Q&A With All-American Offensive Tackle Joaquin Gonzalez

March 12, 2001

Describe your offseason, particularly your workout schedule:

“After the Sugar Bowl (Jan. 2), we had five or six days off and started back with conditioning on the 8th, I don’t remember for sure what day it was. The season started January 8th and, looking back, this is probably the best offseason we’ve had. We’re in much better shape that we were in this time last year. Basically, we’re in Summer shape. In previous years, the summer time was usually when we were in the best shape, but I feel like right now we’re in the best shape since I’ve been here and we still have an entire Summer ahead of us.”

What has made this offseason better or more productive?

“They’ve implemented a lot of speed work and running. Last year, we didn’t start running 110s until the Summer. This year we came back on the 8th and had eight 110s right off the bat. It was difficult coming right back to work like that. It starts getting easier when you do things over and over and we usually wouldn’t hit that point until the Summer. Now we started off in the Spring like that so I can’t wait to see what we’ll look like once Summer starts. We’re running 12 to 15 110s (each workout) right now and the test in the Summer is to run 16 110s, so we’re obviously ready for that.”

What effect does the departure of Rob Phillips at strength and conditioning coach, along with Andrew Swasey taking over, have?

“Coach (Rob) Phillips and Coach (Andrew) Swasey were a good combination. Coach Rob was more the technician and in strength training, setting up those programs. But Coach Swasey really was a good complement to him because Coach Rob wasn’t much of a talker or a motivator. Coach Swasey is one of those guys where he can have you benching more than you ever have because he’s constantly in your ear. His intensity really makes you focus mentally better than ever. Overall, I don’t think there will be any drop-off. And that’s certainly not to take anything away from Coach Rob. He did a tremendous job with us here. We are continuing with the program he set up, which is the most effective one we’ve had since I’ve been here. Now Swasey’s the head man and he’s the last word. And that’s pretty good because now we have more consistency with just one guy in charge. You don’t get that, “Well, he said this but the other coach said that.” Coach Swasey is outstanding for us because he’s young, motivated and a former football player. He played corner at Baylor, he loves Miami and he’s coached here before. He’s a Miami guy and it’s fun working with him.”

What’s your weight now and what is the ideal playing weight for you?

“Right now I’m trying to gain weight. I played last year at 285 and my plans are to play this season at 300. I’m on my way there, I weigh 292 now. I’m halfway there. I want to make sure that, not only do I gain the weight but that I can run with the weight. So far, I’m okay. I keep on gaining weight and I am running the same, so it’s gone well to this point. I’m faster than I’ve ever been. It’s kinda scary because if I keep on gaining and gaining . . . I don’t want to get to the point where I’m like 315 and I can’t run my 110s. I’m slowly gaining weight. I’ll gain like five pounds in two weeks and kinda stay there to see how I do with it. Keeping that weight with the footspeed is the key concern and, so far, I’m going well there.”

What personal goals have you set for this season?

“I want to be more conscious of using good technique. I know I have the heart to play and I know effort is not a question with me. I know I’m going to give 110 percent every play. The biggest thing with me is my technique. I want to be very technique-oriented. I want to do things the right way. Not only get things done, but also get things done the right way. Make it look like a clinic every time we go out there.”

Have you struggled with technique in the past?

“I’ve been very inconsistent in the past. I get away with it sometimes because of my effort, but it would be lots easier on me if I did it right the first time. That’s why I think in the long run, if your technique is solid the less effort you have to put into it. Most of the guys on the offensive line, if you’re playing it’s because you’re an effort freak. If you have good technique and you give great effort, you can become a top offensive lineman.”

This line went from being a question mark to a phenomenal unit. Each player in the line commented last year about Greg Laffere’s impact on the line. Now Greg’s graduated and gone. How do you replace what he gave in terms of leadership, etc.?

“Coming into last season there was a lot of speculation about our losing the left side of the line and replacing Ty Wise and Richard Mercier and how Greg was going to adjust to moving from tackle to guard. Greg had a major move to make and the way he dealt with that, in addition to helping nurture Big Mac (left tackle Bryant McKinnie) into the left tackle position. As talented as Big Mac is and as big as he is, if he hadn’t known the plays it would have been negated. Greg helped bring him along very quickly. The biggest thing Greg brought to the table was not only his own effort and knowledge of the game but, at critical times, he helped Big Mac and the younger guys. We owe a lot of the success we had last year to him becoming the leader he was as the only senior.”

Is there a person in this group who fills the leadership role, or is it a situation with all the veteran starters returning you all share that role?

“Back in ’98, a lot of seniors left that year. The guys left behind were puppies. Now you look around and a lot of these guys have plenty of experience. (Brett) Romberg at center has 12 starts under his belt. (right guard Martin) Bibla has something like 30 starts in his career. Big Mac had 12 starts last year and we have a guy at left guard, it could be Sherko (Haji-Rasouli), Big Ed (Wilkins) or Vernon Carey. All those guys got plenty of playing time last year. When you look at our line there’s really not one guy you have to point at as a teacher, but I think everyone can learn from each other.”

As a team, going through the coaching change was a turbulent time. There was about a week – a crucial week – of uncertainty. What was the main thing you took from that experience?

“When things like that happen, you have to remember what really happens on Sataurdays. Coach Davis did a tremendous job while he was here. I know we all owe him a lot. But we also need to remember and realize that Coach Davis didn’t win those 11 games we won last year alone. We, as players, went out there and laid it on the line and we made it happen. He would be the first to say that, too. He’s a great coach and did a lot of great things here at Miami, but I think everyone realizes now that no matter who leads us we are going to have a great season this Fall. It’s just a matter of us just going out there and performing on Saturdays. The best thing that could have happened, obviously, was for Coach Coker to get the job. Everyone’s really comfortable with him. Coach Coker’s one of those guys who is very energetic. Very much a people person. He really likes being around the guys and we really can relate well to him because he knows us so well. He relates to us well because he was the offensive coordinator and had to get more involved with us on a daily basis. At the same time, he’ll fire on you quick and he’s one of those people you don’t want to let down. We developed a friendship before we developed a coach/player relationship. So, that really makes you not want to let him down.”

As a group, what does the offensive line need to work on?

“From my point of view – and we really haven’t discussed this a lot – we need to work on defensive identification some times. Some times when we get in a game, it takes us a couple series to get things straight and identify if they are throwing any curve balls at us. I think we need to do a better job of calming down when we go into a game and not go through a couple series of three-and-outs. We just need to be more consistent across the board. Everyone of us could benefit from having sounder technique and I know that’s one of the things Coach Coker is going to emphasize this Spring.”

Has the team discussed goals?

“That happens at the end of the Spring. Once we go through Spring practice. Obviously, everyone knows what’s in front of us after going through last season and coming a game short of the ultimate goal. There’s really no excuse for what happened last year. We shouldn’t even have been in a situation to wonder at the end whether we would get a shot. That was our own fault. We didn’t completely handle our own business. That’s the best way to do it. If you don’t want to be left out of the mix at the end you better handle your own business. Everybody knows that we had better do what we did last year and step it up each game. We can’t go out in the Washington game and just play the second half, like we did last year. We need to take care of business every week. We can’t mess around. Everybody understands that. The goals remain the same. The first step to winning a national championship is winning the BIG EAST. So, obviously we want to win the BIG EAST then worry about a national championship.”

Who is the toughest player to play against at UM?

“I’d have to say Courtney Brown of Penn State (in 1999). It was my sophomore year and I was just completely overmatched with him. I held my own – I didn’t give up any sacks – but I was just holding on for dear life. It wasn’t the prettiest game I’ve played.”

Take that thought and think about any players on this team whom you’ve practiced against. Is there anyone on this team that people may not have heard much about that could be a star in the making on defense?

“I think you look across the board people will be surprised at the amount of playmakers we have in the defensive line. I grew up here in Miami so when I think of all the defensive linemen back in the `80s and `90s when (Warren) Sapp was here . . . We’ve got guys who could be of that caliber. We’ve got Jerome McDougle at end, who I am willing to say could end up being a star right away this season. Andrew Williams coming in from junior college. You look at the guy and he’s physically intimidating. Jamaal Green has a lot of experience at end. On the inside, Vince Wilfork weighs about 340 and he reminds me so much of Warren Sapp when he was here. He’s a house and he really hasn’t been in shape. Scary. William Joseph with 20-something games of experience is outstanding. Matt Walters is really developing into a player for us. It’s no fun practicing against these guys. They can make you look bad.”

What do you see off the field for yourself in the future?

“I graduated in December with a Marketing major and I’m in graduate school now. I’m taking three classes. I need 10 more classes to finish. I’ll be going to both Summer sessions and, hopefully, by next December I’ll graduate with my MBA. I want to get into the advertising segment of marketing. That’s what I really like. Not so much the research part. The advertising part appeals to me because it deals a lot with entertainment. I’ve always been into that because it’s fun.”

As one of the high-profile Hispanic athletes at this school you’ve become a representative of the Cuban-American community. What are your thoughts on that?

“It’s fun. I love it. You know why? Because I grew up here. If I wouldn’t have grown up here it wouldn’t mean as much to me. A lot of guys get recognized – I know (quarterback Ken) Dorsey does – but it’s harder to get recognition when you’re an offensive lineman. But being an offensive lineman that’s also Cuban-American in a community with such a large Cuban population, I think a lot of people see me in the media and can point to me as a Cuban kid that made it. So, a lot of Cuban parents have kids like me. I’m not the greatest athlete, I don’t have the greatest numbers, I just came here and worked hard and made it. I think a lot of Hispanic people can relate to that. Not to take anything away from any other culture, but it hasn’t been easy for us here. It’s a lot easier than it used to be, but there is still a lot they have to go through.”

Could you have anticipated that before coming here?

“Not at all. They (UM) recruited me but they didn’t offer me a scholarship. I had scholarship offers to go to a lot of other places. What really opened the door for me to come here was my academics. I had scholarships to go to some Ivy League schools. That’s what really made my story, basically. I came here and just wanted to earn a scholarship. Even though I came here on an academic scholarship, I wanted to earn an athletic scholarship. As soon as I got that athletic scholarship, I just wanted to see where I could go with it. I remember coming out of my redshirt freshman year, Robert Hall was supposed to be the starting right tackle. But an opportunity presented itself and I jumped in right there and never gave that up.”

You’ve had an amazing career at UM – first lineman to be BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, a multiple Academic All-conference honoree and a first-team All-American in 2000. What would be the final thing to cap off your career at Miami?

“I have one year left and I would like to accomplish a lot of individual goals, including a shot at the NFL and going for the Outland Trophy, but the biggest thing would be to win a National Championship. Team goals lead to individual honors. I think that became obvious to us last year.”