HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – One year and nine months. Herd quarterback Michael Birdsong knows exactly how long it has been since he played in a game against another team.
To say he is eager to suit up against Purdue is an understatement but Birdsong knew that was part of the deal when decided to transfer from James Madison. Part of the deal also included a chance to observe one of Marshall’s most prolific quarterbacks and learn how to earn the respect of teammates and demand perfection out of them.
“It wasn’t fun but you’ve got to know your role. I took advantage of it and watch Cato run this offense to a tee. It was rough but it was a good learning experience,” Birdsong said during an appearance on The Stampede Podcast.
Birdsong started during for the Dukes during his sophomore year and threw 2,728 yards and 22 touchdowns and already had an understanding of what is expected from a starting quarterback, at least he thought he did. Then, after transferring to Marshall, he got to spend and entire season watching Rakeem Cato run Marshall’s offense and hold teammates to the same standard of perfection Cato demanded from himself.
“(Cato0 showed me how to run this offense and how to demand stuff from his players on offense and that is something that maybe that I wasn’t that good at JMU. Watching him do that it opened my eyes.”
Birdsong quickly realized if he was going to become the starting quarterback once Cato’s college career was over, he had to demand the same type of perfection from his teammates. But first he was going to have to earn their respect.
Cato could demand perfection, not because he was the quarterback but because you would be hard pressed to find anyone who worked harder than him. No one demanded more of himself than Cato and that rubbed off on players around him. Birdsong understood he would have to do the same.
“You’ve got to earn it. That is what my big focus was as soon as Cato left in the weight room in January, in mat drills, all of that. Just to be a grinder and give it my all everyday and lead by example.”
And that’s what Birdsong did in the offseason whether it was in the weight room, in mat drills or running routes with his receivers after workouts, he demanded perfection first from himself and earned the respect of his teammates around him. The results were evident when preseason camp began.
“If you could see us at the beginning of spring the timing on the deep ball wasn’t there but over the last week it’s really shown that we’ve got some chemistry built in there . Now, it’s all about chemistry and getting to know each other, me getting to know them and when they’re going to break and knowing them like that back of my hand.”
Offensive coordinator Bill Legg also noticed the difference:
“I’m never completely satisfied but tells me they’ve spent time out there this summer and they’re closer to being where I need them to be.”