For most football players, preparing for a game is a mostly physical ordeal. But for Duke senior defensive end James Kirkland, the majority of his preparation is mental.
Kirkland, a philosophy major who will graduate in December, prides himself on searching for any advantage he can over his opponents. This year he is switching from the weakside defensive end to the strong side defensive end. As a result, he will be taking on tight ends at the line of scrimmage this year instead of offensive tackles.
"I think any edge I can get before we hit the field is a plus," Kirkland said. "That's why I watch so much film. I look for tendencies on the other team's offensive line, especially the guys I'm going against. I look for those kinds of things because I need some kind of edge when I go to play.
"I need to know my opponents. That's why I study so much film and why I get into reading stances and trying to know what people are doing. I'm just trying to be a step ahead."
He has pushed himself constantly since head coach Fred Goldsmith arrived on campus a year and a half ago. Last year he lost over 15 pounds in preseason conditioning getting in shape to play. But he was still unable to play an entire game.
His stamina and speed were two things that Kirkland worked on in the offseason. Over the spring and summer he added 15 pounds in muscle and worked on his quickness and speed, lowering his fitness run time by four seconds.
"A lot of people said I had a good year last year, but I really don't think so," Kirkland said. "For what we did, I had a good year. But me personally, I don't think I had a good year at all. I think, if anything, I regressed from the year before.
"I'm trying to find the form I had in 1993 as far as making plays and being part of the defense. I'm trying to find that again, and getting my weight back up and adding some speed is all part of that plan."
Kirkland has always had a plan in athletics. He loves the one-on-one battle, whether it comes on the gridiron or in other sports. His first love was baseball--where he could duel pitchers from the batter's box. In high school he set a school record for the highest batting average in school history (.580) and most home runs in one game (three).
With his natural love of competition, one might expect Kirkland to be loud and brash. But he is a quiet, mild-mannered person who leads by example on and off the field.
"He's a leader, but he's a quiet leader," Goldsmith said. "James is a quiet guy, he leads more by example. Most of his leadership comes with the younger players. He's very, very helpful with the young players with their techniques. He can spot things and he works really well with the young guys. He's not a rah-rah type, but he plays a very important leadership role."
His involvement with younger players impresses Goldsmith quite a bit. In Kirkland, Goldsmith sees the makings of a good coach. He hopes that James will consider pursuing coaching, possibly as a graduate assistant, if he doesn't make it as a professional.
Kirkland, meanwhile, is simply keeping his options open for when he graduates in December. A possibility is a tryout with a professional football team in either the National Football League or the Canadian Football League, which is probably better suited to Kirkland's style of play. But it's not something that he is counting on. Coaching at the graduate assistant level is yet another thing he is considering.
"I really don't want to go back to school, but if I can be a [graduate assistant] I'll gladly do it," Kirkland said. " I figure a graduate degree would not hurt, especially if it comes from somewhere like Duke. So coaching is an option."
Juggling many options and possibilities is something that comes natural to Kirkland. As a child he would often question authority from the standpoint of asking why things could not be done a different way. He still does that today--both in the classroom and on the football field, where he is constantly making adjustments throughout the game.
"To me there's more than one way to skin a cat," Kirkland said. "I'm always looking for different points of view, rather than a single train of thought, and philosophy has helped me with that. There's not one way to do everything, you can do it many different ways."
That's what Kirkland will be trying to do this season from his new position on the defensive line. He hopes to better his previous season highs in tackles and sacks. He's certainly motivated to do so.
"I will never reach a point where I can't stop getting better," Kirkland said. "I have to always be able to get better--if I don't, then I'm average as far as I'm concerned. That's what I strive to do, to get better and better."
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