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University of Minnesota Athletics
Decker Wraps Up First Season in NFL
1/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Fresh off completing his first season in the National Football League, former Gopher wide receiver Eric Decker talked with GopherSports.com to discuss his first season as a professional athlete.
GopherSports.com: Now that your first NFL season is over, what are some of your impressions on playing professionally?
Eric Decker: It has been an interesting year to say the least. Transitioning from the college to the professional level involves getting used to a whole new environment and a new city, as well as getting to know all new coaches and the veterans on the team and working to gain the respect and the trust of my new teammates. The season is a grind because it is a lot longer and a lot more physical, but at the same time it's a lot of fun because it's your job and it's what I love to do. So coming to work every day, I enjoyed it.
GopherSports.com: What was the most difficult thing that you and the other rookies had to endure during your first season with the Broncos?
Eric Decker: Shoot, we had to put on rookie shows every day and if they weren't good enough for the veterans they made us wake up at five the next morning to rehearse them before we got the day started. Just the fact of getting less sleep and having to do a lot for the veterans as far as proving ourselves and helping them carry their gear around was an early rookie difficulty.
GopherSports.com: What things did you learn during your time from the Gophers that has helped you the most in the NFL?
Eric Decker: The biggest thing is discipline, to wake up every morning, to do your job and to be professional about it. I think I picked up a lot during my career at Minnesota as far as learning how to be efficient with my time and get the most out of things, as well as how to watch film and how to practice right. I also carried over the off-the-field stuff like making sure I got my rest and taking care of my body. A lot of those things I picked up while I was playing at Minnesota.
GopherSports.com: What surprised you the most about shifting from playing at the University of Minnesota to playing for Denver?
Eric Decker: The time effort required. We have a lot more film work throughout the day. It's more like a job where we come in everyday at seven in the morning and we're not out of there until about five. The film study was probably the most surprising adjustment that I had to make and continued to work on throughout the season.
GopherSports.com: As your former quarterback Adam Weber now sets out for his own possible professional football experience, what advice would you give him or any other players headed for professional careers?
Eric Decker: That he needs to keep his solid head on his shoulders and stay with all the other seniors that are trying to make it to the next level. In my experience, it's the hard work and the effort that pay off and rest will take care of itself. So long as he knows what he's supposed to do and works out hard and interviews well, which I think he'll do, he'll find himself with an opportunity.
GopherSports.com: Like this year's Gophers football team, your own Broncos team faced a midseason coaching change, how did that affect both you and your team?
Eric Decker: It was tough going through adversity like that. It's never easy going through a transition like that. We have a bunch of great leaders on our team that have played a lot of football and been through it before and they really helped us handle it. We stuck together as a team and really played hard through the end of the year, which I was really happy with. It was still our responsibility to show up every Sunday and play our best football out on the field.
GopherSports.com: It took a little while into Denver's regular season before you began getting regular playing time, how difficult was it to watch from the sidelines after being the go-to receiver for the Gophers for the last few seasons?
Eric Decker: It's never easy, because I always wanted to be out on the field. But I also wanted to help out where I could. I had my injury and I knew it was going to take me a little while to feel both physically and mentally healthy. It's a transition that I compare like going from high school to college with having things to overcome. Yet as time went on and I got more practice time, I got more comfortable with the scheme offensively and figured out how to play better on special teams and that gave me more confidence to be the best player I could be.
GopherSports.com: Towards the end of the season, you began taking over as Denver's primary kick returner, what did you do to earn that job and what is it like to handle the speed of kickoffs in the NFL?
Eric Decker: I had been backing up kick returners and punt returners during the season and when there were a few injuries and with me not having a big role in the offense, they gave me the opportunity to get back there and I definitely wanted to do it. It was fun, but it was a very different experience from what I did at the U. I think being a returner is definitely one of the toughest positions out there because you have big, fast, strong guys coming down at you, looking to knock your helmet off.
GopherSports.com: You caught your first NFL touchdown in the final game of the season against the San Diego Chargers, what was the feeling you had after making that reception?
Eric Decker: I was so exhausted that I didn't even have any feelings. It wasn't until later on when I got to sit down and reflect a little that I realized how special a moment that was. It's one of those things I will cherish throughout my lifetime. And I got the ball, which will always remain with me. That will moment will stay with me and hopefully there will be more to come next year.
-Interview by Keith Beise, Athletic Communications Assistant
-UM-
