Draft Diamonds Free Agent Interview: Jimmy Strickland, Long Snapper
Hello, I am @jrberendzen on Twitter and this is one of my free agent interviews where I ask very deserving free agents questions about the players themselves and about what a team would get in these players. All of these players should get picked up by NFL, CFL, and XFL teams and get a shot at being a career football player. So I hope you all read this interview on Jimmy and follow his journey on Twitter @jstrickland07
1.What has been your biggest challenge in life?
My biggest challenge in life so far is what is going on right now. I’m trying to show teams that even though I went to a small Division 2 school for college I want to show them that not only can I play professionally but I can succeed in the league as a long snapper.
2.If your life was a tv show what would you call it and why?
The show would be called “Did that really just happen?!”. It would be called this because when I’m not training for football I’m a security guard at Target and I see some of the craziest things working there.
3.What is your mindset when you are on the football field?
My mindset when I’m on the field is to make sure I give the punter or holder a nice crisp snap, make sure I know who I’m blocking as soon as I get to the line, and if it’s a punt make sure I get into coverage once the punter kicks the ball.
4.What is your favorite stadium that you have played in?
My favorite stadium I played in is either Slippery Rock University or Texas A&M Commerce. Both stadiums had a great atmosphere.
5.Rank focus,footwork and detail based on what is most important to you as a football player and explain why?
The focus would be number one to me because if you’re not focused on what your assignment is then that’s when mistakes happen, number two would be detailed because once you focus on your assignments you should focus on detail so for me that would make sure I’m following through on my snaps and getting in a good blocking position and knowing who to block, I put footwork last because even though it is important, I need to focus on my technique and pay attention to detail on what formation the return team has on the field in order to get a good snap off and to know my blocking assignments.
6.What are your favorite moments from your football life?
My favorite moments of my football life has been being able to play, train, workout, and be coached by some of the best athletes and coaches in the country.
7.What type of energy do you bring onto the football field?
I’m the type of player that’s bringing a lot of positive energy on the field and in the locker room. If I see someone getting down on themselves I’m the guy that’s going to make sure they forget about what happened and have them focus on their next play.
8.What made you decide you wanted to be a football player?
I became a football player because growing up I played soccer and one year we “missed” signups and my dad signed me up for football instead.
9.If you could hang out with any football player past or present for a day who and why?
If I could hang out with any football player it would be Brett Favre. I played quarterback in college until I switched to long snapper, so I grew up watching him and just enjoyed his personality and his love for the game.
10.What would a team get in a player like you?
A team would be getting someone who works hard on and off the field and someone who has a great personality.
11.What is your favorite workout?
My favorite workout is benching. I’ve always had strong legs and I haven’t always had a strong upper body so I like to take pride in that because I worked hard to get to where I am today.
12.What do you hope to achieve as a football player going forward?
What I would like to achieve as a football player is to get an opportunity to play in the NFL and make a 53 man roster.
NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com