North Carolina State University Athletics
Program Spotlight: Ray Michel
10/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Tim Peeler
Ray “Bam-Bam” Michel causes indigestion, for opponents and for teammates.
On the field, the hard-hitting senior middle linebacker from Fort Myers, Fla., is a keystone on the Wolfpack defense. In the first three games of the 2009 season, Michel has a team-leading 22 tackles and has capably – albeit quietly – filled the leadership void left by the injured Nate Irving.
Around the Murphy Center, the Wolfpack’s home, Michel causes a different kind of stomachache.
He’s in the linebackers’ film room watching tapes of himself in practice and previewing opponents so frequently that his teammates hardly have a chance to cue tape of themselves. It’s one of those competition-with-a-team feuds that pit teammates against each other as they try to maximize their limited free time for such things.
Senior safety Bobby Floyd says he’s always racing through his meals in an attempt to beat Michel in the film room. He’s hiccupped his way through many a meal in an effort to beat Michel into the film room, but rarely ever gets there first.
“That’s the thing about Ray: his work ethic is unbelievable,” Floyd says. “He’s not a real vocal guy who is going to lead, rah-rah. But he leads by example in the way he prepares and gets better.”
And that’s something head coach Tom O’Brien appreciates and respects: the hard work Michel has put in over the last two years to better understand his responsibilities in the Wolfpack defense.
“He certainly spends as much or more time in the film room as anybody else on the team,” O’Brien said. “After practice, he goes and gets dinner and then watches the practice tape by himself. He is constantly in here looking at the opponents, trying to get that edge.
“A lot of defense is recognition and anticipation. With his study all the time off the field, he can understand what the offense is trying to do and he is getting to his spots a lot quicker than he did last year.”
That should translate to even better play than last year, Michel’s first season as a full-time starter. He led the Wolfpack defense with 105 tackles, finally stepping into his role as a defensive leader after two years as a reserve.
He’s excited about the way the defense has played in the first three games this season, allowing just four touchdowns to South Carolina, Murray State and Gardner-Webb. The Wolfpack ranks second in the nation in total defense giving up a mere 168.3 yards and outing, and NC State is also seventh nationally in scoring defense (9.3 ppg) so far in 2009. It makes him wish he had a little more time in a red and white uniform.
“I am always asking [linebackers coach Andy McCollum] ‘Is there any way you can get me one more year? Please! Just one more year?’” Michel says. “We have a lot of young guys who are in the program and coming into the program who are more mature, hard-working, dedicated and motivated. They are ready to play.
“I just wish I could play with them a little longer.”
He’s stepped in to guide those younger players, the way Irving would if he were able to play this year. Though he’s not typically vocal, Michel has increased the volume and the frequency of the advice he gives to younger teammates like sophomores Audie Cole, Dwayne Maddox and Sterling Lucas and redshirt freshman Terrell Manning.
They are young and inexperienced, but have performed well through three games.
“I am trying to become more vocal and more interactive with the young guys,” Michel says. “I have always been real quiet on the field and in the lockerroom. I always tried to do everything by example. But with Nate out, there has to be someone there for the young guys, to correct them and tell them what they are doing wrong, compliment them and tell them what they are doing well.
“I have to be a big brother to them.”
Michel, Florida’s 2004 4-A Defensive Player of the Year, was red-shirted during his first year on campus, after choosing NC State over Nebraska and West Virginia. He followed high school teammate Bobby Washington to Raleigh to play for a defense that was ranked No. 1 in the nation in 2004.
During his red-shirt season, he learned under middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch, now a starter for the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. Tulloch long ago predicted that Michel would be the “next big thing” on defense for the Wolfpack.
“I talked to Ray not long ago and told him it was time for him to step up and be a leader,” Tulloch said. “I told him he had to stay focused and avoid distractions as much as possible.
“I’ve always believed that Ray is a talented player. I know if he continues to work hard, he’ll be just fine. He’s a smart kid with a lot of potential.”
Michel admits he struggled early in his career in trying to understand all of his responsibilities. He played in every game of his redshirt freshman and sophomore seasons, but made only one start. Overall, he was disappointed that he didn’t spend more time on the field during those two seasons.
That’s why he dedicated himself to spending so much time in the film room – looking for ways to improve his game to get an edge on opponents.
“It has always been a way for me to reiterate what coach is telling me on the field: ‘Watch your feet. Watch your drop. Don’t go too wide.’” Michel says. “I just go back and look to see what I am doing. There are a lot of little things that you can improve on, like that one little step that is the difference between letting a receiver go by you or not.
“It makes things a lot easier if I see what the coaches are talking about on film.”
Michel has always been a visual person, which is why he’s majoring in arts application, one of the more unusual majors on the team. He loves to draw, though he’s better at portraits and stills than anything abstract. Suffice it to say that he has the most artistic playbook on the team.
“It’s definitely not a major for a football player,” Michel says. “It was kind of hard for me to get into because of football practice. A lot of the classes ran into practice time. There was this one course I had to take in the summer, and it was a really speeded up version of it.
“But, after this semester, I am done with it.”
As in, he will graduate. He hopes when his football career is over to join one of the many artistic professions in his family. His father is a chef. He has an uncle who is an architect, an uncle who refinish automobile interiors and an uncle who designs automobile exteriors.
“I think that is where I get my passion for art,” Michel says. “I have a lot of sketch books from when I was taking art classes before I got to school, but mostly I give all my drawings away.
“But I haven’t had a lot of time lately to draw.”
That’s because he spends almost all of his free time in the film room, trying to find those little improvements to make the Wolfpack defense even better.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
Ray “Bam-Bam” Michel causes indigestion, for opponents and for teammates.
On the field, the hard-hitting senior middle linebacker from Fort Myers, Fla., is a keystone on the Wolfpack defense. In the first three games of the 2009 season, Michel has a team-leading 22 tackles and has capably – albeit quietly – filled the leadership void left by the injured Nate Irving.
Around the Murphy Center, the Wolfpack’s home, Michel causes a different kind of stomachache.
He’s in the linebackers’ film room watching tapes of himself in practice and previewing opponents so frequently that his teammates hardly have a chance to cue tape of themselves. It’s one of those competition-with-a-team feuds that pit teammates against each other as they try to maximize their limited free time for such things.
Senior safety Bobby Floyd says he’s always racing through his meals in an attempt to beat Michel in the film room. He’s hiccupped his way through many a meal in an effort to beat Michel into the film room, but rarely ever gets there first.
“That’s the thing about Ray: his work ethic is unbelievable,” Floyd says. “He’s not a real vocal guy who is going to lead, rah-rah. But he leads by example in the way he prepares and gets better.”
And that’s something head coach Tom O’Brien appreciates and respects: the hard work Michel has put in over the last two years to better understand his responsibilities in the Wolfpack defense.
“He certainly spends as much or more time in the film room as anybody else on the team,” O’Brien said. “After practice, he goes and gets dinner and then watches the practice tape by himself. He is constantly in here looking at the opponents, trying to get that edge.
“A lot of defense is recognition and anticipation. With his study all the time off the field, he can understand what the offense is trying to do and he is getting to his spots a lot quicker than he did last year.”
That should translate to even better play than last year, Michel’s first season as a full-time starter. He led the Wolfpack defense with 105 tackles, finally stepping into his role as a defensive leader after two years as a reserve.
He’s excited about the way the defense has played in the first three games this season, allowing just four touchdowns to South Carolina, Murray State and Gardner-Webb. The Wolfpack ranks second in the nation in total defense giving up a mere 168.3 yards and outing, and NC State is also seventh nationally in scoring defense (9.3 ppg) so far in 2009. It makes him wish he had a little more time in a red and white uniform.
“I am always asking [linebackers coach Andy McCollum] ‘Is there any way you can get me one more year? Please! Just one more year?’” Michel says. “We have a lot of young guys who are in the program and coming into the program who are more mature, hard-working, dedicated and motivated. They are ready to play.
“I just wish I could play with them a little longer.”
He’s stepped in to guide those younger players, the way Irving would if he were able to play this year. Though he’s not typically vocal, Michel has increased the volume and the frequency of the advice he gives to younger teammates like sophomores Audie Cole, Dwayne Maddox and Sterling Lucas and redshirt freshman Terrell Manning.
They are young and inexperienced, but have performed well through three games.
“I am trying to become more vocal and more interactive with the young guys,” Michel says. “I have always been real quiet on the field and in the lockerroom. I always tried to do everything by example. But with Nate out, there has to be someone there for the young guys, to correct them and tell them what they are doing wrong, compliment them and tell them what they are doing well.
“I have to be a big brother to them.”
Michel, Florida’s 2004 4-A Defensive Player of the Year, was red-shirted during his first year on campus, after choosing NC State over Nebraska and West Virginia. He followed high school teammate Bobby Washington to Raleigh to play for a defense that was ranked No. 1 in the nation in 2004.
During his red-shirt season, he learned under middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch, now a starter for the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. Tulloch long ago predicted that Michel would be the “next big thing” on defense for the Wolfpack.
“I talked to Ray not long ago and told him it was time for him to step up and be a leader,” Tulloch said. “I told him he had to stay focused and avoid distractions as much as possible.
“I’ve always believed that Ray is a talented player. I know if he continues to work hard, he’ll be just fine. He’s a smart kid with a lot of potential.”
Michel admits he struggled early in his career in trying to understand all of his responsibilities. He played in every game of his redshirt freshman and sophomore seasons, but made only one start. Overall, he was disappointed that he didn’t spend more time on the field during those two seasons.
That’s why he dedicated himself to spending so much time in the film room – looking for ways to improve his game to get an edge on opponents.
“It has always been a way for me to reiterate what coach is telling me on the field: ‘Watch your feet. Watch your drop. Don’t go too wide.’” Michel says. “I just go back and look to see what I am doing. There are a lot of little things that you can improve on, like that one little step that is the difference between letting a receiver go by you or not.
“It makes things a lot easier if I see what the coaches are talking about on film.”
Michel has always been a visual person, which is why he’s majoring in arts application, one of the more unusual majors on the team. He loves to draw, though he’s better at portraits and stills than anything abstract. Suffice it to say that he has the most artistic playbook on the team.
“It’s definitely not a major for a football player,” Michel says. “It was kind of hard for me to get into because of football practice. A lot of the classes ran into practice time. There was this one course I had to take in the summer, and it was a really speeded up version of it.
“But, after this semester, I am done with it.”
As in, he will graduate. He hopes when his football career is over to join one of the many artistic professions in his family. His father is a chef. He has an uncle who is an architect, an uncle who refinish automobile interiors and an uncle who designs automobile exteriors.
“I think that is where I get my passion for art,” Michel says. “I have a lot of sketch books from when I was taking art classes before I got to school, but mostly I give all my drawings away.
“But I haven’t had a lot of time lately to draw.”
That’s because he spends almost all of his free time in the film room, trying to find those little improvements to make the Wolfpack defense even better.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
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