Last week Degree invited Complex TV's very own Sean Evans to come to a simulated combine so he could be judge solely based on his physical aptitude. He performed admirably and looked even better doing it. Now, as cool as it was to see Hines Ward judging members of the media, Sir Smilesalot was actually supposed to be Saints tight end Jimmy Graham. Unfortunately, because of scheduling and his injury, he wasn't able to attend. So, to make up for his absence, Degree linked us up with him for a brief Skype conversation to talk football, smelly armpits, and the Charlotte Hornets.
"The DO: More Combine was a great event," Graham said. "It’s been a great partnership, and we had media come in to be a part of this combine and see how it feels for us athletes to have to train. I think Hines did a great job filling in. He brings the energy and he had the media putting up some different numbers."
Jimmy also took us through the moment when he hurdled a former teammate this week and explained why the NFL might want to reconsider Thursday night football games.
Interview by Tony Markovich (@T_Marko)
Why do you think it’s been a bit of a slow start for you guys this season?
I think mainly the slow start can be attributed to not being able to finish games. Early, we have been in some close battles. We lost, I think, three games literally in a matter of seconds. We were 10 seconds away from winning all of those games. We weren’t finishing the way we’ve always finished, and a lot of that you have to put on yourself. You can’t point that finger on anybody, it’s, “what could I have done to help us get that win late?” And two, we are kind of a young team. We kind of had a big turnover, and finally, this last week, we’ve gotten in the right kind of rhythm to see how to finish games and to see how these games need to be played. They need to be played with an intensity at all times, and the most important part is to finish.
How’s your shoulder?
It’s getting better, but it’s a constant battle. This week’s big for me. It’s extremely difficult playing Sunday night to Thursday night, especially when you’re banged up. You really can’t even practice that week or go to walk-throughs, so you can’t do anything with it. This week’s huge in my recovery and trying to heal up. I’m gonna do whatever it takes to get out there for my team.
How do you feel about Thursday night games?
I’m not going to get all over Thursday night, I know it’s a big deal. I know a lot of people and close friends who work those Thursday night games and always say good things about me. But I think some things might need to be evaluated, especially for teams who have to play Sunday night and then have to play Thursday. I think that’s extremely difficult. Maybe they could help with that in the scheduling.
I think when you do that to a team, you really press their backs against the wall. Everybody is like, “well, you guys won.” Yeah, you win, but your body loses. For us, especially for the position that I play, I’m always going across the middle, I’m always taking huge hits. To go three days, and I’m already trying to warm up for another game, it’s extremely difficult for the body and the mind.
1.
Many fans are blind to what players go through. How do you feel about how fantasy football has changed fandom and how people look at players?
I think sometimes it changes loyalties between players and teams. You forget that that guy is a human being, and he’s not a machine. They don’t really get to see what our body goes through. That’s one of the reasons why I did this Degree Men’s DO: More Combine, so you guys could take a look at what it feels like to have to train at a smaller scale. To go out there and perform, some people just don’t understand it.
But it's also given us more exposure than ever before. It’s good and bad. In my opinion, as an offensive player, it’s done wonders. People watch you not only in your market, but people all around from other teams, even from teams that hate you like Atlanta fans. They’re going to know a little bit more about me, and they’re going to want me to do well, because I’m on their fantasy team. It’s done wonders for a guy like myself as far as getting myself out there and getting the recognition that I think some of these other players deserve.
You see who the real fans are.
[laughs] You’ll see who your true friends are who play fantasy. Whenever you don’t catch a ball in a game, you really find out who loves you and who doesn’t [laughs].
You hurdled Roman Harper in the game Thursday. What was that play like for you?
You don’t really think about it, it’s just kind of a reaction thing. I got free somehow, and when I turned up, I couldn’t go left, and I couldn’t go right. There were two guys on both of his sides, but I kind of saw some grass behind him, so either you go through him or you go over the top of him. So, split second, I saw him kind of diving, going in for the big hit, and I just went up top for a couple of seconds to try to avoid it.
He’s an ex-teammate. Did you have a chance to talk to him about it?
Yeah, all my years except this year I played with him. He’s been a leader for me on the field, even though he’s on defense. He’s such a liked guy, not only in the team, but in the city. Everybody loves him because of what he’s done for the city. Obviously, bringing a Super Bowl ring here, people love him no matter. But when you’re out there on a Thursday night and the lights are on, you know you gotta put that to the side and take care of business, because you know he’s going to take care of business and do what he needs to do to win.
You also headbutted a bench during the game.
That’s gone viral somehow. Because it was a field goal, I thought the camera wouldn’t be on me. More than anything, that was from frustration, just kind of a stress reliever of, “man, all this team has gone through, the beginning of the season, all the trials that we’ve been through these first few games, and now we have this week where we’re moving forward as a team." Guys are locked in and believing and playing for each other. It just feels amazing to have that moment when you realize things are coming together for your team.
2.
What do you think of the Bears Lamarr Houston and the Lions Stephen Tulloch getting injured while celebrating?
That’s something you never want to happen. Sean Payton used to tell me all the time, “listen, I love the dunk, but if you ever get hurt, I’m going to be so mad.” Especially because I was always doing something different, you know, 360, windmill, and when you’re tired, you’re not really geared for that. But that’s always on my mind, just to protect my body, and that’s kind of the worst way to go. So far I haven’t come up with any other sort of celebration. I can’t think of anything but to dunk, so I’ll just wait until they wise up and realize that rule is really unneeded.
On a more serious note, did you hear about the discussion this week about Russell Wilson being "black enough."
No, I didn’t hear about that one. I been pretty busy over here.
In your experience with NFL locker rooms, have you noticed any sort of race issues within the league?
To my knowledge, no. I’m a multi-racial person, I’m black and white, and growing up in North Carolina, I’ve dealt with a lot of racism. Growing up as a kid, I’ve seen it, I’ve been through it in many forms and fashions. In our locker room, there’s none of that. I don’t care if you’re purple. If you’re making a catch or going to go down, you could be silver. I couldn't care less, if you’re making those plays for the team. If you’re a selfless player, nobody pays attention to that at all. White, black, silver, pink, it doesn’t matter to me. As long as you can play ball and as long as you're willing to help this team get to where we’re trying to go, that’s all we care about in this locker room.
Unrelated to football, and you being a former basketball player, what do you think of the Hornets coming back?
I’m from North Carolina, so I remember back in the day with the Hornets and the players they’ve had and the moments they’ve had. I watched a little special on it. And I know Jordan is really excited to get that name back and to turn over a new leaf and get things rolling again. He’s done a lot to try to make his team relevant and to get them to the playoffs and try to make a run. He’s going to keep building that franchise.
