philadelphiaeagles.com

Spadaro: My exclusive Q&A with new Eagles cornerback Riq Woolen

**Spadaro:** You win the Super Bowl in February and you see and feel the confetti coming down. What did that mean to you?

**Woolen:** "I had only seen it on video games and on TV, so to be a part of it made it so incredible. We were grinding all season and the confetti shower was worth it."

**Spadaro:** You get to Philly here and you are in the building. You know some coaches (Senior Defensive Assistant/Defensive Line/Associate Head Coach Clint Hurtt, Cornerbacks Coach Roy Anderson), you see the Lombardi Trophies ... thoughts on being here and what Day 1 is like?

**Woolen:** "When you walk in, you feel the culture. It's my first time here. Loving it. All of it. I'm looking at all the walls, the tradition. I know how the Eagles operate – as a championship organization. It's pretty cool. I feel like I'll be able to operate right away, fit in perfectly, and add to the history of this franchise."

**Spadaro:** You moved from wide receiver to cornerback in college. What was the biggest transition?

**Woolen:** "It makes you lock in even more. You don't know the unknown – you know the receiver is going to release, but which way is he going? What route is he going? Studying that and locking in on the little things made it so much fun and I feel like playing receiver helped me a lot. I'm 6-4 and I'm a big guy, and I've learned to use that to my advantage on defense. Studying is so important. You win by doing that and that's part of the game. A huge part. The mental part of the game is something I'm always working to improve on and I'm gonna get better and better and have it blend with what God gave me."

**Spadaro:** You converted from playing wide receiver to defensive back, are you interested in playing both sides of the ball ...

**Woolen:** "Oh, no! They tackle in the league for real! I ain't running no slants. I'm good at cornerback. I love being there."

**Spadaro:** So, you went from being hit to being a hitter. Have you always been a physical guy?

**Woolen:** "The 2020 season, my first real game at cornerback in college. My coach sent me on a cornerback blitz and I blew the quarterback up and I was like, 'Dang, that's what it actually feels like to tackle somebody!' It felt good. It felt great. And it built my confidence up. Going from the hittee to the hitter, it's honestly pretty cool. You get to impose your will on people. When you tackle somebody and you get a big hit, you feel like you manhandle someone. I feel like that is what brings emotion and I just feed off of it."

Read full news in source page