he was introduced as the Bears' new head coach. Morriss comes to Baylor with 14 years of experience as a coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. He spent 18 years in the National Football League, where he was an All-Pro player, played in two Super Bowls and coached for three seasons. Morriss arrived in Waco from Lexington, Ky., where he spent six seasons helping to turn around the Wildcat football program - the last two as head coach. In 2002, Kentucky turned some heads with a 7-5 record, including wins over Mississippi State, eventual SEC West Division champion Arkansas and 17th-ranked Louisville. The seven-win season in 2002 was only the fifth since 1955 for Kentucky, which received votes in the AP Top 25 poll. UK's defeats included a four-point setback vs. South Carolina, a seven-point loss at then-No. 7 Florida and an unbelievable three-point defeat on the final play vs. then-No. 17 LSU. In Morriss' two seasons as head coach at Kentucky, 10 Wildcat players earned All-SEC recognition and two were named All-American. In his six seasons, four UK offensive linemen were selected first-team All-SEC and three earned freshman All-America honors. |
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| Jeff (Waco): How do you plan on recruiting local kids that have been in Waco over the past few years to see how bad we have been? |
 |  | Guy Morriss: Convince them that they are the answer, that they can help turn it around, and that they will have early playing time -- those sorts of things. It will be very easy for their kinfolks to see them play. Then all the usuals -- academics, etc., without them having to go far from home. |
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| Charles - Houston: Last year, I went to the Kansas game and the game-day atmosphere was not Div. I football. What is being done to create a Div. I football atmosphere that is fun and exciting? Thanks. |
| | Guy Morriss: We're trying to first of all doll the place up, trying to improve restroom facilities and concessions to make the place more fan-friendly. We've reached out to the student body, to try and get them more interested in coming to games. Same thing with our alumni, encouraging our former players to get more involved. We've been out in the community with some of the community leaders, encouraging them to give us their support. The No. 1 thing we can do to get people back in the stands and make it a D-I atmosphere is to win ballgames. We're working on that. Winning games takes care of a lot of problems. |
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| steve dallas: How did you think the kicking game went? And who do you feel that you bring down for two a days? |
| | Guy Morriss: That's an area that needs a lot of work. I hope the Havens kid can kick. He's probably going to be our guy. We're still looking for a punter. We may have to punt the ball out of bounds a lot, and we may be going for two a lot. |
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| joe wilson atlanta: how do you feel the about the young kid from Terrell tx (CJ Wilson) will he help the secondary |
| | Guy Morriss: We feel good about CJ. Hopefully we can redshirt him and let him mature and grow, help him get off to a good start in the classroom. The plan is to try and redshirt as many of our incoming freshmen as we possibly can, including CJ. We've got to be able to win with 4th and 5th year players. |
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| anthony dallas,tx: how will the secondary fare this season |
| | Guy Morriss: If we can find some defensive linemen to pressure the QBs, the secondary will get it done. We feel pretty good about that group. They really responded to Coach McGriff's style of coaching. |
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| Bob Dallas: What do you think about Mitch Pruitt quiting? |
| | Guy Morriss: I don't know who Mitch Pruitt is. |
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| Jonathan (Waco): Coach Morriss, welcome to Baylor - we are so excited to have you and your staff here! Could you comment on the play of RB Paul Mosley this spring? Will he be in the mix fighting for the starting job in the fall? |
| | Guy Morriss: Yeah, he will definitely be in the mix. He's a little bit too much of a straight up and down runner for me at this time. Somebody's going to saw him in half. It may take that to get him to get his pad level down and bend his knees more. |
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| John Ferrell (Arlington, TX): Do you prefer night games or day games? Also, any word on what the uniforms or the helmets will look like this year. I always thought green with gold BU would be a nice fresh look. |
| | Guy Morriss: I prefer to play games at 9 a.m., but we will play both day and night. We're working the uniforms out with Nike right now; they have a large say in all that. |
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| mark-edna: coach, why not put the Claw back on the top of the shoulder pads? |
| | Guy Morriss: Nike won't allow it. |
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| Robert (Dallas): Now one thing I would like to ask you is how will you replace the leadership that you did not get a chance to coach in the seniors like Ethan Kelley, Reggie Newhouse, Bobby Darnell, Randy Davis, Kevin Stephenson, etc. |
| | Guy Morriss: We're encouraging any and all of our players to step forward and be leaders. You don't have to wait to be a senior to be a leader. |
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| BuFan (Waco): Coach, after spring practices thus far, any standout players? |
| | Guy Morriss: Yeah. We like Willie Andrews, Khari Long, Montez Murphy, Matt Johnson. The offensive players have been just a little bit slower to come around. They have not been quite as aggressive yet as we would like them to be, but that is because they are learning new schemes and are not sure of themselves yet. |
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| Marvin Free (Ft. Atkinson, WI): Coach Morriss, Without getting into specifics, how well are we being received by next year's recruits? And what recruiting priorities do you have for next year other than defensive linemen? Thanks and welcome to Baylor. |
| | Guy Morriss: We had quite a few recruits come to spring practice, and we had about 65 at the spring game. We've started writing the top players; it seems the response has been pretty good so far. We're going to try and sign a running back, a quarterback, a couple more O-linemen, d-linemen, plus a linebacker or two. And we're always looking for great athletes, no matter what position they play. |
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| Brian (Lexington): Do you have the ability for a feature back in your offense like you did here with Artose Pinner? I think your offense really developed Pinner at UK. |
| | Guy Morriss: We don't have anybody on campus like Artose Pinner at this point. |
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| F.Ward(Bakersfield,CA): Coach, You still have some (three?) scholarships left. Are you saving them to award to walk-ons, some unsigned players, or waiting till next year? |
| | Guy Morriss: All our scholarships are spent. We have no more to give. |
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| Rufus Watkins-San Francisco: Dear Coach: Where do you think Reggie Newshouse will go in the NFL draft. He was probably the only bright spot that Baylor had in the last four years. |
| | Guy Morriss: It would only be speculation on my part; I don't really know. |
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| Don Haney, Richmond: With the different blitzes and stunts, we are getting a lot more people into the backfield, and the players seem excited and more aggressive than what we have been seeing the last few years. How do you feel about the progress of the defense? |
| | Guy Morriss: We feel pretty good about the progress. We haven't turned into the Steel Curtain yet, but we're making strides. The kids enjoy playing in our aggressive style of defense. |
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| Dave (SugarLand): How do you feel about the walk-on program at Baylor since you have been there and where do you want to take it? |
| | Guy Morriss: We're trying to encourage as many people to walk on as we can possibly get. We need those guys. |
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| Pflugerville: Are you concerned that the proposed new uniforms get away with our main secondary color of Gold? What happenned to flinging our Green and Gold afar? thank you and good luck Coach |
| | Guy Morriss: We're trying to give the players what they want. Whatever makes them feel good about themselves and play harder -- that's what we're gonna do. They didn't like the gold pants. |
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| bay city: Coach, We are glad you are here. I know you have not had a lot of time to evaluate your players, and there are some rough edges, but do you see any "diamonds in the rough" that we need to look forward to watching next season? |
| | Guy Morriss: I'd say watch for Willie Andrews. |
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| Craig (Arlington): Who among the wide receivers stepped up this spring to help replace Reggie Newhouse's catches last year? And has Karas established himself as a starter for you? |
| | Guy Morriss: We're still waiting for someone to step up among the receivers. If we were playing tomorrow, Karas would be starting. |
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| Rufus Watkins Class 1987: Dear Coach: How was your first spring. Was there any surprises? What is your philosopy on letting your players know how important college degree is, especially a quality degree from Baylor University. |
| | Guy Morriss: We spent a lot of time just getting them in condition. Not too many surprises, really; it went about like what we thought. We've got a long way to go. I think the fact that we held seven of our better players out of spring training because of academic reasons pretty much sums up our philosophy. We want to see them leave here with a degree. |
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| Don Haney, Richmond: Are you planning to continue the diet plan and the 5:30 am jogs for the o-linemen? Are there some freshmen coming in August that you expect to help this year in the offensive line? |
| | Guy Morriss: Yes; the o-linemen are still on the diet plan, and are doing extra conditioning. I would say yeah; John Mahaffey, Kellen Taylor, Chad Smith are all freshmen who will be here in the fall. All will have to back up, and some may get a chance starting. |
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| Lexington, Ky: Hey Coach ! Miss you in Ky, but wish you the best at Baylor. Any change in the pass/run ratio from UK in 02 to Baylor in 03 or will it remain about the same ? Thanks and good luck in 03 ! |
| | Guy Morriss: The pass/run ratio will about 60/40 -- at worst, about 50/50. |
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| Steve (Dallas): Coach: Now that you have had time to evaluate things, what have you identified as your top 2 or 3 priorities from a facilities upgrade standpoint? |
| | Guy Morriss: My wish list includes an on-campus training facility and a new academic center. |
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| Oscar (Waco): Coach Morriss, I'm delighted to have you as a part of the Baylor family. As you may know, Baylor has only won 2 Big 12 games since 1998, both against Kansas. Do you see us winning any Big 12 games this year with the current talent on our team? |
| | Guy Morriss: It's gonna be tough, but our goal is to win all of them, as it always will be, every year. |
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| Michael Grady: What is your primary defensive set i.e. 4-3, 3-4? Also, did Spring practice develop any surprises for the fall team? Best of luck this fall. Welcome home. |
| | Guy Morriss: It's a 4-2, eight-man front. Not too many surprises. We've got a lot of work to do. |
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| Rufus Watkins-San Francisco: Dear Coach: Do you have dress code for away games for the players? |
| | Guy Morriss: Any time we step off campus representing Baylor, it's coat and tie. |
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| Doug (Bedford): Is there any plan to make former BU standouts such as Singletary, Crockett, Gardner, Dotson, Carlson, etc. more visible around the football program to help with prestige and recruiting efforts? |
| | Guy Morriss: Every one of those guys has been invited back to campus at any time they can make it. I write all of our former football players a letter about once every three months, to keep them informed and let them know they are welcome here any time. |
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| Kavin Carr newport news ,va: hello coach,first and formost i am the little brother of coach Carr that is on your staff.Will You play with same Intesity as you did at UK |
| | Guy Morriss: That's the plan; hopefully it will be even better. |
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| Aaron, Waco: Coach Morris, What kind of tattoo do you have on your calf? Would you think of getting a bearclaw tattoo after we get this things turned around? Best of luck this season! Sic 'em Bears |
| | Guy Morriss: I have an eagle on my calf that I got back in the early 70s back at Philadelphia. If a bearclaw would help us win games right now, I'd get one tomorrow. |
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| Hobbs, Dallas: Hey Coach Morris, How is that contract with Nike coming along for the team and when will we get our first glimpse at the new uniforms? Can you allude to what they might look like and if we'll get a chance to purchase any of them. SIC 'EM BEARS! |
| | Guy Morriss: The contract is done. You'll get your first glimpse at our opening game. I don't know how the purchasing works here. |
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| Wallace, Austin: Coach Morris, In the past Baylor's coaching show has only been on the radio on the local airwaves. Is there a chance you might have a TV one like most of the others coaches that broadcasts on Fox Sports? Good Luck |
| | Guy Morriss: I don't know it works. Hopefully we can get outside the local media. That's something I guess I'll have to look into now that the spring is over. [moderator note: Inside Baylor Sports is available both on the web at BaylorBears.com and across the region on Fox Sports Southwest. All radio broadcasts are available throughout the region via the Baylor Radio Network and online at BaylorBears.com.] |
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| Rufus Watkins-San Francisco: Are there any potential NFL players on the team for next year, and the years to come. |
| | Guy Morriss: For the next two years, I don't see any. Then it kind of depends on how the younger players develop. |
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| Gary (Dallas): Coach: In the past, Baylor has not shown that they can be a disciplined football team. Is this a priority and how will you instill discipline in the 2003 Bears? |
| | Guy Morriss: This is a high priority. Every player to the man will have to follow the same team rules. They are going to be enforced. The common thread to winning championships in any sport, at any level, has got to be discipline. |
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| Bill (Cameron): First, thanks for opening up practices to the public. Do you have a specific plan for redshirting the Freshmen or will we see some of them play next year? |
| | Guy Morriss: All of our practices are open. Hope to see you at one this fall. We would love to redshirt all of our freshman class, but we don't have that luxury. There are probably some offensive linemen and receivers that will have to play. |
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| Rufus Watkins 1987: Dear Coach: How are the players that you kept out of spring ball doing in there classes. |
| | Guy Morriss: I feel good about five of the seven, but that just gives them the opportunity to go to summer school. They have to take care of business there before they can get on the field in the fall. |
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| Doug (Bedford): How are you planning to address a lack of depth at skill positions? How will you offesive schemes move the ball in an offense lacking "go-to" playmakers? |
| | Guy Morriss: The only way to address it is through recruiting, which obviously is a slow process. It will take probably a couple of classes to get our numbers back to 85 and in balance. It makes it hard to move the ball... Hopefully we can find some playmakers. Maybe Quiroga will step up. Maybe Rashad Armstrong will get eligible and be our tailback. That's just the situation we've inherited, and we're trying to deal with it the best we can. |
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| Dean (DeSoto): Ou DL destroyed the OL in the spring game. Is our DL that good or is our OL that bad? Can it be fixed? |
| | Guy Morriss: Our OL has got a lot of work to do. We've got to get in better condition, continue to lose weight, and get stronger in the weight room. Not a good combination. |
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| Bill (Cameron): If you have as priorities to get an on-campus training facility then would you rather also have an on-campus stadium or does it matter that much? |
| | Guy Morriss: If we had an oncampus training facility, we'd just play over here at Floyd Casey. |
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| David (Waco): Comment: Thanks for telling us like it really is. We need to hear the truth whether we want to or not. Question: What is the strength of your coaching staff? (Recruiting, Teaching fundamentals, motivation, etc, in-game adjustments, etc) |
| | Guy Morriss: I would say all of the above. Our coaches connect with young people pretty well. We're good teachers, we have some hotshot recruiters, and we know how to motivate football players. Our No. 1 priority right now is to go find better players. That makes us look like great coaches. |
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| Dwain -Waco: Is is possible that Jordon Parcus of Rosebud could still sign with. Baylor? I saw the last two games that he played, and he was outstanding. I'm not sure why he wasn't more highly sought. |
| | Guy Morriss: He'd have to walk on, as we don't have any scholarships left. |
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| Bill, in Temple, Tx.: Coach, I also hope your staff will follow up on the recruiting leads I gave you on National Signup Day in February. They were a LB and a DB at Temple High, and a RB at Belton High. All are fine athletes. |
| | Guy Morriss: We'll be at both places in a couple of weeks. |
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| Bill (Cameron): Coach I have several friends in the Cameron area who are HS coaches and have asked about visiting the school and speaking with you, what can I tell them? |
| | Guy Morriss: Tell them to pick up the phone, call me and come on down. |
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| | Guy Morriss: We're excited about the challenge. We've got a lot of questions to be answered; we're just going to dig in and keep sawing wood. You guys hang tough with us; we're gonna get it fixed. |
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| | Guy Morriss: Come see us! |
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