By
Richard Cirminiello
Although he was a former All-America defensive tackle at Ohio State, you
may not know Quinn Pitcock. He didn’t contend for the Heisman Trophy,
like Troy Smith, or bring a crowd to its feet with his 4.3 jets, like
Ted Ginn. He didn’t attract national attention by sleeping in a tent, a
la Anthony Gonzalez or have a dad, such as James Laurinaitis, who was a
former professional wrestler. No, Pitcock was one of the more
anonymous, yet vital, cogs in a program that won 30 since he became a
starter in 2004. He’s a powerful, 6-3, 295-pound interior lineman with
a contagious work ethic and the quickness and athletic ability of many
ends. Why should you care? Because Pitcock will be a first-day draft
choice in April and is about to turn the coveted twin killing for NFL
prospects, getting invites to the Senior Bowl in Mobile and the Combine
in Indianapolis.
From now until the NFL Draft on April 28, Quinn Pitcock will allow us to
get under his helmet and inside his thoughts as he prepares to fulfill
that childhood dream of becoming a professional football player.
March 31, 2007
Senior Bowl:
I’ve got some ground to make up since my last entry, and I’ll start with
my experiences at the Senior Bowl and the Combine. The Senior Bowl was
hectic. All the players had to do four hours of psychological and
aptitude tests when we first arrived, and like many of the guys, I was
tired from the long flight to Mobile. Once daily practices started, the
routine became practice, shower, dinner, then meetings with the scouts
until around 10:30 or 11:00 pm when I would make my way back to my
room. The food in the cafeteria was okay, but the best dish I had all
week was the seafood Cobb salad, which my roommate, fellow Buckeye Doug
Datish, and I had delivered to the room more than once.
During practice, I got to know the other d-linemen. Woodley (Michigan’s
LaMarr) who I knew from the Lombardi Trophy dinner weeks before, Mebane
(Cal’s Brandon), Amobe (Louisville’s Okoye), (Adam) Carriker and (Jay)
Moore from Nebraska. All good guys. We quickly bonded in between
reps. And like the other positions, would end up sitting at the same
table together for meals.
The
Buccaneers staff were our coaches for the Senior Bowl and probably the
biggest adjustment for me was adapting to their “play the pass first and
then react to the run” philosophy, which was the exact opposite of Ohio
State’s “defend the run first, then react to the pass” way of doing
things.
After dinner, the scouts would call me on my cell or find me in the
hallway and bring me to the coach that wanted to interview me. Most
teams had designated meeting rooms. Tampa Bay was the only team that
met you in the suite where they stayed. There were three questions that
most teams would ask—what were my three best games, did I have any
conflicts with the law and what are my strengths and weaknesses as a
player.
NFL Combine:
The
combine experience was not as bad or difficult as advertised, probably
because I knocked out a lot of the normal combine stuff at the Senior
Bowl. Since I had met with about half the teams during Senior Bowl
week, I only had to meet the teams I had not yet spoken to at the
combine, which made my schedule a lot easier. Also, I was able to dodge
about four to five hours of psychological tests that I completed at the
Senior Bowl. Since I completed a lot of the schedule events earlier,
the four day experience in Indy was not stressful at all.
Though things were made easier, there would be a lot of waiting around
for meetings, being told by our Group Leaders (staff members of NFL
teams) to be in a certain place by 2 pm and then the meeting wouldn’t
start until 3:30 pm, based on things that could not be controlled.
After registering the only sub 5.0 forty of the defensive tackles with a
4.9 on my first attempt, I pulled my hamstring on the second run which
forced me to sit out the short shuttle, three cone and position drills.
I was able to participate in the bench press, doing 23 reps of 225
pounds. I thought Alan Branch, the 330 pound defensive tackle from
Michigan, running a 5.0 forty was impressive.
Feb. 5, 2006
OSU Career:
I couldn’t have
written a better story for my career at Ohio State.
I came in during
2002 and was a part of the national championship team. I was redshirted,
but that gave me the time to develop my skills. I had limited
playing time behind great players like Darrion Scott and Tim Anderson
the following year. In 2004, I earned a starting DT job that I
kept for the next three years. And during my time, we were lucky enough
(and worked hard enough) to be able to compete in another national
championship game and two more BCS bowl games.
In 2005, I was
struggling through the season with a nagging shoulder injury. As soon
as we beat Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, I went into surgery.
This was a hard time for me—not being able to lift hard and going
through rehab for six months. I wasn’t fully recovered until July
of last year, which gave me a month of hard lifting before the start of
this past season. I was surprised how quickly I was able to regain
my strength and conditioning. And I think I ended my career a good
note, being co-captain of a 12-1 squad.
I have built
great relationships with my teammates and coaches over the years, and I
wish them all the best of luck in the future.
Agent Selection Process:
Picking an agent is a hectic process that took me back to recruiting in
high school for college football. You have to have some kind of
strategy or else you will get overwhelmed quickly.
First, I met with agents in the spring at Ohio State’s “agent day”.
This was my first cut. I felt if these agents took the time to be
certified in Ohio and through Ohio State, then they are serious about
representing me. Then I tried to figure out what peripheral
services (added value) that each agency has that makes them different.
However, as I learned in school, services can be copied, and many
agencies had the same old sales pitch about integrity. To me, that
was just the beginning.
BTI Sports Advisors stood out for me because of its partner Jim Flanigan,
who played in the NFL as a d-lineman for 10 years. Having someone
to talk with that has experienced the league and truly knows what teams
are looking for is a huge plus. Jim has already taught me
techniques that I was oblivious to, and his input will truly increase my
playing ability. BTI Sports was a medium-sized firm that my family
and I felt was big enough to get the deals done, but small enough for
individual attention. In the end, of course, it came down to being
comfortable with the firm’s partners, Brad Leshnock, Joe Flanagan, Jim
Flanigan and Ron Slavin. My family is happy with the decision, and we
look forward to working with BTI for many years to come.
Feb. 20, 2007
Quinn Pitcock here, and I am back to give you some insight on my
adventures thus far. I have been extremely busy preparing for the
Combine every day, as well as doing public appearances around Ohio.
Just last week alone, I did five autograph sessions – the Ohio State
fans are great, and we always get lots of turnout for the appearances.
We Buckeyes really do appreciate the loyalty.
It has been a long weekend too, but it’s time to get re-focused on the
Combine and the draft preparation. One of the hardest parts of
complete physical preparation is executing on a good nutrition plan.
We are always so busy, it’s hard to make the time to buy, cook and eat
the right way. For the Combine, though, my agents at BTI Sports
hired a personal chef to help me follow my nutritionist’s meal plan and
avoid those McDonald’s drive-thrus. Jaclyn’s Personal Chef Services in
Columbus has helped me tremendously by preparing meals that fit my meal
plan perfectly. I get a week’s worth of cooked food at a time, and
I simply re-heat the meals and eat according the plan. It is the
ultimate in convenience and has made my life a lot easier.
Next time I write will be after the Combine, and I am hoping to report
nothing but good news. If you have any questions, email
richardc@collegefootballnews.com, and I will be happy to address
them in a future blog. Take care. QP