‘Hawk’ up to Speed

In this Q&A, Hawkins discusses anticipation for the playoffs, his cat, Bruce Leroy, and what it was like to grow up on a farm in Illinois:

Question: You transferred to Illinois State from Purdue in college. Why?

I transferred from Purdue because I was young, stupid. I thought maybe I was having some playing-time issues. That was the gist of most of it, so I just transferred up out of there. It didn’t have anything to do with the coaches or anything.

Q: So how does a guy get 17 sacks in one season like you did as a senior?

Aww, man [laughing]. Actually the coach from the Colts [John Teerlink], his son is Bill Teerlink. He had been at IU [Indiana] for two years, and they fired the staff. So he came and helped us out, and he introduced me to a totally new way of pass-rushing. Pretty much, he just showed me tape of [Dwight] Freeney and [Robert] Mathis for a whole spring. I was waking up, going over to the football office and doing these moves in the middle of the day and coming back and doing them some more, even after practice. I’d stay over and just work with him. So that’s how I had 17 [sacks] in one season.

Full Story: ‘Hawk’ up to speed for playoffs - [Jacksonville.com]