Leadership, pt. 2 by Earnest Byner
Earnest Byner wrote his second blog article for Pro Interviews. EB has 27 years experience in the NFL, both as a player and as a coach. He continues his first blog article about Leadership and discusses how he was a leader on the football field as a running back. He has been an RB coach for numerous teams, and he has been vey successful. He wrote this follow-up blog before the 2011 NFL season.
Leadership by Earnest Byner
Earnest Byner wrote his first blog article for Pro Interviews. EB played collegiately for the East Carolina Pirates. He played professionally for thirteen years. He played for the Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins, and the Baltimore Ravens. He has been a professional coach for fourteen years. He started off as a coach for the Baltimore Ravens, then the Washington Redskins, then the Tennessee Titans, then the Jacksonville Jaguars. He wrote this before the 2011 NFL season.
Former NFL QB, Gibran Hamdan Interview
Gibran Hamdan played college football at Indiana University. He entered the 2003 NFL Draft and was drafted in the 7th round. He played in NFL Europe and also was a backup for many NFL teams such as the Redskins, Seahawks, 49ers, Bills. He ended his career with the CFL. He started his own clothing line called, ‘Alial Fital’ and he talks about it in our interview conducted in March of 2011.
Lions WR, Nate Burleson Interview
Nate Burleson played college football at Nevada. He entered the 2003 NFL Draft and was drafted in the third round by the Minnesota Vikings from 2003-2005. He also played for the Seahawks from 2006-2009 for his career. He is currently a member of the Detroit Lions. In 2010, he totaled 55 receptions, 625 yards, and 6 touchdowns. Check out our interview that was conducted before the 2011 NFL season started.
Texans RB, Chris Ogbonnaya Interview
Chris Ogbonnaya played college football at Texas. He was an Academic All-American during his senior year (2008). He entered the 2009 NFL Draft, and was drafted in the 7th round by the St. Louis Rams. He then signed with the Texans’ practice squad in 2010. Check out the interview that was conducted before the 2011 NFL season. [Update: He was promoted and signed to the Cleveland Browns active roster in 2011. He earned his first start this past year too.] Read more 
Chiefs Pro Bowl RB, “Nigerian Nightmare”, Christian Okoye Interview
Christian Okoye grew up in Nigeria and never played youth football. He played collage football at Azusa Pacific (D3) school. He entered the 1987 NFL Draft, and was drafted 35th overall by the Chiefs. He played in the NFL for Marty Schottenheimer from 1987 to 1992, and totaled over 5000 yards and 40 touchdowns in his career. He made the Pro Bowl in 1989 and 1991. Check out our great interview!
Jets FB, John Conner Interview
John Conner played college football at the University of Kentucky. He was considered one of the best and most complete fullbacks going into his senior season. He entered the 2010 NFL Draft, and was drafted in the 5th round by the Jets. He was the backup behind Tony Richardson during his rookie season. In 2011, he earned the starting role and is the only fullback on the NY Jets roster. This interview was conducted after the 2010 NFL season.
Retired NFL RB, Super Bowl XXVI Champion, current Jaguars RB Coach, Earnest Byner Interview
Earnest Byner played college football at East Carolina University. He then entered the 1984 NFL Draft and was drafted in the tenth round. He played for the Browns for 7 years (84-88, 94-95), the Redskins for 5 years (89-93), and the Ravens for two years (96-97). He then worked in Player Personnel with the Ravens. Following that, he became the RB coach of the Redskins, then Titans, and Jaguars. He won Super Bowl XXVI with the Redskins. This interview was conducted before the 2011 NFL season when he was the Jacksonville Jaguars running back coach.
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Retired NFL DT, Jason Ferguson Interview
Jason Ferguson played college football at the University of Georgia. He entered the 1997 NFL Draft, and was selected in the 7th round. He played for the Jets for seven years, the Cowboys for three years, and the Dolphins for two years. He was a great defensive lineman for all of the teams he played on. At the end of his career, he served as a mentor to Paul Soliai. This interview was conducted after the 2010 NFL season. He is currently no longer in the NFL. Read more
Hall of Fame Tight End, Current Ravens General Manager, Ozzie Newsome Interview
Ozzie Newsome played college football at the University of Alabama. He is often considered the greatest tight end in school history. He entered the 1978 NFL Draft, and was drafted 23rd overall by the Cleveland Browns. He was one of the best tight ends to ever play the game and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of ’99. He has been the General Manager of the Ravens since 1996, and he is often referred to as one of the best GMs in the NFL.
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Bears RB/FB, Matt Suhey Interview
Matt Suhey played college football at Penn State. He entered the 1980 NFL Draft, and was selected in the 2nd round by the Chicago Bears. He played with the Bears from 1980 through 1989. He was the fullback for Walter Payton, and had a great relationship with fans off the field. He is often regarded as one of the best fullbacks in NFL history. He scored the first TD in Super Bowl XX in which the Bears were victorious. Check out the interview with one of the 1985 Bears. Read more
Saints S, Usama Young Interview
Usama Young played college football at Kent State. He entered the 2007 NFL Draft and was selected in the 3rd round by the Saints. He was victorious in his lone Super Bowl appearance in 2009. While he was with the Saints, he totaled 105 tackles, 14 pass deflections, and three interceptions. This interview was conducted briefly after the 2010 NFL season. [UPDATE: He signed with the Cleveland Browns before the start of the 2011 season.]
Dolphins NT, Paul Soliai Interview
Paul Soliai played college football at the University of Utah. He earned second team all-MWC for his performance in his senior season. He entered the 2007 NFL Draft, and was drafted in the 4th round by the Miami Dolphins. He has totaled 97 tackles, 5 pass deflections, 11 STFs, and 2 sacks throughout his career. He received the franchise tag after the 2010 NFL season. This interview was conduced right before the 2010 NFL season ended.
Titans CB, Jason McCourty Interview
Jason McCourty attended Rutgers University, and was a great defensive back during his time there. He then entered the 2009 NFL Draft, and was selected in the 6th round by the Tennessee Titans. He has been a member of the Titans since. He has been getting consistently better every year, just like he did in college. This interview was conducted before the 2010 NFL season was over. [UPDATE: J-Mac finished the 2010 season with over 100 tackles.]
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Bills All-Time Great, Hall of Fame RB, Thurman Thomas Interview
Thurman Thomas attended Oklahoma State University, and during his time there he accumulated 897 attempts, 4595 yards, and 43 touchdowns. He is the all time leading rusher in OSU history, and he was known for being the only person ever to put Barry Sanders on the bench. He entered the 1988 NFL Draft, and was selected 40th overall by the Buffalo Bills. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007 after compiling over 12,000 rushing yards, and over 4,000 receiving yards in his career. Check out our interview. Read more
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