Gerad Parker had experience, in a way, of being a head coach before Sunday night.
Limited as it may have been.
During Darrell Hazell’s tenure, he assigned assistant coaches each week to be “head coach for a week,” allowing the assistants to get in front of the entire team to offer a review of the opponent, prepare a theme for the week and, generally, get a taste of the broader-scope of duties by a head coach. Coaches were only required to speak to the team on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday but it usually spilled over into game day as well.
Those were stressful weeks for Parker “because you wanted to do everything in your power to help,” he said.
So what about this? Being Purdue’s interim coach for the final six games after Hazell was dismissed Sunday?
This is a whole new level of stress.
“Now you realize that (it’s) a week by week by week (thing),” Parker said Tuesday during his first press conference as interim coach.
“It’s been kind of spotted sleep. It’s like having a newborn — and I have a newborn as well. It’s been pretty crazy. You wake up and stuff and you’ve got some cold sweats, and you’re trying to think about everything in the world that you want to try to do to help this staff be OK and the players.”
Parker found out with the rest of the coaching staff Sunday afternoon about the change, but it still was largely business-as-usual from a work perspective for the rest of the staff. For him, not so much.
He estimated he got only about three hours of sleep Sunday night, though he said Monday night was better. He made sure to leave the office by 10 p.m.
“Gotta have some rest and passion and juice for these guys (Tuesday),” Parker said. “Me staying in there all night and doing that too much like I did Sunday is not going to do anybody any good because we’ve got to be alive and well when we hit meetings at 2:15 (Tuesday).”
The crazy hours can be understood, though: There’s a lot more on Parker’s plate and a lot more to prepare for as an interim head coach than as only a receivers coach.
One of his first priorities was to focus on the team’s mindset, he said, and he will make changes to that end. He wants players to move forward, he said, without distractions and also be able to be more relaxed. The latter will be addressed in how the team travels — no longer required to wear suits, for one — and what it does on Friday nights in the hotel. There will be more of a focus of team unity, he said. On the field during the field, he’s adjusting the approach in practice from things like changing the music to the how the team warms up to the transitions between drills and periods.
"Just to try to spark something a little bit different and give those guys a little sense of empowerment and feel something different to hopefully spark something different on Saturday," Parker said.
Parker’s had to find a line with the rest of the coaches, too.
He was a receiver at Kentucky, and his coaching stops at UT-Martin and Marshall, as well as Purdue, consisted of only offensive jobs. So he said he’s basically left the current defensive staff alone, other than offering input from an offensive perspective on certain things.
“For me to be an offensive guy, be in my position where it’s at and then be promoted they way it has happened, I don’t think it gives good staff morale for me to walk into the defensive room and beat the door down and say, ‘Hey, guys, here’s what I want you to do on third down,’ ” Parker said.
Parker has made it clear, though, it’s important to try new things and has encouraged all the assistants to do so. He said that includes change in approach, which could mean schematic changes but no likely significant moves.
“We have six weeks to have a little fun with this and put something out there we’re proud of,” Parker said.
Membership Information: Sign up for GoldandBlack.com now | Why join? | Questions?
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2016. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited.