Former Pro Ross Tucker Talks Patriots, Redskins

Former Redskins and Patriots offensive linemen Ross Tucker was online Monday, Feb. 4 at 1 p.m. ET to take your questions about both teams and life as an NFL player.

A transcript follows.

Tucker played seven years in the NFL, and spent the 2007 season on IR with the Washington Redskins after suffering a neck injury against Baltimore in the preseason. The Princeton grad will retire this June after seven seasons in the NFL.

He has transitioned already to a post-football career in the media and as an entrepreneur. He is a regular writer for the NFL and high school sections of SI.com while also making frequent contributions to both Sirius NFL Radio and CN8's "Out of Bounds."

In addition to his media pursuits, Ross is a co-founder of Go Big Recruiting.com, an Internet business that allows high school student-athletes to submit their game film to colleges online.

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Patriots 52, Redskins 7: How did the Giants get to Brady when the Redskins third-string line kept them off Todd Collins for a 22-10 victory at the Meadowlands?

Ross Tucker: That is an outstanding questionsand I think a lot of that has to do with coaching. The Redskins kept the TE in a lot when they played the Giants and max-protected in order to give Todd Collins as much time to pass as possible. The Patriots did the same in the week 17 match-up vs. the G-Men yet last night they decided to leave their lineman in one on one situations most of the time which clearly did not work out very well. I think the Pats were stubborn and it cost them dearly.

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DC: As an offensive lineman, how would you rate Tom Brady's performance? He was under fire all night long, yet set a record for most passes (29/48 266 yards) without an interception.

Ross Tucker: I thought that Tom played well, particularly given the fact that he was under duress all night as you mentioned. The problem is we don't expect Tom to just play well, we expect him to be incredible and he did not deliver. He did not look like himself at all and I think his foot/ankle must have been bothering him, especially on his deep throws which were way off the mark>

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San Diego: Hi Ross, as former O-lineman, what did you see wrong in the Pat's protection schemes that led to all those hits on Brady?

Ross Tucker: The Pats should have kept more people in to protect Tom Brady. They made a decision to try and get more people out in the pass protection and Brady's performance clearly suffered. I think they were flawed in believing their guys could match-up one on one against the Giants D-Line for over 40 passes.

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Alexandria, Va.: Ross, will you give us an opinion of the Skins "recruiting" of a new coach? How can this new coach come in here with no control over his own staff -- or even the roster, according to Vinny's new title -- and get anything done? If the assistant coaches are responsible to Danny, how does the new coach keep them in line?

Ross Tucker: I don't know and that is why I am surprised they have gone about it in this manner. I think the thought process is that they wanted to take their time and interview everyone, including the Giants D-Coordinator Spagnulo (sp?), but did not want other top assistants to sign elsewhere because they did not want to wait around for an offer from the Skins. Supposedly they cleared their coordinator choices with Fassel, but it still doesn't seem right.

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Bethesda, Md.: Last night there was footage of Jeremy Shockey sitting upstairs at the stadium. That struck me as odd. Is it typical for an injured player to be up there instead of on the sidelines with his teammates?

Ross Tucker: It depends on the team, but yes that is somewhat typical, especially if it is a lower body injury.

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Alexandria, VA: Were you highly recruited out of high school, and how did you turn yourself into an NFL player at Princeton?

Would you agree that the NFL, more than any other professional sports league, will find the talent, no matter what school/conference it happens to play at/in?

Is it because the rosters are so big early in camp that they can afford to gamble on people? Or is it because projecting football players, with so much dependant on physical development that just doesn't happen until college, is less consistent in football than say basketball?

Ross Tucker: I was not heavily recruited by any Division I-A schools in high school because I was only 240 pounds as a Senior. I simply sent out VHS tapes through the mail and the offers I got were from Harvard, Princeton, and a full-athletic William & Mary. That is one of the reasons that I started my company, Go Big Recruiting.com. It allows kids that aren't Division I prospects to still have exposure to every school they are interested in without sending a DVD or a tape through the mail.

I think the NFL should have even larger rosters in training camp because a lot of guys still fall through the cracks every year. I am sure there are guys that are as good as me that didn't get the chance to play seven years because they never really got an opportunity.

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Bowie, Md.: Does yesterday's result lend any credence to the idea that illegal spying had been a significant component to the Patriot's success?

Ross Tucker: Absolutely not. That "spying" had very little, if anything with the Pats success and this year proved it. They won 18 games without it.

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Max Protect: Ross,

I don't want to say anything bad about anyone you may be friends with, but when New England had an extra TE into block, it was Kyle Brady. Let's just leave that as embarassing.

The team that had the most success this year against the Giants was Dallas who was able to keep Witten and/or Fasano in. True?

Ross Tucker: Kyle Brady is actually probably the best blocking TE in the NFL. He is a sculpted 295lbs. and does a great job. I don't know him personally, I just know how well he blocks.

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Washington, D.C.: A lot of people have compare Spygate with steroids in MLB. But the steroid investigation wasn't just limited to Barry Bonds and the SF Giants. Has anyone done any investigation as to how widespread the use of taping is in the NFL?

Ross Tucker: I can not overemphasize how little impact the taping had on their performance. They mainly did it just to see how long it took the Defensive Coordinators to make their call so that they knew whether or not it would be a good idea to run the No-Huddle the next time they played that team.

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Accomac, Va.: How do players react to the Redskins' chaotic search for a head coach? And who do you think would make the best head coach?

Ross Tucker: I think the guys are surprised and almost everybody that I spoke with wanted Greg Williams. I think Greg wanted certain control and responsibility and they were not willing to give it to him, but that is just a guess.

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Rockville, Md.: Was Brady's ankle an issue?

Ross Tucker: It looked to me like he wasn't the same so I would have to say yes. Either that or he was distracted by Gisele in the stands. Kidding.

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Oakton, Va.: The jump from college to the NFL is a wide one, but from the Ivy Leagues to the NFL has got to be gigantic.

How long did it take you to adjust to the NFL's speed and physicality? While you obviously had the talent, was the adjustment harder than maybe it would be for an equally talented, but BCS conference college player?

Ross Tucker: I think the jump is a big one for anybody from college to the NFL but certainly it was more of a jump coming from the Ivy League than it would be from the SEC. The biggest adjustments are mental in terms of how quickly you can process information and that is something that came easily for me. I guess I just always felt like it was more important to me than it was to anybody else, no matter what level they came from.

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Asheville, N.C.: How much actual contact did you typically have with your head coach, as opposed to your unit coach and offensive coordinator? It's so often said that head coaches now do little actual coaching and function more as an administrative and PR person, and that layers of bureaucracy prevent much real interface.

Ross Tucker: You spend most of your time with your position coach and have very little contact with the head coach. Head coaches are primarily the CEOs and they need to delegate to have success.

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Arlington, VA: What percent of NFL players would you say are responsible with their money and save/invest wisely or at least averagely?

Is the perception of the free-spending professional athlete inaccurate or over-exaggerated?

Ross Tucker: Not nearly enough guys save as much as they should. I don't know the percentage but certainly a lot of guys are not well-versed in financial matters. The league goes out of its way to help them but some guys continue to free-spend. I would say it is both accurate and somewhat over-exaggerated.

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Blacksburg VA: Ross: As a journalist now, what do you think of the way Danny and Vinny are running the Redskins? It seems like they're building a soap opera, not a football team.

Ross Tucker: Having played for five different organizations, including the Skins twice, I can tell you that I have a great deal of respect for Dan Snyder. He makes his fair share of mistakes, to be sure, but he really is willing to do whatever it takes in order to try to have a successful team and win a championship. That is more than you can say for some of the other owners in the league, who are more focused on the bottom line.

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Bethesda, Md.: How bad do the Patriots feel today? Eighteen wins in a row and then lose the super bowl, that has got to sting.

Ross Tucker: Words can not explain. It is almost like they woke up on Christmas and all they have in their stockings is coal. Only this Christmas feeling is going to last until April.

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Anonymous: Recently media attention has highlighted NFL vetern's health issues from the numerous injuries and abuse their bodies have taken from their careers in college and NFL. What steps are being taken to get the owners and NCAA to take greater resposability for the deabilitating issues these relatively younge men are experiencing. Please note that in traditional careers a man is entering peak earning years in his 50s while these veterns due to lack of academic preparation in college and short earnings period in the NFL are out of money and no health coverage.

Ross Tucker: The league is trying but I think not doing enough. I think the Pension plan should be better and the disability pay should not be so difficult to get. That being said, we know what we are getting into when we put the helmet on and I do not feel particularly bad for guys who want more money down the line. I know what I signed up for and took a calculated risk with my body. I may regret it twenty years from now but I can live with my decision.

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Wahsington, DC: Is Jon Jansen and better blocker or TV personality? Which do you think he is more interested in? I'm starning to forget what he looks like in pads.

Ross Tucker: I think Jon is very good at both. I think it is a low-blow to knock a guy who had as devastating an injury as Jon had. He is a tough guy that loves football but caught a bad break in the opener. I hope you don't think poorly about me because I didn't play this year after suffering a herniated disc in my neck that caused my spinal cord to be irritated. We are human beings, not machines.

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Norfolk, Va.: It seems like the Skins make some tough choices with players and coaches based on their performance on the field. It doesn't matter if you're a nice guy, if you aren't doing the job, you're gone.

But contrast that with Vinny Cerrato. By any measure, he ain't getting it done. But he keeps getting promoted. Care to share an insider view as to why that is?

Ross Tucker: Vinny and Dan Snyder have a great relationship and they thoroughly enjoy working with one another. I don't see that changing any time soon.

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Alexandria, Va.: So, it's safe to assume you didn't agree with the Patriots game plan. Why would they keep the tight ends and backs in for one game against the Giants-- resulting in victory-- and not do it in the biggest game of the year? These are smart coaches, right? Three wideouts, two tight ends, one back equaled success all year. What happened?

Ross Tucker: I wish I knew. They may have out-smarted themselves and felt like they could not simply follow the same game plan that worked so well in the first match-up. They are probably wondering about the same thing right now.

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Green Bay, Wis: Seeing how we have had upsets before and will again, though perhaps not as stunning, do you think that we as football fans missed out on a chance to witness a singularly unique piece of sports history by the Patriots blowing it and not going 19-0?

Ross Tucker: I have said it before and I will say it again. If the Pats went 19-0 it would have been the greatest accomplishment that I have seen in the history of sports. As a player who has been on teams that have won five or six in a row, I can not even fathom winning every game for a whole season. With one more win they also would have been the greatest dynasty in the history of the NFL in my opinion. But it was all for naught and they are now just a footnote unless they can find a way to win another one in the next two years.

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Detroit, Mich: How about Eli Manning? I think most people thought the game was over after the Brady to Moss touchdown. After everything the kid has been through, he is now the Super Bowl MVP who lead his team to victory with just over 2 minutes left in the game against the so-called best team in history. Wow!

Ross Tucker: I am really happy for Eli Manning and was thrilled to see the reaction of his brother Peyton throughout the game. Eli has been under the gun for four years in NY and a lot of people did not like him because of his personality in addition to his performance. He has now earned himself the right to be called a Super Bowl Champion for the rest of his life. Brothers winning back to back Super Bowls as starting QBs is truly special.

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Hatford, Conn.: Hi Ross. Did you get a chance to see this week's Sports Illustrated about the way former players are treated by Gene Upshaw? The public, I think, forgets what the NFL does to one's body and brain, and the older players have nothing financially and have horrific health and mental problems. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Ross Tucker: I did not get a chance to check it out yet but I will be sure to. Gene has been fairly outspoken that his duty is to the active players, and I think he is right in that regard. That being said, I think there has to be a solution between current and former players to get something done in a positive fashion. Every current player will eventually become a former player...

The public has no idea what we go through and I do not think they ever will. That is not a cry for sympathy, it is a fact. I accept the injuries as part of a profession that I made a conscious decision to enter.

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Woodbridge, Va.: What are your thoughts re: Michael Vick?

Ross Tucker: I think he is probably not a malicious person at heart and that he hung out with the wrong people and had a hard time saying no. It is tough to turn your back on your friends when they were there for you before anyone else cared about you. I have not been in that situation but I imagine that it would be quite difficult.

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Asheville, NC: Why is the head coach/CEO then even on the sideline or at practice at all, Ross?

Ross Tucker: He is still running the show and making all of the decisions on gameday in terms of managing the game and personnel.

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Washington, DC: Should Eli have been the MVP? If is wasn't for Tyree's AMAZING catch, and the strength and tenacity of the D-Line, he would have lost that game.

Ross Tucker: They all would have been good choices and Tyree certainly made a name for himself, but in the end I think Eli was a very deserving choice.

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D.C.: The Patriots won three Super Bowls in four years, then in back-to-back years have had devastating losses (AFC Championship, Super Bowl).

How do they bounce back?

Ross Tucker: They will find a way because of Brady and Belichick but they are starting to get old at some key positions and will need an influx of youth. This will take some time to get over and I will be interested to see what kind of resolve they will have next season.

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Asheville, N.C.: Are the Giants linebackers that good? I mean, those Giants DLs were terrorizing Brad with their ears pulled back all game long.

Ross Tucker: The Giants have some outstanding defensive lineman--yes, they are that good. Their LBers are not great outside of Pierce but the scheme was a brilliant one and allowed them to come free on multiple occassions.

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Ross Tucker: I am done answering questions now. Thank you so much and if you like my writing please check out my work in the NFL and High School sections of SI.com.

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