Senior SirDarean Adams has a goal. And it's not a pretty one.

"Just come out and just flat-out kill somebody," he said Tuesday after MSU's first spring practice.

Don't be alarmed — it's not what you think. It's a harmless, context-free excerpt from a conversation with Adams, who moonlights as a linebacker for the MSU football team when he's not busy being the most quotable player for the Green and White.

Adams was listing the goals he has established for the current week, and his "kill somebody" line refers to the football field. It's just a small part of first-year head coach Mark Dantonio's attempt to change a losing culture.

Each week, Adams writes down his goals on a "goal card." He puts the card in his wallet, and not a day goes by when he doesn't at least give it a quick glance.

Adams' other goals for the week, in no particular order:

1) Learn the new defense

2) Fly to the ball

3) Get a 4.0 on his sociology paper

4) Be a better leader

And, of course, to just flat-out kill somebody.

The idea of a "goal card" may sound like cheesy advice from a sale-priced book in the self-help section of Barnes & Noble, but it's working.

"I never did that before," Adams said. "These coaches are really, really hard about, 'Write goals down.' If you write a goal down — what you're gonna do in life or in the classroom on the football field — if you write it down every day, I think it's like a 100 percent chance that it's gonna come true.

"You're dedicated to it, you're gonna work your butt off, and you're going to make your goals come true."

Dantonio said he doesn't care what the players' goals are, whether it's picking up the foxiest girl in a psych lecture or bench-pressing 300 pounds. It's the act of setting goals that's important, but he would like some of the goals to involve a pigskin.

"It's not just football goals," Dantonio said. "It's goals in their life."

Switcheroo

Dantonio's offense calls for a fullback. That's a problem. The Spartans don't have one.

But they do have someone who can be molded into the team's primary blocking back. Junior Dwayne Holmes, who played tight end during MSU's 2006 campaign, is the man for the job.

He has slimmed down — relatively speaking — to 275 pounds, and he said he's quickly getting a feel for his new home that resides between the quarterback and tailback (at least in "I" formation).

"It wasn't that difficult," Holmes said of the switch. "You just start from scratch, and you've got to take it from there, day by day.

"To me, I have great hands and obviously I can run well, so I'm just hoping that I can help the team."

Holmes said he's glad to be a first-string player after being a substitute for a few seasons.

"I feel comfortable now that I'm considered a starter," Holmes said.

"Playing behind people, when I'm up in class (standing), can be kind of frustrating. But now that I'm considered a starter, I feel like I have a role on this team."