Senior Bowl 2017 Interview – Dan Feeney

Dan Feeney – G (Indiana)

Measurables: 

Hgt: 6’4”         

Wgt:  304 lbs. 

Hand:  10 ¼”  

Arm:  33 ⅛”    

Wing:  80 ⅝“

PROFILE:  Selected as team captain in both his Junior and Senior seasons. Became just the fourth player in IU program history to earn first team All­ America status twice (2015 & 2016) and just the third to earn first team honors in back­-to-­back seasons.  Started all 12 games at right guard his freshman year (2012), an IU true freshman record for an offensive lineman.  Did not surrender a sack in 935 snaps and finished second on the team with 54 knockdowns. Suffered a season-ending foot injury during the 2013 preseason camp and received a medical redshirt. As a sophomore in 2014, Feeney again started all 12 games at right guard. He allowed just one sack in 801 snaps and led the linemen with 80 knockdowns. In his junior season, he started all 13 games at right guard. He did not allow a sack in 475 called pass attempts and finished with a team-best 102 knockdowns in 1,069 snaps. In the 46 games that he started during his Hoosier career, Feeney allowed just two sacks in 3,355 snaps. He graduated in May 2016 with a degree in exercise science.

On his thoughts about actually playing the Senior Bowl game after going through the week of pretty intense practices.

I don’t think it (the game) was too bad, honestly.  We didn’t have to worry about blitzes. Honestly, I think it was actually a lineman’s kinda day! They pretty much lined up what they were going to play – maybe a slant here or there. I thought it was a lineman’s day. Obviously, we can’t score touchdowns, but I thought it was a great day.

On how well he felt the NFL coaches (Bears staff) actually “taught” throughout the week and if he was taught something about the NFL game that he was not aware of.

Yeah, it was different from college. Usually, it’s just a coach in college, but here, you’re interacting with them. They’re like one of the guys type a deal.  You can respect them – I know they played way back in the day and they were great players. You just respect them. They know how you learn and they can adapt to you real quick.

On how he would grade himself on his performance over the entire week and the game.

I think I’d grade myself well. Obviously, I like to grade myself hard so I always have something to improve on. You know overall, I think it was a great experience – working with the Bears staff, working with a new O-line coach, new head coach, a new kinda everything – new players left and right. I think as a unit, we came together pretty well. We meshed well and I think it was a great time.

On the fact that during the week of practices, he worked a bit at center and whether that was at his request  or was something that the coaches wanted him to do.

It was kinda both, honestly. I definitely wanted to show that I have been practicing at center. They wanted to see me in there, see how I did just in case, God forbid, injuries or anything happened in this kind of deal. But yeah, just wanted to show that I can play anywhere interior.

On what he feels that he was really able to showcase to NFL personnel during Senior Bowl week.

I think it was just how I’d go at things. I’m not the biggest, or fastest or strongest type of deal. When it’s time to work, I’m ready to work, I’m on time – ready to operate. I think that’s what a lot of the guys got the vibe about at practice. I’ll definitely goof around a little bit, … but when  it’s time to learn, it’s time to focus, I think that’s where I excel at.

On what advice he may have gotten from former players he knows who have gone to the NFL about the whole draft process.

Yeah, I got little tips from a couple guys. The biggest thing is to just focus on what you can do. Obviously, you can’t control where you get drafted or how high or any of that. The biggest thing is focus on you, get better every day at something. You’re not getting six feet better, you’re getting six inches. That’s the name of the game, that’s what football is all about. It’s a game of inches – it always will be.

On what he feels he can bring to an NFL organization right from Day One.

Just work ethic, I think. as I said, I’m not the biggest, fastest or strongest, but I’m definitely going to show up. I’m going to be there and I’m going to compete my ass off to start or if I got to be on the scout team, I’ll be on the scout team. I’ll do whatever the team needs to help them win.

On what it’s like to pursue this dream and go through this whole run-up to the draft.

It’s awesome! That’s the only word I can think to describe it. It’s a blessing. I mean I’ve had so much support from my family and friends. I can’t thank them enough. Just working with the Bears organization throughout this whole kinda “come-up” process – it’s just a little taste. It’s cool to see the little differences between this and college. It’s been a blessing.

On what he thinks has been the biggest difference that he noticed in just this one week at the Senior Bowl.

It’s more- I think everybody’s just intertwined a little bit differently. I feel like in college, everybody’s like – allright, we went through summer conditioning we all did this. At the pros, it’s like – all right, we know, we know we did this, we know what you’ve done. It’s like, now we are trying to go to elite status. We’re trying to fine tune everything about it.