October 03, 2002
| Junior wide receiver Jamaar Taylor talked with AggieAthletics.com about improvements in his game, his favorite patterns, his tattoos and the X-Files. Talk about where your game is at right now up to this point in the season. "I think my game is moving forward. For everyone on the team, as an offense and as individuals, the only way we can go is forward. I think my game needs some adjustments in the blocking department. I can do a whole lot better job blocking on the perimeter, but as far as catching, I think definitely I have gotten better since the first game. I dropped two balls the first game, and I had never dropped a pass at Kyle Field before. So from that standpoint, focusing on catching the ball, routes and stuff like that, I have made a big improvement from the first game." What is the team's mindset going into this weekend's matchup with Texas Tech? "We definitely know that Tech is a good team and a very dangerous team. They throw the ball, they are just like Louisiana Tech. I think playing Louisiana Tech was really good for us, especially the defense, because they were a passing team. As an offense, I think we are focused on going out there and beating their offense yardage wise and putting points up there on the board. I feel if we beat them on offensive stats we will win the game." What memory from last year's Tech game stands out in your mind the most? "Probably the fans, The players I thought respected us, and they weren't loud mouthing or trash talking. It was more the fans getting on us after the game walking into the locker room. Just being yelled at...you know, we didn't feel too good after that game." What's your best asset as a receiver? "Running after the catch. I think I do a decent job of running after the catch."
So do you take a look at your YAC (Yards after Catch) stats? "No, we never really look at that. I don't think the receivers ever really look at stats." All receivers want to make big plays. What is your ideal big play, and how would it unfold? "My ideal big play is to convert the third down and long, maybe in the fourth quarter with a tie game. That is my ideal situation I would want to be in, whether it would be a long route or catching it short and making a play to get the first down." What's your favorite route? "Probably a curl route, when you come back to the quarterback and can get a good picture of his face, and where he throws the ball from. On that route too you can always get away and make moves after the catch." What is in your locker to motivate you, any pictures, or quotes? "Nah, nothing like that. I just go play football. I look at each game like it's my last. I know, like a lot of seniors like Bethel [Johnson], he only has eight games left, and he goes out there hurt like last game and tried his best to get in the game and play. He only has so many left and I know next year I am going to be the same way, and I don't want to look back and regret anything." Talk about your family support now. After going up to Notre Dame, which is a long way from home, how is now being back in Texas with the family close by? "When I was at Notre Dame, I had to redshirt that year, but my mom made it to a couple of games. She really supports all of us, my brother and my little sister also, in their sports. She never misses a game, she is probably our biggest supporter. When I transferred to A&M she wasn't really too happy cause she had the whole house all blue and gold, but now it is maroon and white. She loves it here now, she loves coming to the games. We can't keep her away. Talk about the ink. How many tattoos do you have, and what do they mean? "Well, I have four on my arm. I have a cross on my right arm that on the top has a banner that says 'Still I Rise'. I got that while I was at Notre Dame when things weren't going very well for me and I needed something to kind of lift me up. 'Still I Rise' is a poem by Maya Angelou, and it just means that no matter what happens down the path of life you can persevere, you can reach your goals. "Then I have a guardian angel, which is for injuries and stuff like that, just to watch over me on the field as I play. On my left arm I have a Grim Reaper and some Chinese lettering. The Chinese lettering means 'All I have is my faith and my family'. The Grim Reaper is just a reminder that time is not guaranteed. So I play every play like it's my last." What is your favorite scene from your favorite movie, Scarface? "Probably the end. He (Tony) never went down, it took a long while for him to go down. I think that was my favorite part of the movie, when he just didn't go down." You're a fan of X-Files...are you the only Sci-Fi guy on the team? "I have liked that show since it came out. To me it really wasn't Sci-Fi, it was more scary to me, more horror to me. But towards the end of the series it started to get more Sci-Fi. In the beginning it was more urban legends and stuff like that incorporated into the series. I haven't really watched it recently, but I watched it in the beginning." |