Antoine Calloway interview
April 17, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Greensboro Prowlers News Release
April 17, 2003 - GREENSBORO, NC -- During the off-season when the Greensboro Prowlers brass focused on those players that were key returnees for 2003 one of the most significant was Offensive Specialist Antoine Calloway. In just one season with the Prowlers, Calloway moved to second in team history with 1,462 yards and has the distinction of being the only player in franchise history with more that 100 receptions and 1,000 yards in a single season.
C-way, as he is known to the fans, is not the typical wide receiver in the af2. Antoine possesses a height advantage over the smaller defensive specialists that he faces, as well as a size advantage that he is able to utilize during the game to give himself the maximum advantage. With a similar body style of receivers such as Michael Irvin, Terrell Owens, and David Boston, Calloway is a stark contrast to many of the receivers and specialists that are challenged by height and size that exist throughout the af2. Having the opportunity to sit down with AC, he expressed his opinion on the following topics:
How anxious are you to get out on the field for this upcoming season?
Calloway: To finish up the 2002 season on an up note as far as personal accomplishments, I could not wait for March to get here. So now that training camp is here it is time to get the job done. It is time to put the Prowlers on the map, and make them more potent than just a one-dimensional receiver type of team.
In 2003 you will be focusing your attention to learning a position that is different from Offensive Specialist, different from your role last season. What have you done to better prepare yourself for this position?
Calloway: I have been doing a little more lifting than normal. I am not much of a weight lifter and to get myself ready to make tackles I have had to better prepare myself. Making tackles is not something that I have done since high school or on special teams, because being and Offensive Specialist you have to worry about catching the ball. But this past preseason and since the Arena Football League started in February I have been watching people at my position (wide receiver/jack) and I always say to myself âI can do that, I can do that. Therefore I feel that I can do exactly what I am setting out to do. This is the first time, I am experimenting with the position so early in the season. I have experimented the past two years for about three or four games late in the season, but to start off so early in the season it is something different. So in actuality I have been hanging out with the weightlifters, the offensive lineman and the linebackers.
You are a physical receiver that is able to use your height to your advantage among af2 coverages. What receiver(s) do you pattern your game after the most for their physical presence?
Calloway: Of course we all know that Michael Irvin was one of the biggest wide receivers and the most physical in the aspect of once the ball was in the air it is mine regardless of who is beside me. I think another receiver is Shannon Sharpe, which he is a tight end at heart but he plays the position of wide receiver. Being that I played tight end and wide receiver in high school, I have done them both is where it comes from. I was a stand-up tight end for two years at North Carolina Central and one year in high school. So to see Shannon do it with just his physical presence is just allowing me to realize once again I can do that. With Irvin using his swim motion coming off the line of scrimmage, I take a lot of pride in being able to get off the ball because I am so big and most DB's are 5-9 and 170 pounds and I am 6-3, 210 lbs., there is no reason why I can not get where I need to go regardless of who is in front of me.
Prior to each season do you ever sit down and list your goals for the upcoming campaign? If so, what standards have you set for yourself in 2003?
Calloway: I personally don't have any goals that I set on the football field. Being a wide receiver, you can't do anything without the support of your whole team. You have to have the luxury of your lineman blocking and your quarterback throwing, not exactly on time, but throwing good patterns. You also have to depend on your running backs blocking the blind side of your quarterback, therefore my job does not get done until everyone else's job gets done. I look at it as if I can be running wide open and if the quarterback is on his back then he can't see me wide open. So I look at it from a team perspective, because if everyone else is doing their job, then I get the opportunity to do my part.
This is your third year in the af2, second in Greensboro. Moving onto the next level is definitely something that enters your mind. What do you think that you need to do on and off the field to make that happen?
Calloway: A this point I really don't know. I have met a lot of guys that had a chance to go to the leagues (CFL, NFL, and NFL Europe), and I really don't know because I have never made it any higher than an arenafootball2 team. This is my second year in Greensboro, third year in the league, and I have never come back to a team before. With this being my second time in Greensboro, I plan to do a little more of the people skills, and with my outgoing personality it is not going to be difficult. The problem for me is going to be something that I have not done yet, so here in Greensboro I plan to be a little more consistent. Being consistent is definitely an aspect that I preach to my teammates. One thing that stands out is that anyone can be fast, but if you are getting clocked you want to stay consistent or get better, but never accept failing. I take pride in being a fourth quarter person, as far as game situations, because by that point my consistency has really stepped up while everyone else is going on at the same pace.
One thing that few fans know about you is that you work with kids at a daycare. If you could cap your career in storybook fashion, how would the ending be?
Calloway: I would write the ending to my story winning a championship on whatever level I end up on. In high school I missed the playoffs by a half game. In college in my senior season I missed the playoffs by a half a game, which was weird because there were three teams tied with the same record and they just picked a team. I also played semi-pro twice and made it two the final four twice but we still haven't gotten to the championship. I know that I would love to make it to a championship game, because I would find a way to get better and put a ring on my finger as well as my teammates.
What has been your most memorable game in a Prowlers uniform?
Calloway: The game against Rochester last season where I was turned loose, in a matter of speaking. Me and the number one ranked receiver in the league (Martino Theus) were going tit-for-tat, and he finished up with 11 catches and I had nine. We both had four touchdowns in the game, and he had exactly eighteen yards more than me because he had 150 yards and I had 132 yards. That game definitely stands out in my mind. If I could pick another game would be when I made my 100th reception against the Norfolk Nighthawks. Being that I was a history major, these dates really stick out because I can really remember dates when necessary.
• Discuss this story on the arenafootball2 message board...
arenafootball2 Stories from April 17, 2003
- af2 Friday Game Previews - af2
- Antoine Calloway interview - Greensboro Prowlers
- Rochester Brigade Game Notes - Rochester Brigade
- Brigade Home Opener April 18 - Rochester Brigade
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
