Manase Tonga Interview

We'd like to say a big thank you to BYU's highly rated FB Manase Tonga for taking some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions for us.

Curt: What are your accurate measurements (height, weight, and 40 time)?
Manase: 6'0, 246lbs, haven't timed my 40 yet.. sorry! But if I had to guess it should be in the low 4.7 - high 4.6 range.

Curt: You have been a fun player to watch at BYU. What parts of your game do you think translate best to the NFL?
Manase: I think that my style of blocking, both pass and run blocking, translates very well to the NFL, but I know that my pass catching ability is the best part of my game and will translate the best to the NFL.

Curt: What things do you hope to improve on?
Manase: The things I need to work on the most is my explosiveness and movement.

Curt: Overall, what do you see your role as in the NFL?
Manase:Being a great lead blocker and catching passes out of the backfield on short yard situations, or any situation for that matter.

Curt: For anyone who hasn't got to lead block for a great back, what is the mindset you have knowing your job is to be the anchor of a run game?
Manase: The mindset that I have is that I must get to my block as fast as I can and with as much ferocity as I have in me. I must destroy whatever man I am responsible for and make sure he does not make the tackle.

Curt: What is your greatest football moment to this point?
Manase: My greatest football moment came my sophomore year when Curtis Brown broke the school rushing record and then my senior year when that same record was broken by Harvey Unga. Knowing that I played a huge roll in helping these two great running backs set records in their time makes me smile and makes me appreciate the kind of work that I do.

Curt: Who is the best player you ever went up against in college?
Manase: The toughest players that I have had the pleasure of playing against were Jason Beauchamp of UNLV and Daryl Washington of TCU. Both athletic, physical, and smart players. I have a ton of respect for these two and hope to play with or against them again in the future.

Curt: What current NFL players reminds you the most of you?
Manase: I liken myself to Mike Sellers. A fullback who is extremely versatile and can do it all.

Curt: Have you set any personal goals for yourself in term of draft position?
Manase: I hope to go at anytime really. I understand that the fullback position isn't an attractive position and I am comfortable with that. But I strongly feel that I can contribute to the success of any team, all I need is a shot.

Curt: What will your offseason consist of from this point, up until the draft?
Manase: I will continue training for the Combine and our Pro Day and work hard so that I can turn some heads come testing day.

Manase: I hope this will help Curtis. Thank you for this great opportunity to share with you some of my thoughts and memories. Take Care brotha!

Thanks again Manase. Fullback is an under appreciated role in the NFL these days but we're sure some NFL Halfback is going to be very glad to hear your name called by his team on draft day. Good luck, thanks for the Saturdays, and we look forward to seeing what you can do on Sundays.

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FanHouse Talks to Troy Polamalu

Troy Polamalu is best known for his lengthy hair and ability to punish anyone who ventures into the Pittsburgh secondary. What people might not know is that he's a rather large MMA fan, incredibly soft-spoken and a very spiritual gentleman.

FanHouse caught up with him at the Nike Global Training Summit and discussed his MMA fanhood, the likelihood of a Steelers repeat, and whether he's had any changes to his training regimen this offseason.

FanHouse: "Troy -- did you change your workout regimen at all this year, to put any emphasis on flexibility?"

Troy Polamalu: "No, I've had more time with my trainer than I've had previously. That's probably the only thing that's changed a little bit."

FH: "How do you feel about your repeat chances, knowing that it's obviously too early in the season?"

Polamalu: "It's obviously too early. (Awkward laughter) ... Honestly, man, we have a great situation in the sense that we never, ever thought about the Super Bowl. We were always playing the Cardinals. We never thought about that -- that's just the mentality of Pittsburgh. It's just the blue-collar mentality. And that mentality is "I get up for work every day. I do the very same thing every day. My mind-thought hasn't changed, nothing has changed. I'm doing the same thing every day." And it's a grind. It really is a grind. And that's what the people in Pittsburgh have learned by waking up and going to a steel mill and working for 10 hours every day. And these type of qualities are found in Pittsburgh like nowhere else in the country."

FH: "Talk about MMA for a little bit -- I know you mentioned it -- how big a fan are you and do you regularly attend events?"

Polamalu: "No, I've never attended ... actually, I have attended one event, I'm sorry. I don't know, it's almost ... above athleticism. THere are some guys that I'm more of a fan of where it's more than MMA, it's really a martial art. You know, a martial art is no different than say, a painter -- true martial arts are. It really is an art. And it's no different from Michaelangelo in a sense in the way that he draws or paints things. So I'm a fan of real martial arts guys -- guys that have something different than just a physical talent. Guys like Rickson Gracie and Fedor Emelianenko, I believe they have that."

FH: "Talk about how you got into MMA and the aspect of 'controlling your body' and the 'art form' aspect:

Polamalu: "Honestly, at first, when I was younger, it was just about the fight. Now that I'm becoming more of an authentic fan, it's not about the guts and glory, it's about the martial art. [...] I think it's about mastering your self, your own fears, your ego, whatever passions you may have. And when you master that -- they say the best gift from God is self-knowledge, to be able to know your self. For example, there's nothing more disappointing for me to see someone who's scared of heights and they get up on that high diveboard and you see [their] face just transform from that happy-go-lucky friend to the face of fear. And whenever you can overcome things like that, it's the most beautiful thing. And martial arts, I think that's what it's all about, and sports in general and training in general, it's all about overcoming that fear of failure, of pride, whatever it may be -- it's different from person to person."

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