Arrowhead Addict Exclusive Interview: Chiefs LB Mickey Pimentel
Chiefs linebacker Mickey Pimentel, aka the Cuban Missle, and the folks over at YardBarker were nice enough to hook us up with an exclusive interview with the young LB. Thanks to both Mickey and everybody at YardBarker, where Mickey has his own blog. Be sure to check it out! Here’s the interview:
1. What was it like to finally realize what must have been a lifelong dream and make an NFL roster?
man o man. when i first got the news that i was on the Kansas City practice squad i just got out of class and i was in the middle of the street walking to my scooter. my agent told me the good news. i dropped my books and started jumping up and down in the middle of the street lol. people were looking at me crazy. so the feeling that i had when i made the roster was 10 times better. i smiled for the whole day and called everybody and let them know the good news. it is a feeling i cant really describe in words.
2. You’re originally from Cali, San Diego I believe. What do you think of Kansas City (other than the weather)?
well i was born in long beach california, i lived there until i was 12, then we moved to san diego. it’s funny because all the LA cats that i have met, especially at cal, tell me i’m from san diego. probably because LA cats hate a lot. but after all that hating i didnt want to claim la. instead i claim san diego and CUBA, because that is were my parents and sister are from. san diego has better high school football anyways lol. KC is pretty coo. the thing that i love about KC is the people and their BBQ. the people are the nicest people in the world.
3. How do you stay in shape during the offseason? Any secret Rocky-like training methods?
well i don’t really think i have an off-season. i’m always running and working out to get bigger faster stronger. i might take breaks here and there, but i don’t want to not be in shape. in the off-season i work out everyday with maurice jones-drew, derrick landry, matt gutierez, and justin forsett who is entering the draft this year. we have a real good trainer named coach mike. i cant really spell his last name lol, but i think that the group of guys i work with and coach mike made me 2x better than i was last year. we do all kinds of stuff like running stadiums, or jumps. we do a lot of explosive type things. so the best advice i have is always stay in shape, and you will never get out of shape.
4. What are your goals for the 2008 NFL season and beyond? Post-football?
i just want to learn. my main goals are to learn about the community, the people. i want to help the community - especially the youth. i remember growing up and always looking up to athletes, so i know we have some kind of power where we can influence the youth. one of my other goals is to learn about business. i am involved in a internship that is teaching me the basic things i need to now about business. as far as football, i talked to the great jerry rice on the university of california pro day and one of the questions i asked him was what do i need to do as a rookie to stay in the N.F.L. he said the biggest things rookies do is put too much pressure on themselves, and that leads to mistakes. he said just relax and work hard - let the game come to you, and everything else well take care of itself. then he said “and be in the best shape of your life” lol.
5. Chiefs fans are very interested in your ex-teammate DeSean Jackson. What can you tell us about him as a player and a person?
DeSean Jackson is a very exciting player. he is super fast and elusive. he is a threat at all times. he is a home run hitter and defenses and special teams players all hold their breath when he gets the ball. he ran a 4.33 at the combine but i’m telling you he is faster than that. people are giving him stuff about his weight and all that but at the same time marvin harrison isn’t that big and look how he came out. i think whoever drafts him is going to have a great football player on their team. as a person he is a cool dude. you can joke with him and have fun. advice for his upcoming teammates: please don’t talk about long beach poly. you will never hear the end of it, and he is an LA cat, too, so you already know he is a hater lol.
6. What’s your all-time favorite movie? What do you watch on the tube?
my all-time favorite movie is the lion king haha. people always give me stuff for that, but i have to be honest. growing up i felt like i could relate to simba in all aspects of his life. he went through a lot to get to where he was, and he also fought to get to where he was. i just think that was the best movie ever and it is a classic. so far as youtube i am always on youtube. i look up youtube singers because i want to learn how to sing really bad. so i try to mimic them and step my vocal game up lol if you know what i mean. i look at the best N.F.L linebackers like my ideal ray lewis. or i look at stuff that me and my friends made. you can check out me and my friends brandon hampton and justin forsett singing on youtube. just type in hamp,pimentel and you can check out my vocals lol.
7. What’s your favorite aspect of the linebacker position, possibly the most intense position in all of football?
my favorite aspect as a linebacker is you are pretty much the captain of the team and you have to lead them to be a dominant force…and the hitting. when you get that wooo hit, man o man i just got goosebumps.
Thanks again to everybody at YB and most of all Mickey P., who I expect us Chiefs fans to get to know in the near future. He was a great player at California and I think we’ll see him on the field for the Red and Gold in ‘08.
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DJax in red and gold would be sick. No realistic chance of that happening but how sweet would that be?
April 11th, 2008 at 7:59 amThanks Mickey!
April 11th, 2008 at 10:28 amDouble D -
Unless somehow he falls to the second, but I still think we have other needs.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:23 amI’d say impossible to pass up if he fell to us in 2nd regardless of what we think our needs are.
Btw, any day one draftee who catches, runs in the (+/-) 4.3 range, returns, throws occasionally, and comes with “game-changer” on his resume would fill many of the Chiefs’ needs.
Anyway, I’m thinking the only conceivable way he could fall into our lap is if the we somehow end up with both of Dallas’ picks and he’s still there when its our pick. Of all players in this this draft, I find him the most intriguing and will be interesting see where he gets picked. I believe he has the potential to be the biggest impact player of this year’s draft.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:09 pmThe next Steve Smith, Double D?
April 11th, 2008 at 1:29 pmHopefully not - Smith had a pretty rough rookie season.
I’m saying possibly better than Ginn, and maybe even bigger than “AD” in terms of rookie impact. If DeSean can get a little stronger and little bigger (10-20 lbs), he might be damn near undefendable.
My guarantee.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:40 pmBigger impact than “AD.” Does this guy wear a crown of thorns instead of a helmet, pull bread and fish out of his ass for the pre-game meal and walk on water? Purple Jesus was probably the best rook ever.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:56 pmHere is a list of all the College prospects the Chiefs have been checking into in the last month(Workouts/Pre-Draft Visits)(Per KFFL.com):
Pittsburgh OL Mike McGlynn
Pittsburgh OT Jeff Otah
Akron CB Reggie Corner
Wisconsin-Whitewater RB Justin Beaver
Grand Valley State CB Brandon Carr
Wheaton DL Andy Studebaker
Southern California DL Lawrence Jackson
Virginia Tech OT Duane Brown
Virginia Tech CB Brandon Flowers
Wisconsin PK Taylor Mehlhaff
Gardner-Webb WR Duvaughn Flagler
Boston College QB Matt Ryan
Bentley OG Mackenzy Bernadeau
Missouri State TE Michael Peterson
Gardner-Webb DL Brian Johnston
Appalachian State WR Dexter M. Jackson
McNeese State DE Bryan Smith
Gardner-Webb DL Brian Johnston
Georgia Tech FB Michael Cox
Any thoughts on these guys?
April 11th, 2008 at 2:00 pmThis is the perfect kind of topic for the forums. I’ll get it started:
http://fansided.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=143
April 11th, 2008 at 2:30 pmI think Dexter Jackson might be nice addition considering where he is currently projected. Michael Cox okay but I think there will be better choices for FB within the same draft range. Otah fine. Brown, Bernadeau whatever. McGlynn can play OG or C so he makes sense. I’d like to see them take a look at Heath Benedict as well. Reggie Smith over Brandon Flowers but that’s just me. Is “Reggie Corner” a real name? Never heard of him.
I don’t know, I guess my biggest complaint is that it seems to me that Herm and co plan to address a lot of OL needs by going to the scrap heap. DLest we forget, we’re currently looking at having at least 2 rookie starters on OL . . .
Seriously, at least half of these guys are from midmajors or less. Do the Chiefs even bother looking at MC players?
April 11th, 2008 at 2:57 pmHey Adam, can’t promise you miracles; my guarantees will just have to do for now.
April 11th, 2008 at 3:05 pmI dont care if Steve Smith had a rough rookie year or not. We are most likely not going to the playoffs so a rough rookie year would be fine with me if he became a superstar like Smith.
April 11th, 2008 at 3:22 pmAdam, this might be a bit off topic but what would you think about a chiefs draft as follows:
Round 1, Pick# 5 - Sedrick Ellis - DT - USC
April 11th, 2008 at 6:50 pmRound 2, Pick# 4 - Sam Baker - OT - USC
Round 3, Pick# 3 - Eric Young - OG/OT - Tennessee
Round 4, Pick# 5 - Dwight Lowery - CB - San Jose St.
Round 5, Pick# 1 - (From Dolphins) John Sullivan - C - Notre Dame
Round 5, Pick# 4 - Will Franklin - WR - Missourri
Round 6, Pick# 3 - Jerome Felton - FB - Furman
Round 6, Pick# 20 - (From Tampa) Wilrey Fontenot III - CB - Arizona
Round 7, Pick# 5 - Maurice Purify - WR - Nebraska
Round 7, Pick# 32 - (From Giants) Art Karmody - K - Louisville
BTC, I’m a pretty big fan of that draft, especially the firt two picks and Sullivan if he’s still there. As I’ve stated numerous times, I love the USC dream ticket. I think a Dorsey-Cherilus 1-2 punch might be more likely, though. I think Dorsey could still be there, and I think Baker will be gone. If Baker is still there I would be ecstatic. Then again, we could use one of those early fifths and move up a few to grab him.
Oh, and you can always post stuff like this over on the forums. Just start your own thread over there, that way you can discuss whatever you like.
http://fansided.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=37
April 11th, 2008 at 8:55 pmDouble D: I agree looks like we are scouting in the wrong colleges. I am all for diggin deep, but not the majority of your scouting.
April 12th, 2008 at 9:26 amDouble D uh… Heath Benedict passed away two weeks ago… Where were you?
April 12th, 2008 at 7:35 pmDonovan - Totally forgot. RIP.
April 13th, 2008 at 7:33 amwhat about Jordy Nelson? You cant ignore the fact that he was better than DJax and DD, he can do it all and from what I hear he tore it up at the Senior Bowl. I’m wanting Nelson in red and gold next year. We got D-Bowe to be the star receiver, now we need someone like Nelson to be the Wes Welker of our team.
April 14th, 2008 at 10:34 amwhat about Jordy Nelson? You cant ignore the fact that he was better than DJax and DD, he can do it all and from what I hear he tore it up at the Senior Bowl. I’m wanting Nelson in red and gold next year. We got D-Bowe to be the star receiver, now we need someone like Nelson to be the Wes Welker of our team. And All-American
April 14th, 2008 at 10:34 amSince the trade of Jared Allan there will be more draft picks for the Chiefs. From sources that I have had some contact with the chiefs plan to take both Gardner-Webb DE Brian Johnston and WR Duvaughn Flagler with their extra draft picks. Flagler is a bigger and more physical receiver just like Edwards like. He also can play special teams although I think he will be thrown into the rotation. Johnston will be a guy who will probably play behind a first rounder but will see action in his rookie season.
April 25th, 2008 at 8:37 amHere is a Duvaughn Flaglers highlights. Watch this and tell me if you’re not a little convinced.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=LI4mOiPpqwA
April 25th, 2008 at 8:56 am