Interview with Bob Costas
Bob Costas on “Football Night in America” ran an interview he had done prior to the Baltimore Raven’s game that night. He interviewed Michael Oher and some of his team mates. He sets up the interview piece by stating that Leigh Anne Tuohy is still very much in the picture regarding her mother duties with Big Mike….
Joe Flacco (Quarterback for Baltimore Raven’s and Michael’s teammate with a huge grin on his face!): The first time I met her (Michael’s mom Leigh Anne Tuohy) was we were in an elevator in San Diego. She goes to me, “Hi…I’m Michael Oher’s mom. You need to get rid of the ball faster!” (Flacco and Costas are laughing) I go, What are you talking about? I went to Mike and said, Mike…your mom just came up to me and said, “You need to get rid of the ball faster!” He’s like, “Oh my gosh…she said that to you?” So he goes to his mom and told her, “Mom, you can’t be saying this…” (Flacco continues) whatever… just joking you know..not too serious but I liked it…. it was funny. After the game, she comes in and says, “Alright…where is the tattle-tale….where is he?…where’s he at?…where is that big guy at?” (his voice trails off)
Bob Costas (back to live action showing Michael Oher warming up on the field): And there is Michael Oher who in his rookie season is a member of Peter King’s (Sports Illustrated writer and NBC sports consultant) mid-season’s All-Pro team selected for Sports Illustrated. Yesterday, I spoke to Oher about emerging as a force on the Raven’s line so quickly….
Costas (to a seated Michael Oher): Your teammate the linebacker Jarret Johnson said this, “It’s good to have a bully on that side (offensive) of the ball…it’s good to have someone with a nasty streak!”. You know, most rookies, even if they have that nasty streak it takes a little while to come out. You have asserted yourself almost out of the box.
Michael: I love the game of football. I have been a fan since I was 10 years old…watching the game. It is so emotional and I love to compete week after week with the best. I want to be the best myself so in order to be the best you have to dominate the best.
Costas: You played some basketball in your time and I know that you are a big admirer of Micheal Jordan and I heard what you said about Michael and this is a well known aspect of his competitive personality. Once he walked on the court…no friends. Is that how you feel on the field?
Michael: It has to be that way. They are trying to beat you on their play to knock your head off so once you step on that field I can’t be your friend anymore.
[Cut away from the shot of a seated Michael and a video clip comes up showing Dwight Freeney, Defensive End for the Indianapolis Colts. An announcer can be heard in the background praising Freeney for sacking the quarterback on that particular play.]
Costas: Towards that end of the book “The Blind Side” author Michael Lewis is talking to Freeney (Michael Oher is laughing now… anticipating the comment) and he says that you had envisioned playing against Freeney some day….you are a student of the game and you followed it…and Freeney’s parting comment to Lewis was after he asked him (Lewis) “What’s his name again? Well you tell Mr. Oher that I will be waiting for him.” Well last week that meeting happened. How did it go?
Michael (huge grin!): I think I went up against him a couple of times but to finally be out there with him was unbelievable to me.
Costas: You’ve been known to ‘yack’ a little bit out on the field. Even a guy like Jarrod Allen (Minnesota Vikings’ Defensive End) who’s having an MVP season with the Vikings, you guys were jawing a little bit. What was that conversation about?
Michael: I have been watching that guy for a long time and I am an emotional player and I am not going to back down from anybody. I am out there with these great players and I’ve got to act like one.
[Cut to a clip of Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, announcing the Baltimore Raven's first draft pick (Michael) in this year's (2009) NFL Draft.]
Costas: When Roger Goodell called your name, you could see how emotionally you were reacting. Why?
Michael: I had dreams about that moment years before about having my name called and waiting for that moment knowing how hard I had worked to point for so long. I had to go through so many things. It was unbelievable…I just couldn’t wait for it.
Costas: The offensive line is sometimes such an anonymous position even for the all time greats. Other than size, Jonathan Ogden (played Offensive Tackle for the Raven’s from 1996-2007, 9 time All-Pro) probably could have walked down any street outside of Baltimore and people would not been 100% sure who he was. You got, in an odd way, some celebrity status coming in even as a rookie (Michael smiles). Are you comfortable with that?
Michael: I really don’t see it like that. I feel that if I go out to eat somewhere, people won’t recognize me. I am just a regular person.
Costas: Who would you like to meet…in or out of sports that you haven’t met?
Michael (smiling): I was always a big Michael Jordan fan. I liked that last shot he made in ’98 (1998 NBA Finals).
Costas: I think we can arrange this!
Michael (laughing!): That would be great!
[Cut back to live video of Michael doing his pregame warm-up and Bob Costas continues…}
Costas: I think we are going to have to call our good friend Amad Rhashad (former NFL player and sports announcer) and set up a meeting between Michael Jordan and Michael Oher. He (Michael Oher) saw the movie. At first he said he didn’t want to see it. He saw the movie (The Blind Side about Michael Oher’s life) a few nights ago and said he liked it and that he understands that there is “cinematic license” taken and his one big objection, at least the only one that he is willing to express, is that it made him seem like a “babe in the woods” football-wise and he contends that, and I am sure that he is right, that he had a much more nuanced understanding of the game when he first arrived to play high school ball and when he first moved in with the Tuohy’s then the movie makes it seem. And obviously, he is a more sophisticated person then presented in the movie.
Chris Collinsworth (ex-NFL player and game announcer): No question about it! You’d think that he came out of the local country club when you first meet him for the first time. But I have seen a lot of remarkable stories during my day in the NFL but what this young man has been able to accomplish…what he has been able to overcome individually BEFORE he even met the Tuohy’s. Then to go and live with that family and become a member of the NFL is one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen in my life!
Costas: And clearly he loves and appreciates that Tuohy’s and the movie is very entertaining…there is just a “grain of salt” in a few places.
Collinsworth: No doubt…No doubt! But this guy EARNS what HE accomplished…not what ANYONE gave him!
Costas: Alright, let’s talk more about Michael Oher the player and throw it back to New York (Football Night in America’s studio) and see what Tony Dungy thinks.
Coach Tony Dungy: Michael Oher is not just a movie star he is a future star on the field in the NFL. He has all the qualities that you look for in an offensive lineman. He’s big…he’s athletic and he’s a pass protector. He did not play much against Dwight Freeney (Coach Dungy coached Dwight Freeney) but he did play against Robert Mathis (the Indianapolis Colt’s other Defensive End). They gave his (Michael) a little ‘chip’ help (back hits Michael’s man on the backs way out to catch a pass) but he (Michael) is athletic and stayed in front of Mathis and used his size and athleticism. Now in the Minnesota game, he had to play the left tackle due to some injuries and he played against Jarrod Allen and he did a very good job in pass protecting. Here (showing the video clip of the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens’ game) is that nasty streak that Jarrod Johnson (Michael’s teammate) talked about (Allen got in Michael’s face jawing at him and Michael didn’t back down). He does not back down from anyone on the field. This guy can do it all…he is going to be a star for the next decade!