Q&A with New Orleans VooDoo QB Kurt Rocco
Published on July 16, 2012 under Arena Football League (AFL)
New Orleans VooDoo News Release
NEW ORLEANS (July 16, 2012) - Late last week, intern Jake Weinstock sat down with New Orleans VooDoo quarterback Kurt Rocco for this week's VooDoo Question and Answer. Rocco is in his second season in the AFL and first with the VooDoo, where he has become the franchise's first quarterback to pass for over 5,000 yards and 100 touchdowns in a season.
JAKE WEINSTOCK: Did you have a favorite sports team growing up? If so, why?
KURT ROCCO: For some reason it was Notre Dame, I really don't know why. I remember my brother always loving Michigan, and those two have a pretty big rivalry, so that probably factored into my decision.
JW: What was your first impression of Coach O'Hara?
KR: He seemed like a great guy, and he is. He's such a good coach. I already knew that he was a good coach, I knew he had been a great player in this league, and to top it off, it turned out he was an even better guy and a better person.
JW: What is your earliest sports memory?
KR: When I was in 4th or 5th grade, I remember playing linebacker-believe it or not, and chasing a receiver across the field as he was running a reverse. I leveled him before he ran out of bounds and everyone on the sideline was going absolutely crazy.
JW: What was your greatest sports moment?
KR: Last year when I was in Cleveland, we beat Pittsburgh late in the season, which sealed up the division and a playoff berth for us. That was definitely huge for our team and for me individually.
JW: Who was your favorite athlete growing up?
KR: I used to love Dan Marino. He was a gunslinger and I loved the way he played the game.
JW: Who is your favorite athlete today?
KR: Probably Peyton Manning. Either Peyton or Tom Brady. I love the way Peyton controls the huddle, controls the game, and I like watching him make his calls at the line of scrimmage, be that his fake ones or his real ones.
JW: Who's the best player you've ever had to play against?
KR: "Javon Ringer. My junior year of high school, he went to Chaminade-Julienne (Dayton, OH) and he was hurt. He wasn't supposed to play against us, and we were winning early, but then they decided to put him in. Once he started playing it wasn't even close, he completely tore us up.
JW: For you to improve as a player, you need to do what?
KR: I can definitely get better at some little mechanic things, my footwork, my accuracy, and my throwing motion can all stand to improve. I'm working on that stuff everyday while the defense is working against the scout team offense. Aside from that, I feel like I need to learn how to break down film more efficiently.
JW: What do you feel are 3 characteristics that a good teammate should have?
KR: Respect for other teammates, they have to be good at what they do, and they need to play some sort of a leadership role. It doesn't have to be overly vocal, it can be as simple as leading by example.
JW: If the VooDoo win the ArenaBowl, what's the first thing you'll do?
KR: I'd take the team out somewhere, I'll tell you that much. As the starting quarterback, with the pay we get, you have to treat your players, you have to take care of your teammates.
JW: What was your reaction when you found out you were joining the VooDoo?
KR: I was excited, I was excited to go down south and play some football. I'd never been down south before, I'd always been up north. I was excited to get down to some warm weather, which is getting a little too warm now, but I was definitely excited about coming to New Orleans for the first time.
JW: What player would you most like to play against?
KR: If I could go to the NFL, I'd love to play against a great linebacker like Ray Lewis, I feel like that'd be pretty intense. As far as going head-to-head against another quarterback, I think competing against someone like Tom Brady would be fun.
JW: What grade would you give yourself for last season?
KR: I'd say B, B-. We won the division, we went to the playoffs, but I was definitely inconsistent throughout the season. We won a lot of home games, but we lost a lot of away games. Some of those road games were against bad teams, and those aren't games you should lose.
JW: What other sports do you like to watch?
KR: I like watching basketball, I like watching soccer, especially Euro and the World Cup. I actually don't watch a lot of baseball on TV, but I love going to the games.
JW: What do you like to do on your off days?
KR: I try to get as much sleep and as much rest as I can. I'm learning to play the guitar and I like doing that. I always try to get a workout in on my days off, you've gotta stay healthy and strong throughout the course of the season, especially in the second half.
JW: Which celebrity would you most like to meet?
KR: Jeremy Piven; Ari from 'Entourage'. He would have to be in that character at all times though (laughs).
JW: What was your favorite subject in school?
KR: I always liked physics in high school. I went into physics during my freshman and the early part of my sophomore year at Mount Union. I wanted to do some sort of engineering, but I got out of that and went into business.
JW: Nintendo, Super Nintendo, or Sega Genesis?
KR: I like regular Nintendo, I like to keep it old school. 'Tecmo Super Bowl' was always my game.
JW: What's your favorite city in America besides New Orleans?
KR: Cincinnati, just because it's my hometown. I think a lot of people that haven't been to Cincinnati go and then tell me how much they enjoyed it.
JW: If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?
KR: I'd go to Fiji or Sicily. The latter is where my ancestors are from.
JW: What was the last book you read and was it good?
KR: The last book I read was my playbook, and it was good. I don't really read a lot (laughs).
Arena Football League Stories from July 16, 2012
- Fans to Vote on Player of the Year Nominees - AFL
- Sharks Playoff Tickets Now on Sale - Jacksonville Sharks
- Talons Hold Top Spot in Final Power Rankings - AFL
- VooDoo, Mardi Gras Indians Team up for School Supply Drive Contest - New Orleans VooDoo
- Q&A with New Orleans VooDoo QB Kurt Rocco - New Orleans VooDoo
- Philadelphia Soul Take over the Buck Hotel - Philadelphia Soul
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