Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with former Duke quarterback and NFL Draft prospect Anthony Boone. Boone just recently returned from participating in the NFL Combine in Indianapolis and is getting prepared to for Duke’s upcoming Pro Day.
Boone discussed his combine experience with me and what he is looking forward to proving to NFL coaches, scouts and general managers.
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BSO: Well first things first, you are fresh off the combine. How do you do you feel about it? Do you feel it went good for you?
AB: Yeah I felt like I interviewed well, felt like I threw the ball extremely well. Obviously there are some numbers I wish could be better, but hey it is part of the process. I am back to the drawing board working on some things for my Pro Day. Not going to release those details because I want to keep them under wraps, but when Pro Day comes I will be better at it.
BSO: Secrets don’t make friends, but I will let you have it (chuckle). As far as your pre-combine workouts, what were some of the things you were focusing on the most?
AB: Really my under the center footwork. That’s just a huge transition they want see with college football mostly operating out of the gun, running the spread and zone read. In the NFL they are still more traditional, so I want to be able to show them I can handle the three step, the five step, the seven step, the rhythms and that I can handle the footwork and timing that an NFL quarterback needs. I feel like I already have what it takes up top as far as the knowledge. The big question mark for me personally I felt like was that if I was able to make all the throws and that I understand the footwork with timing.
BSO: Coach Cutcliffe has a long, illustrious history of putting quarterbacks in the NFL and getting them prepared. How do you think learning from him has got you prepared for the next level?
AB: He prepares you for everything. First off he isn’t going to recruit you if you can’t throw the football, so if you can’t throw it you won’t be a guy he puts much time into. He wants guys you don’t have to work too much on mechanics with; he’s going to work on your footwork and your mental game. That’s Coach Cut’s big thing, he’s not going to put someone on the field that isn’t mentally prepared for a collegiate offense. Our offense kinda translates to a lot of NFL systems, so it helps to understand protections, to understand defenses, to understand run games, understanding timing in routes and route depths. All of that he has done for years and that puts us ahead of the curve.
BSO: I can only imagine sitting in the film room with someone who has tutored the Mannings and gotten them prepared and we know what type of quarterbacks they are from the neck up; You’re learning from the best in the business.
Jumping back to the combine, is there a funny or interesting story you can share as far as the interview process? We have all heard some of the wild things they will ask you in an attempt to get you out of your comfort zone.
AB: They will start rattling off questions and get you going, then out of nowhere hit you with something like, “ Well I heard you mom is stripper”. They try to get under your skin to see what kind of person you are and to see if you are the kind of guy who will swing on a coach if they talk about your mom. You have to prepare yourself to be cool headed because they will try to attack you where it hurts. You just have to eat the punches and answer the questions as they come and not show any signs of weaknesses.
BSO: Yeah, like we were just saying they want to see how you are from neck up and questions like that are to see if you get rattled easy and to see how you handle things. Some of it seems odds to some people, but there is a method to the madness.
My next question is about one of your teammates. Jamison Crowder, how did he make your life easier as a quarterback in college?
AB: He’s a guy you can throw it to in space or throw it to in a crowd and he is going to come down with it or make sure the other guy doesn’t catch. He is smart, savvy, and he knows how to get open. He makes my job easier when he returns punts, because there is times when we are getting prepared for the next drive and he takes one to the house. I would say, “okay well I am going to take my helmet off and go sit back down, thank you”.
BSO: I just remember looking at his numbers and thinking they were straight out of a video game. I knew after watching him on multiple occasions that he was going to be able to translate to the NFL.
You know being the trigger man under center that it is all about leadership as far as being in the huddle. What type of leader would you describe yourself as?
AB: I feel like I am person that lives by the saying “leaders eat last”. You’re always feeding your teammates and making sure your teammates eat before you because in return your teammates are going to do the same for you and make sure you are eating as well. That goes for on the field and off field, metaphorically and actually. It has so much weight that you can’t just put it for one specific.
BSO: As a former offensive lineman myself, we always make sure we took care of our quarterback and he always took care of us. If he had a big game he made sure to take us out to dinner to show his appreciation. That’s how it has been and how it should be.
One last question for you man. Your pro day is coming up, one is a message you have for prospective coaches and general managers looking to draft you?
AB: I am a good leader and a good team player. I am willing to put in the necessary work not matter the occasion. I understand what it takes to take a team from the bottom, to a team on the rise, to the top; I understand all aspects of it.
BSO: Anthony, thank you for taking time out of your day to talk to me, good luck with your Pro Day and on Draft Day
AB: I appreciate it, thank you.
