Volume 6, No. 9

Q&A WITH CHRISTIAN RODRIGUEZ By Homer Jacobs

Editor’s Note: Senior linebacker Christian Rodriguez sat down with 12th Man Magazine editor Homer Jacobs to discuss his role on the team and his time as a student-athlete on the Texas A&M campus.

Q: How much of a thrill was it to finally start a game at Kyle Field, and then intercept a pass to ice the game against McNeese State?

Rodriguez: It was exciting, especially since it was here in Kyle Field. It was one of those things where it was kind of a close game and we were up by 7… but then after I intercepted that ball and ran it in, that pretty much iced it. I can’t put it into words. It really was a great feeling.

Q: This is your fifth year now with the program. Did it seem like it took forever to get to this point?

Rodriguez: It did. It was one of those things where I came to college with two goals in mind – to graduate and be a good football player. Graduation came first, and hopefully, the second part of the deal will come this year. It has been a long time coming, and I appreciate that it’s happening.

"I know my mind is going to carry me a lot farther than my body will. My body is going to give out sooner or later, buy my mind hopefully will be there all along. I definitely cherish my degree, and I know it's going to take me a lot of places." –Christian Rodriquez

Q: What’s the biggest difference between being a starter and a back-up?

Rodriguez: I think when you’re a starter, I don’t know necessarily if you go in more prepared, but you’re ready to go. When you’re a back-up, you’re kind of looking at things and asking guys, ‘How is this tackle playing or is the tight end blocking hard.’ When you’re a starter, you have to find it out on your own. There are no question-and-answer sessions.

Q: You just graduated, so does it bother you that so many players, when they get to college, think about playing in the NFL first, rather than securing that degree first?

Rodriguez: It does bother me. My degree was my most important thing to me. When I was in high school, my high school coach drew a timeline for me. At the time, I was 18 years old. He said here’s the timeline. Here’s the first 18 years of life, and the next four are in college. (Those four years) are what are going to predicate what’s going to happen the rest of your life. He said if you get lucky and play in the NFL, you might get to play five or six years, and then this is what you have left. What you do with the rest of time is what happened in those four years with your education. That’s what I’ve kept in my mind.

I know my mind is going to carry me a lot farther than my body will. My body is going to give out sooner or later, but my mind hopefully will be there all along. I definitely cherish my degree, and I know it’s going to take me a lot of places.

Q: Don’t you just want to talk to some of these younger athletes and say, ‘Hey, you really need to get a degree from this place.’

Rodriguez: It’s funny you should ask that question because my roommate this week was (true freshman linebacker) Randall Webb, and he’s from my high school. He was in eighth grade when I was a senior. I want to take him under my wing and teach him all the things that no one taught me. I was like, ‘Randall, look me in the eye and make me a promise that you’re going to get your degree.’ He said, ‘Yeah, I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it.’ I said, ‘Don’t play around with me. I know you’re just saying that to make me happy. But seriously, this is the most important thing. You’re one play away from ever playing again. Your degree is the most important thing, especially at this school. It will open so many doors for you.’

I want to make sure I tell all the young guys to get their degrees, and hopefully, I’ll set that example by being who I am and doing what I’ve done here.

Q: In looking back at the season opener, how much of that game was an aberration and how much of it was a sign of things to come?

Rodriguez: What jumped out at us when we watched the film was how prepared they were. Not that we weren’t prepared, but they came out fired up and ready to play. It was just one of those things where they came out excited and had some early breaks. And early breaks can make or break a team. Once we got our bearings down and felt the game out, we proved we can be a team that can come back from deficits and win games.

Q: So you still feel good about what you saw in the McNeese State game?

Rodriguez: We can sit here and look at the negatives all day long. But we looked at the positives and said this is what we did right. If cut out those mistakes we made and do all the things we did right, you can see how good of a team we can be. That’s how we looked at things.

Q: Your position coach is defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz. What is something about him that maybe the fans don’t realize?

Rodriguez: If there’s one word to explain Coach Hank it’s meticulous. He’s one of those guys who will look at every angle. He’s going to know exactly how many attempts the quarterback had the game before. He’s going to know what his percentage was. Hell, he might even know what high school that quarterback went to. He’s going to have every angle covered, and it’s good to have a coach like that.

We’ll be practicing, and he’ll make the offense come out in some weird formation where the quarterback we’ll be on one hash and the rest of the team on the other hash. He’s one of those guys who is going to make sure we’re as prepared as we can be, and I like that in him.

Q: What’s your response to the notion that this may be the year of the Sooners or Longhorns, and the Aggies may land in the middle of the South Division?

Rodriguez: Anybody can say what they want in June or July. What really matters is what happens in September and October or November and December. They are just predictions, and there’s no truth in them so far. Last year, what did they predict Oklahoma to come in, 20th in the nation? And they were the No. 1 team, so obviously, that was wrong.

What we do on the field is what is going to predicate what happens this year.

Q: What would be a perfect season for Christian Rodriguez?

Rodriguez: The perfect season would be… A) stay healthy, and B) just start every game and hopefully do something two or three times a game that will help us win. Whether it’s making a tackle for loss, a third-down sack, an interception or a sack, I want to be a integral part of the Wrecking Crew and make sure I do what I can to help us win.

Q: How much does C-Rod talk to A-Rod, your cousin Alex Rodriguez?

Rodriguez: Not very much at all. He’s a distant cousin, so it’s not a big thing.

Q: How much fun are you having being out there playing, being one of the guys, doing interviews and even having ESPN’s Sidelines following you?

Rodriguez: It’s great. I’ve been here four years, and it’s been a long four years. But it’s a culmination, and patience will pay off. Everything is going right now, and hopefully, it will keep going this way and it all pays off in the end. That’s what I kept telling myself through the hard times. I would say to myself,‘ I know this is bad right now, but I’m not going to quit. I’m not a quitter. I never have been, and I never will be. So I knew if I stuck with it, good things would happen. Right now, they are.

Q: And you don’t have to hear about the sack against Florida State’s Chris Weinke being your only big play anymore?

Rodriguez: That’s history now. I don’t have to hear about that anymore. All my roommates always ridicule me about that. It’s funny because Matt Schoebel, who transferred and plays for TCU now, had the big play (touchdown catch) against Nebraska, and he said, ‘OK, we’re tied 1-1 in big plays now.’ Then he calls me (after the McNeese State game) and said, ‘You’ve got me 2-1 now.’ Hopefully, I can add on to that margin and people will forget about (the FSU sack).

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