SOUND OFF!!! 2010 PonyFans.com Roundtable Posted on 09/04/2010 by PonyFans.com . Everyone has a different way of viewing things, and football players are no different. So PonyFans.com visited with four members of the 2010 SMU football team: (left to right) cornerback Sterling Moore, punter/kicker Matt Szymanski, right tackle J.T. Brooks and wide receiver Aldrick Robinson to get their insights on a number of topics — some serious, some not so serious — about the upcoming season, their coaches, their teammates and themselves. Enjoy! June Jones said when he was hired that his first goal was to “change the culture” around this program. What has been the biggest change in the culture since his arrival? J.T. Brooks: It used to be that in tie games, people expected something to go wrong. It might not have been said, but a lot of people expected us to lose. Now, we expect to pull those games out because of the way we look at it. Coach Jones is conducting this program like a professional team. We used to pound on each other for two-and-a-half hours a day — now it’s run like a professional team. He understands that we have to save our bodies for Saturdays. Aldrick Robinson: Everyone’s mindset — the players, the community, around school. Before, people hoped we could win. Now, we expect to win. Sterling Moore: I’ve only been here a year, but when I came here I was told some people didn’t care. Now, I talk to students, and it sounds like they’re excited about the season. In the past, I heard a lot of people looked at games as a chance to socialize, but the more we won last year, the more people paid attention to the games. Matt Szymanski: The attitude around here is different. Everything is taught in a positive way. Nobody’s ramming anything down your throat — it’s a great atmosphere. Several players said they knew head coach June Jones would get a hero's welcome in Hawaii, but were surprised at how much the Hawaiian people embraced the entire SMU team (photo by Travis Johnston). Coach Jones has talked a lot about how different his experience at SMU has been from his difference at Hawaii. How has he changed since he got here? Moore: I don’t know, but honestly, I never really talked to him until this spring. He intimidated me. Brooks: I don’t think he has changed much at all. Szymanski: He seems more comfortable. Sometimes it’s hard to get everyone on the same boat, but he has everyone buying in to what he is teaching. Robinson: He’s more demanding. This is his third year year with us now, and I guess he figures we should know everything now. He used to be more lenient, but you can’t mess up and get away with it. What about your position coach? What has been the biggest change in him since you started playing for him? Moore: It’s not a change, but (secondary) Coach (Derrick) Odum is one of those guys you just don’t want to disappoint — he’s a guy you can look to for advice. You learn pretty quickly not to ask any dumb questions, either, or he’ll call you out. Szymanski: (Special teams) Coach (Dennis) McKnight is more passionate, if you can believe that. He was always passionate, but I think the difference is that the guys know more about what he expects, so he can be more passionate about little details. Robinson: (Wide receivers) Coach (Jeff) Reinebold is a little more demanding now, because he can get into more detail. Cole Beasley, Cole Loftin, Brad Haynes and me — we’ve been here for a few years, so when Coach got here, he was teaching us the system. Now he can ask more from us. Brooks: The biggest difference in (offensive line) Coach (Adrian) Klemm between last year and this year is that I think he’s finding his coaching style. I think he has mellowed out a little, but he’s still intense. A lot of position coaches have signature phrases they share with their players — what about your position coach? Brooks: Coach Klemm has a few: “Leave no doubt (every time we take the field)” … “Seven seconds of violence” … “Belly of the beast” — that’s for the interior of the offensive line, when there are bodies flying and people — on the defense — are screaming in pain. Robinson: Coach Reinebold always tells us to “finish!” Moore: Coach Odum is always saying, “Don’t be soft.” That’s not just on the field. It applies to a lot of things, like being late to class, or late to meetings. Two of the Roundtable panelists cited wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders as the toughest 2009 senior to replace (photo by Travis Johnston). Which 2009 senior will be hardest to replace? (and who will take his place?) Moore: Chris Parham — nose tackle is one of the key positions in the 3-4 defense, and it’s overlooked a lot of the time. Chris plugged up gaps, he took on double-teams and he moved people around, and he did those things really well. Robinson: Emmanuel (Sanders) — there’s so much that he gave to us, to the program, to SMU. He’ll be remembered here. It’s hard to replace a great player, a clutch performer. Szymanski: He wasn’t a senior, but I’ll say Shawnbrey (McNeal). It’s rare to have a guy that fast, that quick, who knows how to play like he does. He’s a naturally talented guy, and under Coach Jones’ offense, he really advanced as a player. Brooks: Emmanuel — he always came up with the huge plays when we needed them. Just about every player who has come through SMU in the last 20 years has said (basically) “I want to be a part of the class that gets SMU back to a bowl game.” What do you remember about your emotions when it was announced that you were in that group, that the Mustangs were headed to Hawaii? Szymanski: It felt great. I didn’t come here knowing the history, but it had been 25 years since SMU had been to a bowl game. I went to two at A&M (before transferring), and we lost — losing bowl games sucks. It felt great to get that bowl ring. Moore: It was exciting, knowing we had helped put SMU back on the national stage after being off it for so long. We didn’t want to disappoint our fans. We wanted to show everyone that this school can handle the limelight, that we deserved to be there. Brooks: After the UTEP game (which made SMU bowl-eligible), that feeling was like nothing I had ever felt in sports … but last year was also the first time I played on a winning team since my freshman year of high school. Just having my whole family on the field, and to have everyone celebrating with our leis on — I guess it kind of suck in then. When we got to Hawaii, our focus was on the game. Robinson: It was amazing to realize that the (bowl) drought was over, and we ended it. It felt like we accomplished something big — it felt like I accomplished something big. We overcame a lot and accomplished something special. I expected to go to a bowl game my first two years, and when we got there last year, I thought, “it’s about time.” What was the best part of the trip to Hawaii — other than winning the game? Robinson: Just being out on the streets, talking to people, seeing how the Hawaiian people live. The clubs are different, too. Moore: The eight-hour layover at the airport before our plane left Honolulu. We got to see the game all over again on a TV in an airport bar. That let us appreciate what we had just done. Brooks: I’d say it was all of the events they had for us, the dinners (we got to eat as much as we wanted), the luau, going to the beach … Coach Jones really let us enjoy ourselves. Everyone knew before the trip that Coach Jones is something of a legend in Hawaii — what surprised you about him on the Hawaii Bowl trip? Anything he did or said, or the way people interacted with him? Moore: We knew he would get a big reception, but I don’t think we knew how big. It was amazing how many people in Hawaii were rooting for us, because we were with him. They were going to root for him, and because we’re his team, they rooted for us. Szymanski: Just playing in Aloha Stadium. I like going to other stadiums to play, and there have been a lot of Pro Bowlers kicking in that stadium. Robinson: Nothing surprised us, or at least not me. We knew that what he did at Hawaii was amazing. If he ever leaves Dallas, he’ll be able to come back here and people will embrace him here the way they do in Hawaii. He’s a program-changer. Brooks: I expected him to get a nice reception, because of what he did at the University of Hawaii, but I was a little surprised by the way the people out there embraced all of us, because we were with him. We’d go out to eat or walk around, and people would wish us well. Szymanski: We knew peple loved him over there, because he was the face of Hawaii football. Everywhere we went, people told us how lucky we are to have him, and begged us to tell him to come back. How are you different as a player than you were a year ago at this time? Szymanski: I’m mentally stronger. The experience I have had, just knowing what to expect — when something comes up, I’ll be able to handle things better now. Robinson: I’m healthy. I had hurt hamstring and ankle all year last season. I still played, because you’ve got to do what you can to help the team, but it hurt. Brooks: I’m much healthier and a lot leaner, which I know will help make me more durable. The experience I got last year was huge — I feel so much more prepared this year. Getting to play against guys like (former TCU defensive end and current Indianapolis Colt) Jerry Hughes — that’s as rough as it’s going to get. He’s a handful. I’m glad I don’t have to mess with him anymore. Moore: I’m a lot more confident. Last year was my first year playing Div. I football, and for part of the season, I was nervous. Now I’m more confident, partly because I know the defense in and out. How are you different as a person away from football? Brooks: Honestly, I think I’m a little cockier. I try not to be, but Coach Klemm is always boosting our confidence, and I’ll say it — I hope NFL scouts notice me. Moore: I guess I manage my money better. I hope I do, anyway. Robinson: I’m not — I’m the same ol’ me. How did the treatment you received — around campus, around the community — change when the team started winning last year and appeared headed toward a bowl game? Robinson: More people see us and realize we’re on the football team, and we get recognized as football players by students and teachers. It used to be that even professors would make little jokes about us being on the football team, but not anymore. Szymanski: Some of the teachers are proud of us, which is a little change. Maybe the coolest thing, the most bizarre thing, is that guys around campus would ask if they could take us out to dinner or something. That was new. Moore: Unless you’re Kyle Padron, it didn’t really matter much. I was at a party once and a girl pushed me out of the way to get to him. I don’t think he was interested, but I guess that’s what it’s like to be a quarterback. Brooks: Football players used to be looked at almost as outsiders. Now, it feels like the student body is embracing us. Last year SMU went 5-3 in games settled by a touchdown or less. What was it that made some of those close games finally seem to go SMU’s way? Brooks: It came down to us really expecting to win in those situations, knowing we can win in those situations. Even in games when we got a big lead, Coach Jones and Coach Klemm told us it was still going to come down to the end — they were right. We never got comfortable. Coach Jones preaches that with us. It’s a big part of why we were so prepared. Moore: Coach Jones told us from the start that in the fourth quarter, we’re going to have to make plays. We knew we were going to have to fight, and we did. Robinson: Turnovers — you can’t win games if you turn the ball over more than you take it away, and in close games last year, we made teams turn the ball over to us. Szymanski: I think for 20 years, people “knew what to expect” from this team. But we’re getting smarter as a team, and putting ourselves in better positions, so when it comes to make a play, we can. Which loss stuck with you the longest? Moore: Marshall — we were so close to going to the conference championship game. We lost, and I didn’t play. Robinson: Marshall. If we win that game, we’re going to the Conference USA championship game, and we might have hosted it here in Dallas. If we get another chance like that, we’ll win it. Brooks: Washington State was pretty tough. That was my first start, and the offensive line played great. For three quarters, we dominated. The Marshall loss was tough, too. We had a chance to go to the conference championship game and we didn’t. I was depressed for days. I expected we’d go in there and beat them. Which victory (other than the Hawaii Bowl) was most satisfying? Robinson: UAB. It was our second win of the season. The first game, we figured we’d win, but UAB is a conference game, it was on the road … it was a good test. Brooks: The win over ECU was pretty huge. They won the conference, and people said they were the best team in the conference, in terms of athletes. Beating them was really big. Moore: The Stephen F. Austin game — it was my first game. Derrius (Bell) was sick, so I went in. We came pretty close to losing to a Div. I-AA team — that would not have been a good way to start. Szymanski: Two of them. Rice, just because it’s fun to beat someone that’s talking trash, and UAB. That (UAB) game was the first one I can remember since high school that I didn’t kick a field goal, but for a team that hadn’t won a lot to go in there and win … we had people crying after the game. It was pretty cool. Last year, Chase Kennemer and Emmanuel Sanders were named first-team all-conference USA. Who should have gotten all-conference honors but didn’t? Moore: Rock Dennis — he made play after play for us all season. It was unseen, but he really kind of kept us together at times. Brooks: Taylor Thompson was great last year, and is going to be even better this year — he should have been on it. He can really play, and athletically, he has tools nobody in the country can match — 6-6, 280 and he ran in the 4.4s in the spring. I also like to think I got robbed a little. Robinson: Kelvin Beachum, Rock Dennis and Sterling Moore Szymanski: What Kyle Padron did last season — I know he wasn’t in there all season and some doubted him because he was a freshman — but to put up the numbers he did and turn around the team, he should have gotten some consideration. He did an amazing job. Two teammates said free safety Chris Banjo should have earned preseason all-conference honors heading into the 2010 season (photo by Travis Johnston). Heading into the 2010 season, Kelvin Beachum, Jr., is the only Mustang to get named to the preseason All-Conference USA team. Considering the players around the conference who graduated, which other SMU players should have been selected? Szymanski: Chris Banjo and Al (Robinson) Robinson: Kyle (Padron) — he’s going to put up some big numbers. If you ask me, he should be on there, and Case Keenum should be on the second team. Moore: Aldrick Robinson, Chris Banjo, Cole Beasley, maybe myself — I saw the list on the internet and I clicked it off — it pissed me off. Brooks: I’m not concerned with the preseason, because that’s what it is — preseason. But Taylor (Thompson) and JG (Ja’Gared Davis) should be all-conference. Who is the most underappreciated player(s) on this team? Moore: (Deep snapper) Mark Voosen — if he doesn’t get a good snap, it can really change the field position. Szymanski: Cole Beasley does a lot of things for us, and can do more. He could be a No. 1 receiver if asked. Robinson: Chris Butler. He’s a really good back and I don’t think anyone noticed that last year because of what Shawnbrey (McNeal) did. But after this year, everyone will know about him. Brooks: “Spike” (Aaron Davis) has the best motor on the team, and he’s a key special teams guy — he just will not quit. From the start of two-a-days last year until the Hawaii Bowl, who improved the most? Robinson: Kyle Padron. When he first got in, I didn’t know if he was ready to play at this level, but when it came time to play, he showed up. He’s developing into a good leader, too. Brooks: Kelly Turner was really solid in all of his (three) starts, and in his first start, he had 19 knockdown blocks — I had the previous mark, with 14. He didn’t surprise me at all. Szymanski: Margus Hunt and Mark Voosen Moore: (Then-cornerback) Ryan Smith — you could see it in practice. Now that he has come over from cornerback to safety, you can see what a good coverage guy he is. Playing cornerback really helped him — he breaks (on passes) really well. Who is the hardest worker on the team? Moore: “Beach” (Kelvin Beachum, Jr.) and Braden Smith — Beach is always doing little drills I’ve never seen before, and Braden is always getting in something running to get faster. Robinson: Kelvin Beachum and Pete Fleps Szymanski: I’m always impressed by “Spike” (Aaron Davis). He never quits, he’s a smart player and a really hard worker. Brooks: Kelvin is up here (at the Loyd All-Sports Center and Ford Stadium) all the time. The offensive line always goes out to practice together, but before we started doing that, he was always the first one at practice. Teammates hailed Kelly Turner's ability in the weight room ... and at the dinner table (photo by Webmaster). Who is your strongest teammate, pound-for-pound? Brooks: Sterling Moore or Chris Banjo Moore: Kelly Turner — that guy is ridiculous. He warms up with squats of 264 pounds or something. He’s unbelievably strong. Robinson: Chris Banjo — that dude is strong. There’s no lift he can’t do. Szymanski: Cole Beasley Who is the team comedian? Robinson: On offense, I can be that guy to change the mood. On defense, I’d say Bennie Thomas and Randy McKinnon Szymanski: Bryce Tennison Moore: Me and Bennie Thomas — we’ll say something when it’s dead silent to get everyone in the room laughing. Brooks: Bryce Tennison has always got something to say about everything, and it’s usually pretty funny. Funniest coach? Brooks: I’ll say Coach Klemm. I spend the most time with him and he’s got more sayings than anyone I’ve ever been around. He’s a fun coach to play for. Moore: (Linebackers) Coach (Joe) Haering — you can’t be around him and not laugh. Szymanski: Coach Hearing and Coach McKnight Robinson: (Defensive coordinator) Coach (Tom) Mason — he cracks me up. What is your biggest superstition? Moore: I don’t know — if I have a good game, I’ll always wear the same thing. Szymanski: I don’t do superstitions Brooks: I always tape up the same way, and I only let one trainer (head trainer Mike Morton) tape me up. I drink the same number of Gatorades at the hotel and eat the same thing (spaghetti, rice, baked chicken, baked potato), and I call my dad on the day of the game before we leave the hotel. Who is the biggest eater? Robinson: Patrick Fleming can really throw it down. Brooks: Kelly Turner Szymanski: Kelly Turner Who has the best nickname? Robinson: “Worm” — Jeremy Johnson Brooks: “Meatloaf” — Ashton Duhe Sterling Moore said that hitting Chris Butler "hurts" to the point that Moore feels like he should warn his young teammates (photo by Webmaster). Who is your toughest teammate? Brooks: Bryce Tennison or Kelly Turner. Bryce has had a messed shoulder since he started, and he has played through it. Kelly is always in the training room, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him even miss a rep or a drill in practice. For a lineman, that’s incredible. Robinson: Youri Yenga Moore: Chris Butler — he’s one of those guys … when you hit him, it hurts. I feel like I should warn the freshmen not to mess with Chris. Szymanski: Bryce Tennison has played with a lot of pain Who is the hardest hitter on your team? Moore: JG (Ja’Gared Davis) Szymanski: Chris Banjo Robinson: JG Brooks: Youri Yenga or Justin Smart. Justin’s hits really leave an impression — he’s one of the most explosive players I’ve ever seen. Once he gets rolling, nothing is going to stop him. Best scout team player? Brooks: “Spike” (Aaron Davis) was on it most of the year, and he drove us nuts on the offensive line. I’m glad he’s going to be doing that to someone else now. Moore: Marcus Holyfield — he can go up and get the ball. Now he has put on some weight, and he’s catching the ball like a veteran. Szymanski:I don’t know if he’ll be on the scout team or not, but we have a walk-on linebacker, Lincoln Schick, who looks pretty impressive. Which little-used (or unused) 2009 player will break out for big season in 2010? Brooks: Brad Haynes is going to have a big year. Szymanski: Margus Hunt — everyone saw him on special teams last year, but he’ll get a lot more playing time on defense this year. Robinson: Ryan Smith. He really knows the defense. Moore: Brad Haynes — it’s his time. Which of your teammates has the most athletic ability in sports other than football? Szymanski: Al (Robinson) could pick up any sport, or JG (Ja’Gared Davis) — he’s an amazing athlete. Moore: Cole Beasley Brooks: Bryce Tennison is a great basketball player, and has rare coordination and athleticism for a big guy. Not a lot of offensive linemen are as athletic as he is. Robinson: Marcus Holyfield is a great basketball player and swimmer, and Cole Beasley can play anything. If not football, what sport would you be playing? Robinson: I’d be running track. Texas A&M and Texas Tech wanted me to run on their track teams. Moore: Baseball — I played second base in high school. Brooks: Track — I threw the shot and discus in high school Szymanski: Maybe basketball — my dad played in college — but my main sport would be soccer. I wanted to walk on to the soccer team here, but obviously that didn’t work out. Or I could run track. J.T. Brooks Dana Powell of the SMU volleyball team a "ridiculous athlete" who could make a nice safety or running back (photo by Travis Johnston). Athlete from another SMU team who would make a good football player? Brooks: Dana Powell (volleyball) — she’s a ridiculous athlete. I don’t know where she could play … maybe running back or safety. Robinson: (Track thrower) Simoné du Toit Favorite SMU team to watch? Szymanski: Men’s soccer Moore: Volleyball Robinson: Basketball Brooks: Volleyball — my girlfriend is on the team. What’s the best part about road trips? Moore: The food Robinson: The hotels — the beds are usually more comfortable than what we have at home Szymanski: All of it. I like getting to know a little more about whoever ends up sitting next to me on the plane. Brooks: The food What is the best city to visit and why? Moore: Houston — we stayed right across the street from that big mall (Galleria). Szymanski: College Station — that’s where I’m from, so you can’t go wrong when you go home. Robinson: Houston Brooks: Houston Best stadium to play a road game? Moore: Tulsa — I like it when the fans are that close and try to talk trash. Robinson: Marshall Brooks: The Superdome in New Orleans. You don’t have to worry about much noise in there, but it’s huge. Szymanski: Tulsa Worst stadium to play in as a visitor? Szymanski: Texas Tech — I worry about everybody. When I was at A&M and we played there, I had a friend at the game, and she almost got beaten up. Moore: Marshall … and I didn’t even play. But it was cold, and the lighting is really weird. Brooks: Texas Tech, because of the noise and … let’s call it the “content of the noise” Robinson: Navy — when we were there, it was icy cold, raining, the wind was blowing … it was terrible. Which opposing team has the worst fans? Robinson: Texas Tech — they’re loud and rowdy, which is cool, but they get really personal. Moore: Washington State — they said some pretty bold stuff. Brooks: Texas Tech Szymanski: Tech. Same reason as before. Which opponent are you most looking forward to playing? Brooks: TCU. It’s a rivalry game, and when we played them this year, I had my hands full (with DE Jerry Hughes) and didn’t handle it very well. I want a chance to redeem myself. Moore: Texas Tech — it’s our first game, and it’s a national TV game. One of their fans found out how to reach me and wrote something about how they’re going to run all over me Sept. 4. Normally, I wouldn’t write back, but in this case I did, because the game is Sept. 5. Robinson: TCU — I’ve got that circled. It’s our biggest rival, it’s on my birthday and it’s on Family Weekend. I hope they come in here undefeated, ranked, riding on their high horse. Which individual players are you most looking forward to facing? Moore: (Marshall wide receivers) Chuck Walker and Troy Evans — they played on my JC team (Laney College). Brooks: I don’t worry about individual matchups until the week we’re playing someone. Who was your host on your recruiting visit? Moore: Bennie Thomas Brooks: Ben Poynter Robinson: Emmanuel Sanders What do you remember most about your recruiting visit? Moore: When I went into the hotel, I was introduced to Coach Jones. I didn’t realize he was that tall — I guess that’s when the intimidation started. Robinson: “E” (Sanders) showed me around and I met a lot of the team, and I knew this was where I want to be. I had visits set up to Kansas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Kansas State, but I cancelled them. Brooks: I remember meeting a lot of the guys I was going to be playing with, but some of the other recruits on that trip, I remember thinking, “I am not going to like these guys.” Kelly Turner was there, and he had that Highland Park thing going on, and Josh LeRibeus was there … but some of the other recruits weren’t really my kind of guys. Szymanski: All the first-year students lived in dorms — we didn’t have to do that at A&M. How close were you to going to another school? Which one? Why didn’t you? Brooks: I was pretty close. It came down to Kansas and here, but my family wanted me to stay here, and my dad (Randy) played here. Moore: I was very close to going to UMass — in fact, I had already committed to them before I came on my visit to SMU. I didn’t get my offer here until Sunday of my visit, and I wanted to commit, but I had to call my mom first, so she could reassure me that I was making the right decision. Robinson: I was close to going to Kansas, because they wanted me to run track and play football, which I wanted to do. A&M wanted me just for track, because they didn’t have enough football scholarships left — if they had room on the football team, they probably would have gotten me. Kansas wanted me to do both, but I didn’t want to leave the state of Texas. If you could change one rule, what would it be? Szymanski: They have a new rule this year where they’re going to take touchdowns off the board if you strut or high-step or taunt an opponent with the ball on your way into the end zone. I’d leave that the way it was. Brooks: I hate the rule about not being able to hit a defenseless receiver. I don’t want anyone hitting our receivers, of course, but that kind of rule is making the game soft. That (hitting) is football. Moore: I’d make our per diem larger. What is your favorite football movie? Robinson: Varsity Blues Szymanski: Remember the Titans or Junction Boys Moore: Little Giants Brooks: Remember the Titans Sterling Moore said he has been told he looks like actor Khleo Thomas of "Holes" (photo by SSMG). If they made a movie about this team, who would play you? Moore: That kid from the Disney movie, Holes (Khleo Thomas) — I’ve been told I look like him. Robinson: Omar Epps Brooks: I don’t know — it would have to be someone pretty big. How about The Rock? Szymanski: Ashton Kutcher. My mom says I look a little like him, and I act like him. Favorite local place to go eat? Szymanski: Bubba’s or Potbelly’s Brooks: Pappasito’s Moore: Boston Market Robinson: Raising Cane’s Favorite team to watch? Szymanski: Los Angeles Lakers Robinson: The Pittsburgh Steelers were my favorite team before they drafted Emmanuel Sanders. I’ve asked him for a jersey. Moore:Oakland Raiders, but they’re never on here, so I also like watching the Green Bay Packers, because of their cornerbacks, Al Harris and Charles Woodson Brooks: Dallas Cowboys Favorite player to watch? Brooks: Leonard Davis Robinson: Kobe Bryant — that guy is magical Moore:Charles Woodson — he was Darrelle Revis before Darrelle Revis Szymanski: Kobe Bryant One coach — other than June Jones — in any sport for whom you would like to play? Robinson: Pete Carroll looks like a fun coach. He’s always laughing and energetic, and he has been really successful. Szymanski: (Ohio State coach) Jim Tressel. I went to my first camp at Ohio State, and he was there. He was so nice, and was always talking to us to see how he could help, how he could make our experience there more enjoyable. He’s a classy guy. Moore: (New York Jets coach) Rex Ryan — he seems to have a laid-back attitude, but he also sticks up for his players. Brooks: Bill Belichick is all about winning. Who is your hero? Why? Szymanski: My dad (David Szymanski) — everything I have done, he has been there with me. I can’t even remember him missing a game. Moore: My grandparents — they came here from Mexico, and had a hard time here, working the fields. My mom always reminds me where I’m from, because they never had anything handed to them. What are you afraid of? Brooks: Injuries. I hate that something like that gets in your way, something you can’t control. Last year was tough because of injuries, but I stuck it out. I’d say it went alright. Szymanski: I have a little claustrophobia. If I I’m in a car and I have to sit in the middle of the back seat, I sometimes panic a little. Moore: Failure Robinson: Spiders drive me crazy. I start sneezing and puffing when I even see one. What’s on your “bucket list”? Robinson: Own a casino. My family likes to go to casinos — it’s a family thing. I figure if they can go to mine, they won’t lose anything. Moore: Buy my parents a house Szymanski: Play in the NFL What is one place you’ve never been, but always wanted to visit? Szymanski: Greece — my mother is from there. Moore: England Robinson: The White House Brooks: Go on a Caribbean cruise — I’ve never been on a cruise. Aldrick Robinson would like to meet Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco — perhaps as a teammate (photo by Cincinnati Bengals). Someone famous you have always wanted to meet? Why? Moore: Oprah — she has everything Brooks: (Former NFL offensive tackles) Walter Jones or Orlando Pace — guys who just dominated games from their tackle position Robinson: Chad Ochocino … maybe as a teammate? I just like his style, his swagger. Szymanski: Peyton Manning. I like what he stands for. He seems to have good character, and he seems like someone I have always wanted to be like. I want those characteristics. Where will you be and what will you be doing in 10 years? Moore: Hopefully in the NFL — if not, I hope to open my own training facility somewhere. Robinson: Hopefully playing in the NFL. Brooks: Hopefully finishing up an NFL career, maybe married with a little one or two. Szymanski: Hopefully still playing football, and getting my Master’s degree. Which teammate with the most NFL potential? Robinson: Kelvin Beachum. As hard as he works, and as good as he is, he’ll get there. Moore: Al (Aldrick Robinson) Brooks: It’s got to be pretty close between Taylor Thompson and Margus Hunt. Just look at them — they have a pretty rare combination of siz and strength and speed that you just don’t see a lot. Taylor has gotten better each season, and Margus is so much better than he was last year. Szymanski: Al A lot of people have said there are multiple players on this team who could get drafted. Who will get drafted the highest? Robinson: Ja’Gared Davis. If he works hard enough, he can realize his talent. If he does that, he can be a really special player. Moore: It could be Kyle (Padron) — he played so well last year, and he picked the offense up really fast. He’s good now, but he’s going to get a lot better. It also could be Keenan Holman — he’s got good size and speed, and talent he hasn’t even tapped into yet. Brooks: I’ll say me. I’ve got to think positive. Szymanski: Kyle Padron After SMU whipped Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl, can you sneak up on anyone anymore? Brooks: Probably not. Everyone will be ready for us this year. Moore: Nah — not this season. Szymanski: People are going to say we can’t sneak up on teams, but I think some big schools still are going to look at us and think they’re better than we are. Robinson: No. Everyone is expecting us now. Every team will come out playing its best ball. Some teams will think they owe us, like East Carolina — we heard some of their players in the tunnel after the game last year saying, “I can’t believe we lost to SMU.” We’ll have an “X” on our backs, but to be champions, we’ve got to play like champions. What are your personal goals for 2010 season? Robinson: 15 touchdowns, 1,500 yards and 100 catches, all-conference, a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award (given annually to the nation’s top receiver), maybe All-America … I have high expectations, but I’m healthy, we have a great quarterback and we have a great system. Szymanski: Plus-40 net (yardage) on punts and make all my field goals. Moore: 10 picks — I said it in the spring, so I’m not going to back down from it. Brooks: First-team all-conference and maybe some national recognition What are your team goals for this season? Brooks: Conference championship Moore: There’s no telling how good we can be. The offense and the defense are coming together, and we have to play like we belong. But there’s no telling how far we can go. Robinson: Conference championship. I want us to be ranked, too, to be in the top 25 to end the season. We have the team, the coaches, the chemistry … if we gel, this could be a really good year. Szymanski: We can’t look too far into the future. We all want a conference championship, but we’ve got make sure we follow the steps we need to take to get there, and the results will take care of themselves. Last year you made it back to a bowl game. What will make 2010 a successful season for you? Szymanski: Winning another bowl game, to give the team some confidence that last year was not a fluke. Winning another bowl game will give the program some consistency, so that it will be part of our DNA to start going to bowl games every year. Robinson: Not settling. If we don’t go to the conference championship, it’s a failure. There’s no way we can’t win a lot of games this year. Brooks: Conference championship and 10 wins Moore: Two rings — a conference championship and another bowl ring!