| INDIANAPOLIS — Brigham Young RB Luke Staley declared himself
eligible for the NFL draft after his junior season, when he rushed for 1,582 yards. His
average of 143.8 rushing yards per game was the third-best in NCAA Division I. Injuries
plagued his career at BYU, when he had more than nine surgeries on his ankles, knees and
shoulders. The most recent injury was a broken fibula, which kept Staley out of the final
three games of BYU’s 12-2 season. Staley answered questions about his health, his
decision to leave BYU early and how he developed his remarkably sized calves. Q:
How’s the leg?
A: Real good. I got the screws taken out of it the 22nd of January, and I am
right now running and will be able to run on pro testing day at BYU on the 27th
of March.
Q: What was it like to play for new head coach Gary Crowton this past season?
A: It was fun. It was the probably the funnest year I have had in football. It was
maybe the best thing that has happened to BYU since LaVell Edwards.
Q: Being able to catch the ball is a big asset in the NFL. How much preparation was
Crowton’s offense to you for the NFL?
A: I think it was a great preparation. With coach Crowton coming from the Chicago
Bears, it was just a perfect fit.
Q: How much concern have you sensed from teams about your health?
A: It’s a concern, but I did the physical and all their exams, and hopefully that
quiets their concerns. They did look at the past two years I’ve had at BYU without
any knee problems, without any shoulder problems, and hopefully they will look at that.
Q: Was your injuries one of the reasons you came out?
A: No, it’s something I always wanted to do. I said if I had the opportunity to do
it, I would. The opportunity presented itself, and I took it.
Q: Did the injury change your decision to declare early?
A: No. I think after my first quality game this year, I decided to come out early. I
feel like I’m ready.
Q: Why were you so gung-ho about coming out early?
A: If I had the year I wanted to have, I wanted to come out and I just put everything
on the table.
Q: Do you think you are ready?
A: Yeah, mentally, physically.
Q: What percentage have you recovered from your ankle injury?
A: It’s about 90 percent.
Q: So you were able to dance at your wedding?
A: Yeah, yeah.
Q: When did you get married?
A: January 30th.
Q: You’ve had a lot of life changes in the recent past. How are you handling
it?
A: It’s very exciting.
Q: How frustrating was it to watch BYU finish the season after you were hurt?
A: It was real tough. That Hawaii game, right after the break, I didn’t go to
Hawaii to watch it. I sat there at home and tried to watch it, and I could only watch the
first half. And the Louisville game was tough because they were right there the whole game
and they would have, should have, could have, I guess.
Q: How comfortable will you be that you’ll be back to your old self when you
have your pro workout?
A: Hopefully, I come back from this thing better than I was before.
Q: Can you discuss what your rehab has entailed?
A: It’s just doing not as much pounding on the leg as you would regularly take,
doing a lot of work in the pool, performing exercises to take stress off the leg right
now.
Q: What was the severity of the injury, and was it a clean break?
A: It was a break, and they just went in there and put a plate in there. They put a
screw in just to tighten things up. They took the screw out, and everything is fine right
now.
Q: What do you bring to the table for NFL teams?
A: I think I bring a little versatility. I think I can adjust to whatever the situation
calls for. I think I can go with the flow of the game and be able to change paces.
Q: There aren’t that many top-notch white running backs. Is that something you
have dealt with throughout your career?
A: Yeah, I think a big blow was when I came out of high school. Everybody wanted me for
defense except for BYU. They are the only school who wanted me as a tailback. And of
course, I’m going to jump on that. I committed to them the day after they offered me.
Q: You were a running back all during your time before college. How frustrating was
it that schools wanted you to play defense?
A: For me, it wasn’t that frustrating because it has always been a childhood dream
of mine to go to BYU. It was an easy decision once they offered me.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: Portland (Ore.).
Q: Why was it a childhood dream to attend BYU?
A: I actually grew up two years in Utah, and my grandparents had season tickets to BYU
games. I was 7 and 8, and they would take us to some games, and that is something that has
just always stuck with me.
Q: Where do you think you might be picked?
A: I don’t know.
Q: When you were making your decision to come out, did you consult people to gauge
where you would come out?
A: Yeah. They said around second round.
Q: What did you measure in at today?
A: 6-1½, 227.
Q: What kind of calf workout have you performed to develop those massive calves?
A: Nothing. It’s natural.
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