JENNA LAINE, NFL.COM AND SPORTS FAN LIVE BLOGGER

JBS: Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today.

Jenna: Thank you for having me!

JBS: Before we get to football we aren’t sure if a lot of people know but you were a body builder at one time.  What was that like and what did you learn from that experience?

Jenna: Actually I'm a fitness competitor. I do NPC fitness competitions...a little different than bodybuilding, because we're not supposed to have the size of the female bodybuilders. We're smaller, with not quite as much muscularity but still very athletic. Still training and stuff though I don’t have much time on my hands right now to compete. I started getting more intense with it when I took a break off covering sports and thought about a career switch.  Then I was like, 'I am not ready to give sports up' and I went back in to it. Being a female people would not think you could find a common ground with the football players but my experience in the weight room has helped.  I was talking with a draft prospect about his hammer grip on the bench press and he looked at me like 'how did you know that?' So it helps me to understand what they go through.  I bench press every week and I've done plyos before and a lot of agility work so it gives me an understanding and appreciation of what they go through.  In fitness competitions you do a lot of gymnastics and have to have muscle and be strong but also be quick and agile just like in football with cornerbacks and safeties.  They have to be strong to make tackles but also be fast as well.  Receivers too.  Running backs have to make blocks but also be quick.  That is the big thing -  the balance between size and speed and I can understand where they are coming from.

JBS: Why did you decide to change professions and start blogging and doing TV reporting?

Jenna: Sometimes in relationships people break up and don’t realize how much it means to them until they don’t have it anymore.  I felt I grew on a personal level being away from it and being able to recharge my batteries and discover myself.  In college I never questioned what I wanted to do.  During that time, maybe a year or so, and I freelanced in the mean time covering baseball for newspapers, but the turning point for me was that I was a production assistant for NFL Network at the Super Bowl and I met Fran Charles.  The other production assistants would move around and when they would go on air but I would just watch what they would do and hang on every word they said.  That really restored the passion for me, and I said 'I am not ready to let this dream die". It was like this spark came back and I still keep in touch with Fran.  He has been a great mentor for me. Hopefully one day I can get to the point where I can do the same for someone else.

JBS: You have covered several sports so far so which has been your favorite and why?

Jenna: Football.  Although I never covered gymnastics but it was my first love as far as sports go.  I became a football fan in 1993 when Horace Copeland did a back flip in the end zone for the Bucs.  I thought that was the coolest thing ever.  I started paying a lot more attention.  I am still a sucker for the end zone gymnastics.  Stylez G. White for the Bucs can do a back flip in full pads and Maurice Jones-Drew does a dive roll in the end zone.

JBS: What has been your most memorable moment so far?

Jenna: Being at the Super Bowl and witnessing Tracy Porter’s interception for a touchdown.  I spent a whole week covering Tracy.  I guess to see him when a lot of people were not flocking to him and he was a real interception machine but not getting quite the attention the others were getting.  When many guys were on the podium out there he was one of the guys wandering around who did not get the attention.  We talked a lot and he would tell me things most people don’t know like who would be most likely to watch Grey’s Anatomy and I think he said Jabari Greer. That was for a story we did called "Meet the Saints with Tracy Porter."  It was just amazing to see him make that play and all the press people stood up.  You know that moment will be forever etched in the record brooks.  I wrote an article on that play alone.  That was the moment of the Super Bowl.  That and also Jeremy Shockey’s touchdown was nice.  He got his moment after being with the Giants and not getting to play in the Super Bowl the first time.  That Tracy Porter interception is something I will never forget.  You see what goes in to it during the week and you get to know them on a personal level and see they are real people and not just a face on TV.  Tracy is just a real fun guy to interview and to see him have that moment was really really special.

JBS: Who is the most interesting TV personality you have met?

Jenna: Suzy Kolber. I met her at Media Day down in Miami. I really respect her a lot so meeting her was big for me.  Meeting Bob Costas a year ago in Tampa. I nearly peed in my pants meeting him! I watched him during the Barcelona Olympics when I was six and he was the guy who made me want to be a journalist - to tell the stories of athletes, and I remember saying, 'I want to be doing what he does.'  The thing about him that amazed me was that he does not forget people’s names.  He met hundreds of people that day and I was a lowly production assistant and he made it a point to say “hi Jenna how you doing?"  It was neat and left a lasting impression on me.

JBS: So far you have been all over the NFL scene with blogs at NFL.com for several teams and you even covered the Super Bowl this year.  What was covering the Super Bowl like for you?

Jenna: It was an absolute honor.  It didn’t hit me for a little while.  Our CEO of Sports Fan Live, David Katz and my editor Victor Chi - they both got me credentials and it was such an honor to do that.  Some of the best journalism stories come out of that.  To be out there and be around so many respected journalists from around the world.  A lot of them are my parent’s age and have built a life around it and to be around them helped me step up my game too.  These people are putting in 80 hours a week easily and I was doing it too.  Just a real honor to see that.  And this came just a few days after the 35-year anniversary of female sports reporters breaking the locker room barrier.  There were women before me that faced a lot of things.  One player sent a female reporter an actual rat before a game. Another reporter had a jock strap shot at her head.  These women were trying to make a living for themselves and enjoy doing something they like to do.  We have it so much easier now because of what they went through.  This was a privilege that not many before me enjoyed.

JBS: You have done features on Mike Alstott, Brian Brohm, Jonathan Stewart, and many others.  Which player story was the most interesting or fun for you to do and why?

Jenna: Remi Ayodele was really interesting.  I got to meet him at media day.  He was interesting.  He has tattoos on his arm.  He has Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball, and some others.  He was just having a good ‘ol time talking to everybody.  Recently while I was doing some pre-draft coverage the linebacker Boris Lee out of Troy is just a funny guy.  We got on the subject of his mom cooking and he eats things like alligator and other weird stuff.  And when ever he gets nervous, he thinks about strawberries. Strawberries!

JBS: Now for our biggest reason getting you on here.  You covered the Super Bowl this year and saw many small school players stand out.  Which non FBS player most impressed you in the game and in the playoffs this year?

Jenna: Miles Austin impressed me because he was a guy I did not know where he came from.  The cowboys are a team that came on late in the season and he was just phenomenal.  He was so athletic and seemed like Tony Romo’s go to guy.  You know and then Darren Sharper has always impressed me.  He is a six time pro bowler and he went to William & Mary.  A lot of talented guys went to that school and a lot of talk was about the offense but their defense was good.  Their secondary was something else and he was a big part of that.  He has always impressed me though.  When he was with the Packers he went to the Super bowl his first year and then went to the Vikings and now Saints.  That was a free agent gem.  Then you mentioned Pierre Garcon before and he could have been the Cinderella story of the Super bowl and had an AFC Championship Record 151 yards.  You mentioned before he had some problems and went to a couple different schools.  I read in college he had 1,000 yards receiving every season it says a lot about a college player.  The beauty of his situation is that if not for Anthony Gonzales’ injury he might not have got his chance to do that.  You mentioned Jahri Evans to me before in an email and Jahri did not start playing football until high school so he was kind of a late bloomer.  When guys like that are late bloomers they go to these smaller schools and get better and don’t get the same attention.  He was a fourth round pick and that was the beauty of these all-star games that these small school players can showcase their skills at these games and it levels the playing field.  Same thing for the combine.  Once you get there it is like you have film but now what can you do.  They put you in pressure situations and find out if you can rise to the occasion.

JBS: What impact do you think the emergence of small school stars in the NFL has had on the NFL Draft and how bloggers like yourself cover the draft?  We ask because it is rare to see writers from non FBS schools in the mainstream media and many of those writers might not know much about those players.

Jenna: I went to school at South Florida which now we are a division one program and we have a few guys who will do well in the draft but a few years ago we were I-AA and I knew we had talent on those teams and a lot of diamonds in the rough.  Guys pushed aside by Miami, FSU, and Florida.  Jim Leavitt did a good job of selling them on creating a tradition.  As it progressed they still have a lot of walk-ons come in and they get these projects.  Maybe they need refinement and coaching but are natural athletes.  I think just being around that and seeing a lot of that it made me believe that all someone really needs is a chance.  The same with Florida International and Florida Atlantic but they played at the same high schools as those guys in Miami.  We have quite a bit of talent in the Tampa area as well and you see all these guys who played against each other then but only so many can go to the big programs.  I haven’t always been exposed to those programs until ESPN started showed some D2 games and now the emergence of YouTube.  If you want to hear about that guy who had the amazing play such as James Sparks at Buffalo.  He had a tremendous play in 2007 and I knew about it because I heard it in 2007.  I think the internet helps being able to learn about these guys.  They are playing a lot more of them realizing that people want to see more of them.  Being able to watch those games on TV and seeing that talent level.  Seeing the Division II National Championship on TV is pretty neat.

JBS: Who is your favorite small school player of all-time in the NFL?

Jenna: Jerry Rice.  My gosh.  He is the reason they invented the whole yards after catch as a stat.  He is a legend and those records I hope they stand for a long time.  The thing that made him so successful coming from that small school environment there is something about these guys who come from smaller schools have a chip on their shoulder and they acknowledge they are the under dogs but they work harder than other.  He is immortal you know.  Also too, Doug Williams.  He played at Grambling and of course I have an attachment to him because he did play for the Bucs.  I don’t know if a lot of people expected as much out of him.  For him to be the Super Bowl MVP and dispel the belief that black athletes could not play quarterback - he opened the doors for guys like Donovan McNabb, Josh Freeman, Michael Vick, and Steve McNair.  There are so many guys out there playing because of him.

JBS: Are you going to cover the NFL Draft this year?

Jenna: I am going to be doing some player profiles actually.  Right now I am doing transcribing of a bunch of interviews because I went to IMG and talked to a bunch of guys.  Kind of introducing people to certain players and doing profiles where you get to know the person behind the mask.  They should have them on the blog blitz on NFL.com.  There is a lot of talk about how to do it because we have not put certain team sites.  It will also probably be on sports fan live so stay tuned for those articles.  I expected more out of free agency this year and it looks like it won’t happen.  The Bucs have 10 picks so there will be a lot of emphasis on the draft.  It is going to be really crucial they make all the right choices.  I am a day two person because a lot of guys in the first round are overrated or expectations on them are so enormous.  A lot of guys at big schools played with big time players and rested on those laurels.  Then you find guys like Tanard Jackson who maybe played with a chip on his shoulder.  He was a steal that year and I like seeing guys like that or guys like Sammie Stroughter and you wonder if they will make the team in training camp, and they go out and have key catches in the season.

JBS: What is your favorite thing about the NFL Draft?

Jenna: There is always somebody that does a 'what were you thinking wardrobe type thing.' This is one of the biggest days of your life so go get a hair cut “Brady Quinn”.  Don’t come in wear a jacket that looks like a dress on you as well.  To me it was kind of funny to do that stuff.  It is always interesting to see the fan reactions.  I would never boo someone.  Remember when Miami drafted Ginn Jr. instead of Quinn and the place was going nuts, especially the die hards.  But they read my stuff thankfully!

JBS: Who is your favorite NFL team?

Jenna: Yeah.  Born and raised.  That was my child hood team.  My favorite now I am going to watch the Saints and Colts on TV I will root for them because of getting to cover them.  I have found myself even rooting for the Yankees because I have covered those teams and meeting the players and seeing they are like you and I for the most part.  I am now more than a fan of the Bucs but a fan of football.  It is interesting that everything I see in the NFL I can relate it to something in my life.  I remember where I was when Barber had that interception return for a touchdown against the Eagles in the championship.

JBS: We are going to put you on the spot.  Have you seen any of this year’s small school players or read about any of them and is there one you would really like to see your favorite NFL team select?

Jenna: I still have to look at the Bucs and access that and I don’t know if you consider Buffalo a small school.  The MAC doesn’t get a lot of love but I am anxious to see Starks.  He is lanky and I would like to see him.  He is a natural athlete and versatile.  I think there are a lot of things you can do with him.  Because he is a natural athlete I am interested to see how he does at the combine.  Unfortunately he had an injury that prevented him from playing his senior season and that stinks.  He had 3,000 yards in three seasons at Buffalo and did not get to play in an alls-tar game but he led the team to the International Bowl.  He had a school record of points scored.  The thing that I like with a lot of small school guys is that they know how to be leaders because they are use to having to carry a team on their back.  Floyd Little who played with the Broncos played for nine seasons but even as a rookie he had the work ethic he led the team by example.  Another guy I am interested in is Boris Lee out of Troy.  He is a really neat guy and good personality.  He seems to be a ball hawk.  If the draft was based on personality alone he would go pretty high.  He strikes me as a high character guy as well.

JBS: Besides NFL.com where can fans read your work?

Jenna: Oh okay I do have my own personal website where I have a lot of the things I did over the years like free lance stuff.  I put a lot of those links on my site.  http://www.jenna-laine.com.  They can go there and learn a little more about me and see the stuff I have done.  Also, you can find a lot of my stuff on http://blogblitz.nfl.com.  You can see a lot of my stuff on the Bucs section. There are some other writers on there for the Bucs, but mid-way through the season they probably got a little disgusted with the team and disappeared. So I became a 'one-man wolkpack' on the Bucs section of the site (laughs). And then you can also see my stuff from the Super Bowl on the Colts and Saints sections of the site, and then on the Broncos and 49ers as well when Floyd Little and Jerry Rice were voted into the Hall of Fame.

JBS: Last but not least we have to ask what could fans expect to see coming from you soon?

Jenna: As far as upcoming stuff you are going to see a lot of behind the scenes stuff from IMG.  The place really sets the standard as far as the facilities that these guys go to for Combine preparation.  You will see in their combine training there is a lot more that is included such as life skills coaching, mental conditioning, vision training, public speaking. I was fortunate to see what they go through, do yoga with them, and get in depth looks into their style of play and who they are as people.  Then of course with training camp coming up you will start to see more with that.  I will be doing training camp reports.

NON-FOOTBALL SIX-PACK QUESTIONS

JBS: What is your favorite food?

Jenna: I eat a lot of health food so I eat chicken all the time.  But I am a sucker for Italian food.  If someone ever wants to take me out on a date they can take me there (laughs).  I am a big pasta fan too.  I used to once a year go to Carrabba’s and have chicken parmesan.  I use to once a year go nuts on it.  I haven’t done it in a few years now so I am kind of missing it.

JBS: What is your favorite color?

Jenna: Pink.  I am a big pink person.  My cell phone, lap top, and my iPod is not pink because they ran out of pink.  I wear a ton of pink.  I do a lot of guyish things with the weight lifting and the football so it is important I am still girly, and pink is the ultimate girl color.

JBS: What is your favorite book?

Jenna: I liked Song of Solomon in high school.  I also liked reading “A Yellow Raft and Blue Water”.  I like Dungy’s book too because he is an amazing human being.  I can kind of rave about him now because he is not coaching now.  I find when I am in a difficult situation I look at that book.  When he lost his son and his faith grew - that's just amazing and very admirable.  I read books of people I admire a lot.  I read Twilight too but that is kind of embarrassing to admit I guess (laughs).

JBS: What is your favorite movie?

Jenna: Forest Gump but I also like a lot of those football movies.  I cry in all of them.  I cried watching that Michael Oher movie.  I think I even cried in Rudy.  If I want to laugh I am a big fan of Old School and the Hangover.  It is a funny movie.  I also like Remember the Titans as well.  I like movies that involved sports with a historical perspective.

JBS: Who is your favorite actor?

Jenna: Ever since I was a kid I adored Tom Hanks.  I think he is so talented.

JBS: What are your hobbies?

Jenna: I don’t have much time but I live in Florida and live near the beach so I go there and get sun when I can.  It is good in the off-season.  It had been cold here lately though.  I have been scrap booking a lot because I take a ton of pictures.  I still have to work on my Super Bowl scrap book.  I started one years ago with friends I've met from all the places I've been.

JBS: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us and good luck with your blogging this year and we hope to speak to you again!

Jenna: Thank you!