Falcons rookies reveal themselves
Players place premium on 'relaxing' off the field

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/13/08

Three of the newest Falcons sat down to talk with Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter D. Orlando Ledbetter about where they come from and what they do when they're not out trying to impress their new NFL coaches. Here's a sampling of what they're about:

ROBERT JAMES

Q. How'd you get that cool nickname, the "Beast"?

A. One of my teammates, Nate Kimbrough, he's a senior this year. He's a receiver. When we were leaving after practice and one of the reporters was there, and [Kimbrough] said, "Quote, unquote, he's the Beast." When they heard that, they just ran with it.

Q. What type of stuff do you like to do away from football?

A. I like to cook.

Q. What are your favorite dishes?

A. Steak is my favorite food. Breakfast food. I'm killing the game in breakfast food. Pork chops. Cabbage. Yams. I make the best macaroni and cheese, too.

Q. What is a misconception about your hometown, Phoenix?

A. I met this one guy from Detroit. He moved down there and told me that he really thought he was moving to the desert. He thought it was really sand out there.

KEITH ZINGER

Q. What can you tell us about Leesville, La., your hometown?

A. It's just a small town out in the country. Not much there, but I call it home. It's nice.

Q. How did you end up at LSU?

A. That was one of the SEC schools that recruited me. I just kind of liked the direction they were headed in, and I kind of wanted to stay in-state.

Q. So is Nick Saban a jerk or what?

A. Nah, he's not a jerk. He's a good coach. I liked him. He's a tough coach, but he knows his stuff.

Q. What do you like to do when you get away from football?

A. Just spend time with my wife and family. Relax. Nothing special.

WILREY FONTENOT

Q. Do you get a lot of questions about your name?

A. I get that a lot. When all of the rookies had to stand up and announce our names, they were like, "What?" So I had to repeat it again for the whole team.

Q. What was it like playing in the Pac-10?

A. It was fun. Basically, every team you play is going to pass a lot, so you get to showcase your abilities and just go out and play.

Q. When did you start playing football?

A. In the fourth grade for the Humble [Texas] Oilers.

Q. What do you do when you get away from football?

A. I'm not really a video game player, so basically I just relax.

Q. What are you musical interests?

A. I like Lil' Wayne. T.I., everything like that. Young Jeezy.