Zak DeOssie Combine Transcript
Paul Domowitch
Philadelphia Daily News
LB ZAK DEOSSIE – Will graduate from Brown University in May with a degree in Public and Private Sectors of Organization. Combine height and weight: 6-4 ½, 250. Represented by Brad Blank. Has been training in Boston since last November with Mike Boyle. His best friend is Amanda Belichick, daughter of you know who. They went to high school together. His father Steve, a former NFL linebacker, played for Belichick when he was the Giants’ defensive coordinator. Zak was a Patriots ballboy his junior and senior years in high school.
(possibility of getting drafted by Patriots) It would be a dream come true. That would be nice. I know the people there. They’re great people, a great organization. That would be a true honor. But I think I’ll fit in wherever I go.
(knows how to long-snap. Did it his senior year and off and on as a sophomore and junior) Long-snapping is a huge asset. It’s the quickest way to get on the field. I’ve been doing it all my life. Fortunately, I ended up in the long-snap session here. I’m going to long-snap all weekend. Whoever needs to see me, I’m gonna do it.
(will graduate from Brown with a 3.2 GPA)
(why’d you go to an Ivy League school?) I wanted the Ivy League from the start. I went to Phillips Academy Andover where Belichick did a post-graduate year. Went there for four years. They pop out 120 Ivy kids each year. I love Brown. Great atmosphere. The coaches are great. Great people there.
(concerned that going to Ivy school would hurt his pro chances?) going into college, you can’t expect to be here. my education and my degree were the most important things to me. You can’t predict being here in four years. If you’re good enough, you can make it just like that tight end from Whitworth (Oregon). They’ll find you. I don’t think it’s been an imposition on my NFL aspirations whatsoever.
(what kind of 40 time is he hoping for?) I’ll be disappointed if I don’t run in the 4.5s.
(impact of his dad on taking up long-snapping) he wasn’t out back. Wasn’t a little league coach forcing me to snap. He just let me know how important it was to longsnap. My sophomore year in high school, my coach asked for a long-snapper. I just put the ball between my legs and threw it back to the punter. I understand the importance of it. It’s a great asset to have.
(was an inside ‘backer in a 4-4 scheme at Brown. Projected as an outside ‘backer in a 4-3 or 3-4 in pros) I played inside my four years at Brown. Played QB in high school. We ran a lot of 5-2 with a man up on the tight end. Very similar to a SAM position in a 4-3. I feel I can get linemen off me very well and hold my own against the tight end. So I think I’ll fit in very nicely at outside linebacker.
(being Patriots ball boy) I was Tom Brady’s ball boy. I was actually an extra arm around the whole camp. Those guys were great to me. They showed me a great time. Willie McGinest played with my father before he retired. That was a great experience.
(could end up playing with McGinest, who is with Cleveland now) That’s mind-boggling. But it would be great.
(belichick) he coached my father and I’m best friends with his daughter (Amanda). I like to think of him as a family friend and keep the football thing separate. He used to teach me how to throw the ball in high school (when DeOssie was a QB). He filmed my throwing sessions and took time out of training camp to tell me what I was doing wrong. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. I’m playing linebacker now. But that’s the type of person he is and I respect him for it.
(Belichick threw DeOssie in at QB in a 7-on-7 passing drill when he was the Patriots’ ballboy) Mr. (Rohan) Davey (the No. 3 quarterback) had to go home to Mississippi for a funeral. I think he was joking. I went in there for seven reps. Threw a couple of seeds. No completions. The defense was licking its chops. It certainly was funny and amusing.
(why he switched from QB to LB at Brown) I didn’t have an option. I showed up at Brown. They recruited me as an athlete. I went in there as a free safety. That lasted about an hour. They switched me to inside linebacker.
(has been training with Mike Boyle in Wincester, Mass., near Boston. Brown is in Providence, 60 miles away. Taking 4 courses this semester, though two are independent study courses and the other two are cake classes. He’s already completed all of his courses toward his major) I’ve been commuting every day from Providence to Boston.
(he’s first Brown player to get invited to combine and is only Ivy player at combine) It’s a true honor. Ivy League football is the epitome of college football. Non-scholarship student-athletes. Academics come first. I really take pride in the fact that I’m the first player from Brown to get invited here. I hope I can represent the school to the best of my ability.
(coming from a school known more for its brains than brawn) I like to think I just fooled a lot of people. (Coming from an Ivy school) can’t hurt you. I feel I can grasp all the concepts fairly easily and do a good job and I’m confident in my abilities.
I’m a competitor. The (fact that I played in the) Ivy League doesn’t matter. I’m here to play. I’m here to win. I love the game. I respect it. I have a passion for it.
(doesn’t care who drafts him) hey, I’ll play for an expansion team in Hawaii. I don’t care. Whatever they want me to do I’ll do it. I’m just happy to have been playing football for as long as I have been and want to keep playing.
(playing in a Tampa-2 system) We played a Tampa-2 in our third-and-long defense at Brown. I was the backside breaker and sometime the half-field breaker in short-yardage situations. I have a lot of experience with that.
(his father Steve) I don’t know how to describe him. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I value his opinion over anyone’s. He’s been inspiration and was my idol growing up. And I respect him.
(father’s advice to him about the combine) he said you gotta sell yourself. You gotta market yourself well and comport yourself around these scouts and coaches. They want to see confidence. They want to see capabilities.
(playing in East-West shrine game) I knew I could play at this level. It was just a matter of convincing everyone else of that. I had a great time playing in the E-W game and felt that I belonged there. It was a great opportunity. When you’re a small-school type, you go in there with a stereotype. I went in as an underdog and just wanted to do well.
(how would he fit as an OLB in a 3-4?) I’d fit very well. I’d fit well in any defense, but a 3-4, I’d be fine at OLB. Could put my hand down now and then.
(what was it like having Bill Belichick watching your high school games?) It was great. I knew he was there. He was just there with his sons watching the game like every father on Saturday.
(being Pats ballboy) It was incredible. I got to go to the Super Bowl in New Orleans. Was sitting on the sideline the entire game. The whole experience was overwhelming. Wouldn’t trade it in for the world.
(decision to stay in school this semester and commute to Boston for training with Boyle rather than go someplace else) It was certainly challenging. But I didn’t see it as a disadvantage whatsoever. I approached it with 100 percent. My degree is the most important thing to me. I’m going to graduate from Brown. That was my No. 1 priority. Training with Mike Boyle, it was only an hour drive. I could still train, go to class and hang out with my friends and still get top-level training.
(one of courses he’s taking this semester: Ancient Samarian Writing) It’s a gut course at Brown.
(also taking a couple of Independent Study courses, one with a business management professor and an another in Russian Literature, where he just has to read one book this semester)
(playing special teams) I think I’ll be an immediate impact player on the kickoff team and KOR. I understand the importance of special teams. It’s a completely different monster than offense and defense. It can swing games. Can make or break a game. I understand, coming out of the Ivy League, that I’m going to have to prove myself on special teams, and that’s what I plan on doing. It’s been a part of my career since I’ve been playing football. It’s the easiest way to get on the field and show them what you have.
Everything after college is going to be a bonus for me. Nothing’s going to keep me from working my ass off. I’m going to enjoy every minute of it. It’s an honor to keep playing.
