ET: Heading into the Combine, NFLDraftScout.com referred to you as
"perhaps the best safety that no one is talking about." Is that how
you felt at that time?
EF: Yeah, but I liked it. They type of player I am, I don't need that
adulation to get me going. I don't work for other people to say "hey Eric,
he's the man," but more to know that I'm the best. And I guess that would
be the chip on my shoulder; I want to know that I'm the best out there. Even
going to the Combine and having some interviews and whatnot, the main thing is
to get on a roster and show people that I can compete with the best and that I
am one of the best.
ET: You really turned things up a notch your senior year. How do you think
that came about?
EF: I think just focus and preparation. Just for me it was getting
comfortable with football, not with football necessarily, but just getting
comfortable with who I was and what role I played on the team and excelling from
there and making it my own.
ET: Your coach said the following about you: "sweet kid, but he's a
head-hunter, a tough kid and the pro scouts say that too" how do you
reconcile that duality?
EF: To be honest I think my relationship with God. When I'm amongst people I
want to treat them with respect and kindness and just love people. And when I'm
on the football field, accordingly everything I do, I want to do it to the best
of my ability. So when I'm out there on the football field competing, it's a
whole different mentality and I kind of switch it on and then it becomes a game
of me against you and I get competitive.
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| (AP Photo/John Froschauer) |
ET: What do you love most about playing football?
EF: I love the competitive nature of the sport. I also enjoy the camaraderie,
being with your teammates, being able to share with each other, encourage each
other, pick each other up. The atmosphere from practice to gameday is beautiful.
ET: Your defensive backs coach Ken Greene said: "he's bigger, faster
and stronger than (Erik) Coleman…he could be a dominant player in a few
years" do you find that humbling?
EF: I really do. I do because Erik Coleman is a player I looked up to and, to
a certain extent, his work ethic is something I modeled. He was a guy I looked
up to and when he was working hard, I took a lot from him as a player; so that's
a heck of a compliment coming from coach Greene who is also a great guy and a
great person
ET: You had a broken collar bone in high school, but no real history of
injuries in college correct?
EF: That's correct. I didn't miss any time in college. When it came my
time to step on the field and play, I was always ready. I feel like, for me, I
always wanted to understand and make sure to keep myself in check, know the
difference between injured and hurt. If it was something that was bothering or
hurting me, I made sure to get into the cold tub and rehab and work at it, so
when it came to game time and practice time I was able to be on the field.
ET: Do you think any specific defensive schemes play to your strengths?
EF: I can play them all. Once I learn, and I have learned quite a few up here
at Washington State-- 3-4, 4-3 --to me it doesn't matter because regardless of
if I'm in the box, outside the box, far away from the ball, out of position, I'm
going to hustle to the other side of the field if I have to make the play.
To learn more about Eric Frampton, visit his player profile page. And check back on Sunday for the second half of this interview where Eric talks about the teams that are showing interest in him, his Combine experience, a couple of special awards he's won, and much more!
| A member of the Professional Football Writers of America, Ed Thompson's NFL and college football player interviews and features have been published across the Scout.com network and syndicated through FoxSports.com's NFL team pages. |
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