Indiana University Athletics
NFL Network’s Rhett Lewis Delivers ‘Humble, Hungry, Hard’ Lesson
3/5/2019 7:14:00 AM | Football
BY PETE DIPRIMIO
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Rhett Lewis had the Mellencamp Pavilion stage.
You'd better believe this NFL Network host knew what to do with it.
Indiana's football team gathered around him on the artificial turf. Sunday afternoon's practice had just wrapped up and Lewis, a former Hoosier player then known as Rhett Kleinschmidt, had a real-pro-football-life message only a fool would ignore.
Be humble.
Be hungry.
Play hard.
"Talent will get you in the door in the NFL," Lewis said a few minutes before his talk, "but those are the three things that matter."
Professionally he's known as Rhett Lewis, but by any name he has insight anyone with NFL aspirations could use.
And these Hoosiers, perhaps as talented as any IU group ever assembled if you believe the national recruiting ratings, fully intend to use it.
Starting with the upcoming college season.
"If you can be humble, if you can be hungry, if you can be hard to play against, you'll stay in the league for a long time," Lewis said. "ME will get you money in the short term, but WE wins."
This was a teaching moment Lewis delivered after spending the previous week in Indianapolis covering the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Six years with the NFL Network had shown him the keys to football success at any level.
"We all have limited control of how talented we are," he said, "but those three things we have absolute control -- how humble we are, how much we recognize that our success is the direct result of somebody else being successful in their job, how hungry we are to get better every day."
Lewis said he sees a lot of that hunger from IU coach Tom Allen, his staff and players.
"It's just the energy, man. The energy, tempo, pace. It's a bunch of dudes who love being out here playing football.
"Being around Tom for a limited amount of time, the word that comes to mind is dynamic. This whole program is dynamic. You can see it in the way he interacts with the staff. You see it in the way they practice. That's super impressive. These are guys who have an uncompromising desire to be better, every rep, every period, every practice, every day."
His appreciation for that runs deep. Lewis's father, Dean, was a NFL head trainer for 41 seasons -- 31 with the New Orleans Saints, eight with Detroit and two with Washington. Dean also was a student trainer during IU's 1967 Big Ten-title winning season that culminated in the 1968 Rose Bowl, and head trainer from 2004-06 during Rhett's time in Bloomington.
Lewis's sister, Morgan, is the senior community relations coordinator for the Houston Texans.
"The NFL runs in the family," he said with a smile.
Lewis was a kick holder and a reserve receiver for the Hoosiers from 2001 to 2005 while earning a sports communication degree. One of his best games came against Michigan, when he set career-highs for catches (two) and yards (28).
A pro football career wasn't in his future, but broadcasting was.
"I combined something I loved, which was football, with something that I was good at.
"For me, what I was good at was easy because I knew what I wasn't good at, which was math and science. English I was a little better. Public speaking was a little more natural. I combined those things with sports broadcasting.
"It seems simple. You have to work at it like anything else, but for me that was the winning formula. Have a plan, work the plan, plan for the unexpected. That's what I learned here and that's what I do every day."
He learned more from Indianapolis WISH-TV sports director Anthony Calhoun as part of an after-college internship.
"He taught me everything I know about broadcasting," Lewis said. "They helped me put a resume tape together.
"Then I worked my way through local television. It was take the next step. Take the next step."
Those steps included TV station stops in New Orleans and Lubbock, Texas, before a five-year run as a sports anchor and reporter at Boston's WHDH where he covered the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the World Series and the Stanley Cup. Overall he covered five professional championships.
Then the NFL Network came calling.
"I was fortune enough to get recognized by the NFL Network. This will be my sixth season. I'll do it for 30 more years if they'll let me. It's a great place to work."
ENERGY RULES
Hoosier hitting is coming. For now, spring practice centers on no pads, no tackling, fundamentals, energy and passion.
After the weekend's opening two practice days, it's mission accomplished.
"We've had a lot of good energy," Allen said. "There was a lot of intensity with the offense against the defense, which is what you want to see.
"We've made a big deal about ball security on both sides of the ball. The defense is trying to take the ball away. They've had a hard time getting them. The offense has made progress in that."
The quarterback trio of Peyton Ramsey, Jack Tuttle and Michael Penix Jr. got their individual drill work, with Ramsey and Tuttle alternating reps during team drills. Penix avoided contact while continuing to recover from knee surgery.
"We caught the ball a lot better (Sunday) than we did (Saturday)," Allen said. "We were rusty (on Saturday), but you could see every rep, every practice session, the offense kept getting better, more comfortable with what we're trying to do.
"We did a lot of good things (on Sunday) -- completed a lot of balls, carried the football. We got some big plays down the field, which is what you want to see.
"We don't have pads on yet, so it's hard to tell on a lot of things. A lot of guys have gained good weight. The team speed seems to be improved. I like that. We're getting a lot of good fundamental work, and that will continue throughout spring ball. It was a good start. I love the energy."
GET NASTY
Kane Wommack has no use for polite defense.
IU's new defensive coordinator seeks to develop nasty players ready to dominate any offense that gets in their way.
"We're just two practices in," he said, "but we're well on our way.
"We have some physical dudes. I worry a little bit about not having the pads on right now because of how they're playing. They're probably a little too physical. We're having to bring them back."
Wommack isn't complaining. It's easier to get players to back off than ramp up.
"That's always tough for the first couple of days," he said. "Defensive guys get a little too rough and physical. When you put athletes like we have on the field, with the speed they have and the hunger they have to get to the ball, we have to whittle our way through that a little bit."
He smiled.
"I'm ready to get pads on. Let's say that."
RECRUITING EDGE
For Allen, he's gaining by losing.
In this case, it's recruiting.
Yes, Allen no longer runs the day-to-day defensive show. He gave up the role to Wommack so he can more fully concentrate on his head coaching duties.
It also frees him up to spend more time on landing more talent. He took full advantage during Sunday's practice to talk to recruits and their families attending the workout.
"I'm able to be way more involved in recruiting," he said. "We had a lot of young men on our campus (last weekend). Some really important guys from the Midwest area.
"I've been able to spend more time with them than I have in the past. I'm not calling the things like I was before. That's a big difference, for sure."
Beyond that, Allen said, "It's being able to oversee better. I spend more time on offense, more time in offensive meetings, which I haven't done much of in the past. I like that."
For the record, Allen isn't going to become a play caller or offense micro manager. That job belongs to new offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer.
"I'm able to get my personality there," Allen said. "It's more of a mindset and intensity of what we do, and accountability for our guys. I want to do a great job with that as the head coach. That definitely feels quite a bit different."
As for the defense, "They're still doing a lot of good things. I feel very comfortable with the job they are doing. I'm very confident in all of them."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Rhett Lewis had the Mellencamp Pavilion stage.
You'd better believe this NFL Network host knew what to do with it.
Indiana's football team gathered around him on the artificial turf. Sunday afternoon's practice had just wrapped up and Lewis, a former Hoosier player then known as Rhett Kleinschmidt, had a real-pro-football-life message only a fool would ignore.
Be humble.
Be hungry.
Play hard.
"Talent will get you in the door in the NFL," Lewis said a few minutes before his talk, "but those are the three things that matter."
Professionally he's known as Rhett Lewis, but by any name he has insight anyone with NFL aspirations could use.
And these Hoosiers, perhaps as talented as any IU group ever assembled if you believe the national recruiting ratings, fully intend to use it.
Starting with the upcoming college season.
"If you can be humble, if you can be hungry, if you can be hard to play against, you'll stay in the league for a long time," Lewis said. "ME will get you money in the short term, but WE wins."
This was a teaching moment Lewis delivered after spending the previous week in Indianapolis covering the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Six years with the NFL Network had shown him the keys to football success at any level.
"We all have limited control of how talented we are," he said, "but those three things we have absolute control -- how humble we are, how much we recognize that our success is the direct result of somebody else being successful in their job, how hungry we are to get better every day."
Lewis said he sees a lot of that hunger from IU coach Tom Allen, his staff and players.
"It's just the energy, man. The energy, tempo, pace. It's a bunch of dudes who love being out here playing football.
"Being around Tom for a limited amount of time, the word that comes to mind is dynamic. This whole program is dynamic. You can see it in the way he interacts with the staff. You see it in the way they practice. That's super impressive. These are guys who have an uncompromising desire to be better, every rep, every period, every practice, every day."
His appreciation for that runs deep. Lewis's father, Dean, was a NFL head trainer for 41 seasons -- 31 with the New Orleans Saints, eight with Detroit and two with Washington. Dean also was a student trainer during IU's 1967 Big Ten-title winning season that culminated in the 1968 Rose Bowl, and head trainer from 2004-06 during Rhett's time in Bloomington.
Lewis's sister, Morgan, is the senior community relations coordinator for the Houston Texans.
"The NFL runs in the family," he said with a smile.
Lewis was a kick holder and a reserve receiver for the Hoosiers from 2001 to 2005 while earning a sports communication degree. One of his best games came against Michigan, when he set career-highs for catches (two) and yards (28).
A pro football career wasn't in his future, but broadcasting was.
"I combined something I loved, which was football, with something that I was good at.
"For me, what I was good at was easy because I knew what I wasn't good at, which was math and science. English I was a little better. Public speaking was a little more natural. I combined those things with sports broadcasting.
"It seems simple. You have to work at it like anything else, but for me that was the winning formula. Have a plan, work the plan, plan for the unexpected. That's what I learned here and that's what I do every day."
He learned more from Indianapolis WISH-TV sports director Anthony Calhoun as part of an after-college internship.
"He taught me everything I know about broadcasting," Lewis said. "They helped me put a resume tape together.
"Then I worked my way through local television. It was take the next step. Take the next step."
Those steps included TV station stops in New Orleans and Lubbock, Texas, before a five-year run as a sports anchor and reporter at Boston's WHDH where he covered the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the World Series and the Stanley Cup. Overall he covered five professional championships.
Then the NFL Network came calling.
"I was fortune enough to get recognized by the NFL Network. This will be my sixth season. I'll do it for 30 more years if they'll let me. It's a great place to work."
ENERGY RULES
Hoosier hitting is coming. For now, spring practice centers on no pads, no tackling, fundamentals, energy and passion.
After the weekend's opening two practice days, it's mission accomplished.
"We've had a lot of good energy," Allen said. "There was a lot of intensity with the offense against the defense, which is what you want to see.
"We've made a big deal about ball security on both sides of the ball. The defense is trying to take the ball away. They've had a hard time getting them. The offense has made progress in that."
The quarterback trio of Peyton Ramsey, Jack Tuttle and Michael Penix Jr. got their individual drill work, with Ramsey and Tuttle alternating reps during team drills. Penix avoided contact while continuing to recover from knee surgery.
"We caught the ball a lot better (Sunday) than we did (Saturday)," Allen said. "We were rusty (on Saturday), but you could see every rep, every practice session, the offense kept getting better, more comfortable with what we're trying to do.
"We did a lot of good things (on Sunday) -- completed a lot of balls, carried the football. We got some big plays down the field, which is what you want to see.
"We don't have pads on yet, so it's hard to tell on a lot of things. A lot of guys have gained good weight. The team speed seems to be improved. I like that. We're getting a lot of good fundamental work, and that will continue throughout spring ball. It was a good start. I love the energy."
GET NASTY
Kane Wommack has no use for polite defense.
IU's new defensive coordinator seeks to develop nasty players ready to dominate any offense that gets in their way.
"We're just two practices in," he said, "but we're well on our way.
"We have some physical dudes. I worry a little bit about not having the pads on right now because of how they're playing. They're probably a little too physical. We're having to bring them back."
Wommack isn't complaining. It's easier to get players to back off than ramp up.
"That's always tough for the first couple of days," he said. "Defensive guys get a little too rough and physical. When you put athletes like we have on the field, with the speed they have and the hunger they have to get to the ball, we have to whittle our way through that a little bit."
He smiled.
"I'm ready to get pads on. Let's say that."
RECRUITING EDGE
For Allen, he's gaining by losing.
In this case, it's recruiting.
Yes, Allen no longer runs the day-to-day defensive show. He gave up the role to Wommack so he can more fully concentrate on his head coaching duties.
It also frees him up to spend more time on landing more talent. He took full advantage during Sunday's practice to talk to recruits and their families attending the workout.
"I'm able to be way more involved in recruiting," he said. "We had a lot of young men on our campus (last weekend). Some really important guys from the Midwest area.
"I've been able to spend more time with them than I have in the past. I'm not calling the things like I was before. That's a big difference, for sure."
Beyond that, Allen said, "It's being able to oversee better. I spend more time on offense, more time in offensive meetings, which I haven't done much of in the past. I like that."
For the record, Allen isn't going to become a play caller or offense micro manager. That job belongs to new offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer.
"I'm able to get my personality there," Allen said. "It's more of a mindset and intensity of what we do, and accountability for our guys. I want to do a great job with that as the head coach. That definitely feels quite a bit different."
As for the defense, "They're still doing a lot of good things. I feel very comfortable with the job they are doing. I'm very confident in all of them."
Players Mentioned
FB: Curt Cignetti - Pre-Heisman Press Conference
Wednesday, December 10
FB: Fernando Mendoza - Pre-Heisman Press Conference
Tuesday, December 09
FB: CFP Quarterfinals (Rose Bowl) - Student-Athlete Press Conference
Monday, December 08
FB: CFP Quarterfinals (Rose Bowl) - Curt Cignetti Press Conference
Sunday, December 07