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Steve Martin interviews Todd Blythe
Interviewed on: Tuesday, July 18th, 2006 Steve Martin: Hello. Todd Blythe: Hello, this is Todd Blythe. SM: I am really, really pleased to hear back from you so soon, Todd. I am a big fan of your game. TB: Thank you. SM: Can we start by having you give me an accurate height and weight? TB: I am six foot five and one-half, and I just weighed myself and I was 211. SM: What's a accurate forty time for you, Todd? TB: 4.53. I ran that on field turf last spring. SM: Who timed you, the coaches or the NFL scouts? TB: The coaches. We have a policy here at Iowa State that only graduating seniors run for the NFL scouts. SM: Do you know how many reps you can do at 225? TB: No, I really don't. We don't work that way. SM: What about a bench max? TB: 310. SM: Do you know any of your other weight room numbers? TB: We just got done doing squats. I did sets of seven at 200, and I would guess my max is around 385-390. SM: What about your vertical? TB: It's 34". SM: So you can throw it down 2-hands no problem probably, huh? TB: Oh yea... SM: ...because I see you were a pretty good basketball player too... TB: Well, I don't know if I was all that good. SM: Twelve points per game your senior year plus 8.4 rebounds. Nothing wrong with that. TB: Well, thank you. SM: I see you were born in Ames (IA). Were you living there ar the time, or did that just happen to be the closest hospital? TB: It was the closest hospital. I lived in a little town called Eldora (IA) for the first three years of my life and then we moved to Indianola (IA). SM: So, you've lived in Indianola ever since you were three? TB: Yes. That's right. SM: I see your mom and dad are Jim and Cinda. Are either of them still working? TB: Yes, actually they both teach at Indianola high school. SM: Oh really? So, you had them both for teachers there? TB: Yes. It was kind of interesting for sure. SM: Were they harder or easier on you than the other kids. TB: I guess it kind of depended on the day. I am sure I probably got told to be quiet more than my share. SM: What do they each teach? TB: My dad teaches biology and my mom teaches accounting. SM: Do you have any brothers or sisters, Todd? TB: One sister. Her name is Sarah and she teaches freshman English. SM: Also at Indianola?? TB: No (laughing)...that would be too odd. No, she teaches at Johnson High School in Des Moines which is still in our conference though. SM: How far is Indianola from Des Moines? TB: It's a suburb. It's just ten minutes south. SM: Is your sister married? TB: No. SM: So no nieces or nephews yet, huh? TB: Not yet. SM: Can you tell me about when you first started playing football? TB: Well, my best friend's father actually started a league when I was in 4th grade. It was the first time we had football for younger guys in 4th-6th grade. They had a heavyweight division and a lightweight division with a 125-pound cutoff. SM: Huh. I never heard of that particular setup. Is that widespread in Iowa? TB: In the greater Des Moines area it is now. We have about 12-14 teams at that age level now in the area. SM: What positions did you play when you first started out? TB: I was a running back and middle linebacker. SM: How long did you play those spots? TB: All the way up through middle school. SM: What was the name of your middle school? TB: Just Indianola Middle School. There was only one middle school in town. SM: How big a town is Indianola? TB: About 15-16,000. Not too big. SM: So how big was the high school? TB: We were still a 4A, but we were the 4th smallest 4A school in Iowa, which was just fine by me because I liked playing against the best. SM: How many were there in your graduating class there? TB: Around 260. SM: When you got to be a freshman what positions did you play. TB: I was a tall, skinny running back. SM: Yea, you must have taken kind of a pounding...? TB: Well, we ran a lot of sweeps on the freshman team (laughing)... SM: (laughing) Just "run to the sidelines", huh? TB: Yea, kind of... SM: Did you play any defense as a freshman? TB: No. We tried to get as many guys into the game as possible, so everyone played just one way. SM: Did you play any JV ball that year after the freshmen schedule was over? TB: No. Freshmen were not eligible for the JV team. SM: So, as a sophmore I see you went right to the varsity, huh? TB: That's right. SM: And I see you were named second team all-county as a sophomore. Were you still running the ball then? TB: No. When I got to the varsity level I played wide receiver and safety. SM: How does a sophomore get named all-county? TB: Well, we had a really good quarterback that year. He went on to play baseball for Creighton... I think it was Creighton. SM: Pitcher? TB: Yes. SM: I see you won the state championship in basketball your junior year... TB: No, actually that was my sophomore year. SM: Did you get much playing time that year for the basketball team? TB: No, really just "garbage time." SM: How did your football teams do while you were in high school? TB: Our freshman team went 9-0. Then during my senior year we slipped into the playoffs with a 5-4 record, but we lost in the first round to Ankeny High. They made it to the quarterfinals. It seemed like every year they made it "to the dome." Up there if you make it that far you play at the University of Northern Iowa's domed stadium, and they went all the time. SM: When did you first start hearing from recruiters? Can you take me through the recruiting process? TB: Well, I heard from football programs first in the spring after my sophomore year. What I heard from basketball programs was all small school where they wanted me to play basketball and football and run track too... SM: Who did you hear from first? TB: My first letter was actually from Iowa State, then Iowa was my second letter. I eventually narrowed it down to Iowa State, Iowa, Kansas State, Stanford, and Wisconsin. SM: Where did you take your official visits? TB: Just to Iowa State. I went on an unofficial weekend visit to K State. They were having a one day camp down there. SM: So what was the deciding factor in favor of Iowa State? TB: The coaches really. I got on great with Coach McCarty, and my position coach, Coach Grant, was exactly the kind of guy I knew I would get along with very well from the time we met. Plus, I got to be friends with some of the other recruits... SM: How big were you as a true freshman? TB: I was already six five and a half, but I only weighed around 188-192. SM: So, you've definitely put on some muscle mass since then, huh? TB: Yea. We didn't have mandatory lifting in high school, so I never really worked out as much as I should have. I wish I had now. SM: You redshirted that year. Was there any chance you might have played as a true freshman? TB: Actually, there was. After the third game of '03 the head coach wanted to bring me off the scout team, but other coaches said that since we were not playing very well--and we ended up 2-10 that year--and since we had some other good recruits in my class that they should save me. SM: Well, you really burst onto the scene in 2004... 43 catches for 833 yards and 9 TDs as a redshirt freshman. Has Bret (Meyer) been your QB all along? TB: Yes. SM: How is your relationship with Bret? TB: He's my best friend and my roommate. SM: Oh, is that right? I didn't know that. I love Bret's game too. For my money I think he is a better QB than Vince Young--certainly when it comes to throwing the ball... he's a lot more accurate. TB: I agree. He may not run as much as Vince Young, but he definitely puts the ball in the right places. We have such a good chemistry now that we do things together instinctively on the field together without hand signals... Like, if a guy blitzes I know where to go, and he finds me. SM: So, you never tip anything off if there are adjustments being made. TB: That's right. SM: I was telling DeAndre (Jackson--CB, Iowa State) when I was interviewing him that I think you guys are going to do great this year. Have you seen any preseason polls yet? TB: Most of the magazines are picking us second behind Nebraska in the Big 12 North. SM: I think they are going to be in for a surprise. I hear Stevie (Hicks, Iowa State RB) is doing well, and is totally healthy? TB: Yes. Stevie looks great. We are a different team when he is on the field. SM: You got a great QB, a great running back and a great receiver, so I actually think you guys have a shot at the whole thing this fall. TB: Thanks. I can't wait to get started and show the prognosticators a few things. SM: I was watching the A&M game again last week, and I really feel like that game was your coming out party both for you an the team. What did you have, four touchdowns? TB: Yes. Coach Grant came to me the week before and told me that I just needed to have confidence in my ability. He reminded me that if the ball is in the air that it is mine. He really helped me to regain my swagger. SM: That game really turned things around, huh? TB: That one and the Oklahoma State game. SM: What do you consider to be the unique strengths of your game, Todd?... I mean, I think I know what I would say, but I am interested to hear it from you... TB: Well, my height, of course. I am able to use that very well in the red zone. Bret can just throw it up there, and he knows that I can go up and get it. Also though, I would have to say that I kind of put guys to sleep with my speed because I am a long strider, and my speed is kind of deceptive. Finally, I would definitely have to say that my relationship with Bret Meyer is a special positive because we know each other so well, and know what the other guy is going to do on the field. SM: Any plans on coming out this year? TB: No, I have two years of eligibility left and I am just focusing on being the best I can be for Iowa State over the next couple of years. SM: Anything particular about your game that you are still working to improve upon? TB: My blocking. I made some good strides in that area last year, but I still want to get much better. I also want to continue to improve my route running. I was used mostly as a deep threat last year, but we will be running me in some more short and intermediate routes this year. Hopefully, I'll be running a lot more crossing patterns. SM: That's what I'd do...try to get you one on with a linebacker.... How important is football to you in the grand scheme of things, Todd? TB: It's very important. I mean after God, family, and friends it's the next thing. I don't want that priority list to ever change, but it's really important. It's definitely one of the most important things I am doing. Some people wonder if I still like it after a hard workout or whatever, and I tell them that when I get back to the apartment, I turn it on and watch it. SM: Are you one of these guys who sets personal goals heading into a season? TB: I don't set numeric goals. I feel if I'm successful I will help our team to be successful. If our team does better, that's what I want. Numbers are nice. Don't get me wrong, everyone would be lying if they told you they didn't think about wanting to reach certain personal goals...but I really just want to do better, and for me that means winning the Big 12 Championship, getting into a better bowl game... SM: Has the team set their goals for the coming season yet? TB: Not yet. Our expectations will be pretty high. At the end of our two-a-days is when we will get together, I would suspect, and talk about all that. SM: I see your major is sport management? Did they just leave out an "s" there? TB: Yea, but I've changed to a Liberal Arts major with a sports management concentration. I just feel that will give me the opportunity to take more communications and business classes which is what I want to do. SM: What is your backup plan in case you can't continue in football for whatever reason? TB: I'd like to be the director of football operations for some program... handling things like coordinating travel plans, planes, hotels, charity work... those kinds of things. SM: Ever given any thought to scouting? TB: Maybe down the road. SM: Well that is all the questions I have for you, Todd. I really want to wish you the best of luck this fall. I have ESPN gameplan so I am hoping to catch a few of your games this fall. TB: Thank you very much. I've enjoyed this. |