Getting To Know Conquest DS Clarence Curry
July 22, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release
This week the Albany Conquest PR department sat down with Conquest defensive safety #3 Clarence Curry, who has been the leader of the secondary and a veteran presence for Albany's defense this year.
You spent some time with the Arizona Cardinals in 2004. Do you use that experience as motivation to get back to the NFL?
Definitely. I had a little taste of the NFL; I was fortunate enough to be there for about a year and a half. I was on the practice squad for the majority of my NFL experience, but I did get to play in two games, and that is my motivation. I go out every day, whether it's in practice or whether it's in the games, and I'll try and give that same look because you never know who's going to be in the stands, whether it's an AFL scout or an NFL scout.
I try to pass that on and instill that thought process in our younger guys that haven't had that experience; to make sure they realize that the window of opportunity is very small and you don't want to miss that chance because you're out there not giving it your all thinking that nobody is watching. That's my mindset every day in the gym, on the field, and in the community.
What is your best NFL memory?
Oh man, I'll never forget it. It was the last intra-squad scrimmage we were having for the Arizona Cardinals in preseason training camp. Larry Fitzgerald ran this little baby skinny post and I went to intercept the ball, but it looked like I went to go hit him; we got there at the same exact time and he went flying, his helmet flew off. We'd get about 5,000 or 6,000 people at training camp, and everyone in the crowd was just like "Oooooh!" And the newspaper the next day said "The spotlight of the day was rookie free-agent Clarence Curry has a great hit on Larry Fitzgerald." I still have the paper clippings.
I'll never forget when I got signed to the active roster and I got my check, and I thought it was the biggest check in the world. It was for like $18,000 and I was ecstatic and I called my parents, and I got to my locker and see the article again, but there's an arrow on it and it says "Flip Over". So I flip it over and it's a copy of Larry Fitzgerald's check, and it was $380,000 just for that one week, and right under it said, "Clarence, nice hit." So it was a humbling experience. That put a big smile on my face, and that's when I knew they accepted me as a teammate and as a friend.
Do some of the less experienced guys on the team ever ask you about your time in the NFL?
(Laughs) Yeah, they always ask what I did with the money. And they ask what it was like to play with guys like Kurt Warner, Emmitt Smith, and Larry Fitzgerald. Like I said, I was blessed to be on a team that may not have been very strong in terms of their record, but from top to bottom had star-caliber players that I got to practice with and against every day.
And I can see it in the eyes of my teammates here; you can tell difference between a guy who's playing just to play, and a guy that really loves the game. They ask those questions because they are hungry to get to that next level, and I feel like if these guys do everything they need to do, they will have that opportunity. And then we can talk later on down the line when we have a Conquest reunion and they can tell me about their NFL experiences.
You jumped from Division I-AA Villanova straight to the NFL. How much different was the talent level and was that a tough adjustment for you to make?
I feel like that's what the scouts always have in the back of their heads as the major deciding factor. Why is it so difficult for a I-AA guy or a Division II guy to play against someone from Notre Dame or Michigan? I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous about that at first. You have to get into the heart of it and you realize that you're all young men and that you've all been through the same stuff. Obviously day in and day out they played against higher caliber guys, but if you're at the top tier of your conference, I feel like you can compete with anybody, and I took that mindset.
Like I said, at first I was a little nervous, but lining up against Larry Fitzgerald or Anquan Boldin or Brian Johnson, I got to the point where I felt comfortable with my abilities and my speed. If you look at it like you're inferior to these guys, they'll expose you and you'll be out of there before you know it.
How do you feel about the progress made by the defense from the beginning of the season until now?
I feel like when we were in preseason, we had a good nucleus of guys returning. We had Mike Lewis coming back, we had Ed Greene, and we had my myself, so I felt like we had a good opportunity to be a great defense. But then we had some injuries that steered our defensive wrong for a little bit. Once we ended up bringing in some new guys like Roland Minor, Mike Dungey, and Vernard Abrams coming to the defensive side of the ball, we had a great opportunity to showcase our abilities, and in the last six or seven games we have proven that we can be one of the best defenses in the league.
With 2008 playoff hopes gone, what is the motivation heading into the final game against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton?
Everyone needs to have that same mindset that we came here to finish. As a football player that has any kind of competitive spirit, you don't want to end the year just because your playoff hopes have ceased. We have the opportunity to play the best team in the league, and that could be a steamroll for wherever the guys end up going next year, whether its somebody going to the AFL, or somebody going to the CFL, or someone coming back here to the af2. You want to end on a good note so you can look at yourself in the mirror and say that you did everything you could, not only for your teammates, but for yourself.
How do injuries to starting quarterback Dan Cole and leading receiver Antwun Williams impact the defense?
You never want to see anyone get hurt, especially on your team and on the other side of the ball, because obviously this is an offensive-minded game. We've always had the mentality that it's not about what the other team is doing or what our offense is doing; we can only concentrate on what our responsibility is and that is to make stops for the offense. So as long as we can continue to get the ball back into the hands of QB Joe DeLuise, who is doing a great job replacing Cole right now, it gives the offense more opportunities. It's about statistics in the sense that the more chances you have to score the greater your chances are of scoring. So that's what we look at as a defense and hopefully we can help them do something.
You do a lot of community appearances here in the Albany area. Talk about those experiences.
Every team I've been on, I've loved to do community service. This is probably the most fan-friendly sport in the world. The way we are able to interact with the fans, the way they sit right next to the sideline and communicate with the players; it's hard to see a football player outside the game without their helmet on. So I like to go out there and show them that I CAN be a role model, that I DID go to school, that I DID graduate, and that I also used to be one of those kids that looked up to people like the Jerry Rices of the world and the Ronnie Lots of the world. And I wish that I had an opportunity for an athlete of their magnitude to come out and show their support, so in turn I like to give back to whatever area I'm in and show that same respect; that I really appreciate the fans coming out to the games.
What was your experience like in NFL Europe with the Rhein Fire?
Oh goodness, NFL Europe was one of the best experiences of my life. I was a starter, so I got into the mindset that I was an NFL-caliber player. I'm overseas with about 40,000 or 50,000 screaming fans blowing whistles, banging drums, and they're all there to watch me and my teammates be successful. The experience and the opportunity that I got over there can't beat anything, in terms of finally being able to play against those NFL-caliber guys, not just practice.
That steamrolled into training camp and I felt like a new guy in terms of my mental capacity, my physical attributes, and just my confidence in terms of knowing what I can do now because I played against the guys that are going to be on NFL teams when they get back. So the experience over there was like no other; it's disappointing that they got rid of NFL Europe because it limits guys like myself from Division I-AA, Division II, Division III schools that are going into camp and don't have that extra league to showcase our ability.
What are your plans for the summer?
I'm actually going to try and stay here in the Albany area and get a job, continue to work out, talk to Coach Hoffman and the other coaches, and cross my fingers and hopefully get an opportunity at a top tier level, whether its NFL, CFL, or back to the AFL.
You have a Wikipedia page. Do you know who created it and do you ever check it out?
I actually didn't even know it existed until my dad called me one day and said that he was looking up my name and it came up. And there was also a category on there called something like "Stars Born in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan" and it was only me and Jim Leyritz listed. My name was there and it just really brings a smile to your face that somebody takes the time and effort to give acknowledgement to other people like that. So whoever did that, I really appreciate it. I don't know who it was, but I hope that they continue to follow my career and just keep adding the stuff that I do.
But some stuff that's not written about me, like I said, is how much I enjoy the community service and love the kids. And any chance I get that I'm able to help or change the life of one individual, I let them know that the dream can turn into reality if you just put yourself in the right situation, like getting an education and putting in the hard work. Yeah, I play hard, but I'll be the first one to stay up all night watching film, doing whatever I have to do, because working hard and playing hard is living hard.
What is your favorite fast-food restaurant?
I'd have to go with Wendy's. I'm a big spicy chicken guy. I used to love the one they had at Burger King, but they ended up getting rid of it. So until BK comes back with the Spicy Tendercrisp, I'm going to have to go with the Spicy Chicken at Wendy's.
What is your best non-football talent?
Believe it or not, I sing. I'm from a singing family; my sister was in the Miss America pageant and her talent was singing. She also sings on Broadway plays. My dad went to the University of Michigan and ran track, but he also went to school for Opera and Classical Singing. So I feel like I can sit there and say I sing pretty well.
I also really love motorcycles, whether it's fixing them up or riding them. That's what I love to do. So singing is something that people wouldn't think a football player does behind close doors, while this fits right into the realm or what people would expect from a football player. I get the best of both worlds.
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