Catching up with Cobbs

By: Richard White

Posted: 10/3/07

Patrick Cobbs, who played football for the Mean Green from 2001-2005, is in his second season as a special teams player and third-string running back for the Miami Dolphins.
During his time at NT, Cobbs became the 2003 national rushing leader. He left as the school record holder in career rushing yards (4,050) and touchdowns (36). Johnny Quinn, the school record holder for career receiving yards and receptions, was Cobbs' teammate for three seasons.
"He's a hard-nosed, physical football player," said Quinn. "He pounded it in there when we needed the short yardage but he was also capable of taking it the distance. It was really a blessing to play with him. When you talk about the greatest players who played [at NT] his name definitely comes up."
Cobbs spoke with the NT Daily over the phone in between his rigorous NFL schedule on topics ranging from his first two years in the NFL to the 2007 Mean Green football team.

NT Daily: Now that you're in the NFL, where do you see yourself in two or three seasons?
Cobbs: "I have goals. I'd like to be a starter in a year or two. I'm preparing every day at running back as if I'm going to be the starter tomorrow. I spend all my extra time working on special teams, because anything I do I want to be the best at it, so right now I want to be the best special teams player until I get that opportunity to be the running back."

NT Daily: How have you handled the adjustment from being a running back to playing on special teams?
Cobbs: "I've made some mistakes, but I try and do it a hundred miles an hour and it's paying off. I'm learning because I've never really played special teams before."

NT Daily: Overall, how difficult was that transition from college to the NFL?
Cobbs: "It was a big jump, but it was a jump I felt like I made pretty well. It's interesting, because in the NFL you practice so much more before you actually play a game. At first I didn't know what to expect."

NT Daily: How different is the level of competition among NFL players compared to college?
Cobbs: "The guys at this level are a lot faster. There's a whole lot more of those great athletes. They're all on one team instead of being spread out like they are in college. That makes it a lot harder. There aren't as many creases or gaps to run in as far as the running back position is concerned."

NT Daily: How did playing for NT prepare you for the NFL?
Cobbs: "Obviously the schemes that we ran at North Texas are a little different than the schemes [in the NFL]. I'm asked to do a little more here than I was at North Texas as far as pass blocking and picking up safety blitzes was my biggest adjustment. As far as running the football and finding open creases, North Texas showed me just as much if not more to get me ready for this level. I felt like I was a step ahead of a lot of people coming into this league."

NT Daily: Have you been keeping up with your alma mater this season?
Cobbs: "I've been checking up on them. I watched the OU game, which was the only one on TV. It was rough. You never want to see your team get beat like that. It was a little depressing, but I knew they had a lot of young guys in a new system."

NT Daily: Having played with him for two seasons, what do you expect out of senior running back Jamario Thomas this year?
Cobbs: "He came out and obviously had a fantastic true freshman year [winning the national rushing title]. Maybe Jamario, the last couple seasons, got a slap of reality in college football that it's not as easy as it was in the beginning. He's been hampered by his hamstring the last couple seasons but when he's healthy, we all know what he can do."

NT Daily: What do you remember most from your time at NT?
Cobbs: "On the field coming in we had a tight-knit freshman group. We were really close. I'm still in touch with all those guys. The class that came in my freshman year, we won the Sun Belt all four seasons [2001-2004]."

NT Daily: What advice would you give the Mean Green (0-4) this season?
Cobbs: "It's all about pulling together. My freshman year we were 0-5 and we turned it around and made the New Orleans Bowl. Don't try and do more than you're supposed to. It's only a loss if you're not learning anything from it."