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February 05, 2003



Outtakes with Marcellus Wiley


Dan Patrick does some dual flossin' with Marcellus Wiley

UNCUT OUTTAKES: A condensed version of Dan Patrick's interview with San Diego Chargers defensive end Marcellus Wiley appears in the Dec. 23 edition of ESPN The Magazine

Marcellus Wiley
Marcellus Wiley's got the name and the game.
Dan Patrick: Why do athletes have their jersey numbers in their phone numbers?
Marcellus Wiley: I think it's part of our ID tag. It's part of us flossin' -- you know, saying that we can even manipulate the phone company.
DP: Explain to me what flossing is.
MW: F-l-o-s-s-i-n, with an apostrophe. Don't put a "g" there. Then people will think you don't know. It means to show off or to show your worth. Flossin' is a three-carat diamond ring for your fiancée instead of a one-carat diamond ring.
DP: I thought that was bling-bling.
MW: That's part of it. Bling-bling is just the diamond itself. Flossin' is the whole art of it. You're showing off. You're showing people that you have something. Louis Vuitton is flossin'. Buying an H2 Hummer as soon as it comes out is flossin'. It's a way of displaying luxury.
DP: What about flossing your teeth?
MW: That's recommended by your dentist and not the same thing.
DP: So I add the "g" to that one?
MW: Well, the dentist might when he says it.

DP: Did you date Lauryn Hill at Columbia?
MW: I met her. I got her number and we talked a few times. We never went on an official date. We kept saying we would see each other but we never did. She disappeared and then became a mega-superstar ... I saw her one time after that and said congratulations and everything.
DP: You should have followed up on that phone call.
MW: [laughs] That was one that got away.
DP: You went to Columbia -- aren't you supposed to be smart?
MW: I'm supposed to be smart. But I guess that's why I didn't go to Harvard.
DP: Who is Columbia's rival?
MW: Brown.
DP: That does not have the same ring as Harvard-Yale.
MW: I know it doesn't. Our game is called the Toilet Bowl.

DP: Are you the best Ivy League player in the NFL?
MW: I can't say that. I'm second. I'd have to give it to [Vikings center] Matt Birk. He made the Pro Bowl twice. I've only made it once. I'm humble enough. He made it twice and he did it before me.

DP: How often do you hear this: "He's well-spoken."
MW: It's funny. I didn't pay attention to it until I saw a Chris Rock special. He was saying that people say that about Colin Powell all the time. In dealing with the media, I hear it at least three or four times a day. I don't know what it means, "well-spoken". I don't speak in perfect sentences. I use double negatives at times. But for some reason, I am considered articulate. People stumble for words and say, "You're well-spoken."
DP: They are leaving out a couple of words. He's well-spoken ... "for a black guy."
MW: Or an athlete. In my realm, they say that most athletes are not well-spoken. I don't completely agree. There's a mainstream way of speaking, a mainstream language. It's used by the people with power and in the media. So if you're in tune with that, they say you're well-spoken. But you can speak a different language and still communicate, which is the purpose of language. I can use broken English, slang, Ebonics -- whatever it may be -- and still communicate with people who will think I'm well-spoken too. But it isn't mainstream so people don't pay attention to it.

DP: Best book you've read lately?
MW: It's by Ben Carson and it's called "Think Big" -- he was the first black neurosurgeon. Brain surgeon. It's his autobiography about his humble beginnings and how he realized success out in the real world.

DP: Is it parity or is the NFL watered-down?
MW: Parity because teams are collages of players that change every year. You can never give one team an identity. A successful team will be picked apart the next year in free agency. That's parity. A watered-down league would have some kind of hierarchy. Some teams would be like the Cowboys in the early 1990s. You don't get that anymore. Teams are more equal year to year.

DP: Did you start out as a running back at Columbia?
MW: And a kick returner.
DP: Who did you run like?
MW: Eric Dickerson without all the yards.
DP: Straight up-and-down runner?
MW: I got a concussion from running too high into the hole. That was in a game. There were numerous other times I got flat-backed just running through the hole at my full height of 6-2. You can't do that. I met Eric Dickerson. He was my idol. That's who I mimicked my style after, but it was a disadvantage due to my height. I got too big. It was OK when I was tall and skinny. But not when I got heavier. It didn't work at all.

DP: Is it an advantage or disadvantage to come from the Ivy League to the NFL?
MW: Both. The advantage is that you are not used to the lifestyle -- being catered to and being told you're the man. You have that Rocky approach when he was fighting Drago. Every player I face is like Drago. They're supposed to be the biggest and the baddest thing out there, almost created to be in the NFL by these big schools. But coming from the Ivy League you have a humble mindset. The disadvantage is that you're not used to the talent level. Your technique may be under par because you may have only been relying on your physical tools in college.

DP: Which NFL opponent was better than you thought he would be?
MW: The first game I ever started was on Sunday night on ESPN against the Tennessee Titans. Now I had back surgery that summer. I was weak and not completely healed. But I was ready to play football. I was not going to miss the opportunity. Here I go against Brad Hopkins [laughs]. I think I had one assisted tackle the whole game. Because I fell backwards on a pile and the announcer made a mistake.

DP: Are you heading out of San Diego during Super Bowl week?
MW: No. Last year I broke my tradition of not going to the Super Bowl. I went with my best friend. We sat at the top of the Superdome and watched New England win.
DP: You had lousy seats?
MW: The NFL did us wrong! We had terrible seats. I almost took the oxygen with me. But I think I will stay. My family is here and my father has never been to a Super Bowl. If we're in it or not, I'll take my father. He's the reason I play football. He's been to all of my games. It would be fun to go with him if we are not playing. But it would be better if he was watching me.

DP: Three things to do in San Diego. Must do if you visit.
MW: Drive by the beach in Del Mar. There's a park that overlooks it. My daughter and I go there a lot. There's a train that goes between the beach and the park. It's pretty sweet. You have to go to Fashion Valley on a Saturday and see the modeling convention. People act like they are shopping but they are too cute to be shopping. And the San Diego Zoo, but bring your walking shoes. The animals have an advantage because they can sit. You have to go see them. After a while you say, "Forget the elephants. Forget the gorillas. I ain't gonna make it."

Marcellus Wiley
Is Marcellus Wiley the best Ivy League player in the NFL? He says "no."
DP: Who is the most old-school guy on the Chargers?
MW: I'd say Adrian Dingle has the oldest soul. I think he's been on earth before. His soul is like 90 years old. His pulse never rises. He's just a chilled dude.
DP: Does he get along with coach Schottenheimer?
MW: I'd say yes. But he's one of those guys that you couldn't get a reaction from to find out.
DP: What does Schottenheimer do that's old-school?
MW: He reminds me of a young Ice Cube. The passion, the energy, the way he portrays things. I'm at a loss for words. But the stories that he tells...
DP: Marty Schottenheimer and Ice Cube?
MW: I say it all the time. When he gives a speech that gets us all excited, I say "Just like a young Ice Cube." Because when Ice Cube started out you couldn't find a harder, more exciting, more passionate rapper. A tough-nosed rapper. He reminds me of a young Ice Cube.
DP: But when the real Ice Cube said he got a triple-double, I threw a flag on that. There is no way he'd get a triple-double.
MW: "Today was a good day". The Hollywood took over. He's about 5-10, and I don't think he's ballin' like that.
DP: No, he's not.

DP: Are you East Coast or West Coast, Tupac or Biggie?
MW: West Coast, but I give respect to anybody, anywhere. Listen, I buy every single CD that comes out. I don't care where you're from. But if I'm going to an island and I can only grab West Coast or East Coast, it would be tough -- but I would have to grab West Coast for loyalty alone. DP: I'll give you a little taste while we talk. I think Biggie is the best rapper ever.
MW: Biggie? Have a Dream. Got that Jay-Z going. The lyrics to that song are sick. ... You know who I think the best rapper is? Eminem.

DP: He's good. But Biggie had some songs that were funny and insightful. And he sounds good. I'd like to hear more from Eminem. It's hard for rappers stay on top. There's always someone new coming along.
MW: Eminem reminds me of Michael Vick or Randy Moss. Unbelievable talent that you just can't measure like other people. Like he's a different species. Biggie tells good stories. Tupac had a passion in his lyrics. But if you just sit there with a raw topic and say, "rap about this," Eminem would blow every other rapper away. If they had a contest like that, he would win.

DP: We had Jay-Z on the show recently.
MW: Is he dating Beyoncé?
DP: They're "friends" -- you know what that means.
MW: They're dating.
DP: Who has a body like Beyoncé in the NFL?
MW: Hugh Douglas. They have the same lower body.
DP: I'll never look at Hugh the same way.
MW: Well, I don't exactly think of Hugh when I'm looking at Beyoncé.

DP: Are kickers athletes?
MW: Yeah, they're athletes. If they miss it, we hate them, and if they make it they are game-winners. So yeah.
DP: Best athlete who just kicks? Field goals. Not punters.
MW: Reggie Roby back in the day could have been a middle linebacker he was so thick. But I can't say.
DP: Sebastian Janikowski.
MW: [laughs] A blocking tight end, probably.
DP: He'd better watch that diet. He's a big, fat guy.

DP: Favorite movie of all time.
MW: "Good Will Hunting." There are a lot of great ones, but that's it. I liked that he was a smart guy who didn't need to be labeled smart by the world. He just knew he was smart and had confidence.

DP: If you say you're from Columbia, do people have automatic assumptions about you?
MW: They probably think I'm that much smarter and I use it to my advantage. It works wonders when I'm dating. They can't call me a dumb jock. It works with the fathers too. "He's an Ivy League athlete. Lovely."
DP: And he's so well-spoken!

DP: We have to do away with the powder-blue uniforms.
MW: We can't because we lost. Every team that went throwback this year lost. Notre Dame. Broncos. Maybe guys are focusing too much on how they look rather than how they're playing. Throwbacks are taking the Ls. Throwbacks are just good at Foot Locker.
DP: Would you design a uniform some day?
MW: I know I'll design a clothing line: "Dat Dude." But if I had to draw up a uniform, it's probably already out there. I love Penn State's uniform. Especially when they went with the V-neck. It's simple but it's sweet. I have my Ki-Jana Carter, No. 32. I still pull it out.
DP: I'm sure Ki-Jana appreciates that.

DP: Ever made a guy cry in a football game?
MW: Not really. I've seen some guys crying due to an injury. But never just from a hit or a tackle. I've heard some screams and sounds that make you think they might be tearing up.
DP: What is the ultimate tackle?
MW: When you don't feel it at all. Just like a golf shot. You swing the club and you don't feel it but you think it might go over the fence. And the crowd lets you know that you really did lay him out.

DP: Who is the dirtiest offensive lineman?
MW: Whoever puts on a Denver uniform. They all cut and chop block. It's by design and scheme, but it's pretty dirty to most of the guys in the league. You're engaged and they have to chop-block you. It's the way they're coached, but it's dirty to us.

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