A minute with…Matt Sauk
David Speakman
Wednesday February 1, 2006
David Speakman: This year will be a little different for you starting the season as a back-up. Is it more difficult to prepare each week as a knowing you are not the starting QB?
Matt Sauk: Yeah this is the second time I have ever had to be a backup with the first being in 2002 when I backed up Graz in LA. It is a bit harder to prepare as instead of you getting reps on the field, you have to get them in your head. But being in the game since 2000 it has become very simple because really the game doesn't change, just the terminology.
David Speakman: Graziani wears your old number 7. Were there any discussions about you trading your new #9 for the old familiar #7?
Matt Sauk: Nah, that is Graz's number to wear, after all it is just a number.
David Speakman: You’ve been in Philly for a little while now, have you discovered the famous Philly Cheese Steak? If so, who makes the best?
Matt Sauk: I wish I could remember the names of the places I have been told to go to, but so far I have not had time to get into the city to get one. Though the Shell Station (yeah a gas station!) right around the corner makes a mean one!
David Speakman: Rookie of the Year in 2001 and Offensive Player of the Year in 2005. Did you accomplish everything you wanted in the af2?
Matt Sauk: I think personally I did, but team wise no. I really wanted to win that championship with the Fire last season and we were so close. The thing I hate most is that my last game with the Fire was the worst game for me personally. To go out like that hurts, to lose the game for the fire will last a long time.
David Speakman: Growing up in Philly, I know how passionate the fans are and how much they crave a winner. Do you feel any added pressure that maybe wasn’t there in Louisville?
Matt Sauk: I wouldn't say pressure as any time you play football there is pressure to win no matter if you’re in Philadelphia or New Mexico. I think for me personally it is more exciting knowing that these fans are so intelligent when it comes to football. They know what is going on, they know when someone is dogging it or doing something they are not supposed to and they let you know. They hold you accountable for your actions, but they also support you to the end when you show them you can win and you work your butt off to do so.
David Speakman: What have you found to be the biggest differences between Arena Football League and the af2?
Matt Sauk: I think the biggest difference will always be lineman. The skill positions have really closed the gap, but lineman are lineman. There will always be a difference in that area between the af2 and AFL.
David Speakman: You have experience in web development so there is life after football for you. How important is it to perform well this time around in the AFL?
Matt Sauk: To me from the last time I was in the AFL I felt like I was given araw deal in LA in how it ended for me there and that was my motivation to try and make the move up from the af2 this past season. Something just didn't sit right with me after that and I needed to give it another shot. I felt like I performed well last time, but there is always room for improvement.
David Speakman: Things seem to be moving in cycles a bit. You have an old coach in Brett Munsey and an old teammate in Graziani in your locker room again. What kind of relationship do you have with the two of them?
Matt Sauk: I would like to think a good one. Coach Munsey is an outstanding coach who tells you like it is, there is no sugar coating with him. He also understands how to prepare the people around him to be successful and give his team the best chance to win. I think Philadelphia fans will soon see the fire he brings to our football team. Graz and I have always gotten along on and off the field. It is so rare I believe to actually hang out and like the same guy that you are battling for a position with, but we have done so for the 2nd time. He was one of the reasons I wanted to come to Philadelphia, because I knew that we got along and at my age I do not need to be stuck in a place where I hate the guy next to me in meetings.
David Speakman: Back in 1999 you played in Munich. Describe your experience in the German Football League.
Matt Sauk: It was fun, it was a good experience to get out of the US and go into another country. I was there with three other Americans and my soon to be wife. We had a blast over there especially drinking the beer over in Germany. ‘til you do so, you really do not know what good beer tastes like! Overall though I think it was good as it gave me an opportunity to help coach and teach the game. Since that is something I want to do here pretty soon in the arena league it was good.
David Speakman: Final words?
Matt Sauk: Time to Win!
David Speakman lives in Roswell, GA. He is the owner of Speakman Collectibles and is an inline hockey player/coach/ref when he isn't chasing down an interview. Speakman Collectibles is the exclusive manufacturer of arenafootball2 helmet collectibles. Big Game, Little Helmets.
