InsaneBoost
03-22-2013, 03:34 PM
Ray Smith: Bruce, the Redskins have some pretty solid linebackers, guys like London Fletcher. He will be on his way out soon. If they’re looking at you, they could possibly be looking at you replacing him long-term. Tell us and tell Redskins fans a little bit about yourself and what it would be like to play for this type of linebacker corps.
Bruce Taylor: It would be an honor. I grew up watching [the Redskins], a lot of NFC East games. I grew up a Falcons [fan]; I’m originally from Georgia. When I was eleven years old, I moved to Myrtle Beach, S C. That’s where I played my football in high school, and then I played for Virginia Tech. So just being near to the DC area, I love DC. I love the few people [I know] that live up there. I lot of kids I went to school with live up there so I’m familiar with the area, been around for a little while, so I really like it.
RS: We’ve actually got a couple of VT guys that are on the roster right now. I don’t believe you played with Josh Morgan, but do you know who he is?
BT: Yes I know Josh. I’ve met him before but I never got a chance to play with him, he was a little before me.
RS: Yeah, he’s a pretty good guy, pretty active around the community and stuff like that. We’re actually going to be doing an event with him in a couple of weeks…so give Redskins fans a little idea of who Bruce Taylor is.
BT: I’m just a guy that kinda just likes to hang out. I’m back at school right now since we just had the Pro Day. I’m visiting a bunch of people that I haven’t seen for a couple of months. I’m just hanging out with my buddies playing NHL, playing Madden, all that stuff. I like to play video games and stuff like that. I like to go out to restaurants and stuff and eat different foods. Especially now that we’re in the process [of training], you’ve got to eat healthy, try to eat good things. I keep to myself mostly. Just doing a lot of football, working on that stuff. I’m kind of glad that this process is over so I can get back to football, you know what I mean? For the drill work and all that.
RS: Yeah, the pageantry of the NFL combine.
BT: Yeah, I just want to get back to football.
RS: And put the underwear Olympics behind you?
BT: Yeah.
RS: Well talk a little bit about what it’s been like these last couple of months, preparing for pro days and combines. What’s it been like for you?
BT: It’s been interesting. I’ve enjoyed it, but at the same time it’s been kind of stressful. Sometimes, wherever you might train, doing different workouts, doing new things that you might not be accustomed to, or some people aren’t. Obviously a lot of things that I learned in my training were brand new things, so that was fun, doing new things instead of the same old workouts that you’ve grown accustomed to. You fire different muscles that you really didn’t think you had, or at least using them. I enjoyed it for the most part but I was definitely getting kind of anxious. At the combine, I would have performed better if I was comfortable. I wasn’t very comfortable. But it is what it is. I feel like I did a lot better at my pro day.
RS: Did you talk to a bunch of teams while you were at Indianapolis?
BT: Yeah I did. I talked to a bunch of teams. I wrote all the teams down. I did talk with someone from the Redskins. So yeah, I would love to be up there in DC. I know a lot of people up there.
RS: It’s got to feel–I mean, you’ve been at VA Tech, you were a 5 year player–it’s got to feel kind of homey. I know it’s still a couple of hours away, but it still has that same feeling of the same region from where you’ve been in college, am I right?
BT: Yeah, the cold winters. I’ve been out there on some real cold nights. So yeah. But it’s right up the road, it’s a real nice city. I like to go sightseeing, see all the monuments and stuff. It’s a real cool city.
RS: You guys played in FedEx Field a couple of years ago. That was the loudest maybe that FedEx has ever been. Redskins fans like to say that FedEx isn’t like RFK. RFK – the place shook. But during the FedEx game you played, the TV cameras were vibrating and shaking because the crowd had gotten so loud. Talk a little bit about FedEx and your experience there.
BT: Well that was my first collegiate start, in FedEx Field against Boise State. So I will always remember FedEx and have a connection with that place, whether I become a Redskin or not, that being my first game and being on the biggest stage on Monday night. I think I had a pretty good game. I think I could have played a lot better but that was my first one. Obviously you get more experience and grow with more games that you start, but that’s where it all started. So FedEx is definitely a great place in my mind.
RS: Yeah to have 80,000 plus–it used to be 90,000 but they took out a bunch of seats to build party decks up top. Which, from what they tell us, is supposed to make the stadium louder with the way they overhang.
Alan Anthony: Hopefully they will be able to fill them out now that the Redskins won the NFC East.
BT: Right, yeah, should be a good time.
RS: Tell us a little about your pro day yesterday. You said you weren’t very comfortable at the combine which is understandable. You’re kina getting poked and prodded and measured and weighed. Talk about your pro day at your friendlier confines where you’re able to just go out there and do what you do.
BT: Right [it’s more comfortable] being at where you’ve grown accustomed to, you know what’s going on. And just the fact that I had already did the combine. It kind of relaxed me because I already knew what to expect. Like me and a few of the other guys that went to the combine, we know what to do and where to go. With that experience, it helped out a lot. And being around guys that I played with for the last fie years, I felt more comfortable around them. As opposed to being at the combine, where you don’t really know a lot of those guys. I feel like that [atmosphere] brings a little more out of us. You feel like you compete a little more against those guys. And that’s how I am. It was just a lot more enjoyable for me, the second time around.
RS: Alan, I know you had a question for Bruce, if you wanted to fire away.
AA: Yeah. Bruce, I was reading up on you and I saw that you had a Lisfranc injury. Can you talk about that? Because I heard that’s one of the most difficult things to recover from.
BT: I had the surgery in November of 2011 so I missed most of my junior year. Just did a lot of rehab, had a great surgeon in Dr. Segal, the doctor here at VA Tech, he did a really good job on it. I don’t really have any pain at all with it anymore. So the foot is good.
RS: Looking forward to the draft, tell us a little bit about what kind of schemes you played in at college and even high school in regards to what you think the Redskins would do [if they drafted you]. I know you’ve played a little outside but mainly inside. Are you more comfortable with that?
BT: Definitely more comfortable inside, that’s really where I’ve played my whole career. I think I can play whatever side they need me to be at, I can definitely do that. I’ve proven that I’m strong in between the tackles. I don’t miss many tackles, haven’t done a lot of that. I’ve just been a solid, consistent player my entire career. Just this past year, I switched to the SAM linebacker, which allowed me to go to the outside and blitz off the edge and go against the passer instead of just going against running backs. That’s given me the confidence that, wherever a team needs me to go, wherever they need me to play, I can do it. I’ve proven it, on film.
Can read the rest by clicking here: VA Tech ILB Bruce Thomas Interview Transcript - Son of Washington (http://sonofwashington.com/2013/03/22/va-tech-ilb-bruce-thomas-interview-transcript/)
Bruce Taylor: It would be an honor. I grew up watching [the Redskins], a lot of NFC East games. I grew up a Falcons [fan]; I’m originally from Georgia. When I was eleven years old, I moved to Myrtle Beach, S C. That’s where I played my football in high school, and then I played for Virginia Tech. So just being near to the DC area, I love DC. I love the few people [I know] that live up there. I lot of kids I went to school with live up there so I’m familiar with the area, been around for a little while, so I really like it.
RS: We’ve actually got a couple of VT guys that are on the roster right now. I don’t believe you played with Josh Morgan, but do you know who he is?
BT: Yes I know Josh. I’ve met him before but I never got a chance to play with him, he was a little before me.
RS: Yeah, he’s a pretty good guy, pretty active around the community and stuff like that. We’re actually going to be doing an event with him in a couple of weeks…so give Redskins fans a little idea of who Bruce Taylor is.
BT: I’m just a guy that kinda just likes to hang out. I’m back at school right now since we just had the Pro Day. I’m visiting a bunch of people that I haven’t seen for a couple of months. I’m just hanging out with my buddies playing NHL, playing Madden, all that stuff. I like to play video games and stuff like that. I like to go out to restaurants and stuff and eat different foods. Especially now that we’re in the process [of training], you’ve got to eat healthy, try to eat good things. I keep to myself mostly. Just doing a lot of football, working on that stuff. I’m kind of glad that this process is over so I can get back to football, you know what I mean? For the drill work and all that.
RS: Yeah, the pageantry of the NFL combine.
BT: Yeah, I just want to get back to football.
RS: And put the underwear Olympics behind you?
BT: Yeah.
RS: Well talk a little bit about what it’s been like these last couple of months, preparing for pro days and combines. What’s it been like for you?
BT: It’s been interesting. I’ve enjoyed it, but at the same time it’s been kind of stressful. Sometimes, wherever you might train, doing different workouts, doing new things that you might not be accustomed to, or some people aren’t. Obviously a lot of things that I learned in my training were brand new things, so that was fun, doing new things instead of the same old workouts that you’ve grown accustomed to. You fire different muscles that you really didn’t think you had, or at least using them. I enjoyed it for the most part but I was definitely getting kind of anxious. At the combine, I would have performed better if I was comfortable. I wasn’t very comfortable. But it is what it is. I feel like I did a lot better at my pro day.
RS: Did you talk to a bunch of teams while you were at Indianapolis?
BT: Yeah I did. I talked to a bunch of teams. I wrote all the teams down. I did talk with someone from the Redskins. So yeah, I would love to be up there in DC. I know a lot of people up there.
RS: It’s got to feel–I mean, you’ve been at VA Tech, you were a 5 year player–it’s got to feel kind of homey. I know it’s still a couple of hours away, but it still has that same feeling of the same region from where you’ve been in college, am I right?
BT: Yeah, the cold winters. I’ve been out there on some real cold nights. So yeah. But it’s right up the road, it’s a real nice city. I like to go sightseeing, see all the monuments and stuff. It’s a real cool city.
RS: You guys played in FedEx Field a couple of years ago. That was the loudest maybe that FedEx has ever been. Redskins fans like to say that FedEx isn’t like RFK. RFK – the place shook. But during the FedEx game you played, the TV cameras were vibrating and shaking because the crowd had gotten so loud. Talk a little bit about FedEx and your experience there.
BT: Well that was my first collegiate start, in FedEx Field against Boise State. So I will always remember FedEx and have a connection with that place, whether I become a Redskin or not, that being my first game and being on the biggest stage on Monday night. I think I had a pretty good game. I think I could have played a lot better but that was my first one. Obviously you get more experience and grow with more games that you start, but that’s where it all started. So FedEx is definitely a great place in my mind.
RS: Yeah to have 80,000 plus–it used to be 90,000 but they took out a bunch of seats to build party decks up top. Which, from what they tell us, is supposed to make the stadium louder with the way they overhang.
Alan Anthony: Hopefully they will be able to fill them out now that the Redskins won the NFC East.
BT: Right, yeah, should be a good time.
RS: Tell us a little about your pro day yesterday. You said you weren’t very comfortable at the combine which is understandable. You’re kina getting poked and prodded and measured and weighed. Talk about your pro day at your friendlier confines where you’re able to just go out there and do what you do.
BT: Right [it’s more comfortable] being at where you’ve grown accustomed to, you know what’s going on. And just the fact that I had already did the combine. It kind of relaxed me because I already knew what to expect. Like me and a few of the other guys that went to the combine, we know what to do and where to go. With that experience, it helped out a lot. And being around guys that I played with for the last fie years, I felt more comfortable around them. As opposed to being at the combine, where you don’t really know a lot of those guys. I feel like that [atmosphere] brings a little more out of us. You feel like you compete a little more against those guys. And that’s how I am. It was just a lot more enjoyable for me, the second time around.
RS: Alan, I know you had a question for Bruce, if you wanted to fire away.
AA: Yeah. Bruce, I was reading up on you and I saw that you had a Lisfranc injury. Can you talk about that? Because I heard that’s one of the most difficult things to recover from.
BT: I had the surgery in November of 2011 so I missed most of my junior year. Just did a lot of rehab, had a great surgeon in Dr. Segal, the doctor here at VA Tech, he did a really good job on it. I don’t really have any pain at all with it anymore. So the foot is good.
RS: Looking forward to the draft, tell us a little bit about what kind of schemes you played in at college and even high school in regards to what you think the Redskins would do [if they drafted you]. I know you’ve played a little outside but mainly inside. Are you more comfortable with that?
BT: Definitely more comfortable inside, that’s really where I’ve played my whole career. I think I can play whatever side they need me to be at, I can definitely do that. I’ve proven that I’m strong in between the tackles. I don’t miss many tackles, haven’t done a lot of that. I’ve just been a solid, consistent player my entire career. Just this past year, I switched to the SAM linebacker, which allowed me to go to the outside and blitz off the edge and go against the passer instead of just going against running backs. That’s given me the confidence that, wherever a team needs me to go, wherever they need me to play, I can do it. I’ve proven it, on film.
Can read the rest by clicking here: VA Tech ILB Bruce Thomas Interview Transcript - Son of Washington (http://sonofwashington.com/2013/03/22/va-tech-ilb-bruce-thomas-interview-transcript/)