July 20, 2007
GoRedbirds.com: How have things been going with off-season workouts?
Parrish Fisher: It's good. I got here midway through the summer, so I'm just now starting to get used to the program and I think I fit in well.
GR: Who has become some your best friends on the team?
PF: Really, the guys I met on my visit are the main ones I talk to. Jesse Caesar, Rafael Rice and Cortes Rice and then I have my roommate, who also came from K-State, Ro Grigsby and my other roommate, Bryant Creamer.
GR: You injured your knee at Kansas State. How were you injured and how is the knee?
PF: It was nothing crazy or out of the ordinary, I just made a normal cut that I probably made a million times in my life and it just gave out. It is fine now and it is feeling just like it did before.
GR: Which is more of an accurate depiction of Texas high school football ... Friday Night Lights or Varsity Blues?
PF: I don't know. I haven't seen them in a long time, but I would say Varsity Blues.
GR: How would you evaluate yourself as a running back?
PF: I would say my style is pretty much well-rounded. I can't run over everybody and I'm not going to be the dude running past everybody either. I think I combine speed with some power, but I think the main thing is my vision and footwork.
GR: When you play Madden, which team do you prefer to be and why?
PF: I don't really have a favorite team in the NFL. Usually when I play seasons, I create my own franchise. If I play other people, I just pick random teams.
GR: Which do you prefer, pounding out a 2-yard gain on a fourth-and-short, or busting off a long run?
PF: Everybody wants to bust off a long run!
GR: What was your best Halloween costume growing up?
PF: I didn't really do too much Halloween.
GR: What advice do you have for younger football players who would like to be a college player?
PF: It is really up to them. You are going to get out of it what you put in. People are going to tell you that you can't do things, but never let anyone tell you that you can't. If you believe that you can, you can do whatever you want.
GR: What do you think are the key attributes of a great running back?
PF: I think the most important thing to a running back is vision. Secondly, I think it has to be feet. I don't think you can be a good running back without having good feet.
GR: Is there anything you can do to work on your vision? What things can you do to practice your vision?
PF: I think vision is something that comes natural and I think that it is one of the best parts of my game. I depend on it a lot.
GR: Defenders are being taught in every program to go after the ball and strip it. What do you do in order to keep from fumbling and what kind of drills do you use?
PF: Really the main thing that I have always been told, especially when you are going through traffic, is to cover the ball. Even when you are in the open field, just hold it close. You can practice that, but after a while it just becomes natural.
GR: What facet of the position do you need to work on the most?
PF: The weakest part of my game is probably my pass blocking.
GR: What was it about Illinois State that attracted you to campus?
PF: Most of the time when you transfer down there is a big difference. But, really when I came here the difference between where I was at and here was really slim. It felt like a good fit and I don't feel like I have gone down a division. Everything is similar.
GR: What have been the biggest differences between Kansas State and Illinois State?
PF: Right now, it's too early to tell.
GR: In high school, you and Adrian Peterson were all-state running backs in the state of Texas. With the turn in your collegiate career, has it been a humbling experience or has it made you hungrier even more?
PF: I still feel to this day that had I been given an opportunity that I could be an elite back too, so I don't think that it has humbled me. It has probably made me more hungry, but in a way it has put things in a little bit of a perspective. Everything is not going to go the way you want it to go and you need to keep fighting through it.
GR: How big of a learning curve do you have coming into the Illinois State system?
PF: I think that as far as learning a playbook, I'm not really worried about that. I just need to transfer the system that I had in my mind and throw that away and get used to this one.
GR: There is quite a bit of talent in the Redbird backfield this season. Where do you fit in and how tight is that group?
PF: I haven't really seen anybody play, but from what I have seen so far all the running backs have been welcoming.
GR: Which NFL running back did you admire or emulate while growing up?
PF: If you are talking all-time, growing up my favorite back was Barry Sanders. Now, today, I would have to say LT (LaDainian Tomlinson).
GR: What's your favorite way to relax away from football?
PF: I like to go home, lay down on the bed, get the computer and internet going, play some video games and just relax like that all day. That's me on my free time.
