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Cowboys CB Frank Walker: Rob Ryan will 'absolutely' be an NFL head coach, 'probably next season'
By
Jon Machota / Special Contributor
jonmachota32@yahoo.com | Bio
4:24 PM on Thu., Sep. 29, 2011 | Permalink
Cowboys reserve cornerback Frank Walker is playing in his ninth season in the NFL . During his previous stops in the league, the 30-year-old played with Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett and for New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan, who was the defensive coordinator in Baltimore when Walker was with the Ravens.
In the first part of an interview with Walker , the Tuskegee, Alabama native talked about spending $800 on shoes that hurt his feet, his welcome to the NFL moment and why he would like to be hip hop star Lil Wayne for a day.
During this segment, Walker discusses Rob and Rex Ryan, what it's like to play for Garrett and what he did for his mother when he signed his first NFL contract.
Here is Part 2 of the interview.
Most memorable wide receiver you ever defended?
"Bobby Shaw. He was working the (expletive) out of me. He was real good side-to-side. And that was my rookie year. And I never experienced it before like that. He's the most memorable to me."
What are you going to be doing five years from now?
"I might be a safety. I want to be helping people, doing something. I always figured that success is measured by how many you bless. I'll just be trying to figure out a way to help people out."
What's the most memorable item you've ever purchased?
"Most memorable thing I did with money was when I first got drafted. After my first season I paid off my mother's house. She's in Alabama, living in the same house. She was happy. It freed up a lot, because in my family, we weren't rich or anything like that. Just a regular, old middle-class family. My mother has never asked me for anything since I've been playing."
What stands out about playing for Rob Ryan?
"You know what, man, playing with his brother, Rex, they're split images of each other. They're both fun, they're great guys and the way they interact with players it encourages players to rally around them and always want to make them look good. You get a lot of good play out of players."
Is there even one difference between the two ... other than the hair?
"I was just about to say that. Honestly, they're almost super, super the same. I will say that Rob's defense is a lot more complex than Rex's. Rob's defense, like the terminology and stuff like that. A lot of the same coverages, but the way things are called, the defenses are a lot different."
Can you see Rob Ryan being a head coach in this league?
"Oh, absolutely. Probably next season."
Would you say he's a player's coach?
"Let's just say this, he realizes who has to be happy on the team to make things go well."
What's the biggest difference you see with playing in Dallas?
"The difference to me is that I played with Jason (Garrett) because he was the quarterback in New York during my rookie year, so we got memories from back then. That's pretty neat to me."
How often do you guys talk about your time together in New York?
"Oh, man, every time we walk by he'll throw me a shout about something we were doing back in New York, so it's pretty cool."
How much has Garrett changed?
"He's still cool, laid back, calm and collected, always taking it all in type of guy."
Did you know in 2003 that one day he'd be a head coach?
"You could always tell by how tentative guys are to certain details, how they pay attention in practice, like 'this guy could easily be a coach.'"
By
Jon Machota / Special Contributor
jonmachota32@yahoo.com | Bio
4:24 PM on Thu., Sep. 29, 2011 | Permalink
Cowboys reserve cornerback Frank Walker is playing in his ninth season in the NFL . During his previous stops in the league, the 30-year-old played with Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett and for New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan, who was the defensive coordinator in Baltimore when Walker was with the Ravens.
In the first part of an interview with Walker , the Tuskegee, Alabama native talked about spending $800 on shoes that hurt his feet, his welcome to the NFL moment and why he would like to be hip hop star Lil Wayne for a day.
During this segment, Walker discusses Rob and Rex Ryan, what it's like to play for Garrett and what he did for his mother when he signed his first NFL contract.
Here is Part 2 of the interview.
Most memorable wide receiver you ever defended?
"Bobby Shaw. He was working the (expletive) out of me. He was real good side-to-side. And that was my rookie year. And I never experienced it before like that. He's the most memorable to me."
What are you going to be doing five years from now?
"I might be a safety. I want to be helping people, doing something. I always figured that success is measured by how many you bless. I'll just be trying to figure out a way to help people out."
What's the most memorable item you've ever purchased?
"Most memorable thing I did with money was when I first got drafted. After my first season I paid off my mother's house. She's in Alabama, living in the same house. She was happy. It freed up a lot, because in my family, we weren't rich or anything like that. Just a regular, old middle-class family. My mother has never asked me for anything since I've been playing."
What stands out about playing for Rob Ryan?
"You know what, man, playing with his brother, Rex, they're split images of each other. They're both fun, they're great guys and the way they interact with players it encourages players to rally around them and always want to make them look good. You get a lot of good play out of players."
Is there even one difference between the two ... other than the hair?
"I was just about to say that. Honestly, they're almost super, super the same. I will say that Rob's defense is a lot more complex than Rex's. Rob's defense, like the terminology and stuff like that. A lot of the same coverages, but the way things are called, the defenses are a lot different."
Can you see Rob Ryan being a head coach in this league?
"Oh, absolutely. Probably next season."
Would you say he's a player's coach?
"Let's just say this, he realizes who has to be happy on the team to make things go well."
What's the biggest difference you see with playing in Dallas?
"The difference to me is that I played with Jason (Garrett) because he was the quarterback in New York during my rookie year, so we got memories from back then. That's pretty neat to me."
How often do you guys talk about your time together in New York?
"Oh, man, every time we walk by he'll throw me a shout about something we were doing back in New York, so it's pretty cool."
How much has Garrett changed?
"He's still cool, laid back, calm and collected, always taking it all in type of guy."
Did you know in 2003 that one day he'd be a head coach?
"You could always tell by how tentative guys are to certain details, how they pay attention in practice, like 'this guy could easily be a coach.'"