Marcus Trufant
When you’re drafted out of the 2003 NFL Draft 11th overall to a starting position with the Seattle Seahawks as a rookie, then you know you have some big expectations and shoes to fulfill right away. Marcus Trufant came out of Washington State as a cornerback into a starting position and you can guarantee he has had to learn a lot real fast.
Listen to the Marcus Trufant CYInterview:
(Backup Player: Including IE)
Chris Yandek: First off how are you?
Marcus Trufant: “I am doing fine.”
CY: When you were drafted 11th overall in the 2003 NFL Draft, did you know right away that you were going to have to fulfill a lot of expectations as a starter on the Seattle Seahawks as a cornerback?
MT: “Well, being a rookie I wasn’t sure what my role was going to be or how I was going to fit in. I just wanted to come in, work hard, and whatever happened I would go 100 miles a hour doing it and working harder.”
CY: Being the highest cornerbacks drafted in recent years along with former Kansas St. player Terance Newman who was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys as the 5th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, do you feel that you might be in years to come one of the most elite cornerbacks in the NFL?
MT: “I would like to be thought of as one of the elite cornerbacks as my career progresses. This is still my first year and I feel I have a lot to learn in a lot of ways and play the way I want to be. I gotta keep working hard everyday and just continue to get better and better.”
CY: What have you learned most from your first year as a rookie in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks?
MT: “I have learned that there is not much room for error in the NFL. The little things like making up speed and stuff like that you can make in college you can’t do in the NFL because everybody is so good and athletic.”
CY: What are your thoughts on Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren and defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes on their overall game plan?
MT: “Coach Mike Holmgren is a great coach. He is a player’s coach. People feel really comfortable around him and they really feed into his system. He has a great football mind. Coach Rhodes is the same as he knows football inside and out. He puts the defense in good position to make plays and win games.”
CY: Do you think that the Seattle Seahawks are becoming one of the contenders to reckon with in the NFC?
MT: “Yes. I think so. We are getting better and better every week. We are on the way to being the team we want to be and to fulfill some of the goals we want to achieve at the end of the season.”
CY: What are your thoughts on the NFC West division overall, playing teams twice a year like St. Louis, San Francisco, and Arizona?
MT: “I think it’s a good way to see who is the best team to come out of the division when you play a team twice. You get to see who can really dominate one another or who comes out on top.”
CY: What advice has fellow cornerback and teammate Shawn Springs given to you about being drafted early and starting as a cornerback for you rookie reason?
MT: “He has given me a lot of advice from telling me that they are gonna come at me every play because I am a rookie to little things I need on the field. He has been helping me since camp with everything he can.”
CY: What are your thoughts looking back to your days at Washington State and what stands out in your mind?
MT: “Playing at Washington State was great. I had a lot of fun there. Just the whole college experience and going to the Rose Bowl and the Sun Bowl. Just the way the campus is, having a winning season, and doing good.”
CY: Would you consider playing in the 2002 Rose Bowl against Oklahoma the highlight of your career even though Washington State lost 34 to 14?
MT: “I would say so because that is a real big game. That is the highest game you can get to in the PAC 10. It was wild, it was crazy, and I had a lot of fun doing it even if we did lose. It was a lot of fun getting there.”
CY: Do you think the PAC 10 doesn’t get the recognition it deserves because it’s on the West Coast and not everyone sees those games?
MT: “A little bit. I would think that sometimes the PAC is overlooked or overshadowed by other teams as they are not exposed as much, but a lot of great players come out of the PAC 10. I think people realize that, but a lot of people don’t get to see it.”
CY: What was it like under head coach Mike Price at Washington State, and what are your thoughts on all the allegations that happened with him at Alabama?
MT: “Coach Price is a great coach. Coach Price and Coach Doba came to my house and recruited me and had dinner with me and my family. Coach Price is a great guy with character. The things that are going on with him now and that are surrounding him are unfortunate. There are a lot of things that are not all the way out in the open and all the way truthful. I think a lot of people are confused with it, but all I know is that coach Mike Price is a great guy.”
CY: Do you think there should be drug testing in the NFL after some Oakland Raiders tested positive for the new illegal substance THG?
MT: “I am not really sure. I don’t know much about that or what’s going on with that. I am not really sure.”
CY: Final thoughts on your career and what you hope to accomplish in your future career in the NFL?
MT: “I just want to get out there and do the best I can, win as many games as possible, and be the best player I can be.”