Loading ...This interview with New York Giants offensive lineman Kevin Boothe was conducted on May 26th, 2011 at The Garden at Studio Square NYC during a charity event for Project Sunshine.
Giants 101: "Why is Project Sunshine important to you?"
Kevin Boothe: "It’s a great cause. David Diehl reached out to us and it’s just a tremendous opportunity to raise money for a good cause. Whenever you can help children that are dealt unfortunate circumstance, we leap at these opportunities. A lot of guys, if they are in town, they will make every possible effort they can to be here."
Giants 101: "How has the NFL Lockout affected your offseason?"
Kevin Boothe: "Well, it’s different. You try to keep things as normal as possible, which is tough to do. Basically, I am working out as much as I would normally be doing, if not more. It gives you an opportunity you wouldn’t normally do during workouts, but it’s definitely a transition. It’s unfortunate that we’re in this situation, but you try to make the best of it. We have a good group of guys out there working out, and I think we’ll be prepared when the time comes to get back to work."
Giants 101: "Is there a specific regimen you’re on?"
Kevin Boothe: "I have a personal trainer out of Wayne, New Jersey – Overtime Sports. A few guys and I go out there four times a week to workout. We do upper body twice a week, lower body twice a week and then some conditioning work. We’re trying to make the best of it and they’ve been doing a great job."
Giants 101: "Are you concerned with how the NFL Lockout will affect the new rookies, specifically on offense? How hard do you think it will be for them to adjust?"
Kevin Boothe: "It’s tough. Normally by this time a year they’ve already been in the facility for six weeks. So, it’s definitely not the ideal situation for them. I’m sure they’ll get brought up to speed pretty quickly though. Basically, everyone else in the league is in the same boat, so it’s not like we’re at a disadvantage. So, the rookies will just need to get themselves into the playbook, and I am sure that they’ll be just as anxious to get going as we are."
Giants 101: "It’s been a few years since you’ve been a rookie, but if you were to put yourself in their shoes, what do you think their greatest concern is right now?"
Kevin Boothe: "Picking up the system. If it’s different than what they did in college, it’s going to be difficult, but not impossible. I’m sure they are out there working, so I don’t think that the running or the lifting is that big of a deal to them right now, but definitely the time in the classroom…and I am sure the coach would agree with that too. "
Giants 101: "Is there anything in particular about the offseason you’re missing right now?"
Kevin Boothe: "It’s always good to go over the plays and concepts. That time in the classroom, even for veterans, can be beneficial. It’s one thing to watch film by ourselves, but it’s another to have your coach walking you through it and critiquing you, letting you know what you can do to improve on things. That’s definitely something we wish we could have."
Giants 101: "Is Tom Coughlin’s annual outing something you look forward to?"
Kevin Boothe: "Yeah, he’s done a great job breaking up the monotony of training camp. It’s always a good time and he gets to show everyone his lighter side. Hopefully we can have a full training camp this year, but I don’t know if we’ll have the outing – we might be making up for lost time."
Giants 101: "If the preseason is cut short and completely nonexistent, how do you think that will affect you and the team as a whole?"
Kevin Boothe: "I find it hard to believe that there could be no preseason and we just go right into the regular season because I think the quality of play wouldn’t be too high; at least for a few weeks. I think you need at least a couple preseason games to get you used to going full-speed against an opponent because you rarely go full-speed against your own team."
Giants 101: "If the season were to get pushed back, how do you feel about playing late February, especially in cold weather locations like Green Bay and New York?"
Kevin Boothe: "I don’t think the season would get pushed back past the first or second week of February, but elements are elements….that’s football. I think it’s something that teams would just have to deal with."
