SPECIAL: Interview with BC's Alex Albright

As always, we will stick to our "Draft" format, but when we are able to have special guests that become available, we will have them on.

Today, we are extremely fortunate to have Alex Albright join us. Wesley conducted the interview with Alex. A big BCDraft "THANK YOU!!" to Alex Albright for taking the time to chat with us.

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BCDraft: Let me start it off with what everyone wants to know, how does it feel to be back on the field this year?

Alex Albright: It feels great. I haven’t been out there for a while and it was beginning to get to me because I missed being on the field, in the hotels, and in the locker room with the guys so it is a familiar feeling that I have been missing for a long time.


BCD: After having a stellar 2007, 2008 got cut short because of a neck injury.. Can you tell us a bit about this injury , and how the surgery and recovery process went?

AA: Basically I was born with a neck that was a little to flexible and when I would flex it a certain degree back, it was cutting off my spinal cord a little more than normal and was causing some problems. So they had to fuse 2 vertebrae together in order to make it so my neck wouldn’t move as much. The only recovery was time really, there wasn’t any therapy too much because I worked on moving my neck on my own time so it was easy to gain my range of motion almost completely back.

BCD: You were recruited by a good amount of schools coming out of High School, and you chose Boston College ( we are very thankful you did). How did you make this decision? What was this process like?

AA: Well Boston College was straight up with me. They let me know that I was one of their top recruits at that position and that they really wanted me to come, but they were only going to take two defensive ends that year so if two committed they would not have a spot for me. All the other schools were waiting on senior film because I didn’t play that much as a junior. In the end the opportunity to play was more enticing than an Ohio State team jumpsuit on the bench.


BCD: As you are now a role model now, who inspired you when you were younger?

AA: My favorite player was Mike Alstott on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was just a tough player who I loved to watch. Him and John Lynch on that team were the guys who I paid most attention too. I remember my father taking me to the Bucs’ training camp once and to an old Bucs game in Tampa and it was awesome. I still have a close up photo of Alstott in my room at home.


BCD: Before the game.. everyone is listening to music.. trying to get in the zone..
what are you listening to?

AA: Sometimes I listen to music and sometimes I like to just listen to the sounds of the locker room. You hear guys taping up their wrists, the faint boom of the bass in their headphones, people talking, and sometimes even the fans and band outside. I like to just fully immerse myself in the experience that is college football because my injuries have taught me that this will definitely not last so I should enjoy it while I can.


BCD: A lot has been made about the video game NCAA10 by EASports. Do guys check out their ratings? Who is the most under-rated player on BC's team in the game? Do you play (and if so, what teams do you play with and why)?

AA: Guys on the team love that game. People are always making fun of the lowest rated player and it gets pretty funny. I do play from time to time so I don’t know the ratings too well, but the most underrated player would have to be myself, because when I created myself as a kid I was always a 99 rating, so I should be a 99 now right?


BCD: Nicknames are easy....we know Aponovicious "Sid", and of course many players in the past like "ice". Aside from "Uncle Dave", what are some of the other nicknames that players call each other, outside of Albright what is your nickname?

AA: A few guys call me Bam Bam because my uncle let a few guys know that it was my nickname as a young kid. Tuggle is “Tuggs”, Claiborne is “Claybooty”, Mike McLaughlin is “Mac” Bowman is “Boomcat”, Billy Flutie is “Flakes" or "Flutie Flakes”, Jim Noel is “Sticks”, Quigly is “Twigly”, Autin Giles “The Dancing Bear”, Castonzo “Cazy”, Rich “Gunnz” Gunnell, that’s a lot of them

BCD: During your career at BC, you’ve had an uncanny ability to get to the passer. Since you’re an undersized (by weight standards) DE, most people assume you usually go with a speed rush, but I’ve noticed that you mix it up a good bit. Do you enter the game knowing the tendencies of the specific Tackle you’re going up against, or do you have your own game plan and apply it to whomever you’re facing?

AA: Oh yeah you definitely look at what certain guys do when they get a speed rush or are presented with twists, etc. You have to know your enemy and play to their disadvantages. When I do get the opportunity to pass rush and I’m not doing a blitz of something there is a lot that goes through my head, but I always have their disadvantages in the back of my mind when I decide what move to do.

BCD: This [past] week you guys [went] to Clemson, to play the Tigers in Death Valley. As a fan this is one of my favorite away venues to go to.
Do you have a favorite ? And if so why?

AA: Clemson is one of my favorites. The stadium is so loud, but the fans are very hospitable. It’s a great atmosphere for football. When I broke my arm the fans we asking me if I was okay and saying I played well and they have always been very welcoming to my parents and opposing fans.

BCD: Every year BC seems to not get the respect it deserves on the preseason polls.. does this become “locker room material” to motivate the team?

AA: Of course. When people always make you as the underdog, you get defensive and take it personally. [If] people don’t respect us than we feel the need to keep supplying them with material to put us in the polls. If they don’t want to do that preseason then fine, but the thing that matters to us is where we are in the end.


BCD: You were originally recruited by TOB, and then played under Jags.. and now Spaz… explain how the changes in coaching have effected you.

AA: The only dramatic change would be different position coach when Jags came, but we were still running the same defense so not too much changed.


BCD: What is your favorite sack?

AA: Against Notre Dame. They were on a drive inside the red zone and we were only up by 14 or so. We needed a stop and to hold them to a field goal so coach called a blitz and I knew I had two guys blitzing inside so I went with speed past the right tackle and the safety Paul Anderson and I came away with the sack.



BCD: Who would you say was the toughest QB to sack (not saying anything about the OL trying to stop you, but specifically which QB is toughest to take down / get your hands on, etc. )?

AA: Julian Edelman from Kent State last year. That is one of the shiftiest players I have ever seen in my life and there is a reason he is doing big things for the patriots as a 6th round pick. He is a highly underrated player. Majority of what their team was able to do the past few years was because of Eugene Jarvis and Julian’s abilty to make people miss with his feet.

BCD: Alex, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us. We hope you and the rest of our Eagles have a great year!