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Chiefmanwillcatch
04-01-2008, 12:01 PM
http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFLDraft/Draft+Extras/2008/qabowman040108.htm

Q&A with Oklahoma State WR Adarius Bowman

By Matt Duffy
April 1, 2008

Adarius Bowman had never played football before his junior year at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga, Tenn., but in his first year playing, he was named “Mr. Tennessee” in the sport. He also earned the honor as a high school senior and accepted a scholarship to the University of North Carolina.
A life-altering incident at UNC, in which he was excused from the football team after being cited for possession of marijuana, despite not smoking or possessing the substance, led him to transfer to Oklahoma State.
And that’s where his career took off.
The 22-year-old wide receiver set several records at OSU, including a Big 12-record 300-yard receiving performance against Kansas during his junior year. In only 24 games at Oklahoma State (all starts), Bowman managed to climb all the way to No. 4 in the school’s record books in receptions and yards, finishing with 127 catches for 2,187 yards.
PFW got the chance to talk with the 6-4, 220-pounder, as he took the time to shed some light on the incident that led him to transfer to Oklahoma State, re-writing Oklahoma State’s record books, getting multiple Lasik surgeries to correct his vision and preparing for a pro career.
PFW: What was your childhood like?
Bowman: I’m the oldest of five, and my mom had me when she was 14. I’m 22, about to turn 23, and my youngest brother just turned 17. I didn’t really take it in a bad way, but looking back on it now it was tough. I’d get out of school and I would have to go pick them up in middle school and elementary school, and then I would have to walk to my brothers’ high school, ‘cause even though we were close in age, we never went to school with each other. So I had to go by the other high school, then the middle school and then the elementary school. Then I’d take them home, feed ’em and help ’em with homework. There really wasn’t much time to, I don’t want to say be a kid, ’cause I was definitely a kid, but neither of our fathers were helping much at the time, so I had to pick up the slack. Mom is married now, but back then times were rough.
PFW: You were named Mr. Tennessee twice and you didn’t start playing until you were a junior? How’d you accomplish that?
Bowman: When I was in high school man, like I said I had just gotten into football so, I was still just kind of doing it just to do it. You know, just being a kid. So I really didn’t take the time to sit there and think about what I had accomplished. But now, looking back on it, it’s a pretty big honor for a person.
PFW: What happened at UNC?
Bowman: This was the situation at North Carolina — two of my teammates and I were in a dorm room on campus. It wasn’t my room, it was one of the other guys’ room. Campus police and the hall monitor came through, and said it smelled like marijuana. They checked the room, but we weren’t smoking at the time. And then they checked all of us and they found some on the guy whose room it was. So they cited ALL of us for possession and nobody got arrested. I woke up the next morning and it was all over ESPN and the news before I had even talked with my coach. They scheduled us for a court date that was after the season on Nov. 22. And then 10 days before my court date my case got dropped. So I was looking to transfer in January, but my grades weren’t high enough, so I stayed and took classes throughout the spring. And Gunter Brewer, who was my WR coach at UNC and he was at Oklahoma State at that point and I had been talking to him the whole time. And once I got my grades up in the summer, I went to Oklahoma State. What’s crazier was my last game at UNC, we were playing N.C. State and we hadn’t beaten them in like, nine years, and I scored the game-winning touchdown. I got carried off the field and we went out and partied that night. And then from that night to that morning was like being on top of everything to feeling like nothing. But I’m glad the experience happened when it did because I got to learn from it, and was given a second chance and I’m a better person because of it
PFW: As far as following coach Brewer, would you have followed him if he went to a smaller school?
Bowman: I can’t really say. But Oklahoma State was pretty appealing to me. His other choices were Washington and Stanford. But I was gonna go where he was gonna go. Me and him had such a good relationship, I just learned so much from him. He taught me everything I know. When I got to college, I was just playing the game, I wasn’t really practicing technique or strategy. I wasn’t catching the ball well, I wasn’t running good routes. I stated to get down on myself, and I didn’t really want to try football anymore, I was just gonna focus on basketball, you know? In the summer before the season even started he started working with me, and I actually started to apply what he was telling me to do on the field. And I started getting better and better every day.
PFW: Describe your career at Oklahoma State.
Bowman: Taking advantage of a second chance. I came in and sat out the first year, and that is the year where I feel like I made the most progress. I got to work out, and I was better conditioned, and I had an extra year to learn the playbook because we ran kind of a funky offense. So the year I sat out I think really turned out to be an advantage for me. So I came into my junior season and was hungry from being out of the game for so long and I wanted to prove myself to everybody.
PFW: Did you know that you finished fourth in school history in receptions (127) and yards (2,187) despite only being there for two years?
Bowman: I actually have just started hearing about it now. Once our bowl game was over, a couple of guys were talking about ‘Man, do you know what you’ve done since you’ve been here?’ and all that stuff, telling me about the records that I broke and stuff. I don’t know man, it’s kinda hard to just talk about it, because it’s crazy. I just know that I’m blessed for it.
PFW: I read that you had Lasik surgery three weeks before the Scouting Combine.
Bowman: Yeah, that’s true. I had an incident this summer where I had gotten bleach in my eyes using a teammate’s eye drops. It started making my vision worse by the day because it was scarring my eyes, so I needed to get it re-done. I did it right after the Senior Bowl, knowing that I had almost three weeks before the Combine. And it didn’t go as well as I thought. But the incident happened in July or August, 2007 and it was too close to the season to get it done then, so I had to wear these contacts. And they helped a little bit, but I still needed to get the surgery done.
PFW: How did that affect your performance at the Combine?
Bowman: I couldn’t really see that well, because after having it done for the second time, one of (my eyes) didn’t heal correctly, so I couldn’t really see at the Combine. So I wasn’t going to attempt to catch anything because I couldn’t see. I just told coaches and GMs that I would catch at my pro day.
PFW: Did the league’s coaches and GMs ask you about that in interviews, or about your character following the UNC situation?
Bowman: They were OK with the surgery because they knew I would be ready on my pro day. And I think I had a good pro day, so it all worked out. But in the interviews they basically just ask me how things have been going ever since then, or if it still affects me today, and I tell them that everything’s good and that it’s really turned my life around. I’ve put it all behind me, and it’s something I can’t change, so I don’t worry about it anymore.
PFW: How do you address concerns about a position change when you get to the NFL — maybe a switch to TE or H-back?
Bowman: Once I get into the league I guess it’s cool, but I would prefer to be a wideout. But until a coach comes up to me and says something about it don’t really think about it. I don’t really have the frame to play tight end or anything, not like some guys, but that’s just my opinion, and it doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t do it. But I think I can do everything that a receiver is supposed to do.
PFW: What is the thing you’re most looking forward to heading into the draft?
Bowman: Wherever I end up I know there’s going to be a veteran receiver who’s going to take me under his wing. I want to get to work. You see these guys on TV growing up and to actually be out there playing with them, that’s gonna be a trip. I can’t wait to see what that’s gonna be like. It’s kind of hard to sit here and talk about all this stuff. You’ve got all these feelings and all these emotions and you want to just sit back and wait for it to be done but at the same time you can’t wait for it to get here. It’s hard not to be excited.

The Franchise
04-01-2008, 12:09 PM
I'd be happy if we grabbed this kid around the 5th round.

Direckshun
04-02-2008, 12:42 AM
I'd say he's a solid 4th.

milkman
04-02-2008, 07:28 AM
Wherever I end up I know there’s going to be a veteran receiver who’s going to take me under his wing.

I guess the Chiefs have told him they won't be drafting him.

OnTheWarpath15
04-03-2008, 01:28 PM
I'd be happy if we grabbed this kid around the 5th round.

I'd say he's a solid 4th.

I guess the Chiefs have told him they won't be drafting him.

Not anymore, not anymore, and GOOD.


Per Rotoworld:

Oklahoma State WR Adarius Bowman was arrested and charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana Tuesday night.
He was released after posting $500 bond. This will just about crush his draft value, if Bowman even had any left after running in the high 4.7s at both his Pro Day and the Combine. Bowman had marijuana-related issues at North Carolina early in his college career. They caused him to transfer to OSU.

Rain Man
04-03-2008, 02:25 PM
Not anymore, not anymore, and GOOD.


Per Rotoworld:

Oklahoma State WR Adarius Bowman was arrested and charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana Tuesday night.
He was released after posting $500 bond. This will just about crush his draft value, if Bowman even had any left after running in the high 4.7s at both his Pro Day and the Combine. Bowman had marijuana-related issues at North Carolina early in his college career. They caused him to transfer to OSU.

Wow. I hope he really enjoyed that marijuana.

The Franchise
04-03-2008, 02:30 PM
Wow. I hope he really enjoyed that marijuana.

You know I never will understand how people screw up this royaly. I mean come on....it's less than a month away from draft day and this is going to be the biggest day in your life and you go and do something like this.

Rain Man
04-03-2008, 02:48 PM
Yeah, unbelievable, isn't it? Dude just tossed away a good shot at fame and fortune so he could sit around and be a stoner. Welcome to minimum wage.

Spicy McHaggis
04-03-2008, 03:04 PM
Yeah, unbelievable, isn't it? Dude just tossed away a good shot at fame and fortune so he could sit around and be a stoner. Welcome to minimum wage.

At least at McDonald's he'll be able to find a hook-up for some schwag.

milkman
04-03-2008, 08:21 PM
Yeah, unbelievable, isn't it? Dude just tossed away a good shot at fame and fortune so he could sit around and be a stoner. Welcome to minimum wage.

Minimum NFL wage.

Even if he isn't drafted, someone will take a chance and sign him to a rookie free agent contract.