A conversation with WR Michael Floyd Dan Leberfeld
A lot of speculation links Notre Dame’s Michael Floyd to the Jets at 16. Here is a chat with the WR about football, his DUI and other matters . . .
Q)How much does your size (6-3, 220) help you at the receiver position?
Floyd: I really like the big frame I [have]. I’m comfortable at this height and weight, and I feel I can run very well.
Q)Who are some of the big receivers you like to watch and like?
Floyd: I would say Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson those are the three I really like.
Q)How tough has the interview process been?
Floyd: It’s been all right. I know the questions they’re going to ask. I’m comfortable to answer anything. It’s just about answering the questions and moving forward.
Q)What are your telling teams about your maturity level related to the drinking incidents?
Floyd: That it’s a mistake that happened in the past and that I’m moving forward. I think I’ve grown a lot. Coming to the NFL, I think you do have to mature a great deal because obviously you’ll get behind in a lot of things (if you don’t).
This is a professional sport and you gotta act like a professional.
Q)Do you think the drinking incidents will hurt your stock?
Floyd: I don’t know. All I can do is be honest and tell them exactly what happened in my past and go on from there.
Q)Describe your off-field incidents?
Floyd: Just immaturity. You know, people all the time make mistakes like this. Unfortunately, it happened to me on a big stage going across the nation. It’s about moving forward. It’s about making sure you don’t make the same mistakes again, and just keeping a positive [mindset].
Q)How did Brian Kelly handle you after the DUI?
Floyd: He put me through a couple classes, stayed on my side the whole time, made sure of what I was doing every single day. Making sure I was on top of the things I to accomplish to be back on the team, possibly.
I give him a lot of thanks for sticking by me because in that position you never know. A coach could just rule you out of the thing and kick you off the team and you’d have no availability to be back. He gave me a chance and I took that chance and moved forward.
Q)How did you change your lifestyle after the DUI?
Floyd: I went out less. That was probably it. Just kind of changed the whole environment around me – friends. [Hung around] with just guys that I wouldn’t have to be in that position of having to do things that would potentially put me in a troubled positions.
I went to alcohol classes at school with a certain counselor with a whole bunch of kids from Notre Dame that were kind of going through some problems, too. It was a good experience and I liked it.
Q)How much will it help you in the NFL, having played under Charlie Weis, early in your Notre Dame career?
Floyd: It was a pro-style offense. It was a lot different from Coach Kelly being in the spread.
Being in this position now and going into the NFL, It’s good that I learned both of them and I have a little bit of experience in both.
Q)You really seemed to improve as a run blocker this past season . . .
Floyd: I wanted to be an all-around wide receiver. A lot of people say wide receivers don’t like to block. I wanted to put that into my arsenal.
Q)What wide receiver position are you most comfortable at?
Floyd: I’m comfortable in all different positions, slot or outside. It’s just making sure that I understand the whole offensive scheme of what’s going on and all the route concepts. Just making sure you stayed in the playbook.
