The Post’s Steve Serby chatted this past week with the Giants’ rookie fullback, who rushed for 73 yards in his preseason debut:
Q: You’re 6-4½, 262 pounds, the biggest Baby Bull in Giants history. Bigger than Tucker Frederickson. Have you ever been stopped by one guy?
A: Yeah. He grabbed my foot and made me stumble. But there’s never been a collision stop by one guy. Never happened.
Q: Describe your running style.
A: More of a downhill, between-the-tackles runner.
Q: Do you like to intimidate on the field?
A: Yes. If there’s intimidation your opponent won’t be up to par in knowing their full responsibilities.
Q: Was that easy to do in college?
A: Very easy.
Q: How could you tell an opponent was intimidated?
A: When I’d come through the hole they’d try to dive at my legs. The next play I would recognize them doing the same thing and run straight for them.
Q: Straight over them?
A: Sometimes.
Q: Do you enjoy inflicting pain on the field?
A: That’s not what I try to do, but the harder you run the less people’ll try to stick it in there on you.
Q: Did you ever knock a guy out?
A: A guy from Vanderbilt. He was setting a wedge on kickoff return. I made the front-line guy miss and took on the wedge.
Q: Sounds as if you see yourself as a bully.
A: I’m trying to get more of that mentality. If you get a chance to take a shot on somebody, take it.
Q: Compare Coach Kill (Southern Illinois) to Coach Coughlin.
A: Coach Coughlin’s a little tougher. He’s more focused on the little things, which are what people screw up. So he’s on you a lot more.
Q: What do you think about his meetings starting five minutes early?
A: That’s OK. What do you do five minutes before meetings anyway?
Q: Biggest lessons you’ve learned from Tiki Barber?
A: Knowing this is a business and doing what you gotta do to stay in it. And small things, like a slight shoulder turn.
Q: What has he told you about off the field?
A: Make smart decisions and surround yourself with smart people.
Q: One person in history you’d like to meet.
A: Rosa Parks … putting her foot down and saying we should have a right to sit and say what we want.
Q: Three dinner guests?
A: Redd Foxx, Wesley Snipes, Beyonce.
Q: When you were 11, you went to live with your Aunt Diane in Napoleonville, La. What was the best piece of advice she gave you?
A: Stay wise. Go for it all.
Q: What was she like?
A: A hell of a woman. She did whatever she could to make things right around the house. She’s my role model.
Q: What were the circumstances of her raising you?
A: I had two cousins, Chad and Ethan, who are my age. When I was with my mom it was only me, so I didn’t have anything to do. I didn’t do anything wrong, just kinda got in trouble in school a little. But it surrounded me with people who were doing good things .Ñ.Ñ. playing football, stuff like that. My mom lived right across the highway. I still saw her every day.
Q: Had you been hanging out with the wrong crowd?
A: I was hanging out with people that didn’t want to do well.
Q: What was the worst thing you did?
A: It was kinda all fights.
Q: Were you an angry kid?
A: No. I just thought everybody had something against me.
Q: Why?
A: That was just how I was.
Q: You have a tattoo on your right arm that says “Toby.”
A: I was a very big baby and they said Kunta Kinte (“Roots”) was a very big baby when he was born and his name was Toby.
Q: How big were you at birth?
A: Minimum 10 pounds.
Q; What is there to do in Napoleonville?
A: Nothing. But New Orleans and Baton Rouge are a hop, skip and jump away.
Q: How’s Mardi Gras?
A: Something everybody should do.
Q: Ever go to a Super Bowl in New Orleans?
A: I’d never been to an NFL football game till last Saturday night (in Cleveland).
Q: Why?
A: I never asked to go to one, never tried to go to one.
Q: Favorite athlete outside football?
A: Michael Jordan.
Q: How good a high school basketball player were you?
A: I averaged about 22 and was nominated to play in the McDonald’s All-American game.
Q: Any scholarship offers?
A: University of New Orleans, Cincinnati, Kentucky, UCLA.
Q: Idols growing up?
A: Earl Campbell. He was the real deal.
Q: Most embarrassing moment.
A: Actually, it was just Tuesday, telling the guys I had bruised testicles (laughs).
Q: Who were you telling?
A: The guys asked me, “What’s wrong, why are you walking like that?”
Q: Who hit you?
A: I don’t know. Someone reached in to hit the ball and made a mistake. But put it in the paper as groin (chuckles).
Q: The one thing you would change about yourself?
A: I wish I was a little shorter … maybe 6-foot-2. It would help me get lower.
Q: Favorite singer?
A: Beyonce.
Q: You’ll meet her. Her beau, Jay-Z, owns 40-40 in Manhattan.
A: I’ve been there.
Q: What did you think of Manhattan?
A: Kinda overwhelming for a little country boy like me. But I like it.
Q: What song did you sing at the beginning of training camp?
A: “This Little Light of Mine.”
Q: How’d you do?
A: Pretty well.
Q: Why’d you pick that one?
A: Easy.
Q: Favorite TV show.
A: “Sanford and Son.”
Q: Favorite meal.
A: Gumbo.


