Getting To Know Conquest WR RJ Harvey
June 26, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release
This week the Albany Conquest PR department sat down with Conquest wide receiver #8 RJ Harvey, the Colonie High School grad that returned to team he made his professional debut with in 2006.
How does it feel to be back?
Feels great to be back. Just playing football and putting the pads on is an unbelievable feeling in itself, so I'm just glad to be back.
You grew up in Colonie. What is it like to be playing pro football just a few miles away from where you played high school football?
It's great. I have a lot of support here. People in Albany know me and when I go out on the field I try to play my best for them. Every time I put the pads on, especially here at the Times Union Center, I really want to play for everyone in the area. Definitely had lot of people who came out to the Daytona Beach game for my first game back. I had to get a lot of tickets, which Coach Hoffman wasn't too happy about (Laughs). But he hooked it up and I definitely had a lot of support out there.
What led you to come back to the Conquest?
Well, it's home and it's convenient. I definitely want to play football and I'm coming off a knee injury last year, which was the reason I wasn't playing. But I was home and it was an opportunity to play football, get better, move up and continue playing.
The first pass you catch is a fourth quarter touchdown against Daytona Beach to seal the win. How did that feel? What was going through your head when that happened?
Oh man, it felt great. You have no idea. It was just a year ago in June that I hurt my knee. All this hard rehab I've been doing, working really hard, it all paid off. The guys on the team got on me because I didn't even do a celebration, but I couldn't help it because I was so excited.
Did you feel any first game jitters?
In the first half, I was probably the most nervous wreck in the world. A couple series into it, I started to calm down and get into the offense. I made a couple mistakes and coach let me know about them in film the next day and he got on me a little bit. But overall he said I did well, and hopefully I do better next game.
Both you and defensive back Brandon Taylor went to the University of New Hampshire. Did you guys play together?
We were teammates for three years and very friendly off the field; he was my boy. We used to play Spades and Tonk (card games) together all the time. He was my partner and no one could beat us.
There seems to be some back luck with the New Hampshire guys and knee injuries. Aside from you, Brandon Taylor lost his senior season to a similar injury. What was that experience like?
You know, it was just a freak accident. And it's actually weird because it happened in Manchester, which is where we are going this weekend. So that's kind of scary, but I'll be alright. The play that it happened on, I ran a post and jumped to get the ball and my foot got caught in the turf. Basically, my kneecap was in my quad. I pushed myself in rehab. They would tell me to do certain things and I would try to do it double to try to get back quicker. It was very painful but it was something I knew I had to do if I wanted to keep playing football. But it's feeling better now. That was a year ago and I'm a lot better now.
You were one of the leading rushers in the Atlantic-10. You led the conference with 16 touchdowns during your junior year in 2003. Was it tough making the transition from running back to wide receiver?
Definitely. Antwun Williams was here for my first year, we came in together. He and Manwell Talbert, who's down in Bossier-Shreveport, they basically took me under their wing. First of all, I didn't know anything about the arena game, and second of all, I didn't know anything about playing receiver. They would tell me do this or that, and once I put my mind to something I want to be great at it. I kept working at it and it's paid off. Now I feel very comfortable running routes and with the whole indoor game in general.
You were also the Atlantic-10 100m champion. Is your speed more of a weapon in the indoor game or the outdoor game?
Speed is speed wherever you go. The arena game is a little more confined because of the walls and it's only 50 yards, but if you have speed it's definitely an advantage anywhere you go. One thing I continue to work on is staying fast. That's my advantage; I'm not that big, I'm not that strong, but I can run a little bit.
Did anybody else in your family play football?
Yeah. My dad was actually in the NFL for a year with the Seattle Seahawks before he got hurt. And my brother was actually a very good high school receiver and defensive back. He actually got offers to play at Syracuse and Penn State as a junior, but decided to play basketball at Siena. That was his sport, he liked basketball. I kind of get mad at him all the time and tell him "If only I was your height..." (Laughs) My younger brother played in high school and he was All-Area at Colonie Central High School also, and he played at Norwich University.
How did your father's experience in the NFL help you as you were growing up?
He definitely gave me lots of pointers when I was little. But just the fact that he was in the NFL made me listen to everything he said, because I knew that's where I wanted to be. So he really could have told me anything and I would have done it. But he gave me a lot of good advice and I credit just about everything I do in football to him.
Broadway Joe's just won the title of "Best Wings in Albany". Being from the area, what is your favorite place to get wings?
(Laughs) Being from Colonie, I've got to say Ralph's Tavern, right next to Colonie High School. Very good wings, I love them.
What do you do when you are not on the football field?
I'm at the gym a lot. I also love basketball and I really like to compete. That's one thing I like; I have fun competing in anything. I love playing cards, and basketball is a big thing I do. I also enjoy swimming. In New Hampshire, we used to go to the beach all time.
For work, I have a job at Sand Creek Middle School in Colonie. I'm a teachers' assistant for special education seventh and eighth graders.
Finish this sentence. When I was playing football as a kid, I used to pretend I was...?
Barry Sanders. We had the same running style and I always wanted to be like him. I thought he was the greatest thing in the world. I always wanted to wear number 20 because of him.
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The Conquest are on the road in Week 14 for a crucial East Division match up against the Manchester Wolves. Kick off is scheduled for 7:30 pm on Friday, June 27th at Verizon Wireless Arena in New Hampshire, where Albany beat Manchester 66-62 on April 18th in Week 4. Albany's next home game is not until Week 17 as they host Manchester for a 7:00 pm kick off on Friday, July 18th at the Times Union Center.
Group and individual game tickets are now on sale for the remainder of the 2008 Albany Conquest regular season. For more information please contact the Conquest at (518) 487-2244 or online at www.albanyconquest.com
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