During team interview, NFL coach asked Jerome Baker how he'd react if he punched him in the face
As the NFL draft nears, NFL team personnel tend to walk a razor thin line along the border of bold and improper with their questioning of prospects during individual interviews. That brazen attitude has often resulted in them getting out of pocket with their inquiries. It’s their opportunity to find out what makes guys tick and sometimes, how best to tick them off.
Recently, an NFL team asked running back prospect Derrius Guice if he was gay and in 2010, former Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland asked Dez Bryant if his mother was a prostitute. During an interview with Justin Melo of Draft Wire, Ohio State linebacker Jerome Baker revealed the latest bizarre question to be asked by player evaluators during a one-on-one interview.
Reportedly, Baker told Melo, he was asked by one coach how he’d respond if he punched Baker in the face.
Those are quite literally fightin’ words and Baker should have been presented with options in a multiple-choice format.
a) “That question is a paradox. You’ll never touch me because of my cat-like reflexes.”
b) “Sue you for everything you own including the clothes off your back”
c) “Take it out on your quarterback when I’m blitzing off his blind side.”
d) “Introduce you to my good friends, Lefty and Righty.”
Has everyone submitted their answers? This is how Baker responded, via The Draft Wire.
“To me, being from Cleveland, my natural reaction was, ‘Coach, no disrespect but if you punch me in the face, we’re gonna fight right here.’ That was just my natural response. I guess that’s what he wanted to hear, because he said, “Good.” It was definitely a fun interview. I didn’t get asked too many weird questions.”
Baker obviously chose D, but if the coach was delighted by his answer what was the wrong answer? This is one of the NFL’s more frivolous gotcha questions, but it makes one realize why some teams flail more than others if they’re harping on these peculiar and immaterial questions.
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DJ Dunson is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at dunsnchecksin@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or Facebook.
