Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - BONUS: Indianapolis Colts' Prospect Interview: Tim DeMorat, QB, Fordham

Starting point is 00:00:00 What is up Colts fans? I'm here with another prospect interview and here I'm today talking today to Tim DeMoret from Fordham quarterback from Fordham. I finally got a quarterback guys. Okay, I promised you guys I would get a quarterback. My favorite interviews for sure are always these quarterback ones because just the wealth of knowledge and Tim man. I mean before we get into this what a career you just had here in college. I mean, you stayed all those years there at Fordham and just so productive this past year, 4,891 yards, 56 touchdowns, 10 interceptions. Looking back at Fordham, man, like how was that overall experience for you? Yeah, I appreciate it. It's been, it was an awesome experience, obviously. You know, I wasn't heavily, heavily recruited out of high school. Fordham was like the only school that really offered me.

Starting point is 00:00:49 So I didn't have a lot of options, obviously. I was grateful that Fordham offered me. And then, yeah, kind of just going there and kind of getting thrown into the flames as a true freshman, you know, getting sacked a lot. You know, we weren't, we weren't great as an offense, as a team. And then just kind of growing, you know, throughout the years. And just building a relationship with my coaches, my offensive coordinator, Kevin Decker. He's, you know, one of my close friends

Starting point is 00:01:12 and a guy who just taught me so much. And just the offense that we kind of installed and started to work on was, you know, in 2021, we kind of started it. And then, you know, we kind of saw the progress of it. And then really, obviously, this past, you said, 2022, kind of hit it full swing. There's a great group of receivers that I've been with, offensive line. We all kind of gelled together, and it was obviously a pretty fun, awesome season.

Starting point is 00:01:37 Yeah, yeah, for sure. And you could consistently see that improvement every single year. Like you say, your freshman year, very, very tough. And then every year, your stats started going up, your team started getting better. Was there ever a time throughout all that where you considered, you know, hey, maybe I need to make the jump up to the FBS or something or make that jump to a bigger school to kind of help my future career? Or was it I want to finish what I started here at Fordham? Yeah, I think it was after that 2021 season where I had a pretty solid season offensively.

Starting point is 00:02:05 And obviously after that season, I realized, hey, I can have a shot at the NFL because obviously it's always been the dream and the goals of playing the NFL. So that was something I thought maybe I'm like something I thought about was maybe I need to jump up a level and play at an FBS school against better competition, prove to the NFL scouts and things like that. But at the end of the day, you know, I just felt like the relationship I had with, you know, my offensive coordinator, Kevin Decker, and the guys at that team, you know, we kind of knew what we were going to have if I came back another year. All those guys kind of gelled together, so we kind of knew how special our season would be. So I felt like, you know, just come back. You know, I owe it to the school. I owe it to my teammates and coaches that you know i had some unfinished business and you know obviously you

Starting point is 00:02:49 know the production kind of spoke for itself with all those guys so yeah i was that you knew that you were going to throw for almost 5 000 yards and 56 touchdowns i mean not that many but yeah it was that that spring off season is we really we had a really good spring and um you can kind of tell that we had something if you know everybody just continued to improve that we could have a really special season yeah did you guys like kind of open that offense up a little bit like what i mean again you were always productive that 2021 season was a very productive season for you too like over 3 000 yards and and you could see that offense kind of kind of get into where it was but like

Starting point is 00:03:23 this kind of explosion is insane I mean sent numerous records and stuff like that was this did you guys do something different on offense or like you said was it just the way you guys were gelling just it came to its peak here this past season yeah so like I said 2021 is when we really started kind of running that offense with you know our wide splits offense and you know running these routes these receivers and kind of just you know spreading teams out and making them show their hand kind of. So we started doing it in 2021, and early on you could see some of the growing pains. We weren't great at it, and then we got really good towards the end of it.

Starting point is 00:03:57 And then, like I said, in the spring we started getting really good at it. And then in 2022 we were on pretty much the exact same offense, but we were kind of – obviously we just repped it and we got better and better at it. And then in 2022, we were running pretty much the exact same offense, but we were kind of – obviously, we just repped it and we got better and better at it. And then we kind of put in a couple new wrinkles and things that kind of, oh, this play became really good for us this past season. So it was kind of just repping and running our same offense, you know, adding a couple things.

Starting point is 00:04:17 And we were simple. We got really good at what we did. We didn't put in a lot of new plays each week based on defenses. So we just got really good at our identity, our offense, and that's how I think we became really successful awesome awesome and again yeah the numbers speak for themselves and there's a lot of people who when they look at draft prospects and they look at college production and stuff like that like that's insane that's insane no matter what level you're doing it what you guys are able to do is insane and and it led to some you know these opportunities that you've had here after this past season uh notably it started with the hula bowl you know you went to

Starting point is 00:04:49 the hula bowl that was your first one and we've seen the hula bowl actually produce quite a few nfl guys every single year now uh i know they had a handful of guys in this past super bowl here on sunday um what was that who what was that Hula experience like for you? Yeah, it was great. I was obviously grateful to get, you know, get the opportunity to play and compete with those guys. You know, when I got there, it was, it was obviously walking to that hotel. I didn't realize how many scouts and teams were still be at that Hula. Obviously, you know, there's hundreds, you know, all three, two NFL teams there. So that was great. And then, you know,

Starting point is 00:05:22 being able to work with some of those, some of those coaches that were older that coached the NFL and had retired. It's cool to work with those guys and kind of work on, you know, the offensive schemes and things like that. And just, you know, work with those receivers and then go through interviews with some teams. It was, it was a, it was a fun process for sure. Yeah, for sure.

Starting point is 00:05:40 And then you got the late call up to the Shrine Bowl in Vegas. So you had to jump on like another plane and go over there to Vegas. What was that little turnaround like for you? Yeah, it was a quick turnaround. Obviously, when I got invited, I was, you know, had to accept because, you know, Shrine Bowl is obviously a great all-star game. And never been to Vegas before, so that was cool. We were super busy the whole time, so we didn't get to really, you know, do anything, obviously, in Vegas. But, I mean, that was a great experience, great experience of being coached by an NFL staff and just you know the players that

Starting point is 00:06:08 were around me were some some really talented players and it was just it was obviously an exciting fun week for me yeah yeah no I'm sure I'm sure and you know while I got you here you know we're talking about your your game and kind of your offseason here and stuff like that but what I really love is just talking about quarterback play and talk about the intricacies of being a quarterback and stuff. And I think one of the most fascinating things to learn from quarterbacks when you're talking to them is the film study aspect. Like you said, you guys had your kind of kind of your simple plans and stuff like that.

Starting point is 00:06:38 You went into these games with, and you knew how to exploit certain coverages and stuff. But for you film study throughout the week, let's say you're you're about to go against like ohio or something like that what does your week look like getting ready for that game against someone like ohio or even another fcs team yeah so something that i started doing as i got older this past season was um you know a typical week is sunday we would come in and um we'd watch the film of our game Saturday, the day before. We'd watch the whole film with my offensive coordinator,

Starting point is 00:07:08 kind of go through corrections, things you did wrong. And we'd do like a quick little walkthrough and corrections out on the practice field. Then Monday would kind of be our complete off day. So what I kind of would do on that day, Monday is when the whole offensive staff meets and kind of goes through the initial, makes a new initial game plan and watches the film of the opponent we're playing next week and goes through all the game cut-ups.

Starting point is 00:07:28 So what I would do is I would kind of go in there and sit with my offensive staff and offensive coordinator, kind of tell them what I like or what they're seeing. So I felt like that for a couple hours, just kind of sitting there on Mondays. It felt like that was something that kind of helped me out this past season, just kind of get ahead of the ball. And then, you know, as the rest of the week goes on, it's just practicing, you know, having your meetings, you know, with your offensive coordinator, you know, watching the film,

Starting point is 00:07:49 going through our call sheet. You know, call sheet usually starts out big as the week starts and kind of gets simplified as the week goes on. And, you know, something I would just do is after practice, just go in, you know, the film with the call sheet in my hand after practice and just kind of go through each play versus the cut-ups that we have versus the certain coverages with our formations and things like that and then you know my offensive coordinator would leave me some tip sheets and notes and like that so I felt like just kind of

Starting point is 00:08:11 sitting by myself just going through our plays and just looking at the defense kind of throughout the week you know kind of made myself get more and more comfortable with the game plan I felt like helps help me play a little bit faster there out there on Saturday for sure like and I think it's what's fascinating about that is it's so much information for just the regular person to kind of think about you know how much information you're taking in for each game and then you have to you know you're not losing all that information to the next week but you're having to pick up all new information how do you kind of manage all of that there yeah I think that was a good thing about our offense is we wouldn't have to put in,

Starting point is 00:08:48 you know, you put in a couple maybe red zone plays each week, you know, two-point plays, things like that. But we didn't install a lot of new plays based on the defense, you know, what coverages and fronts or whatever they were doing that week. So that was the great for us for me is just to be able to play fast because I got so comfortable with our offense and it was our plays every single week, which helped me play so much faster.

Starting point is 00:09:09 So I could just focus on the opponents that week. And yeah, you know, it's not too bad. You're focused on that point the whole week to prepare and you kind of know what coverages you think you're going to see. And then maybe, you know, in the game, they might do something different. But the good thing about our offense is, you know, we would play fast and we would make the defenses, you know, so I felt like it was it was great it wasn't too difficult for me or anybody on our teams or coaches did a great job you know preparing us for that yeah

Starting point is 00:09:33 yeah and I'm sure life is a lot easier as a senior or a super senior in these types of offenses than as a freshman you know freshman it's probably like information overload but you're kind of at that point this past year where it's like you've been there done that you know the whole time yeah no definitely um the freshman quarterbacks definitely are a little bit stuff's going real fast for them it's like you take for granted stuff you know and our coach is like you know we'll get to that in the spring obviously because you don't have time to teach everybody you know the ins and outs or offense because i've been in the system for a couple years so it's you know that, you know, the ins and outs of our offense, because I've been in the system for a couple of years. So it's, you know, that's, you know, second nature, some of the stuff. But yeah, obviously, it's helps to be an upperclassman, you've seen football, you've played snaps,

Starting point is 00:10:13 you've seen things and definitely grateful to be able to have a lot of playing time in my career at Fordham to, you know, help me. Yeah, yeah, for sure. And then another aspect that I think is, you know, you're probably doing a lot of this, this off season here while you're training and stuff is, you know, working on physical training or something or working on your mechanics and such like that. Obviously, you're not going to do that in season, you know, your coaches are there to help with game plan, they're helping with other things that relate to being successful on Saturday, but they can't really work on, you know, mechanical things or all these other things. Have you kind of been working with like QB trainers? Have you been working on that kind of stuff on your own?

Starting point is 00:10:49 Like how do you manage like your mechanics and also just like your, you know, nutrition and stuff like that away from the program? Yeah, I think it's, I'm working with a QB coach down here, Ken Mastroli here in Fort Myers. I think the biggest thing for me is just, because I've done these all-star games, so I haven't had a ton of time before the all-star games. And obviously it's something I want to show, you know, at my pro day,

Starting point is 00:11:11 which is, you know, coming up in a couple of weeks. It's just the five-step drops and the under center stuff like that, the footwork is something, you know, I didn't do in college playing from a completely shotgun system. So I think just working on the different drops, you know, being under center is a whole different, different ball games. I think just working on, you know, just the simple things like the ball handling the five-step drops,

Starting point is 00:11:32 the timing of that is something that I want to work on. Then I'll always hit it a couple of little small mechanic things, you know, with your, with your body, but I always, you know, nothing too crazy with my throwing motion, just, you know, feet and mechanics I think is the biggest thing that I need to work on for sure. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. For sure. Which is every quarterback prospect. So it's, it's a very, very normal thing for sure. Yeah. And then, you know, the other stuff is, you know, getting stronger in the weight room, just working on explosiveness and then, you know, eating, you know, clean diet, always, you know, eat, you know, fairly clean. But I think, you know,

Starting point is 00:12:00 as the, you're going through the draft process, you kind of want to cut out, you know, things like sugar and things like that. So just kind of eating a little bit cleaner and just, you know, as the you're going through the draft process, you kind of want to cut out, you know, things like sugar and things like that. So just kind of eating a little bit cleaner and just, you know, working and working my hardest to train and get better. Yeah, yeah, for sure. And then another thing I want to ask you, and and that's obviously a thing for unless you're going to be the first overall pick. It's a thing that almost all quarterback prospects have to deal with is, you know, you in college were almost always a starter. You know, you've been a starter for the last four or five years here. And obviously back in high school, you were starting a lot of games.

Starting point is 00:12:28 But if you're going to the NFL here, you're probably gonna be a backup or maybe even lower than that. Are you kind of prepared to take that long road, I guess? Obviously you feel prepared, but what's your mindset like when it comes to being a backup or being a practice squad guy

Starting point is 00:12:43 or something like that here at the next level? Yeah, absolutely. I think, you know, like you said, it's different because I've been at Fordham. I've been,

Starting point is 00:12:49 you know, starting there for four years. So, you know, being the big fish in the small pond, you're, you're going, going to the complete opposite,

Starting point is 00:12:55 but yeah, I think it's something that, that I would look forward to and thrive in just because, because like you said, I'm not going to be, you know, the first round draft pick guy. So you're going to go in there,

Starting point is 00:13:06 you know, earn your way up. You're going to, you're going to be, you know, the first round draft pick guy. So you're going to go in there, you know, earn your way up. You're going to be a backup quarterback. And I feel like it's a position I'm used to and something I will thrive in because I feel like I've always been, you know, the under-recruited guy, you know, just getting a Fordham offer. And then kind of here with the draft process still, you know, an under-recruited guy, not high up on boards and things like that. And even, you know, going back to high school, I remember freshman year of high school, I was a third string JV quarterback freshman year.

Starting point is 00:13:30 So I felt like I've always kind of been, you know, the sleeper and, you know, and things like that. So I feel like I've always had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder and something to prove to everybody. So I feel like that's something that, you know, I would look forward to and thrive in and show that I can, you know, play with the best of the best. Yeah, for sure. And it looks like, you know, from everything I've seen and read from your performance at the Hula Bowl and stuff, and obviously people who have watched your game there at Fordham, you know, you are catching those eyes here for the next level people.

Starting point is 00:13:56 And you are going to get that chance, which is a great thing for anyone who has kind of been that underdog, like you said there. So it's always great to see someone with your background and your production here in college, getting that chance. Last thing I have to ask you, man. And again, I appreciate you taking the time, especially in this busy, busy process for you is, you know, in this quarterback class, there's guys who are going to go first round, second round, third round, all that stuff. And these teams are going to be weighing what kind of person and player they're

Starting point is 00:14:22 getting in their locker room. So what are, what is my team getting if they spent a draft pick on you in this class? Yeah, I think I'm somebody that, you know, absolutely loves football. It's my favorite thing to do in the world. So I, something that I put my heart and soul into, so I'd work my butt off to the, be the best I can be. And I think I'm just somebody that I've always loved my teammates. And I think I'm somebody that's a likable guy that teammates love to be around and I think I'm just somebody that I've always loved my teammates and I think I'm somebody that's a likable guy that teammates love to be around and I can support the team whether I'm a starter or a backup I'm somebody that will support whoever's out there and whatever that is I'm just somebody who likes to you know hang around the guys you know crack jokes if I need

Starting point is 00:14:59 to make people laugh I feel like I'm hard worker who wants you know to play in the National Football League and also a great teammate who you guys want to be around I feel like I'm a hard worker who wants to play in the National Football League and also a great teammate who you guys want to be around. I feel like that's important in the NFL. You've got to have high character and you want to be somebody in the locker room that guys want to be around, especially if you're somebody who's not being a top 25 pick, top first round pick. So I feel like that's something that I pride myself in.

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Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - BONUS: Indianapolis Colts' Prospect Interview: Tim DeMorat, QB, Fordham

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