Alfonso Boone
DT, Unrestricted Free Agent
Numbers: 6'4, 318 pounds, 31 years old
NFL Experience: 7 years all with the Chicago Bears
Career Stats: 108 tackles (88 solo), 10.5 sacks, 8 passes deflected, 1
FF, 2 FR, in 83 games
2006 Stats: 26 tackles (22 solo), 2 sacks, 5 stuffs in 12 games
Ed Thompson: What's going through your head about this whole free agent
process?
Alfonso Boone: I'm not worried about it, because I feel like I played
pretty well this year, so I should be okay. That's the way I look at it. If you
play well you'll have a job next year.
Ed Thompson: You never know what's going to happen with free agency, but if it works out that you stay with Chicago what would you be
most happy about?
Alfonso Boone: Just to stay with Chicago just because I already know what's going
on there and I know a lot about the team. And I don't have to move my family,
which would make it a lot easier. But that's the life we lead in the NFL.
ET: Have you really thought about that in terms of having to pick up
and start anew and learn a new defense and meet new people? Is that exciting or
is it something that your thinking is just sort of part of the business?
ET: I look at it as part of the business because I've had to learn a
couple of different defenses here. So if I don't re-sign with Chicago, learning
a new defense doesn't really bother me. And you meet new players every
year in this league, its never the same 53 guys. So while I'll be glad to stay,
if I end up with another team I think it could be fun as well.
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| Boone puts a big hit on Ciatrick Fason (Getty Images) |
ET: Well you got four starts in at the end of the regular season,
how much did that whet your appetite to land a starting role again as your
looking at your free agent opportunities?
AB: You know, I've always thought of myself as a starter. I play
a lot of snaps. In this defense I play about half of the game most of the time
whether I start or I don't start. So I just hope that somebody will give me the
opportunity to compete, that's all you can really ask for in this league.
ET: If you have a few different offers on the table, what's going to
be the most important factor in your decision -- playing time, money, going to a
winning team, or something else?
AB: I'd call it the quality of life. I would like to go where somebody
wants me to compete and just have fun. That's the biggest thing for me. Being on
a team that wants to compete is the fun part of the game. So anything else I'm
not even worried about.
ET: As an unrestricted free agent, what are the biggest strengths
you can offer a club who's in the market for a defensive tackle this year?
AB: I'm a good run-defender and pretty decent against the pass as well.
And I'm one of those guys who is just going to go out and play hard every down
of every game.
ET: One thing I've noticed about you during our interviews is that
you're really an agreeable and upbeat guy. That's certainly a good attribute in
the locker room and for team camaraderie.
AB: I'm a pretty straightforward guy. It makes life easier you know?
It's a hard game we play, but it's as easy as you make it. You can make it a
little easier just by looking at it in a positive light.
Check back on Friday for our Scout.com Q&A with Alfonso
Boone where he'll talk about his role in the Bears defense, how his skills translate to other defensive schemes, and even how he'd see himself fitting in with a few teams that are in the market for some defensive tackle help. It's an
exclusive for our Scout.com subscribers!
| A member of the Professional Football Writers of America, Ed Thompson's NFL and college football player interviews have been published across the Scout.com network and syndicated through FoxSports.com's NFL team pages. |
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