Get To Know An Offensive Lineman: Geoff Schwartz was terrified when he returned a kick
Busy with dirty work in the trenches, offensive linemen don't get the glory enjoyed by "skilled" players. In fact, if their number gets called at all, that usually means they've screwed up. They don't get drafted to fantasy teams, and the casual NFL fan can probably name no more than a few big men up front.
We here at The Buzzer want to give NFL offensive linemen a voice and some semblance of glory. So, we've asked several of the league's top offensive linemen to let us get to know them better. We asked the questions, they gave us the answers. Periodically at the Buzzer, we'll help you, "Get To Know An Offensive Lineman."
FoxSports: Who's the smelliest guy in your locker room? And please describe the odor.
Geoff Schwartz: There isn't a smelliest guy, there are smelliest objects, like gloves and elbow sleeves. I wear the sleeves and they can be brutal. It's just a stale, sweaty smell. You just got to throw them out when they get too bad.
FS: What's the best or most unique locker room prank you've witnessed (or pulled yourself)?
GS: The older linemen in Carolina were the best prank guys. Before I got engaged to my wife in 2011, I walked into the locker room during a later part of the 2010 season and my offensive linemen buddies had spent a good amount of money on fake wedding invitations to a spring wedding of mine. They had RSVP cards and everything. They even included that I was getting married at Temple Israel. They put an invite in every player's locker, every coach's locker and probably some of the staff, as well. I came out to practice and I had coaches telling me congrats, they can't make it and where should they send a gift.
FS: Which defensive player (not on your own team) is the best trash talker that you've encountered at the line of scrimmage? Any memorable lines?
GS: During a field goal, I once heard (not directed at me), "Hey, you know we have a dental plan in the NFL. You need to get those teeth fixed." Lots of guys make comments about my tricep hair. It's glorious! But it's more benign than anything. I enjoy playing against guys who enjoy the game, enjoy talking. There are far more guys who just talk than "trash" talk.
FS: Most memorable block of your NFL career?
GS: I wish I could tell you a great tale about some bone-crushing block that made SportsCenter, but that doesn't happen too often for linemen. I've had great blocks pulling/kicking out defenders that open up lanes for backs to run and some have lead to TDs. It's an amazing feeling when your block springs a TD no matter how it occurs. That is my job.
FS: When was the last time you touched the football in an actual game? What did you do with it?
GS: In 2009 I had a 16-yard kickoff return. It was completely terrifying. The ball was kicked directly at me, so I had to field it. I ran straight ahead until five guys tackled me all at once. I didn't fumble, so I'm proud of that. All of my linemen buddies were laughing so hard. It was a great moment.
FS: Who's got the biggest appetite among the members of your team's O-Line? What does (or doesn't) he eat?
GS: We all have equal appetites. When we go to dinner, we eat lots. Since I'm new in New York and we haven't had any epic eating adventures yet, I can tell you about a previous team. We got McDonalds for breakfast and a fellow lineman ate almost 3,000 calories. He had two bagels, biscuits, two other sandwiches, two orders of pancakes, couple of hash browns. It was impressive. Needless to say, he didn't feel too great afterwards.
FS: Do you have a nickname?
GS: Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I haven't acquired a nickname. Maybe Schwartzy but that's my name so I'm not sure that counts.
FS: What would you like to do after your playing career?
GS: Easy, be an on-air analyst for football, games or in studio, and host my own cooking show. I love to cook. Need to be able to feed myself. I equally love to study the game of football and share my thoughts on what I see. Doing both of these are my post-career goals.
FS: What was the highlight of your offseason?
Fun afternoon grilling for @CharlotteSTYLE ! The #BigGreenEgg putting in work! pic.twitter.com/5uFDqmHItA
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) July 8, 2014
GS: Getting married in March and having my first kid, a son, on my birthday in July. The best day of my life. Such an amazing experience.
FS: Tell us something about life as an O-Lineman that the average fan probably doesn't know.
GS: We are probably the biggest group of weirdos on the team. You need to be a little weird to play OL. We are a very close-knit group and what we do is extremely tough. You got to be a tad weird to handle it.
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