Givanni Damico | May 2nd, 2020
Alright, ladies and gentlemen, I was able to get Amik Robertson, the new Las Vegas Raiders’ cornerback, and Louisiana Tech alumni, on the phone for an interview. In his three years as a starter at Louisiana Tech, Robertson recorded 183 tackles, 14 interceptions, and four sacks, while also finding the end zone three times. It was a pleasure to be able to interview Amik and I appreciate him taking time out of his day to do so. This is how it all went down.
Gio: So the first thing I wanted to ask you is what you’ve been doing to stay occupied during these times outside of preparing for football.
Amik: Really for me, there’s just no such thing as not training. I’m still training but I’m also still spending a lot of time with my family and my son, so other than that, everything has been going smooth. I’ve still been training back at home with Ryan Clark and just spending time with my family and my son.
Gio: People’s biggest critique of you is that you’re undersized. What do you say to those critics?
Amik: There’s nothing to say to them other than to continue playing football and playing my game and showing people why I belong. Everybody has opinions in life and that’s something I can’t change so at the end of the day, I’m on the biggest stage in football so there’s no more excuses, no more doubts. I let my game speak for itself, so those same people that say I’m undersized won’t have those doubts anymore. I’m not really worried about it.
I sent Amik this video.
5’8/187 CB Amik Robertson
vs
6’6/245 TE Malcolm Eppssure was a physical mismatch pic.twitter.com/xppNUzfIDO
— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) April 30, 2020
Gio: Talk about a mismatch. I mean, you made him look small. I can tell you play way bigger than you are. Size has never been a concern for me in the scouting process of you.
Amik: I play bigger, man. I wasn’t best with the height but I was the best with the tangible instincts and a lot of other attributes. So, I mean, I let my game speak for itself and I watch film a lot and work hard. In the game it just shows, it separates me from everyone else.
Gio: Absolutely. So what would you say your biggest strength is, then?
Amik: I have a lot of strengths. I have a crazy work ethic, but I’m also very instinctive, I’ve always been a very instinctive player so that’s my strength. I’m able to process stuff before it happens.
Gio: At Louisiana Tech, who was the toughest player you had to play against in your career?
Amik: I would say, two guys, if I have a top two, I would say number one would be Justin Jefferson and number two is Quez Watkins.
Gio: What was the weirdest question you got at the combine or during a draft interview?
Amik: The only thing I would say was a weird question when I was doing my formal interview, it was either with the Titans or the Texans, and I guess I was making them laugh or whatever and they told me to tell a joke. I would say that was probably one of the craziest questions. I’m a funny guy but I’m not really good with Jokes. At the Combine, it was all seriousness, nobody really asked me any crazy questions.
Gio: Coming out of high school, you had offers from Texas, Cincinnati, Houston, Arizona, amongst others, so what made you choose Louisiana Tech?
Amik: Great coaching staff and loyalty. I take loyalty seriously. L.A. Tech was a team that stood by my side even when I tore my ACL. A lot of teams fell back and a lot of teams didn’t believe in me, but Louisiana Tech still believed in me. But most importantly, the brotherhood. I was able to fit in with those guys perfectly. They took me in with open arms and helped me become who I am.
Gio: Is there anyone you model your play style after?
Amik: I would most definitely model my game after Tyrann Mathieu because he’s a hybrid. He’s an all-around football player, plays the game with passion. On top of that, he’s been through a lot of adversity and it made him who he is. Through everything, he always stood tall and now he’s a Super Bowl champ.
Gio: Who drives you to stay committed to football?
Amik: I would say my son. Anytime I’m thinking about quitting, he just gives me that extra edge, that extra push to keep going. He’s my “why”.
Gio: I was actually going to ask you about one of your teammates at L.A. Tech as well. J’Mar Smith just signed with the Patriots. What do you think of him as a player and as a person?
Amik: He’s a great person, a great leader. He’s grown from a lot of obstacles. For us, he was the heart of the team, not only the heart of the offense but the heart of the whole team. He was the guy that always gave us the spark. Anytime we were down, he always encouraged us to bounce back. He hit the right organization. I was happy when he got a shot with New England.
Gio: Do you have any special talents or hobbies outside of football?
Amik: Anything I do outside of football is dealing with football. The only thing I do besides football is spend time with my family. When I’m spending time with my little cousins, I’m probably throwing a football with them. Everything I do just revolves around football.
Gio: What are your thoughts on ending up as a Raider? You go there with Damon Arnette in this class as well. How do you feel about that landing spot?
Amik: It feels like a dream come true. I feel like I fell to the right organization. That was the team that believed in me. I talked to Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock and said that this is probably one of the best decisions they have ever made as an organization. So, I’ll be wanting to prove that down the line. I can’t wait to suit up for them and show them that picking me was not a mistake.
Gio: I have one more question for you. What can you do to work for a starting spot in Vegas? That’s a crowded defensive back room, so how are you going to fight for a spot in the starting lineup?
Amik: First and foremost, learn the playbook. Have a good relationship with the defense and with my coaches and teammates. The rest is on me as far as competing. It’s never going against this guy, because at the end of the day we’re a team. I’m just going into camp every day looking to compete and getting better mentally and physically.
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