Ed Thompson: Let's talk about your senior year. A nine-game starter, you
worked really hard to have that opportunity coming up through the ranks and
overcoming an injury. Did that make your senior year a little more special?
Chris Frome: Yes, it was real special just because after my knee injury last
year in the USC game I wasn't sure how it was going to pan out or how my knee
was going to handle football again, but it ended up working out and I worked my
way back and got my spot back - it was a great year. Things could have gone a
little better for the team, but I was happy to be out there.
ET: What do you think was your favorite memory from your senior year?
CF: Probably that Michigan State game; that was a big game for us. We were
down about three touchdowns and we came back in the rain and there were a lot of
memories in that game. Between that and the UCLA game at home, we had some
great, great memories.
ET: Talk a little about the knee injury and how did you rehab it to come
back as well as you did?
CF: During the USC game, it was a pass play and I was in the backfield
chasing after (QB Matt) Leinart and our other defensive end sacked him right in
front of me. I ended up jumping over the pile and coming down on it wrong and
ended up with a torn ACL. I had surgery about three days later and from then on
out I was just constantly in the pool as much as I could, doing everything. I
was on crutches for a little while, but I was moving as much as I could. The
training staff here really helped me out a lot. I was training two times a day
and I was able to come back in about six months and was feeling pretty good.
ET: A lasting image as you were being taken off the field was you pumping
your fist at the crowd. How were you able to keep your spirits that high and
how, when you had an injury that was that painful, were you able to find that
gesture within yourself?
CF: The most memorable game was that USC game. I know we lost but the energy
in the stadium was unlike anything I've ever seen before. That was obviously a
big play for us, it was a sack, a big play for Victor, and the crowd just went
dead quiet after I got hurt. So when I got back up I just wanted--I mean,
I pretty much knew I was hurt and not coming back into the game--I wanted to get
the crowd excited again and get something going. I look back at it now and it's
kind of silly, but it was a great feeling when I was coming off the field to get
that kind of support.
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| (Brian Bahr/Getty Images) |
ET: Obviously one thing the pros count on is young players coming in and
being able to contribute on special teams. Talk a little about how you think you
can help a team with your experience…
CF: Absolutely. When you're coming through a program like Notre Dame, or any
great D-I program, you have to work your way up through the ranks and that's
something I had to do. A great way to get on the field early is to play special
teams and I know Coach Weiss loves guys that play hard on special teams. I did
it under Coach Willingham, so my first year I redshirted, but my sophomore and
junior years I played a lot of special teams. I played on all four special teams
during my career so I think it's something that would come a little more natural
to me and maybe a little faster than for some other guys. Any way I can get on
the field and contribute is something I'm looking forward to.
ET: I know you're a pretty smart fellow, so how much has that helped you
in understanding the game and picking up the techniques needed to be successful?
CF: Especially when Coach Weiss came in and we had an entirely new,
complicated scheme for college. There were a lot of little intricacies that we
needed to memorize on the defensive line and it was nice to be able to do that.
Our coaching staff helped us and there are a lot of smart guys at our school so
we were able to pick it up pretty easily and it ended up being a pretty good
year for us.
ET: Character and attitude have become such a big focus these days, what do
you think your teammates would say about you?
CF: Our defensive line last year, we were all seniors and veteran players. We
were looked at as the leaders of the defense. We all had our own ways of
motivating people, but I would say I'm more of a leader by example as a player.
I've always been involved with the whole team. We've always been a real
tight-knit community on our football team and that's something that I hear
changes a lot at the next level, but I always like to stay close to my
teammates. We're always around the campus together and it's great to be able to
have that.
Scout.com subscribers can click here to read the rest of this interview
with Chris where he talks about his Pro Day performances, his strengths as a
defensive end, and who's been calling him as the draft approaches! And you can
learn more about Chris by visiting his player
profile page.
| 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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