saintz08

Saints\' Michael Lewis Q&A, Part Two: \'Staying grounded is the important part\'
Posted on February 3, 2003

A Pro Bowl nod Sunday found Michael Lewis helping New Orleans finish a tough 2002 season on a high note. He was joined by three other Saints - running back Deuce McAllister, receiver Joe Horn and special teamer Fred McAfee - in Honolulu. But Lewis says the best is yet to come: \'There\'s more for me,\" the former 30-year-old rookie says. \"I\'m still learning.\"


TNS: After injuries to the Saints offense hampered both quarterback Aaron Brooks and running back Deuce McAllister, you ended up being one of the bright spots late in the year. Did you feel some pressure?

Lewis: With me, I don\'t worry about the pressure. I know what I have to do when I step out on the field. My main goal was to put my offense in the best field position.

TNS: A record-setting year - both with the team and in the league - followed. You set marks for most combined kickoff and punt return yards in NFL history, and broke Saints records for kickoff and punt return yardage. Then came Sunday\'s Pro Bowl. Did that bring some sense of satisfaction?

Lewis: No. There\'s more for me. It shows that hard work and determination pays off. That\'s what my goal was. But I\'m still learning. I think that you probably won\'t see the best of me, because of how late I got started. But it\'s all about the learning process. I don\'t know all the concepts of this game yet.

TNS: Were you surprised by how complicated the NFL game is versus what you once saw on television?

Lewis: I used to tell my agents if I get a fair chance, I know I can make it. I just needed a shot. But it\'s not complicated. Football is football. It\'s hard because they\'re out there busting their tails just like you. So you have to work a little harder. It worked out for me, though, because I have a strong work ethic. ... You\'ve gotta love this game. You\'ve gotta love getting up every morning, going out there in the off season. Having only a month off. We\'re back at work in March. Going in there, working out every day, having off-season workouts - it\'s almost like a year-round job.

But I don\'t have a problem getting up and going out there and doing my job. This is what puts food on my table.

TNS: Some feature stories in national magazines have related trips around town with you. It seems like everybody in New Orleans knows the Beerman.

Lewis: Being from there, you run across a lot of people. I also do a lot of things that people don\'t know about. I pop up at different parks and talk to kids, just get out of my car in my old neighborhood and walk around.

Staying grounded is the important part. I don\'t have an entourage. Mainly, it\'s just me. I just want the fans and people to know that football players are approachable.

By me being from the work world and going into football, I know how it is. I don\'t mind stopping and holding a conversation with anybody. Sometimes I\'ve seen guys get real aggravated when people ask for autographs. It doesn\'t bother me.

TNS: What do the Saints need to do to turn that last corner in a season? Some more defensive pieces?

Lewis: I don\'t know what\'s happening on the defensive side. Like our offensive coordinator always says, we have to score more points than the other team. We cannot determine what our defense is going to do. I try to put my offense in the best field position possible, to give us the opportunity to score as much as possible without having to drive 80 yards down the field.

TNS: It seems that this year, special teams was a real weakness in the NFL. Blocked kicks, missed tackles. Seems there are several burners in the league, but not many like you who also like to hit.

Lewis: I\'m always on the side where people are tackling me. So, when I get my chance, I will throw my body in there to make a tackle.

TNS: Do you hope to get more involved in the offense - or is special-teams play always going to be your thing?

Lewis: So far, special teams is going to be my thing. But when I\'m called upon as a receiver, I\'m going to step out there and make plays. The good thing is Aaron has enough confidence to come to me, so I\'m not just running routes for no reason. That makes me feel even better.

TNS: NFL clubs everywhere probably have guys walk up at camps and say: \'I\'m fast. Just give me a chance and you\'ll see.\' You\'re the one-in-a-million situation where that turned out to be true.

Lewis: There\'s a lot of talent out there. You\'ve got people who have all the talent and all the tools, but who never got that opportunity. They\'ll look back and say, \'I should have done that.\' If you think you have the skills, give yourself a chance.

I didn\'t call the Saints up and get a work out, though. I had to go through stages to get where I\'m at. I played semi-pro ball - for nothing. I played on teams where we only had 17 guys playing the whole game. I play for the love of the game.

\"Americans play to win at all times. I wouldn\'t give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed.\" - George S. Patton
On another note, I\'ll take a bite of that crow 08. - Saintfan
Brooks is a moron!! - Halo