Angry Pope
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Bowie is Ready to Compete
July 6, 2007
By Kevin Hale
Recently signed Oakland Raiders cornerback John Bowie. is looking forward to competing for a starting position and making a name for himself in the National Football League. The Columbus, Ohio, native was the Raiders second pick of the fourth round in the 2007 NFL Draft, and the first of the Raiders selections to sign a contract.
During his final year at the University of Cincinnati, Bowie led the team in tackles with 31 and recorded two interceptions for a total of 49 yards with one touchdown. Now that he has signed his contract, Bowie says that he is ready to start his profession in the NFL, which begins on July 27th at the Raiders Training Camp in Napa, Calif.
The 5’11”, 190-pound corner out of Cincinnati was the second team All-State choice by the Associated Press as a senior at Columbus’ Northland High School. He has made the journey from youth league football to the pros while fulfilling a dream. “It has been my life long dream to make it in the NFL,” said Bowie. “To be able to get all that stuff done and know that [I am] going to be a part of a great organization feels real good.” Bowie also said it was real important to him to have the contract finalized before camp starts so he can work on learning the system and participate from Day 1 of camp. “The money is only part of the portion. You have to be able to go out and play, perform and fulfill your other obligations that go along with being a part of the organization,” Bowie continued.
With Training Camp just weeks away, Bowie says that he has been working harder and running more than before because he wants to be able to go to camp and be prepared for whatever the coaching staff throws his way. “I really don’t know what to expect,” Bowie said. “You hear stories from everyone of what’s going to go on and how practice is going to be, but you never know until you get there. I’m preparing for everything, making sure I’m ready to work.”
Bowie has already experienced some of the tempo he will be seeing in camp, as the Raiders held high-tempo Mini-Camps and OTAs, but now his teammates will be wearing pads and will be allowed to practice at full speed. “The speed [of the game] has sped up a little bit. I really don’t have too much trouble adjusting with the speed of the game, but it seems like my college game speed is my NFL practice speed,” Bowie said. “I came in and thought that was how [practice] was supposed to be. I don’t mind working that hard.”
According to Bowie, when camp starts in late July he wants to show the coaching staff he is a hard worker and that his athletic ability as well as his playing abilities can help contribute to the Silver and Black. “I want to be able to help contribute on special teams and as much in the defensive backfield that is possible. I have to show them that I can cover consistently and make plays on the ball.”
Bowie says his bread and butter is man-to-man coverage and knowing that the Raiders like to play man-to-man, he feels he will fit right in. “I like playing bump and run press. That’s where I make my money,” Bowie said. He has talked with Raider veteran corners about the type of defensive coverage and all of them have been very helpful.
Bowie also gets help from assistant coach and Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Willie Brown, “He is a great teacher and I have gotten a lot of knowledge from him. Every day I ask him ‘How can I do this better? How can I keep myself focused on keeping my eyes down?’ He knows different little techniques and he works with me pretty well. He [also] pushes me to get better.”
So far Bowie enjoys his new job and says that he likes the direction that Head Coach Lane Kiffin is taking the team. “I like his coaching style. He has us working and I love to work. He has everybody competing, so nobody is slacking off. Everybody is working and I like that. To me he has everybody working in the right direction.”
Bowie will be back at the Raiders Alameda practice facility early next week to continue his training for the 2007 season and work on making the final 53-man roster. His goal for camp is to continue defining his technique. “If I can have great technique along with my speed, that’s going to make me a great corner.” Bowie’s confidence is high, and his work ethic seems to make him the type of player the Raiders defense looks forward to having on their team.
July 6, 2007
By Kevin Hale
Recently signed Oakland Raiders cornerback John Bowie. is looking forward to competing for a starting position and making a name for himself in the National Football League. The Columbus, Ohio, native was the Raiders second pick of the fourth round in the 2007 NFL Draft, and the first of the Raiders selections to sign a contract.
During his final year at the University of Cincinnati, Bowie led the team in tackles with 31 and recorded two interceptions for a total of 49 yards with one touchdown. Now that he has signed his contract, Bowie says that he is ready to start his profession in the NFL, which begins on July 27th at the Raiders Training Camp in Napa, Calif.
The 5’11”, 190-pound corner out of Cincinnati was the second team All-State choice by the Associated Press as a senior at Columbus’ Northland High School. He has made the journey from youth league football to the pros while fulfilling a dream. “It has been my life long dream to make it in the NFL,” said Bowie. “To be able to get all that stuff done and know that [I am] going to be a part of a great organization feels real good.” Bowie also said it was real important to him to have the contract finalized before camp starts so he can work on learning the system and participate from Day 1 of camp. “The money is only part of the portion. You have to be able to go out and play, perform and fulfill your other obligations that go along with being a part of the organization,” Bowie continued.
With Training Camp just weeks away, Bowie says that he has been working harder and running more than before because he wants to be able to go to camp and be prepared for whatever the coaching staff throws his way. “I really don’t know what to expect,” Bowie said. “You hear stories from everyone of what’s going to go on and how practice is going to be, but you never know until you get there. I’m preparing for everything, making sure I’m ready to work.”
Bowie has already experienced some of the tempo he will be seeing in camp, as the Raiders held high-tempo Mini-Camps and OTAs, but now his teammates will be wearing pads and will be allowed to practice at full speed. “The speed [of the game] has sped up a little bit. I really don’t have too much trouble adjusting with the speed of the game, but it seems like my college game speed is my NFL practice speed,” Bowie said. “I came in and thought that was how [practice] was supposed to be. I don’t mind working that hard.”
According to Bowie, when camp starts in late July he wants to show the coaching staff he is a hard worker and that his athletic ability as well as his playing abilities can help contribute to the Silver and Black. “I want to be able to help contribute on special teams and as much in the defensive backfield that is possible. I have to show them that I can cover consistently and make plays on the ball.”
Bowie says his bread and butter is man-to-man coverage and knowing that the Raiders like to play man-to-man, he feels he will fit right in. “I like playing bump and run press. That’s where I make my money,” Bowie said. He has talked with Raider veteran corners about the type of defensive coverage and all of them have been very helpful.
Bowie also gets help from assistant coach and Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Willie Brown, “He is a great teacher and I have gotten a lot of knowledge from him. Every day I ask him ‘How can I do this better? How can I keep myself focused on keeping my eyes down?’ He knows different little techniques and he works with me pretty well. He [also] pushes me to get better.”
So far Bowie enjoys his new job and says that he likes the direction that Head Coach Lane Kiffin is taking the team. “I like his coaching style. He has us working and I love to work. He has everybody competing, so nobody is slacking off. Everybody is working and I like that. To me he has everybody working in the right direction.”
Bowie will be back at the Raiders Alameda practice facility early next week to continue his training for the 2007 season and work on making the final 53-man roster. His goal for camp is to continue defining his technique. “If I can have great technique along with my speed, that’s going to make me a great corner.” Bowie’s confidence is high, and his work ethic seems to make him the type of player the Raiders defense looks forward to having on their team.
