The Football Diner Big Interview:
New England Patriots LB Gary Guyton
interviewed by Michael E Lawrence
January 15th 2011
 
Third-year linebacker Gary Guyton is a central cog in the New England Patriots’ linebacker rotation. In 2010 the Georgia Tech alum came into his own as a defensive playmaker recording 63 total tackles, three sacks, a pair of interceptions and two touchdowns from the middle of a young, emerging defense. His goal now for the presumptive Super Bowl favorites? Just to take it one game at a time.
 
Football Diner : Tell us about the Patriots’ season so far Gary…
 
Gary Guyton : Right now we’re in a good position, we earned our first round bye and that’s great for us. It’s been a long season but we’ve stayed together as a team, and as a unit, and we’ve grown together.
 
Football Diner : And it’s been a pretty good year for Gary Guyton too…
 
Gary Guyton : Hey, I’m here and I’m just glad to be playing! I love the game and it’s been good to me. I’m making good plays for my team and my focus is to just keep doing what I’m doing.
 
Football Diner : Looking back to October, when Randy Moss was traded away, what was the feeling like in the locker room after he’d gone?
 
Gary Guyton : Well Randy Moss is a good person and a good teammate, but the game is a business. The attitude at that point was: we’ve just got to pick ourselves up and move forward, we still have a season to play.
 
Football Diner : Do you feel like some in the media had left the Patriots for dead a little bit?
 
Gary Guyton : Every team wants to win and every team has to make adjustments, the goal is just to win the game each week. So you ignore the talk. All that matters is what’s in the locker room. We stay together. We work together. And whatever happens there’s always lots more football to be played.
 
Football Diner : Did you feel under-estimated at the time?
 
Gary Guyton : Early on in the season - week one, week two - things happened. We lost to the Jets and nobody likes to lose. But we tried to learn from that game and correct the mistakes and focus on the football ahead.
 
Football Diner : The Patriots have enormous success in turning undrafted free agents and lower round draft picks into playmakers - not least you. Does being overlooked that way create extra motivation?
 
Gary Guyton : Does what happened on draft day serve as motivation to me to the best I can? Yes. I can say this: it’s something I won’t forget. I can’t tell you exactly what it is the Patriots look for in a prospect, but I know I got an opportunity I appreciate. And that makes me competitive every single day. All I can ask for is the opportunity the Patriots gave me and I’m thankful for it. It’s worked out for the best so far.
 
Football Diner : Can you sum up the way Bill Belichick coaches?
 
Gary Guyton : He teaches us the game of football. He presses us, makes us accountable, makes us dependable. And he teaches us about ‘team’. He puts that onto us every day.
 
Football Diner : And what next for Gary Guyton?
 
Gary Guyton : Gary Guyton is OK with me! I love myself even more! No, I’m my biggest critic too, I’m always trying to improve, to elevate my game. I’ve only played for three years in this league and I’m doing OK. I just want to keep improving.
 
Football Diner : Finally, we get that Coach Belichick doesn’t like his team to look too far ahead, but it must be hard not to think about what the team might achieve in these playoffs?
 
Gary Guyton : It’s week to week, it really is. This next game we play is the biggest game of the year right now, and we don’t look further than that. Day by day, our goal is to keep practicing, keep getting better.
 
Football Diner : Thanks Gary - good luck in the coming weeks.
 
Gary Guyton : Thanks so much.