Q&A With Martin Bibla
April 6, 2001
1. Describe your off-season, particularly your workout schedule.
Bibla: “So far just been working out with coach Swasey, just going through regular workouts. The O-linemen have been taking the initiative to come in on Saturdays and working on O-line drills. Right now just getting our freshman up-to-date, getting them ready for the spring. We are looking forward to pushing trucks like we used to, carrying telephone poles on our backs like we did last summer and just having fun out there.”
2. What if anything has made this off-season more productive?
Bibla: “Knowing that we lost a couple of key guys on defense, we have to step it up and with our new head coach, coach Coker, we’ve got to take it upon ourselves to bring the team up from the inside. We’ll just work a lot harder this year than the last year. We got to step it up and work a lot harder this year.”
3. Speaking of Coach Coker, you guys went through a tough time during the coaching change. What are your personal thoughts about Coker?
Bibla: “He is a great coach. I believe he is going to do a great job this year. We like him a lot and when coach Davis left, we all came up together to talk to Paul Dee to have him come in as the head coach. We are keeping it in the family and he is doing a great job with everything he says and its going to be high hopes for this team.”
4. What effect does the departure of Rob Phillips (strength and conditioning coach) have on you?
Bibla: “Personally, it didn’t have any effect. I really liked him as a coach but having the two head coaches that we had Rob Phillips and coach Swasey being there, we were down one coach but coach Swasey picked it up and we all love him. He did a great job while he was here but coach Swasey picked it up for us and kept our heads in it and he is a great motivator. We kind of forget about what happened and we just look forward to the future.”
5. What is your weight now and what is the ideal playing weight for you?
Bibla: “Right now I am at 305, but my ideal playing weight would be at 295.”
6. What are your personal goals for the season?
Bibla: “Just take one game at a time, don’t look ahead. Typical things, like trying to win the Big East and after that try to go after the National Championship. We have a great team this year and we will be able to accomplish every goal that we set.”
7. Greg Laffere had a great impact on the offensive line last year. But now that he is graduated how do you replace his leadership and other assets?
Bibla: “Greg was definitely a great player and its going to be hard to replace him. We are working really hard this spring to try to have either Ed Wilkins or Sherko (Heji-Rasouli) to come in and step it up and play the left guard position. It’s going to be hard because Greg was a great leader on the field, a great work ethic. The onus is on Sherko and Ed and right now they are battling out big time during the spring.”
8. Is there a person on the offensive line who plays the leadership role, or is it a situation where everyone contributes to the role?
Bibla: “It’s more of an overall group. Basically it’s Joaquin Gonzalez, Brett Romberg, and myself, we kind of lead the pack. We are basically leaders of the O-line. We’ve been there, we’ve been through the games, we have the experience. And the other guys will come to us and we’ll just play the role.”
9. Where do you see yourself in the future off the field?
Bibla: “Off the field, I’m studying criminology and hopefully I get a job with something to do with internal affairs or customs. That’s my goal.”
10. Last year James Jackson rushed for 1,006 yards, only the 5th time a Miami back has rushed for 1,000 yards in a season. How does that make the offensive line feel and is that a significant accomplishment?
Bibla: “It’s a huge accomplishment being that he rushed for so many yards. He was a great runner and a great rushing back. He gave us a lot of pride because it’s basically our block and it helped him get so many yards. We took a lot of pride being the number one offensive line in the nation and that just pumped us up. Being that we are coming back next year with the same O-line basically and the same offense, we will have bigger and better goals for this next year and I think we can have more yards and another top five running back.”
11. What would you say is the strongest aspect of your game?
Bibla: “The strongest aspect is strength and agility, they are both as equally important. I see myself as being a great run blocker and a great pass blocker, so I can’t really lean toward one side more than the other. But definitely strength is the key, I think so.”
12. Have you done any significant changes over the off-season that might change the way you approach the game?
Bibla: “This being my last season, being a fifth year senior, I have a lot more confidence in myself, a lot more awareness of what’s going on and it just came through time. No major changes, just becoming a better person on the field and off the field.”
