Graham catching his breath after month at ASU

Arizona State football coach Todd Graham just celebrated his first month on the job. Given his jam-packed schedule, were fairly certain hes not aware of the milestone. Its all he can do to remember to breathe. Graham was just wrapping up a meeting with Sun Devil Club executive director Stephen Ponder when we arrived for an hour-long interview last Friday. Four assistants paced the hallways outside his office, waiting for a word. Former Scottsdale Saguaro coach John Sanders was also waiting to discuss a possible position on Grahams staff when two other athletic department staff members arrived with additional questions. Before any of them got a chance, Graham fielded a call so important that he stepped into a nearby supply closet and closed the door, lest he be overheard. Despite the chaos swirling around him and a need to get to the airport within a half-hour after our interview concluded, Graham felt anything but harried once we settled into a pair of plush arm chairs inside his office. Gracious, candid, energetic, charming and fully engaged in the conversation at hand, Graham bore no resemblance to the man so vilified and categorized upon his arrival at ASU. ASUs football program has been dragged through the mud the past of couple months. Between a five-game losing streak to end the season, Dennis Ericksons firing, a disorganized coaching search and Grahams nomadic past, there was plenty of ammunition for the critics. But like the 2011 season, thats all in the past. And with the Devils forward-focused coach as our guide, weve vowed to base any further judgments on what we see and hear from this point forward. Graham deserves a fair chance to rally this program from its worst four-year stretch since the 1940s. And he deserves a chance to win the trust of the ASU community without preconceived notions. Based on Fridays meeting, were convinced he at least has the energy and the will to do just that. FS Arizona: What have you gleaned from your first month on the job? Graham: That theres just enough time in the day. Its been fast and furious. Obviously, with where the calendar is right now, recruiting is dominating our time, but I want to emphasize that existing players have been our No. 1 priority. Not recruiting, but developing those relationships and starting to work to earn their trust. We did get a chance to have a couple meetings with the players. Youre limited on that by the NCAA, but I made a commitment to the 2012 seniors. I told them, 'Hey, I want you to understand Im not going out and recruiting my guys and then were going to win. Im committed to you.' Im excited about those guys, because I think theres a lot of talent there. FS Arizona: Have you had much of chance to meet with the fans, boosters and former players? Graham: A little bit. Weve gotten out and met quite a few of our boosters and supporters and met a lot of former players. Ive invited them to come by and meet me. But as soon as recruiting is over on February 1, well have 100 days that were going to be out in the community. Theres 1.5 million Sun Devil fans in the Valley. Im anxious to get out there and meet them. I want the fans to know that Im going to compete for their support. Were going to put a product on that field that they can be proud of with character and class. I understand that they work hard for their money. I know that theres been a lot of frustration, but Im going to be doing what I call speaking victory. I believe theres great power in what we speak out of our mouth. Im asking them to join with me and be positive, and lets work hard to get this thing going where it needs to be. FS Arizona: How do you mend fences and build enthusiasm with a fan base thats become a bit apathetic and jaded? Winning is the obvious solution, but what do you do in the short term? Graham: First of all, I dont believe that its just 'win and they show up.' As the head football coach, I represent this community, I represent this university, I represent this student body. How do I represent them if I dont know what theyre all about? I really believe in getting out there and talking to them and meeting them. I believe its very important that you connect with the people. Thats where I have to start, and then you put a product on the field they can get excited about -- an explosive brand of football thats exciting to watch. Everything that we do is going to be about representing this community. This is a special, dynamic place, and the program needs to match that. FS Arizona: Do you buy the 'sleeping giant' theory at ASU? If so, why has it been sleeping? Graham: I hate using that term, but Ill say this: I think theres unbelievable opportunity here, but obviously theres a lot of work to be done. I believe were a great fit for this place because I believe these kids are hungry for that personal relationship with their coaches. Theyre hungry for discipline. Theyre hungry for structure. This program has been close, but I personally believe those are things that have kept them from getting where they want to be. The other thing is: What type of young people are we trying to bring here? Where are we going with this? Im a teacher. I spent half my career coaching and teaching high school football. I want young men that want to be somebody, that want to do something with their life, that want to do right. FS Arizona: How do you know youve got the right kind of kid? Graham: Im a big look-you-in-the-eye guy. Your eyes are the window to your heart and soul. I believe theres bright-eyed people and theres dull-eyed people. Theres people who think theyre entitled to something and theres people who know that theyve got to work for everything they get. Thats who I want. FS Arizona: You have talked a lot about discipline. How would you have handled a player like Vontaze Burfict? Graham: It would be disrespectful for me to talk about that. Coach Erickson is a Hall of Fame coach. I can tell you moving forward that the standard will not lower for anyone. I would rather lose than make exceptions. Dont get me wrong -- I want to win. Were going to win or get fired, but Tom Landry said if you allow exceptions on your team, you end up with a team full of exceptions. I dont want to comment specifically on any situation, but since Ive been here, Ive made one indefinite suspension (Junior Onyeali). Thats hard for me to do because I feel like Ive failed when I do it, but it doesnt matter who it is. We will have a standard, and we wont move that standard for anyone. Discipline is something we do for them, not to them. Its about teaching self-discipline. Its a choice you make every day. So if were 12-0 and were going into the national championship game and our starting quarterback violates the standard, he wont play. FS Arizona: Are there any specific rules you can tell us about that involve conduct or appearance? Graham: Im an old-school guy. Theres no earrings. Theres no bandanas. Theres no filthy language. I ask them not to do that. I dont come in yelling and screaming and being a jerk. Im all about relationship, and I have explained to them why we do what we do. I believe young people will meet whatever expectations you set for them. And they need to remember this is a privilege. This is higher education. Youre a student-athlete. I know its a multimillion-dollar business, too, but I believe thats the key to winning. We live in a world of eight chances. I aint giving eight chances. Were going to have 100 percent accountability in this program. 'Im sorry' doesnt work. 'He didnt mean to' doesnt work. FS Arizona: How much of an emphasis will you place on local recruits vs. national recruits? Graham: Our plan is to win and get the best and brightest in Phoenix, then the best and brightest from Arizona. That doesnt mean we wont recruit anywhere else. Its about priorities. To me, the key to recruiting is relationships and knowledge. So if a kids right down the street here at Chaparral, were going to know more about that kid. People in the community are going to know everything about him. The further you move away, the more margin there is for error. Can we nationally recruit? Can we go to Texas, my home state, and recruit? Youre darn right we can, and we will. But youve got to hang your hat on something, and I think football in this state is really good. Im looking at the film. The kids were recruiting here right now are difference makers, not just for Arizona but for the whole country. You have to look at it this way: What separates us from USC and Oregon? Were in Phoenix. Thats what separates us, so I want to focus on Phoenix and Arizona, and then the next place well go is southern California and northern California. Obviously well go into Vegas, into Colorado, into Texas, Oklahoma, and maybe recruit a few kids from Florida. You can recruit nationwide, but our focus is going to be here. FS Arizona: Where would you say your staffs greatest recruiting ties exist in terms of regions? Graham: Obviously, it would be Texas. Ive got strong ties there and in Oklahoma where Ive worked. But if you look at the makeup of my staff, they cover important areas. You look at Chris Ball and Bob Connelly, who used to be at UCLA. Both those guys won Pac-10 championships at Washington State. Del Alexander is from L.A. and played at USC. Joe Lorig is from Central Washington and a great southern California recruiter as well. It was important to have a staff with different ties. FS Arizona: How much time have you had to evaluate your personnel on film? Graham: Maybe its force of habit because Im an old defensive coordinator, but Ive spent a lot of time watching the quarterbacks. Theyre really the key on football teams. Not just their physical talents but more importantly their intangibles -- their character, their leadership. FS Arizona: How hard did you work to convince Brock Osweiler to stay? Graham: I think we made it a tough decision for him. We had several very thorough meetings where we showed him what both the options were and all that we envisioned for him if he stayed. He was prayerful about it, he made his decision and I celebrate him for it. I hope he made the right decision. I would have loved to have a chance to work with him. FS Arizona: What have you seen from your remaining QBs? Graham: Character. I talked to everyone in the building, and they talk about their tremendous character. When it comes to character, work ethic and discipline, theyve got to be at the top, and all three of those guys are. We have a good problem. We have three really talented guys who can flat spin the ball. FS Arizona: Not to beat a dead horse, but youve been criticized for not meeting with your players at Pitt to tell them you were leaving, choosing instead to inform them via text message. Can you take us through that period, step by step? Graham: Heres how that thing went, and as Ive said before, the time frame was the biggest issue there. The search firm called me that night at like 9 oclock. My wife and I talked and prayed about it and decided we wanted to look at it. Her parents were here. It was a dream job. Well, when I asked Pitt, they said no, they didnt want to give me permission. Thats kind of unusual. That usually doesnt happen in this business, so the only way I could look at the job was to resign. I resigned my job at 10:30 at night, and Arizona State wanted me here the next morning, so there wasnt time from 10:30 at night to leaving for the airport at 6:30 the next morning to go talk to my football players. Plus, I wasnt the head football coach at the University of Pittsburgh anymore, so I didnt have the authority to do that. FS Arizona: Why not ask ASU for a day and then have the players over to your house or meet them at an off-campus location to explain your position and to reaffirm your oft-stated commitment to character and honor? Graham: I did. I told them, 'I need a day.' I asked the search firm, but they said there was no time. ASU wanted me here the next day. I didnt control the process. I wasnt even talking to ASU. I was talking to the search firm. Thats how these things often work. And remember, I didnt have a job. I have never not talked to my players. I talked to my players when I left to go from Rice to Tulsa. I talked to my players when I left Allen (Texas) High School to go to West Virginia. I talked to my players when I left West Virginia and when I left Tulsa to go to Pitt. But we dont control these processes, although they control our employment and our livelihood. Again, I didnt have a job. Its kind of a scary place to be, and we took a giant leap of faith. These things dont always work out, and I just gave up a pretty big job. I wanted time to talk to my players, but I dont control the process, and I dont think a lot of people realize how these deals work with search firms. I had to come here the next morning. FS Arizona: You have said that going to Pitt was a mistake. Could you elaborate? Graham: It was not a good fit for my family. They were not happy there. When I was at Tulsa, our president was going to retire, and that was not going to be good for me. I had three (job) opportunities, and I made the decision for football alone. It was a better job. I had three kids attending Tulsa. My daughter was a freshman cheerleader, but it was something we felt we needed to do because of what was happening at Tulsa with the president. All three of my kids went to Pittsburgh and said, 'I dont want to live here, dad.' It wasnt because of the people. There were great people there, we worked our tail off and did some great things. Im proud that they asked me to take over a program that had been on the front page of Sports Illustrated with the most criminalities in the country and we did some good things there, but they just didnt like it there. (ASU) was a deal that I did not plan. It was an opportunity of a lifetime that just came up for me. Ive got a responsibility to my family to take care of them. FS Arizona: Some people have characterized you as a great salesman who can energize a fan base. Others have characterized you as a snake-oil salesman who will say what a crowd wants to hear. Why do you think both perceptions exist? Graham: When you leave a place, people will always say things like that. I cant do anything about that. People said the same thing about Nick Saban. All you can do is just prove yourself every day. The world we live in with the exposure and Twitter and everything, it compounds those things, but all I can do is genuinely be who I am. Am I good at communicating? Well, if I wasnt, I probably wouldnt have the job that I have. FS Arizona: Does it bother you that your job hopping is a persistent topic even though people in this business leave their jobs for better opportunities all the time? Graham: Nobody has ever asked me what kind of deal I got here versus what I had (at Pitt). Nobodys asked me what kind of commitment I had there -- half the commitment I have here. Who would not take that opportunity? Everything about this made sense if you sat down and looked at it for your family, for your future, for your finances. Everything. There was no comparison. And then you have to remember that we wanted to be here pretty bad. Thats the scariest thing Ive ever done -- to resign my job. Im not making a minimum-wage job. I took a great risk and I could have ruined my whole career. Youre never going to please everybody, but when I look in the mirror every day, I know I did what was best for my family, and Ive tried to do things the right way everywhere Ive been. FS Arizona: How does your 'high-octane' offense differ from what Noel Mazzone ran last year? Graham: The tempo is probably faster, but we are much more of a run-first mentality or a run, play-action team. We want to be able to establish the run. We were fifth in the country in 2008 rushing the football. We were 15th in 2010. We were leading the country through six games last season until our tailback got hurt at Pittsburgh. There are similarities, and they did a very good job here offensively last year, but there will be a little more run in it, because if you pass the ball every down and youre going fast, your defense is going to play 80 plays. Our desired balance is 80-plus plays on offense, 65 plays on defense. FS Arizona: In your introductory press conference, you said you would shift between a 3-4 and a 4-3. Can you clarify your defensive plan? Graham: Well be multiple defensively. It looks like, with our personnel, well probably start off a little more with four down linemen. Weve got a lot of good defensive tackles, so youll see us playing a lot with two defensive tackles. Well attack and take the issue to the offense, and I think thats what people want to see when they come to watch a football team. I think thats what kids want to do, too. Thats why Im so big into speed and explosive power. FS Arizona: Have you settled on the rolespositions for the coaches you have hired? Graham: Mike Norvell will be our offensive coordinator. Hes one of the most dynamic offensive coordinators youll find. Bob Connelly will be our run-game coordinator guy. And Ive probably just said some things Im not supposed to say. Were going to announce the rest of the titles later, so bear with me. FS Arizona: How close is your staff to being complete? Graham: Weve only got one left to hire. FS Arizona: Have you made a decision on whether the team will resume its training-camp tradition at Camp Tontozona? Graham: Weve got to go take a look and see whats possible, but Im very open to it. The former players talked to me about it. Its a tradition, and Im a traditionalist. I have great respect for this game and tradition and our former players. If its important to our former players, I think its important. FS Arizona: How long would you stay? Graham: It could be a week or longer. Im not a fan of going up there for just a couple days. Again, we havent made an official announcement were going, but when I was at Tulsa we took them down to Fort Gibson and the old Army barracks down there. I like that kind of deal, getting them away. It might be a good idea in the first year to connect and build those relationships. FS Arizona: Can you promise ASU fans that, if you do not get fired, you will stay for at least the duration of your five-year deal at ASU? Graham: If you come out and say that people will just say, 'Oh, hes full of it. Look, we knew we would get our head kicked in for doing this -- for coming here and leaving Pitt. But every day I wake up, my wifes happy and I look out on these mountains and Im thinking 'Sheesh, Im blessed to be here.' If you look at my contract, youll see it would cost me a lot of money to leave here. From a competitive standpoint, I want to win a Pac-12 championship and I want to win a Rose Bowl and I want to win a national championship. But I know thats all talk. Lets just see what happens. Were just going to have to work to earn that trust, and the only way I can earn that is over time.