Football | August 12, 2016

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The biggest thing that separates Western Michigan football from just about every collegiate athletic team in the country, football or other sports, is the way things are evaluated. Most teams evaluate based off results in order to see which players have risen to the top. The Broncos evaluate a different way, based off a player's coach's or staff member's "How".

"How" describes the way someone goes about something. For the Broncos, a person's "How" is everything. There is a myriad of ways to achieve the same result which can often be misleading, but the way a person sets out to achieve their task tells everything about them in terms of character and work ethic.

One of the veterans on the Western Michigan defense is linebacker Caleb Bailey who ranked near the top of the Mid-American Conference last season in tackles for loss with 12.5. Bailey describes the "How" that led him to become one of the most feared tacklers in the MAC.

"As a defense our mantra is never bend, never break," Bailey said. "If someone doesn't wrap up, we all have to come in and step up as a defense. The linebackers are the quarterbacks of the defense no matter what and we have to show that every single down."

A newer face on the defensive side of the ball is defensive line coach Jimmy Williams. Williams was an All-American at Nebraska in 1982 and played for 10+ years in the NFL. He is now charged with getting his players on the line to play with the same "How" he did as a player and believes their role is very simple.

"The defensive line sets the tone for the team," Williams said. "They are the first line of defense in competition."

For the players to set the tone for the team, they must also bring the same "How" throughout the week of preparation and Williams stresses the importance of knowing the opponent so that it is easier to set the tone.

"When you prepare for an opponent, you have to know what the opponent does," Williams said. "You have a strategy for them. Then you put that strategy in implementation throughout the week in preparing for the game on Saturday."

Last season it was the offensive line that helped pave the way for the Broncos to be towards the lead in many of the statistical rankings nationally. The Broncos ranked inside the top-30 in both rushing and passing and current junior Chukwuma "Chukes" Okorafor was a big reason why. At 6-6, 330 pounds, Chukes' "How" involves doing whatever is asked of him.

"For me I do whatever the team needs me to do," Okorafor said. "If we need to pass the ball, I'll pass block and if we need to run the ball, I'll run block. I really don't have a favorite. I work on my technique and focus on what my coaches have told me to do. To be dominant you have to trust your technique. Whether it's D-1, D-2 or D-3, it doesn't matter who you play, it's trusting your technique and how you play."

The Broncos' "How" can be summed up by being a selfless unit that is willing to trust on the teaching that's provided and relying on the preparation that is done throughout the week. Results can be at times misconstrued based off lucky bounces, but as long as all the players, coaches and staff truly do what is asked of them on and off the field, this year's team will grow higher.