ArenaFan Interview: Otis Amey
Tom Ando
Tuesday July 22, 2008
Otis Amey Image courtesy of Tom Cammett |
Otis Amey: It was definitely an interesting season, particularly going into the season because we weren't supposed to win too many games coming from a team that was 2-14 getting moved to a different state and city. We were a bunch of free agent players and young players all put together, so there weren't a lot of high expectations for us to go anywhere from there, but we geld in training camp and we had a quarterback in Raymond Philyaw who has been playing for a while now with a group of new receivers. To go to within a game of the ArenaBowl from 2-14 was exciting and something that we look forward to building on for next year, to get to the ArenaBowl and to win it.
TA: What was it like playing for Bernie Kosar?
OA: It was great, of all the teams that I've played for, whether it was college, NFL or arena league, it was the most owner involvement that I've seen. Not only during games, but he would come around at least one time a week during practice and then during the games he would even have the headphones on listening to the plays being called. It was just great.
TA: Did he ever throw you a pass or two in practice?
OA: No it was more just overseeing practice to make sure everything was going smooth. He was just stopping by to check things out and I haven't caught a pass from him yet.
TA: Speaking of catching passes, talk about the opportunity to play with Raymond Philyaw.
OA: It was great, it was tough at first in training camp because we had never played together before, but the more and more the pre season went on, practices and scrimmages, we started to gel and before long he knew what I was going to do before I even did it. He would know if I was going to the corner for the pylon or if I was coming back to catch it short. Knowing this arena game, and I'm just coming off of my second season, the game slowed down a lot for me this year, so playing with a quarterback like him, who knows the game was great.
TA: How great was it playing for the Cleveland fans, a city that loves it's football?
OA: That's all I had heard, I'm from California, all I heard was that it would be crazy and that they like their football. The first game we played there was pretty much a sellout and with Bernie coming out there and announcing for the first time and (Cleveland Brown) Joe Thomas was out there for the coin toss. The ovation that they got was so loud that you couldn't even hear, so it was great out there and the fans love football and they liked me a lot out there and I'm looking forward to being back.
TA: How fun was is it playing in the AFL with your brother in the league as well?
OA: It wasn't as crazy as my first year because I didn't get a chance to play against him with the San Jose Sabercats and Chicago Rush, but last year I played against him on Mother's Day in Arizona with my Mother and my family all there. It was actually the most fun that I've had playing the game, and I actually had to block him on the kickoff team. I ended up doing my job but he ran me over, but it was real fun playing against him.
TA: What was it like playing for the San Franciso 49ers, especially being a California kid?
OA: That was definitely a dream come true, even just thinking about it now it was such a fun situation. Where we practiced at in Santa Clara was 15 minutes away from my home, so if I ever wanted to go home to see my family and friends, all I had to do was hop in my car after practice and drive. It was a great experience, and I came in as the 11th receiver on the roster and they only brought in 11 and they only kept five that year, but I worked hard in practice and ended up making the roster and then scoring the first time that I ever touched the ball on a punt return was something that I'll never forget.
TA: Do you feel that after putting up solid numbers at Sacramento State that you were overlooked coming into the NFL?
OA: Definitely, just for the simple fact that I wasn't a prototypical receiver, I wasn't extremely big or extremely fast, but I think the thing that hurt me the most is that Sacramento State wasn't a real big, powerhouse football school. I think if I had the same stats and same size coming out of a school like Miami or Oklahoma I most definitely would have been drafted on the first day.
TA: What does your future hold, are you looking to make it back to the NFL?
OA: Definitely, especially since the arena season just ended, I'm about to go home and work out and keep training to see if I can get a work out and get into a training camp. I'm going to give it a couple more shots and if it doesn't work out, I'll make the most out of the arena league.
TA: What is something that most fans don't know about Otis Amey?
OA: Well they all know that I am a football player, but they don't know that my favorite thing to do is to make music, I like to make rap with no profanity in my music. Just positive, uplifting, motivational music.
TA: Is that something that you and (fellow 49ers receiver) Brandon Lloyd would go back and forth with?
OA: Yeah, we talked about it a lot, he would have me listening to some of his music and he would listen to mine. Actually I made a song for the 49ers when one of our players, Thomas Herrion past away.
TA: Any nicknames that you've acquired over the years?
OA: Well the one that everybody calls me is my initials is my rap name too which is FOA.
"Touchdown" Tom Ando is a free lance writer from South Buffalo, NY and has been covering the Arena Football League in one capacity or another since the 2000 season, when he was 17 years old. Tom Currently writes for Sports & Leisure Magazine in Buffalo covering the NLL's Buffalo Bandits and NCAA Division I football. In 2001, Tom was the only writer in the country to cover the Houston "Travelin' " Thunderbears, where he befriended his mentor John F. "Hondo" Hahn.