Aug. 24, 2007

Aug. 24, 2007

Washington, D.C. - Two-a-day practices ended for the Georgetown football team this week and the Hoyas began preparations for the season opener on September 1 at Stony Brook. Senior defensive lineman Nnamdi Obiako (Bladensburg, Md./Bladensburg) took a few minutes out of his schedule this week to sit down with Hoya Headliners...

HH: How excited are you for the season?
NO: I am very excited for this season to begin. It is our last year as seniors and, of course, we want to go out on top. Also, it's been a long off-season of conditioning and lifting and I personally want to get to the football aspect of it all.

HH: What was the grind of two-a-day practices like?
NO: Two-a-days can be brutal sometimes, especially if it's hot and humid as the D.C. summers usually are. At the same time, we do have a job to do and we not only have to push ourselves to get better, but we must also push the man next to us to get better. It's really a mental thing when you are out there sweating it out twice a day on the field. Sometimes we find little ways to make it fun for ourselves so morale can stay up.

HH: Has there been a different feeling for you in camp this season, coming into your senior year?
NO: I wouldn't say it has been a different feeling for me in camp this year. Yes, I am a senior, but at this point, I'm just thinking about the season for now and having fun. When it's time to hang it up, then I will address it. I guess it hasn't really hit me yet.

HH: Obviously as a captain, you're a leader on the team. How have you passed on your experience to the younger guys on the team?
NO: One thing I told the younger players is just to have fun because it is a game, but at the same time, to buy into the system as a whole. Don't question the call or the play, just do your assignment and make plays. I also told them to be on time to everything. You do not want to be in the doghouse with the Headman.

HH: Why did you choose Georgetown coming out of high school?
NO: I chose Georgetown first, obviously, for the academic prestige and also because of the chance to play early as a freshman and lastly because it is very close to home.

HH: How was the transition from high school to college for you your freshman year?
NO: The transition from high school football to college football for me was not very smooth. I was a running back and linebacker in high school and when I came here, I became a defensive lineman so the position switch took awhile to adjust to. I also had to learn how to play assignment football where I just do my job and not play outside of the scheme of the defense. In high school, guys can play outside of the scheme and get away with it because usually they are faster or stronger than others on the field, but in college I had to learn that you can't get away with that because everyone else on the field is just as fast or faster and just as strong or stronger than you.

HH: So what does your final collegiate year have in store for you?
NO: Hopefully a lot of wins and happy faces.

HH: Who do you look to for advice when you need it?
NO: When I need advice I look to God, my mother, my housemates (Steve Smith and Emir Davis), my coaches, and my closest friends.

HH: Do you have any superstitions before games?
NO: I'm not superstitious at all. I just play my hardest and let the chips fall where they may.

HH: What song gets you pumped up before games?
NO: I don't have a particular song but before the game I listen to almost anything by Lil Wanye and I also have some GoGo going on the iPod.

HH: If you could be on any reality show, which one would you choose? Why?
NO: LOL, I am not a huge fan of reality shows, but maybe I can get my own show like that show, Flavor of Love, on VH1. Does that count?

HH: Who is your favorite player of all-time in your particular sport?
NO: My favorite player is Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens. I try to model my game after him. He has a lot of passion and respect for the game. He is the leader and the heart of his defense, which is what I aspired to be since I got here. Also through his play on the field he commands respect from the opposing team. He also has a swagger that's just plain scary.

HH: What would you do if you won a million dollars?
NO: If I won a million dollars, I would give some to my parents so they can retire; the other portion would go to relatives back home in Nigeria, my sisters and brother, and I would buy a house and a new car and invest the rest.

HH: What do you like to do in the off-season?
NO: In the off-season, when I am not in class or working out for football, I watch a lot of TV and a lot of movies. I like to read, mostly at night in bed, and just hang out with friends.

HH: What is your favorite quote from your Coach?
NO: "Hair on fire mentality." It means play with a motor and never stop running.

HH: What is the best/worst thing about living in D.C.?
NO: The best part about living in D.C. is a tie between being close to home and close to my childhood friends and the different types of people that are in D.C. The worst thing about living in D.C. will have to be the weather. I cannot stand the heat and D.C. has a lot of it and humidity.

HH: What is your "breakfast of champions?"
NO: I don't think I have a breakfast of champions. I don't like playing on a full stomach, so I never used to eat breakfast before a game until I came to Georgetown. Now, we get fed pretty well before a game.

HH: If you could get front row tickets to any concert, now or in the past, which would it be?
NO: I am not a concert type of guy. I've actually never been to one. I'd rather have tickets to a football game or a very good movie on an IMAX screen.

HH: What is your favorite holiday?
NO: I would have to say Christmas because I get to be home with the family for awhile. Plus everyone is a lot happier at Christmas it seems.

HH: When did you first start playing sports?
NO: I have always played sports since I could remember, but it was soccer for me in Nigeria. I actually didn't know anything about football until my freshman year of high school when I was forced to try out for the team by a good friend of mine. I guess it stuck.

HH: When did you know that you wanted to play football competitively in college?
NO: I knew I wanted to play football in college by my junior year in high school. By then, I was obsessed with it.

HH: Who is your biggest rival?
NO: My biggest rival would have to be my older sister. She set the bar high since elementary school and I'm still trying to catch up.

HH: What was the best moment in your career so far?
NO: I wouldn't say I've had a best moment in my career yet. I'm still working toward that and hopefully it will come this year.

HH: What is a typical practice like?
NO: A typical practice is about 25 periods in five minute blocks. We do special teams, individual drills by positions, then we do a team session with the offense going against the defense. Then we go back to individual sessions where the defensive linemen go 1-on-1 versus the offensive linemen; then we go back to a team session and we usually end with conditioning.

HH: Who on the team do you rely on the most?
NO: I rely on my fellow seniors the most. We all came in together and we are the few left from our recruiting class that didn't quit or transfer, so you can say we've grown up together almost.

HH: If you could change one thing about football what would it be?
NO: It would definitely be the injuries. Of course all sports have injuries, but I feel like football has more frequent and devastating injuries.

HH: What do you have in your personal equipment bag?
NO: I don't have a personal equipment bag but in my locker, I do have extra shorts and shirts and socks, deodorant and lotion, and a pair of shoes. I used to keep a Glade Plug-In refill in my locker last year to keep it fresh until it tore open somehow and spilled. My football shorts smelled liked Glade Plug-In for weeks.

HH: Do you have any regrets about playing football?
NO: I have no regrets. It's the life I chose.

HH: If you could be great at any other sport or event besides football, what would it be?
NO: If I could be great at any other sport it would be basketball or soccer.

HH: Anything you want to do before you graduate?
NO: Before I graduate, I probably want to meet more people.

HH: Your most embarrassing moment?
NO: I don't think I have an embarrassing moment. I try not to be embarrassed in public. However, my most embarrassing story was when I almost drowned in the wave pool at Six Flags. I played it off nicely after someone saved me.

HH: Who in your life inspires you the most?
NO: My family and close friends inspire me the most.

HH: What do you consider to be your biggest fear?
NO: My biggest fear would have to be being a failure.

HH: What is your favorite thing to do on the weekends?
NO: My favorite things to do on the weekends are to relax with friends and watch movies with good company.

HH: What one word people use to describe you?
NO: Nice, when they get to know me; mean, if they have never talked to me.

HH: Favorite Georgetown restaurant?
NO: I don't go out to eat much in Georgetown but if I do, it's usually in Maryland. I have only been to PapaRazzi so I would have to say PapaRazzi because I had fun.

HH: What is your dream job?
NO: My dream job would be playing middle linebacker in the NFL.

HH: What is your favorite TV show?
NO: I don't have a favorite TV show but I can give you five shows I love. Let's see...Martin, Friends, Law and Order: SVU SportsCenter, The Wire.

HH: Favorite movie?
NO: Again this is a tough choice so I will just name a few: Gladiator, Remember the Titans, Friday Night Lights, 300, Borat, Troy, Lord of the Rings.

HH: If you could be anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
NO: If I could be anywhere in the world, I would be in Brazil or Puerto Rico. I like exotic places.

HH: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
NO: I see myself either coaching a college football team, or working in the front office of an athletic program or maybe in the FBI or Secret Service.

HH: Booey's or Wisey's?
NO: Wisey's.