Lukin
April 16th, 2006, 10:02 PM
I have done about 30 prospect interviews over the last couple months. I am posting all of the 1-AA players interviewed here for your viewing pleasure and to generate some discussion.
FF LiveWire Exclusive w/ Steve Silva
Luke Nicholson
3/18/2006
Holy Cross runningback Steve Silva took the time to sit down and answer some questions for ffLiveWire's Luke Nicholson about his career at Holy Cross, his Pro Day, and his preperations for the NFL.
Luke Nicholson: Who is your biggest role model? Why?
Steve Silva: my parents because they have worked so hard raising my brothers and i. they have both had to overcome difficult situations in their lives and I hope i can one day be just as good as a parent as they have been.
Luke Nicholson: What current NFL player does your game most resemble?
Steve Silva: i think my game is most like brian westbrook's because we both can run with and catch the ball well, and also can be used as punt returners. he was firt considered only a 3rd down back but he's shown that he is able to carry a larger load. i think most teams see me as simply a 3rd down back and returner, but i feel that i will be able to contribute more on offense.
Luke Nicholson: What was your typical day during football season at Holy Cross?
Steve Silva: this past season i was a 5th year senior, so i was finished with my major and only needed a few classes to complete my minor. i had monday, wednesday, and friday off. i had 3 classes tuesday and one on Thursday morning, so i had a lot of free time. i mostly used this to get treatments in the training room, watch some extra film, and just relax in the dorm. it also made giving interviews a lot easier because I didnt have to try to sqeeze them in between classes. another thing that i liked about the schedule was that it gave me a chance to visit local elementary schools on fridays and talk to kids and pass out tickets to our games.
Luke Nicholson: Your Pro Day was March 16. How did you do? Were you pleased with your performance?
Steve Silva: (my pro day was actually march 15) overall, i was pleased with how I did. we ran at boston college and i don't think the surface was a very fast one because i don't think there were a lot of real fast times. they didn't tell us our official times but some of the coaches and scouts told me how i did and how i compared to some of the other guys and i thought it was decent. one coach told me he got me at 4.56 and 4.57. we ran the agility drills outside on the field and it was really cold and windy and starting to snow. we only got to run through each drill once, but i did allright. i know one scout got me at 6.93 in the 3-cone. i didnt get my short shuttle time, but i felt pretty good on it. after that a few special teams coaches took a couple of us to the side to catch punts out of a jugs machine (which i had never done before). i was a little concerned because of the jugs and the wind, but once i caught the first one i was fine. so overall, i was pleased with my performance.
Luke Nicholson: Did you play any other sports in high school? How has your experience in other sports helped you to become a better player on the football field?
Steve Silva: i did indoor and outdoor track in high school. doing track obviously helped my speed, but i wish i could have played soccer. in rhode island, football and soccer are both in the fall so i couldnt do both, but soccer is my second favorite sport after football. i think it could've helped me in football because if you can elude someone while dribbling a ball between your feet, you definitely can while holding one.
Luke Nicholson: What are your personal advantages and disadvantages of playing football for an Ivy League college?
Steve Silva: well, despite popular belief, holy cross is not in the ivy league, although i do believe we are an ivy league-caliber school. at holy cross, there really are no joke classes like there are at many other institutions. aso, i dont think i ever had a class with over 30 students, so you really can't "hide" at holy cross. it makes it tougher to play a varsity sport, but it also teaches you how to manage your responsibilities. also, we have a great netorking system with alumni who are willing to help out the students.
Luke Nicholson: Who is the best player you have faced during your career?
Steve Silva: in college it was probably aki jones from Fordham. He was a d-lineman for them and I think he now plays d-end for the redskins. in high school I played in the same league as will Blackmon from boston college. It's pretty cool that now we're both trying to get to the nfl together.
Luke Nicholson: Have you ever played fantasy football? Do any of your teammates at Holy Cross play?
Steve Silva: I never have played because I always felt that while playing college football I wouldn't be able to commit enough time to update my roster and manage my team the way I would like to. However, I'm sure I will eventually get into it. A lot of my teammates did play. During summer camp they would always set aside one day between practices to have their draft. I was always too tired to go do anything like that, so I just went to sleep.
Luke Nicholson: Which NFL teams have you talked with? Is there a specific team you hope to play for?
Steve Silva: I have talked with coaches from the colts, bucs, and jets directly, and my agent (rob roche) has talked to most of the other teams. I really don't care who I play for, I am kind of looking forward to the surprise of who I will end up with. I guess if I had to choose, being from New England, it would be the patriots.
Luke Nicholson: Are you a cat or a dog? Why?
Steve Silva: I'm a dog because I first of all I can't stand cats. Also, I feel that dogs are dependable and have personalities. You can't trust cats. I'm someone who can be trusted.
Luke Nicholson: What are your plans for your career after football?
Steve Silva: I'm interested in music, so I may want to work for a record label, maybe even own my own independent label someday.
Luke Nicholson: What one thing do you have to work on the most in order to excel at the NFL level?
Steve Silva: I think if I can be an effective blocker in the nfl, it will help me to excel. Aside from that just stay healthy.
Luke Nicholson: If you could be an inanimate object, what would you be? Why?
Steve Silva: An almanac because I'm full of useless information.
Luke Nicholson: Thank you for your time, Steve. Best of luck to you in all of your NFL endeavors.
link (http://www.fflivewire.com/Article.asp?ID=rpj7689pkr8716o&Title=FF%20LiveWire%20Exclusive%20w/%20Steve%20Silva)
FF LiveWire Exclusive w/ Steve Silva
Luke Nicholson
3/18/2006
Holy Cross runningback Steve Silva took the time to sit down and answer some questions for ffLiveWire's Luke Nicholson about his career at Holy Cross, his Pro Day, and his preperations for the NFL.
Luke Nicholson: Who is your biggest role model? Why?
Steve Silva: my parents because they have worked so hard raising my brothers and i. they have both had to overcome difficult situations in their lives and I hope i can one day be just as good as a parent as they have been.
Luke Nicholson: What current NFL player does your game most resemble?
Steve Silva: i think my game is most like brian westbrook's because we both can run with and catch the ball well, and also can be used as punt returners. he was firt considered only a 3rd down back but he's shown that he is able to carry a larger load. i think most teams see me as simply a 3rd down back and returner, but i feel that i will be able to contribute more on offense.
Luke Nicholson: What was your typical day during football season at Holy Cross?
Steve Silva: this past season i was a 5th year senior, so i was finished with my major and only needed a few classes to complete my minor. i had monday, wednesday, and friday off. i had 3 classes tuesday and one on Thursday morning, so i had a lot of free time. i mostly used this to get treatments in the training room, watch some extra film, and just relax in the dorm. it also made giving interviews a lot easier because I didnt have to try to sqeeze them in between classes. another thing that i liked about the schedule was that it gave me a chance to visit local elementary schools on fridays and talk to kids and pass out tickets to our games.
Luke Nicholson: Your Pro Day was March 16. How did you do? Were you pleased with your performance?
Steve Silva: (my pro day was actually march 15) overall, i was pleased with how I did. we ran at boston college and i don't think the surface was a very fast one because i don't think there were a lot of real fast times. they didn't tell us our official times but some of the coaches and scouts told me how i did and how i compared to some of the other guys and i thought it was decent. one coach told me he got me at 4.56 and 4.57. we ran the agility drills outside on the field and it was really cold and windy and starting to snow. we only got to run through each drill once, but i did allright. i know one scout got me at 6.93 in the 3-cone. i didnt get my short shuttle time, but i felt pretty good on it. after that a few special teams coaches took a couple of us to the side to catch punts out of a jugs machine (which i had never done before). i was a little concerned because of the jugs and the wind, but once i caught the first one i was fine. so overall, i was pleased with my performance.
Luke Nicholson: Did you play any other sports in high school? How has your experience in other sports helped you to become a better player on the football field?
Steve Silva: i did indoor and outdoor track in high school. doing track obviously helped my speed, but i wish i could have played soccer. in rhode island, football and soccer are both in the fall so i couldnt do both, but soccer is my second favorite sport after football. i think it could've helped me in football because if you can elude someone while dribbling a ball between your feet, you definitely can while holding one.
Luke Nicholson: What are your personal advantages and disadvantages of playing football for an Ivy League college?
Steve Silva: well, despite popular belief, holy cross is not in the ivy league, although i do believe we are an ivy league-caliber school. at holy cross, there really are no joke classes like there are at many other institutions. aso, i dont think i ever had a class with over 30 students, so you really can't "hide" at holy cross. it makes it tougher to play a varsity sport, but it also teaches you how to manage your responsibilities. also, we have a great netorking system with alumni who are willing to help out the students.
Luke Nicholson: Who is the best player you have faced during your career?
Steve Silva: in college it was probably aki jones from Fordham. He was a d-lineman for them and I think he now plays d-end for the redskins. in high school I played in the same league as will Blackmon from boston college. It's pretty cool that now we're both trying to get to the nfl together.
Luke Nicholson: Have you ever played fantasy football? Do any of your teammates at Holy Cross play?
Steve Silva: I never have played because I always felt that while playing college football I wouldn't be able to commit enough time to update my roster and manage my team the way I would like to. However, I'm sure I will eventually get into it. A lot of my teammates did play. During summer camp they would always set aside one day between practices to have their draft. I was always too tired to go do anything like that, so I just went to sleep.
Luke Nicholson: Which NFL teams have you talked with? Is there a specific team you hope to play for?
Steve Silva: I have talked with coaches from the colts, bucs, and jets directly, and my agent (rob roche) has talked to most of the other teams. I really don't care who I play for, I am kind of looking forward to the surprise of who I will end up with. I guess if I had to choose, being from New England, it would be the patriots.
Luke Nicholson: Are you a cat or a dog? Why?
Steve Silva: I'm a dog because I first of all I can't stand cats. Also, I feel that dogs are dependable and have personalities. You can't trust cats. I'm someone who can be trusted.
Luke Nicholson: What are your plans for your career after football?
Steve Silva: I'm interested in music, so I may want to work for a record label, maybe even own my own independent label someday.
Luke Nicholson: What one thing do you have to work on the most in order to excel at the NFL level?
Steve Silva: I think if I can be an effective blocker in the nfl, it will help me to excel. Aside from that just stay healthy.
Luke Nicholson: If you could be an inanimate object, what would you be? Why?
Steve Silva: An almanac because I'm full of useless information.
Luke Nicholson: Thank you for your time, Steve. Best of luck to you in all of your NFL endeavors.
link (http://www.fflivewire.com/Article.asp?ID=rpj7689pkr8716o&Title=FF%20LiveWire%20Exclusive%20w/%20Steve%20Silva)