Detroit Lions rookie CB A.J. Parker already has the first scene of his biopic figured out
Dave Birkett
A.J. Parker was one of three undrafted rookies to make the Detroit Lions' Week 1 roster. Parker has been a key player in the Lions secondary this fall. He sat down to answer five questions for the Free Press this week.
Who is the best cornerback in NFL history and why?
The best cornerback in NFL history? I'm going to have to go Charles Woodson because he's somebody I always looked up to, I always wanted to model my game after. He's just, he found the ball, made plays, and that's what I'm trying to do.
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I know you like to fish, so tell me your best fishing story.
My best fishing story? So when I was 2 — I wasn't fishing, but I was at home, 2, 3. I was young. My dad brought home like a 60-something-pound flathead and so there's a picture of me and I'm standing next to it and it's bigger than me. I'm hiding behind my dad looking at it like, 'What is that?' And so I feel like that's just the beginning for me to start, cause just seeing that picture all those years, I saw a fish bigger than me when I was super young.
Have you ever caught a fish that big?
Not that big. I mean, I've caught a couple. I bass and catfish and crappie fish, so I just do it either to eat or just for fun.
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How old were you when you signed your first autograph?
I want to say a junior in high school. I think I started getting a couple (college scholarship) offers and so I signed some little kid's ball after the game. It was just an awesome experience. I told him no at first, cause I was like, "Why do you want my autograph?" I feel I hadn't done anything yet. It was a humbling experience. It was definitely a good experience for me.
You've got the Vikings this week. They have a couple good receivers, both play out of the slot, which means you could cover them both. What makes those guys, Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson, special?
They're elite, smart receivers. They know what they have to do to get open. Very quick in and out of their breaks. And they have good hands. So we got to play good coverage, get good rush, and pressure the quarterback, lock the guys up.
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I looked up your hometown, Bartlesville, Oklahoma. I saw where Martin Scorsese is shooting a film there right now. Leonardo DiCaprio's in it and Robert De Niro, some heavy hitters. So it got me thinking a little bit. If he was going to shoot a film there of your life, who would play you and what would be the opening scene?
Who would play me? That's a good question. That's to-be-determined. Who would play me is to-be-determined, but I feel like the first scene would be me in the heat helping my dad gut houses. In the summer, 112 (degrees) outside, you know when you take the foam stuff out of the ceiling, what's it called? When you take the insulation out, if you take your skin out, it starts itching, it gets all stuck, so I was in there doing that. Jeans and a hoodie on. Oklahoma heat is different, it's so dry. I feel like that would be the first scene, just show the type of background I've came from, the type of dad my father is and just my hard work.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.