Curtis Lofton, the former Oklahoma star, is expected to start at middle linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
But does he ever miss being a college player?
Check out what the Kingfisher native had to say about that and a few other topics:
Jenni Carlson: Stupid question probably, so I’ll admit that up front, but are there ever times when you say, “I should’ve stayed in school”?
Curtis Lofton: As soon as I made my decision, I never really looked back. The first OU game … I was thinking, “Man, it sure would be nice going and playing in front of 85,000 and being with all the guys.” But that’s the only time I really looked back. I think the thing that I miss is just being around the guys and just the college atmosphere.
JC: So, how is a guy from Kingfisher adjusting to life in
CL: Well, it’s a big city, and I will say that I hate the traffic. I mean, you’ve got to map your day around the traffic, so I don’t like that too much. But I live about 20 minutes from our facility, so I go to the facility and I drive home and I don’t really go too many places after that. I really haven’t got to experience the whole
JC: I remember last year when there was talk about you jumping to the NFL and you seemed in awe of the thought. Now, you’re going to start your first game. How to you process all of that?
CL: It’s been a whirlwind. I started my first year, and I never really thought about going to the NFL. Going through (organized team activities) and training camp and finally getting the starting nod, it’s crazy. I just try to stay humble and just take it day by day, really.
JC: You’re playing alongside Keith Brooking and Michael Boley. What’s that like?
CL: Keith Brooking, he’s been in the league 12 years, four Pro Bowls. He knows what I’m going through. He tries to help me out. If I line up wrong, he bumps me over. And Michael Boley, he’s a great player, makes a lot of plays. He has a world of knowledge of the game. Those guys just help me out as much as possible.
JC: Your first regular-season game week — what’s it been like?
CL: It’s just a different atmosphere. Everybody’s just intense and ready to go.