AFL I Arena Football League (1987-2008)

AFL Q&A: San Jose SaberCats QB Mark Grieb

Published on June 3, 2004 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release


NEW YORK – San Jose QB MARK GRIEB and the No. 2-seeded SaberCats (11-5) continue their Drive to ArenaBowl XVIII this Saturday on NBC at 2:45 p.m. ET when they face the No. 7 seed and defending champion Tampa Bay Storm (9-7) in the Quarterfinal Round of the playoffs at HP Pavillion in San Jose, Calif.

Grieb (6-2, 208, UC Davis) led San Jose to a 62-55 victory over Tampa Bay on April 4, passing for 351 yards and nine touchdowns in the teams' only meeting this season.

Grieb, now in his seventh AFL season, had one of the most efficient seasons at quarterback in League history, setting new single-season records for passer rating (133.5) and completion percentage (73.0 percent) while leading the SaberCats to their fifth-straight playoff berth. He finished No. 5 in the league with 4,111 passing yards, No. 7 in touchdowns with 75, and played in all 16 games for San Jose this season. He holds San Jose career team records in all major passing categories.

Grieb, 30, is a top contender for the Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Year award. He earned Offensive Player of the Year in 2002 and was named to the All-Arena First team that season. Grieb is currently No. 8 on the AFL all-time career leaders in passing touchdowns (348) and No. 11 in yards (17,987), attempts (2,089), and completions (1,372).

The California native played three years of college football at UC-Davis where he also majored in biochemistry. He earned a Master's degree in education at Stanford and served as an assistant coach at Foothill College. Grieb also plans to be the offensive coordinator at Menlo College this offseason. On Saturday, he and the SaberCats will begin the 2004 playoffs in front of a home crowd in San Jose.

Q: When was the first time you ever played football?

A: I started playing organized football when I was eight years old. I had a friend who was into Pop Warner football in our area, he told me about it, then I came home and told my family, ‘Hey, I want to play football!' So, I ended up playing, and I was the backup center in my first year. My older brother actually wound up being the quarterback.

Q: How does the AFL compare/differ from 100-yard football?

A: I think the fundamentals of football are the same whether you're on a big field or a smaller field. But, the dynamics obviously change. Your mentality has to change in terms of how often you're scoring. In that way, [the AFL] is more similar to basketball, you have to think you're going to go down [the field] and score every time. There are a lot more touchdowns, so it is a lot more back-and-forth, and the size of the field makes it a much quicker game.

Q: What are your fitness schedule and eating habits like?

A: We try to stick to the schedule that our strength coach FRED STEPHENS has us on. We'll usually work out three times a week, early in the week before it gets closer to gametime. As far as eating, some days I'm good and some days I'm bad. I don't have a strict eating routine. Sometimes I'll go to In-N-Out Burger (fast food chain), and sometimes I'll eat pasta.

Q: Describe your personality on and off the football field.

A: I don't know if this describes me or not, but my wife says that if you had to rate me on a scale from 1 to 10 in terms of how excited or how down I am on a daily basis, she says I'm usually about a 7, on good days I'm a 7.5, and on bad days I'm a 6.5. Her point is that I'm pretty even keel. I try to carry that into the games.

Q: What makes you a good teammate?

A: I care about the guys on my team. It's not just about whether a guy got the job done or not. I honestly like the guys that I play with, I care about them, and I want to see them do well.

Q: You set new single-season records for completion percentage and passer rating this year. To what do you attribute those accomplishments?

A: Any time you're able to break a record, it's a team thing—especially as a quarterback. You have to have guys that are playing well around you. It really shows how our offense has played this year, from Offensive Coordinator TERRY MALLEY and the plays he is designing to the protection we' re getting from our lineman and our receivers doing a good job getting open. [Setting the records] is not something you do on your own. It's nice to say, ‘Hey, I have this record,' but it's not really an individual thing.

Q: You were an assistant coach at Foothill College and you plan to be the offensive coordinator at Menlo College in the fall, do you want to be a head coach someday?

A: I see myself as a coach in the future. If being a head coach is in the cards, then I would be a head coach. I like coaching and I like working with people. I like the competitive aspect of sports and also trying to get the most out of people. As a coach, you're competing, too, against the other coaches and you're asking yourself if you can get your players in the best position to win the game. I think the people who go into coaching looking at it as an extension of playing, end up very unhappy. I see [coaching] as a completely different career. I do see myself as a teacher, and people that are good coaches are good teachers. They are able to get their messages across to players.

Q: Where do you see yourself in five years?

A: I have no idea. When I think about five years from now, more than anything, I think about my [twin] daughters. They'll be five years old at that point and running around. I wonder more what they're going to be doing five years from now. I'll be 35. They'll be starting kindergarten, so I think more about them.

Q: What is your favorite moment from your AFL career to date?

A: The thing I remember the most is winning a championship in 2002. That was a special day for our team and that was a special season. We had a great group of people and a fun year. If you want to talk about one moment, winning the ArenaBowl was special.

Q: Which AFL arena do you think is the toughest to play in?

A: I don't like playing where there are curved end zones which make it harder on offense. So Las Vegas and Orlando are tough from that perspective. In terms of fan support, you have to give it to Arizona. Their fans really get into it. They have a good atmosphere and it's just uncomfortable to play there.

Q: Who is the toughest AFL player you've faced in your career?

A: There's no question that [Arizona Rattlers QB] SHERDRICK BONNER is one of the best players in this league that I face year in and year out. You know he's going to come and compete. He's tough. We just lost to him last Sunday (50-43 Arizona win). He played another tough game. He battles and he is a competitor. And [Rattlers WR/LB] HUNKIE COOPER is a stud. He gets players around him to play hard and is the same type of player [as Bonner].

Q: With last weekend's loss to Arizona, your team missed its chance at the No. 1 playoff seed. Now, as No. 2, you have to face the defending champion Tampa Bay Storm. What is the team's attitude going into this Saturday's game?

A: We know we're going to face a good football team and a well-coached team. It's the playoffs and there is a playoff mentality. It's win or go home and our team is aware of that. We've had a pretty good focus this week and hopefully that will show up on Saturday.

Q: What two AFL teams would you like to see in the ArenaBowl this year?

A: I'd obviously like to see our team there. With the way Arizona is playing, I think we'll probably see them if we get there. And I'd like to see them again! We've had a couple of good games with them, including the last game which game down to the last play of the game and could have gone either way. I'd like to see them again, but I don't control that and it doesn't really matter. Whoever is put in front of us is fine. The way I look at it, there is no slouch among all the teams from the No. 1 seed through No. 8. They are going to be tight games and it's going to come down to games that are won at the last minute.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from June 3, 2004


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