Steve Serby tackled some questions with Giants linebacker Jonathan Goff.
Q: Describe your on-field mentality.
A: (Chuckle) I’d say I’m one of the most competitive people I know.
Q: Why did you chuckle?
A: It’s so different than off the field. On the field I want to win, and I want to win by a lot. I don’t care what the score is. I want to win by the biggest margin that I can win by. It’s no disrespect to my opponent or anybody else, that’s just my mentality.
Q: Some adjectives that would describe you on the field.
A: All this is within the rules of the game, obviously, no cheap shots, nothing like that. But, I want to dominate my opponent. If I’m taking on a lead blocker, I want to run through the lead blocker in stride, on my way to the tailback.
Q: Would “angry” … “mean” … any of those words apply?
A: I guess maybe a little bit … but I’m not really angry. I love playing football. I enjoy the collisions. … It’s just you against the person across from you. You know when we talk about how we’re a physical team, or I guess one of the words our special teams coach uses, a heavy-handed physical team. And that fits my style of play. If I see a lead blocker at me, I get excited. It’s fun for me: I say, “OK, here comes the fun part. I get to run through this guy.” I know that may sound a little arrogant, but that’s the mentality that you need to have when you’re out there, because you’re not gonna take any [junk] from anybody on the field, it doesn’t matter who they are.
Q: Anybody knock you on your butt?
A: The wedge, my rookie year against Philly, I run down on kickoff. … I guess in college [at Vanderbilt], I’d have to say it was [Mississippi’s Benjarvis Green-Ellis, and also [Arkansas’] Darren McFadden. … I made the tackles, but they’re two of the hardest-running running backs that I’ve collided with.
Q: Middle or inside linebackers you like to watch.
A: Patrick Willis [49ers], David Harris [Jets], Ray Lewis [Ravens], Antonio Pierce [former Giant].
Q: What is it about Lewis you like?
A: Just the passion that he plays with and the anticipation that he plays with.
Q: How do you feel about the doubters?
A: I’ve dealt pretty much for my whole life with naysayers, and people saying that “he won’t do this, he can’t do that.” And you just learn to shut all that out. You know it’s there, whether or not you choose to react is your decision, but I know that there’s people out there saying that, but that’s just the nature of it, and that’s not gonna stop me from trying to be the best that I can be.
Q: What were they saying about you way back when?
A: The first that I can remember was, I guess, high school. People were saying that I would never get time at quarterback in high school — that was coming from my own classmates — and I ended up being a starting quarterback. And then I got a scholarship to Vanderbilt, which is in the SEC. The guys were saying that I would never succeed in the SEC. … People said that I would never be more than maybe a special teamer if I’m lucky enough to make a squad.
Q: How do you feel about proving them all wrong?
A: I’m not gonna go back and say, “Oh, I showed you,” [or] “in your face,” blah blah blah. That’s just not me, that’s not my style. ‘Cause I did it for me, and my family.
Q: Give me an example why you describe yourself as a little goofy.
A: We were playing the Bears the other night, and I had a sack. And all the other guys came over to congratulate me. And I said, “Oh yeah, that’s a sack. Count it!” And the other guys, they got a huge kick out of that. [Michael] Boley actually wrote it up on the board [in the linebacker room]. He quoted me as saying that.
Q: Nicknames?
A: Boley came up with Johnny 5. Have you seen the movie “Short Circuit”? … “I Robot. ” … I think Webby [Corey Webster] was calling me Agent 0054.
Q: What is it like playing middle linebacker behind guys like Osi and Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul?
A: It’s a dream.
Q: With Osi sidelined and no Terrell Thomas, how good a defense can you be?
A: I feel like we have a lot of talented guys on the team, and a lot of guys who are ready, willing and able to step up and fill those slots for us. And so I don’t think we’ll skip a beat.
Q: Can this be a top-five defense?
A: I guess to that I would say I absolutely believe that we can be better than we were last year.
Q: Why is that?
A: This is our second year with Coach Fewell’s system, and also I feel like we’re gelling a lot better.
Q: What was your grade point at Vanderbilt?
A: I think it was 2.7.
Q: That’s all?
A: Mechanical engineering, it was kind of a bumpy ride first couple of years (smile).
Q: Boyhood idol.
A: It’s gonna sound kinda corny, it’s always been my mom.
Q: Tell me why.
A: Just because of who she is, the kind of character that she has. She brought up my brother (Jason, 14 months older) and I — single mom. She was an attorney, then became a judge in ’95. And she never skipped a beat, whether it was getting things taken care of with her old career, and then getting things taken care of as far as my brother and I.
Q: What kind of judge is she?
A: She’s a juvenile judge in the district courts in Cambridge (Mass.). So she any kind of case you can imagine except murder.
Q: What happened to your dad?
A: My mom and dad separated when I was younger.
Q: How old were you?
A: Six or seven, somewhere in there. My parents separated, and I lost touch with for years.
Q: When was the last time you spoke to him?
A: It was kinda off and on for a little bit in college some, but then I just sorta just lost touch.
Q: How did that affect you when they separated?
A: That was probably one of the more adverse times in my life, because there was that, and then my grandmother who my brother and I were very close to — we spent every day after school with her, she’d pick us up, then she’d cook for us — she had passed. And then we moved [from Chelsea] to a new town [Stoneham], and basically start our whole social lives all over again.
Q: Do you wish that you had a relationship with your father?
A: I feel so blessed at this point in my life that I don’t wish anything happened any differently.
Q: The name of your first football team.
A: The Wakefield Warriors. That was eighth grade Pop Warner. I was a running back and a defensive end.
Q: Did you root for the Patriots?
A: They were the team that was on television the most, but I’d be lying if I said they were my favorite team. I was a Broncos fan. I was a big fan of Terrell Davis at the time. Terrell Davis and John Elway. I played quarterback in high school. I’m still looking for those tapes, I’m still trying to get ’em from my high school, see if anybody has ’em left.
Q: Why are you looking for those tapes?
A: Just to show the other guys some proof.
Q: Maybe you can convince Coach Tom Coughlin to run the Wildcat.
A: (Chuckle) Yeah, good luck.
Q: Hobbies.
A: Ping pong, Scrabble, golf.
Q: Have you played any guys on the team in ping pong?
A: Zak DeOssie. He hasn’t beat me yet.
Q: So you’re the best ping pong player on the team?
A: I’ve heard Eli’s pretty good.
Q: Superstitions?
A: I guess my only superstition is to not have a gameday routine. My routine is to not have a routine (smile).
Q: Three dinner guests.
A: Vince Vaughn, Kevin Hart, Bill Cosby.
Q: Favorite movie.
A: “Death to Smoochy,” “The Life Aquatic.”
Q: Favorite actors.
A: Robin Williams, Denzel Washington.
Q: Favorite actress.
A: Angelina Jolie.
Q: Favorite entertainers.
A: John Legend, Outkast.
Q: Favorite meal.
A: Any combination of meat and cheese.
Q: What kind of impact are you looking to make this season?
A: One area where I can improve a lot from last year is really being more consistent with my communication, as far as talking to the D-line, talking to the guys behind me, the guys next to me.
Q: Do you enjoy the responsibility of your position?
A: Yeah … knowing that I have all that responsibility, that’s gonna help me be the best player that I can be.
Q: Who is the team to beat in the NFC East?
A: I gotta say us. I mean, obviously, that’s how I feel. This isn’t me talking trash. It’s just what I believe. I believe in our coaches, I believe in my team.
Q: You’re proud to wear the New York Giants uniform.
A: Absolutely.
Q: Because?
A: Well, because it’s one of the original franchises … and to be able to suit up and play for an organization like this, with the great coaching staff that we have, and the Mara and Tisch families also, and everything that they represent.