OJ Atogwe (Windsor, ON), a rookie free safety with the St. Louis Rams and Tom Nutten (Magog, QC), a veteran lineman with the club, recently shared their thoughts with Canadian media and NFLCanada.com on being Canadian and finding success in the NFL:
I just wanted to ask you how the transition has been from college to the pros? I mean we hear a lot of times about how big a step it is, but you're living it and can you take us through it?
ATOGWE: It's a difficult step. It takes a while to adjust and get used to you know everything that's going on around you. But I feel like the way they set up here they allow you to you know get acclimated and you know they work you in pretty smoothly so you have a good run at it.
Has it been as difficult as you thought or has there been something that's been more difficult to adjust to?
ATOGWE: No, I wouldn't say nothing is more difficult than the other, it's just it just takes time and I think that was like the biggest thing I didn't realize that I may be able to jump in and get it right away or be able to handle it right away. But it takes time and you got to develop some before you're really ready to get out there.
The last we talked you were talking about stepping into the starting line up, is that where the adjustment comes in like you had said that the adjustment from college to pro is that much better or that much bigger that it's really that it's tough to have a kid make the team let alone step into the starting lineup.
ATOGWE: Yes, I'd say, it's very difficult to start in this league. And earn the coaches trust so that he feels you know he feels calm and cool when you're out there on the field, so I'm still working towards that.
Is there anything, I mean this must be a little bit frustrating this year because I think you had higher hopes, is there anything you're drawing on from your past to sort of help you get through this? Any situation you may have been in before?
ATOGWE: Yes, this is very similar situation that I experienced at Stanford. My, I guess my register freshman year you know having after (Inaudible) coming in thinking I was going to get substantial playing time, not really playing all that much and just really contributing on special team. So I liken the two. And I'm just trying to handle it better than I did then and just be patient and know that my time will come.
What do you mean handle it better? It didn't go as well back at Stanford?
ATOGWE: Yes, it was rough for me not being on the field when I thought I should be on the field and I didn't really know how to deal with it back then, but I think I'm better served because of that situation now, know just to be patient, continue to work hard and it will take care of itself.
Is there anybody in particular you've leaned on through this?
ATOGWE: No one in particular, just you know leaned on my spirituality and God for the most part.
With Head Coach Mike Martz being sick and so forth has that made it any more difficult or changed things at all?
ATOGWE: I wouldn't say any more difficult. I mean the situation itself was, has been pretty rocky for the team as a whole just not knowing where the head coach stood and just you know having transition in from him to our assistant head coach. But we're all taking it very well and we continue to work hard and play on the field. I think that's the only thing we really can do in a situation like this.
Do you notice anything week to week? I mean steps forward as far as your progress?
ATOGWE: Yes, I'm definitely progressing and getting a lot better than I was even a week or even more so than in the beginning of the season. So it's encouraging for me just you know to use this time that I have just to continue to improve on my skills and learn more about football and learn more about defenses. So I can you know when it's my time to get on the field and be a better player.
You talk about that, I mean how much Canadians still have to come when they go from Canada to go play college ball over there. Is it the same sort of thing, is there still that much more to learn once you get to the NFL level that maybe you haven't learned growing up?
ATOGWE: I wouldn't say there's a lot, that much more to learn? I mean having gone through college I learned a lot about American football then just the rules and the schemes and it's just I guess an additional knowledge liking adding to what I've already known.
Have you noticed a real difference between the level of competition in terms of receivers? I mean are they, I mean they are bigger, the stronger, the faster. But is there anything when you, you know you're practicing, you're watching your receivers or you're in a game watching receivers. What's the biggest thing that you notice?
ATOGWE: Everybody is real professional. And when I say that I mean like they do everything at a high level. Their routes are crisp, they're, the speed which they get in and out of their breaks is crisp, it's not like in college where you just have some guys out there who are not as good as other guys and they don't do things the right way all the time. Here you always find that everybody is doing the right thing all the time at a high level. So you know it requires that you do the same thing
I guess that's true. I mean if you're going to make an interception you have to be in the right spot literally at this level, whereas athletic ability maybe in college might get you to a spot.
ATOGWE: Yes, I definitely think that was the case most of the time, but when you're athletic skills are really nullified here cause everybody is pretty much the same. You've really got to rely on you know your techniques and just the
I'm curious to find out what sort of differences on a personal level that being in the NFL has brought to you? I mean when you're in school you have to juggle school with football and school with training. Now you're a full time football player and that comes with you know a lot of demands and a lot of challenges. But I mean it also means you also have a lot of free time on your hands. What are you doing to sort of you know circumvent that and make sure that everything stays the way it's supposed to?
ATOGWE: You've just got to prioritize you know the first and (Inaudible) play football, it is your job, it is your life style. It gives you to be able to afford to live, and so you got to put that first amongst you know above all things. And outside of that you just got to you know be smart about what you do with your time, your free time, make sure it's not doing anything to hinder your performance or you know hinder your I guess, like body wise so that you won't be able to perform on the field. But basically that's all I do, I just make sure everything I do is I guess beneficial to me playing football.
So it's not a case of getting carried away with the life style and getting carried away with the fact that you're a pro football player and all the perks that that brings with it.
ATOGWE: No, cause guys who do that, they don't last too long in the league from what I've heard from the veterans on the team. So you've got to be professional about it and just realize that if I want to play a long time in the league that I need to take care of business.
You played in the OVSL for the Essex Ravens. How did that help you with your skill development and what type of influence did Glen Mills have on your career?
ATOGWE: The Essex Ravens helped me a lot just cause having been able to play against I guess the better players in the entire province, it always allows you to I guess judge and compare yourself to you know the talent around the province and see where you, you know where you match up. And it, the competition level is a lot higher so it allows you to see just how well you're doing and just how good you can be. So I think it prepared me just teach me how to compete at a higher level. And Glen Mills he's a fabulous coach. I mean he really knew his stuff and he's great at like motivating the players to get them play hard each and every week which is you know something, sometimes you take it for granted just you know every week you might play well one week and then the next week you bag down. He really tried to get us to play well each and every week.
What advice would you have for an aspiring player who'd like to play in the NCAA?
ATOGWE: I'd just let them know that if it's a dream of theirs they can definitely achieve it. But they really got to you know put their heart and soul into it and really work hard towards it. And I know that they're going to have to sacrifice other things that you know their peers may be doing but if they really want to achieve and accomplish that dream then just to put their heart and soul into it and continue to work hard towards that goal and it will come true.
Tom Nutton
Just wanted to ask you basically I thought I read two years ago that you had retired and that, because I think the last time you and I chatted you were coaching in Cologne. And now it's two years later you're back in the NFL?
NUTTEN: Yes, well there's really not much I can say about that except that you're absolutely correct that you read something about me retiring and I actually did and I moved on and you know I was over in Europe coaching and am trying to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. And it was I believe the middle of August and I was actually setting up a couple of youth camps in Europe when the Rams called me and they had a couple of injuries on the offensive line and wanted to see if I still had it, if I wanted to come out and play again. And the year that I took off, I mean the main reason for me to retire was due to injuries and the year off really helped that out to heal everything up and the chronic problems I have had during my career, everything healed up good. So except the fact that I was a little light, I was fairly healthy.
So basically now your career, are you taking it year by year now and then in every off season you sort of sit down and really ask yourself the tough questions and whether you want to do this again?
NUTTEN: Absolutely. It seems like now I've gone through a year where I say that I'm not going to do it again. You know just like last year I had some injuries at the end of the season with a torn MCL and just various problems, neck problems. And anyway last year again I said I wasn't going to do it again and you know come April, May I find myself feeling pretty good and hitting the weight room again and starting to work out hard and my surgery on my toe came around come June and you know again I had a work out and a physical to make sure that I was healthy three days before training camp started and you know again they were willing to offer me another opportunity and you know I was again. I thought I'd give it one more shot.
Can you just take me back to the time when you were at Champlain Regional? How long ago was that and are you in fact, do you have Canadian or dual citizenship or what's the story there?
NUTTEN: I think I was back there when dinosaurs still roamed. I got to think about that, I think it was '89 was my first year there, 89', 90'. And I mean it was just a fantastic time for me. You know just playing out there, I mean I always called it God's country. My sister still lives there, I try to get back there as much as I can. So I have nothing but fond memories over there. I mean I was born in the US, grew up in Germany and my dad had moved on to the eastern townships, I think probably when I was about 10 or 12. And so we had to spent a lot of vacations with him. My parents are divorced and mom lives over in Germany. But you know there was always the close contact and when I was 16 I decided to you know see what life was like with dad and that's when I moved over and spent four full years in the townships and you called it my home I mean for about ten. And you know like I said it was just nothing but fond memories. You know my dad is Belgium and my sister is Belgium, but you know we were residents for, my sister actually married a Canadian, still lives in Magog.
What was your last opportunity to get back here to see your sister?
NUTTEN: I was actually there for two weeks last, for Easter last year. You know spent some time in the snow with the kids, they have two small boys, and you know just enjoyed hanging out there. The, you know like I said driving around and visiting some friends and you know Tony (Inaudible) the former head coach of Champlain and you know just people that are still around that I'm on contact with and then obviously the family is very important up there.
Now as far as being, you know going to college, where were you? Did they see you when you were at Champlain?
NUTTEN: Yes. From what I understand there's a, there was a service at the time with a, more or less a ranking of high school or pre collegiate athletes. And I made the list somehow and you know and Western took a gamble I guess with me and because it was the only school that offered me a scholarship, that was my goal, otherwise I would have gone to a Canadian university.
Few players get a chance to even play for Super Bowl let alone win one. You had that opportunity, obviously the highlight of your career? Or having come back from injuries, is that a highlight?
NUTTEN: You know what, while I'm still playing it's definitely I've got to say in the now, so it's just being here, I'm very happy where I'm at after last year's long season in terms of injuries and but when I just look at my whole career I mean how can it not be the highlight of my, of my career. I mean next to winning the Boldour(ph) obviously but no, I mean it's, I mean it's a fantasy. I mean anyway (Inaudible) plays the game wants to be in the biggest game in the world and you know I had an opportunity to play in it twice. You know and start in it and play every down in it and you know it's something that I accomplished and nobody can take that away from me.
Can you talk about your time in the CFL? I mean you were a number one overall draft pick by the Ti Cats, you spent two years in Buffalo after that and then came back to Hamilton and played the one year and from there it's been NFL ever since. But can you talk about basically what that one year in Hamilton or those, that time in the CFL what it did for you for your development?
NUTTEN: You know due to the contract situation with the CFL NFL deal that at that time I didn't want to get locked in for two years. And I ended up spending an off season in Denver that was long and hard in terms of you know I was a nobody, you know games didn't really go well and then just I mean I was ready to hang them up and two days before training camp started they actually released me with the idea of well we'll bring you in in a week or two and you know obviously that's kind of just you know let you read the writing on the wall. So you know I talked to my agent and talked to some friends and I mean I was very close to hanging them up. So I called my agent and he said that if I want to stay in the NFL that it would be pretty much the same for that year in terms of going to the training camp there. But the CFL had started already. So I told him give them a call and I think Mike Macarthur(ph), the GM at the time in Hamilton called me within three minutes and I mean it was a love relationship ever since. You know where they wanted me there yesterday so I drove from Denver to Hamilton. I think I made it in about 22 hours or so straight through. And it just really gave me the fun, the fun back in the game, the fun of the game and helped my self confidence and you know it just made me enjoy it again.
I mean playing in Canada too, I guess the different rules and the bigger field, I mean did, was that an adjustment for you at all?
NUTTEN: For an offense lineman the biggest change was obviously the neutral zone being a yard, which I think is to my advantage, to the offensive linesman. You don't get the speed rush. And then after that you know the 12 man, the motion and all that kind of stuff really doesn't affect me at all. One thing that did affect me, especially the first couple of games was the adjustment of the play clock. I mean and it just happened a lot faster. But I mean again it was a lot of fun. It just gave me you know my confidence back to keep pursuing other things and other dreams and you know I just had a blast.
Let me ask you then, had it not been for that year in Hamilton would you be where you are now?
NUTTEN: Absolutely not, absolutely not. That's the only way I could say it. I mean I had you know a couple of downfalls now and been released and it was just you know time to move on if that didn't work out. that's why I would say that I can appreciate more than some other people cause I have seen the downs and I have been in lows and it's everything that happened after the year, or the off season in Denver was just gravy, meaning you know we never expected to go to this level.
You mentioned, we know that you coached in Cologne for one season. Is coaching something you'll pursue after your career is over?
NUTTEN: Absolutely not. The main reason why I went over to Europe was one, I'm a product of the NFL Europe also been a player over there and had a lot of contacts. And grown up in Germany it was something I wanted to do. But also to find other things that I might be able to do with football in Europe or you know being the Transatlantic kind of governor or whatever, you know just to see if there's other things there. And when I called the, talked to the NFL Europe they were able to just offer me an internship as a coach for one of the teams. So that's pretty much the reason why I took (Inaudible) I enjoyed the year, I made the best of it and I love the on the field work with the players, but the hours and watching film and dissecting it, that's not for me.
