The Post’s Steve Serby chatted with the Giants’ 23-year-old rookie free agent wide receiver who caught three touchdown passes in the preseason opener vs. the Jets.
Q: Boyhood idol?
A: My dad (Michael Walker). He put the pads on me and taught me a lot about the game.
Q: Where was this?
A: Eastside Park (Paterson, N.J.).
Q: You were away in college (UMass) when he passed away three years ago at the age of 50.
A: My brother’s mom went to go check up on him; she hadn’t heard from him in a few days. She was the only one with a key. He was in the bedroom on the floor passed out.
Q: Was it a heart attack?
A: People were saying it was suicide. I still don’t have an actual cause of death.
Q: Why suicide?
A: There were pills and needles around on the countertop.
Q: Was it difficult for you to confront the fact that he might have committed suicide?
A: No matter what it was — if he was hit by a car and died — he wasn’t here anymore. It was rough for me early on . . . he had never seen me play in college.
Q: What kind of man was he?
A: He was an outgoing guy, always joking, laughing and just dancing. He was my idol. I kinda pride myself to be just like him.
Q: He was a fireman for 30 years. Was he involved in 9/11?
A: No, but when it happened, he went to Ground Zero and was helping out and doing all he could out there with his department (Riverside Station in Paterson).
Q: What did he tell you about it?
A: He told me it was like a movie. It was like something he had never seen before. He said he saw people stuck under the cement . . . he told me he saw it all . . . .he saw limbs and everything.
Q: What was that first Father’s Day without him like for you?
A: It was definitely tough for me. My mom and my father’s birthday are on the same day. The 19th (of August, this past Thursday).
Q: What was your conversation like Thursday with your mother?
A: It was sad and overwhelming and happy at the same time. We know he’s watching. We know he’s proud of me. It’s just a very surreal moment for me right now.
Q: If your father had been in the stands Monday night when you caught those three touchdown passes for your hometown team against the Jets, how would he have reacted?
A: Oh, God! He probably would have gotten arrested (laughs)! He would have tried jumping on the field. He would have been going crazy.
Q: Your mother (Blanca) cried during the game . . . how about after it?
A: She gave me the biggest hug ever!
Q: Did you watch the end of “Hard Knocks”?
A: I was watching it with my roommate (Tim Brown), Nate Collins, Linval Joseph, Matt Dodge.
Q: What was your reaction when Rex Ryan shook hands with Tom Coughlin and mentioned you, and you alone.
A: I was shocked! It was definitely flattering to hear him say those words.
Q: What was the reaction of your teammates?
A: They were pushing me around, shaking my hand, yelling . . . it was crazy.
Q: And the reaction the next day from some of the other guys?
A: They’re calling me Hollywood Vic joking around (laughs), things like that.
Q: Does Hollywood Vic fit?
A: I hope not (laughs). I don’t want that one to stick. I don’t need any nicknames. I just want to go out there and play.
Q: Do you have any nicknames?
A: My friends still call me “Team.” When they first came to my first football game in high school (Paterson Catholic), they were like, “This guy’s the whole team!”
Q: Aside from fetching candy for the wide receivers, you were called on to sing in front of the whole team.
A: The first time I sang “Sweet Caroline.” I forgot some of the words, so I got booed (laughs).
Q: The best game you ever had was 13 catches, 262 yards and two TDs in college against James Madison?
A: Yeah, that’s definitely the best game I ever had prior to Monday night.
Q: The name of your very first team?
A: The PAL North Firefighters.
Q: You were a fullback?
A: The first handoff I got, I took it 70 yards.
Q: You played wide receiver and cornerback in high school?
A: I got recruited by a few schools (Rutgers, Clemson, Maryland, Hofstra) to play corner. I kinda wanted to play receiver more.
Q: Christmases weren’t always easy?
A: Yeah, there were certain Christmases we had to cut back. My mom lived by herself with two kids. Sacrifice was the name of the game at our house.
Q: You took up martial arts when you were 6?
A: It taught me a lot of discipline and gave me a lot of balance early on in my life. It helped me keep my center of gravity intact.
Q: How did martial arts begin?
A: I lived with my grandmother (until age 9). Right downstairs was a martial arts school.
Q: You left for Bridgton Academy in (North Bridgton) Maine for one semester because your SAT score was below 920?
A: It was like a little post office across the street and nothing else for three miles, four miles. It was all males that went to the school. It gave me a chance to refocus and re-channel my goals. It was definitely a learning experience.
Q: Then UMass.
A: I got kicked out due to academic issues after my freshman year. I had to come home and take an English course and a math course (at Passaic County CC).
Q: Three dinner guests?
A: Jay-Z; Frank Sinatra; Michael Jordan.
Q: Why Sinatra?
A: He was loved by millions of people. I kinda want to sit down with him and see what the hype was all about (chuckles).
Q: Favorite movie?
A: “Pulp Fiction.”
Q: Favorite actor?
A: Denzel Washington.
Q: Favorite actress?
A: Dania Ramirez.
Q: Favorite meal?
A: Rice and beans and pork chops.
Q: Your ideal mate?
A: Has to be understanding . . . willing to sacrifice things for the sake of our relationship . . . smart . . . beautiful, of course. They just have to know me inside and out.
Q: The first time you put on your No. 3 Giants jersey?
A: I kept staring down at it. I kept looking at my helmet, pinching myself, letting myself know it was real, and I wasn’t dreaming.
Q: Best piece of advice your father gave you?
A: Never settle for anything less than greatness.
Q: What drives you?
A: I’m motivated to not just be an average player going through the motions. I want to be great.