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Zaviar Gooden Interview Sr / Missouri / LB |
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Updated - 2-16-13 By: Alex Khvatov |
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Alex Khvatov:
What are your measurements (height, weight and
forty time)?
Zaviar Gooden: At the Senior Bowl,
they measured me under 6’2. I am 235 pounds
right now and I am looking to run a 4.3.
Alex Khvatov:
What schools recruited you when you were coming
out of high school?
Zaviar Gooden: I wasn’t a huge
recruit. I was a three star recruit. Missouri,
Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Stanford and Texas
Tech expressed interest.
Alex Khvatov:
Why did you eventually choose
Missouri?
Zaviar Gooden: I went down there for
a visit. I felt like they were honest with me.
I was the most comfortable there. I just saw a
program that was on the rise. I wanted to be a
part of it. I felt like I could contribute and
have a good career.
Alex Khvatov:
Describe your career at Missouri to us.
Zaviar Gooden: I felt like it went
good. I had a great time at Missouri. I
wouldn’t trade it for anything. My sophomore
year was really good individually and as a
team. My junior year wasn’t as good as the
sophomore year. As a team, we went 8-5 as
opposed to 10-3 during my sophomore year. My
stats were pretty similar. I had two pretty
good years. This past year, I battled injuries
and missed a couple of games. It was the first
time out of my five years that we didn’t make a
bowl. As a team, it was probably the worst year
record ways. I met a lot of great people. A
lot of great players came through there. I
think that I had a great career overall.
Alex Khvatov:
How difficult was it to make
the transition from the Big 12 to the SEC this
past year?
Zaviar Gooden: I felt like the games
that we lost weren’t because the other teams
were so great. It was because of us. I felt
like the Big 12 had great competition as well.
I am not taking anything away from the SEC.
They do have really good teams. I feel like the
strength of the SEC is the defense. The
strength is up front in particular, and the
physicality of it. But offensively, I played
against three first round QB’s in the Big 12
last year. A lot of receivers in the Big 12
went in the first round. I feel like offensive
skilled positions were better in the Big 12.
But defensive lines and the linebackers is what
separates the SEC from the rest of the
conferences. They have freaks on the D-line
that dominate up front and can change the game.
But I felt like we lost the games more because
of us. We played Florida in the swamp and lost
14-7. We played Georgia really close and almost
won that game. It wasn’t like we were
outmatched. Texas A&M came in to the SEC as
well and they had their best year. We just had
a down year.
Alex Khvatov:
What can we expect from Missouri next year?
Zaviar Gooden: I expect progress and
improvement. Obviously, they are more familiar
with the teams now. They are used to the
stadiums. The environments in the SEC are a lot
crazier. Playing at Alabama is a lot different
than playing at Iowa State. I think that they
will do well. They have some good players. We
have James Franklin, Andrew Wilson and Kony Ealy
coming back. I think that they will be solid.
The offensive line is coming back.
Alex Khvatov:
Tell us about your experience at the Senior
Bowl.
Zaviar Gooden: It was fun. I had a
great time. You are down there competing
against some of the best college football
players. You see these guys on TV and they get
hyped up. It was fun to see how I stacked up
against them. It was fun getting to know them
and share with them our college experience. I
had a good time getting coached by NFL coaches.
I was learning their plays. It was good to
compete and show what I had to offer to the
NFL.
Alex Khvatov:
How would you rate your performance during the
Senior Bowl week?
Zaviar Gooden: I felt like I had a
solid performance. I did really well. I
answered a lot of questions that people had
about me. I won the most outstanding LB award
down there for a week. I proved myself a lot
down there.
Alex Khvatov:
What was the feedback that you received from
scouts and coaches?
Zaviar Gooden: I met with pretty
much every single team. They all seemed pretty
interested. Not to say that they were drooling
over me. They seemed pretty interested in what
I had to offer. I received good feedback about
the way that I performed. I answered the
questions that they had about me. I had a solid
performance, and they like the way that I run.
They said that I stood out.
Alex Khvatov:
What surprised you the most about the Senior
Bowl?
Zaviar Gooden: I didn’t know that we
were going to be that busy out there. We were
always doing something. We didn’t have much
free time. I didn’t quite expect that. Also I
saw the competitive nature of the coaches. I
thought that it was an All-Star Game, so they
would just coach you up as we go. But the teams
took the game very seriously. The coaches
really wanted to win. They weren’t playing
around. They coach you for real. I didn’t know
that the competitive nature would be that
intense. But I guess that it is the NFL, so I
should have expected it.
Alex Khvatov:
You are about a week away from the Scouting
Combine, what can we expect from you there?
Zaviar Gooden: I am looking forward
to it. It is just another opportunity to show
what I got. I want to showcase what I have to
offer their team. I plan on doing every single
drill. I am not afraid to compete. I am a
competitor and I will do every single drill. I
will just enjoy the experience. I will try to
make me some money.
Alex Khvatov:
You are a speedy linebacker, but how realistic
is it for you to run a 4.3 at the Combine?
Zaviar Gooden: I think that it is
realistic to me. I believe in it. I am
confident. I will just run my race. Some guys
freeze up under pressure. I am just looking
forward to the opportunity of going up there. A
lot of guys question it, but I am just going to
try to prove it. I really don’t like to talk
about it. It is put up or shut up time. I am
just going to try to show it instead of talking
about it.
Alex Khvatov:
What are your strengths on the football field?
Zaviar Gooden: I feel like I do a
lot of things well. I feel like my pure
athleticism helps me make plays. Speed,
quickness and footwork are some of my best
traits. I feel like I am a DB that is physical
enough to play LB. I feel like I am an
every-down guy. You won’t have to substitute me
in nickel or dime packages. I can line up and
cover tight ends, receivers and backs. I feel
like I have the speed to rush the edge. In
college, they didn’t ask me to do that much in
terms of blitzing. We ran a true 4-3. I can
get on the edge and rush the passer in a 3-4
defense. I have a lot to offer.
Alex Khvatov:
What areas of your game do you need to improve
upon?
Zaviar Gooden: I just need to
improve on my technique. It is nothing that
can’t be done. It is a couple of fundamental
things. It will take a little bit of work
because in the NFL, every false step or every
misplaced hand is going to cost you. The guy
across from you was an All-American in college
too. I just need to master my fundamentals and
really get that down. It is just real technique
type of stuff.
Alex Khvatov:
Where are you training right now for the NFL
Draft?
Zaviar Gooden: I am training at
Competitive Edge Sports down in Atlanta.
Actually, Colin Kaepernick is down here. He
just got down here a couple of days ago. My
trainer is Chip Smith. I think that he is the
best in the business. He has trained Pro
Bowlers and first round talent. He is getting
me right. I have been working with a
linebackers’ coach. Randall Godfrey played LB
for the Cowboys and the Titans in the NFL. He
has been working with me. I also do speed and
agility stuff.
Alex Khvatov:
What is the highlight of your football career up
to this point?
Zaviar Gooden: When we beat Oklahoma
my sophomore year. They were ranked number one
at that time. We were also undefeated at that
time. We hadn’t beaten Oklahoma in a long
time. We beat them. College Gameday was
there. The fans stormed the field. They were
wild and crazy. That was the best game which I
have been a part of.
Alex Khvatov:
What separates you from all of the other players
at your position?
Zaviar Gooden: It is very rare to
find a LB that can run like I can. I can be on
the field every down. I can cover. A lot of
guys are great at run support, but they are not
good at pass coverage. I feel like I can do
both well. I am not afraid to take on a
fullback or an offensive lineman. I feel like I
have a lot of great attributes. I am a smart
guy and I am a leader on the field.
Alex Khvatov:
Who is your favorite NFL player?
Zaviar Gooden: My favorite player is
actually Adrian Peterson. I have been following
him since I have been younger. He came out of
high school and then went to Oklahoma. I used
to play RB in high school. I wanted to run the
ball like Adrian Peterson. He is a great
player. I am really happy for him when he came
back from ACL. Since he is on the Vikings, I
like watching them. I root for them. But
really, I am just a big fan of Adrian Peterson.
Alex Khvatov:
Did you learn anything valuable from your former
teammate LB Sean Weatherspoon?
Zaviar Gooden: I just moved from
running back to linebacker. It takes some guys
one or two years to learn the new position. I
had to learn it in a couple of weeks. He helped
me out a lot on that. He helped me learn the
playbook a lot better. He taught me not think
as much on the field. I just saw how he did
things. He was such a good role model. I just
naturally followed in his footsteps. I tried to
do the same things when I became
older.
Alex Khvatov:
What did you enjoy the most about playing
college football?
Zaviar Gooden: My teammates. I met
a lot of great guys. I plan to stay in contact
with them for the rest of my life. There a lot
of great friends that I cherish deeply. I have
built a lot of relationships with my teammates,
with the coaches and the academic people. They
all helped me out so much. They helped me
graduate and got me bigger, stronger and
faster. They help you deal with life in
general. Missouri has a first class program. I
will always be a Tiger.
Alex Khvatov:
What does it take to be a leader?
Zaviar Gooden: I think in order to
lead, you have to do things right yourself. You
can’t preach something that you are not doing
yourself. Being a good player helps, but you
have to show passion. You have to show that you
actually care about each person on the team. I
felt like I treated everyone the same. It
doesn’t matter if you were the star on the team
or third on the depth chart. I wanted to be
able to help them not only with football, but
with personal stuff in their life. If you can
connect with them on a personal level, then you
can motivate the team when you get on the
field. I think that you have to have that
connection in order to be a leader. You can’t
be a selfish. You have to put the team first if
you want to achieve a common goal.
Alex Khvatov:
Describe your teammate DT Sheldon Richardson.
Zaviar Gooden: I think that Sheldon
is a really misunderstood guy. A lot of people
try to make him out to be this bad guy. They
think that he is selfish and only he cares about
is himself. But he is not like that at all. I
think that Sheldon actually cares so much about
the team and he has gotten in trouble for it.
He wanted to win so badly that it frustrated him
when we didn’t win. He acted out his emotions
and said some things before he thought about
it. He wasn’t a bad guy. Some people like
that. Sometimes you have to call people out
when they are not doing their job. He was just
trying to be a leader and wanted people to step
up. He played hard all year. He had a great
season. He is a great player. I think that he
will do great things in the NFL. He is just
misunderstood. He was trying to motivate guys
and wanted guys to step up their game. He just
wanted to win so badly.
Alex Khvatov:
Who will emerge as the next great star at
Missouri?
Zaviar Gooden: Jimmie Hunt (WR) is
the next guy that everyone will be talking
about. He is an explosive player. Every time
he touched the ball, he scored a TD. Jimmie was
an All-State track runner in the state of
Illinois. He is super fast. He has good feet
and he can cut on a dime. He can make you miss
in open space. He is a good receiver. He can
develop into that big time talent. He should be
that next big time talent. He is a hard worker
too. He showed you flashes of things to come
this year.
Alex Khvatov:
What are your hobbies?
Zaviar Gooden: I am a relaxed guy.
Off-the-field, I like to hang out with my
friends. I like to shoot some pool or play
dominoes at home. I don’t do anything too
extravagant.
Alex Khvatov:
At this point, is the NFL a dream or a reality?
Zaviar Gooden: I think that it is in
the in-between faze. I am pretty sure that it
will be a reality. But I am not ready to call
it a reality until my name gets called on draft
day. When you dream about something, it kind of
seems that it is so far away from the present.
But this will be happening in the next couple of
months.
Alex Khvatov:
What do you plan to do with your life after your
football career is over?
Zaviar Gooden: I love the game. I
want to stay around it. I want to train
athletes. I want to work with high school
athletes. Maybe even train guys that are
preparing for the Combine as well. I really
want to help high school guys. There are a lot
of high school guys that have potential to go to
college. But they threw their life away because
they got hung up on the streets. It is
important to not only teach them about football,
but become a positive role model in their life.
To motivate them to get that good SAT score, get
into college and cut out those foolish things.
Alex Khvatov:
Finish the sentence, Zaviar Gooden is….
Zaviar Gooden: I feel like I am two
different people. On the field, I am
enthusiastic and passionate. I am intense and I
bring energy. I am a leader. Off-the-field, I
am relaxed. A lot of people laugh at me because
I walk very slowly. But on the field, I run
super fast. I am two totally different ends of
the spectrum. I kind of have a split
personality.
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