Q&A With Football's Lester Ricard
Jul 19, 2005 | Football
July 19, 2005
NEW ORLEANS, La. - TulaneGreenWave.com recently sat down with Tulane junior quarterback Lester Ricard to discuss the upcoming football season. In his first season as the starter in 2004, Ricard passed for 1,881 yards and 21 touchdowns in nine games before breaking his wrist versus Army and missing the final two games of the season.
How are summer workouts going?
"Summer workouts are going good, it's fun. Basically everybody on the offense is here. The receivers and running backs are all here. We're going six days a week. We do 7-on-7 on Sundays and Wednesdays and we work out [in the weight room] Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays."
How are you approaching this season differently than last year?
"It's a little different because I have more experience this year. I know what to expect a whole lot more than I did last year. I feel like we can win every game, so that's what we're going to try to do."
What has you excited about the upcoming season?
"Just looking at the guys and the way they're working. Everybody is looking forward to getting back on the field and playing. The team seems to have a lot of unity, so we all feel good about this year. I'm excited because the whole team is excited about playing."
You lost two great receivers, but with everyone else coming back, does it feel like it could be a special season?
"Just because we lost Roydell [Williams] and Chris [Bush], people have put down our receivers, saying they're not going to be able to perform as well. But Damarcus [Davis] has looked two steps above everybody around here [this summer]. I think he looks just as good as Roydell and Chris did before they left. The defensive line finally has some depth and a little experience, and the linebackers seem to be on point. I think we're going to have a really good team this year."
Have ya'll set any goals for next year?
"There are no specific goals, it's just to be a champion. Whether that's conference champion or some type of bowl. My expectations are high. I feel like we can go 13-0, max it out."
What do you think you improved on the most over the last year?
"Just working hard and being a more vocal leader. I felt like those were two areas I had to get better in. Obviously I've gotten stronger in the weight room, but I felt like if I can be a better leader and set a better example for the young guys, the whole team can go higher."
How do you become a leader?
"That comes from gaining respect, being on time, showing up for practices, showing up for film, trying to be first in everything you do. That way you gain respect and you can tell people what to do and what not to do. Being a quarterback, you've always been pinpointed as being a leader and all eyes are always on you. So I want to make sure I take care of myself and everything else will fall into place as far as the leadership."
What is an area you feel you can improve physically or with your play?
"I feel like I can quicken my release on my throws a lot better, but that's probably the only thing."
How about your comfort level with this offense, do you feel like you totally grasp it now after two years?
"I feel real comfortable. I feel like our offense can do some magical things this year. "
What does it mean to follow in the footsteps of Shaun King, Patrick Ramsey and J.P. Losman as the Tulane starting quarterback?
"I've always looked up to those guys. To have my name mentioned with those guys, it baffles me. My opportunity is basically the same as they had. The thing I want to accomplish more than anything is to get to bowl games and win a lot of football games. That's something that the three of them didn't do in consecutive seasons, but I think I can get it done consecutively."
Is there pressure to follow in their footsteps as Tulane's next NFL quarterback?
"There's no pressure. There's no more pressure than what I put on myself to succeed. I don't get caught up in hearing that JP, Pat and Shaun went to school here. I think it's great that they did, but I can only control myself, not what they did or quarterbacks in the future."
Who should we look for next year in the Tulane offense?
"We've had a couple freshmen come in and they look really good. [Slidell WR] Brian King looks tremendous, [Baton Rouge WR/RB] Cary Koch, he looks pretty good. [Redshirt freshman OL] Michael Parenton looks good as well."
Any changes planned for the offense next year?
"No, just go out and play. I feel like if we're on our game, we dictate the flow of the game and won't let other teams throw things at us that we haven't seen before. I don't think there's much changing we need to do."
Have you set any personal goals for this year?
"I want to make it through the year, healthy. I want to play all 13 games. I have a couple numbers in my head but I don't like to get involved with that."
Have you looked at the schedule and pointed to any specific games?
"Just Southern Miss. They're the first game, and last year that first game was probably the worst game I ever played in my life. I'm kind of embarrassed at the way I played [in the first game versus Mississippi State] last year, so I feel like if I just take one game at a time and not look ahead, I'll get through the season a whole lot better."
What do you think about the new format for Conference USA with two divisions and the championship game?
"I think the way they have it set up is good. The best team with the highest percentage gets to play the home game [for the championship]. I feel like we can have an advantage if we can get the championship game played here. As far as the teams, I haven't really thought about any of them or looked at one specific new team."
What was your reaction when you heard about the series with LSU starting in 2006?
"I'm excited about playing against them [next year]. I've talked to a couple guys on their team, I spent last weekend with two of their players and we talked about it. It's going to be fun because I know a lot of those guys. I wish I could say I'm going to approach it like any other game, but that wouldn't be truthful. I'm looking forward to playing them, but I want to take care of this season, then when that time comes, I'll really think about it. "
For the second straight semester, you recorded a 3.0 grade point average, how do you feel about that?
"My parents are happy about my 3.0. They're more excited about that than anything I've done in football. As long as I can keep them proud of me, I think I'll be OK."
