Wirfs excited to get to Tampa
Tristan Wirfs was a little disappointed that he wasn't the first offensive tackle selected in the NFL Draft, but that quickly faded when he was picked by Tampa Bay. The former Hawkeye will not get to begin his NFL career protecting legendary quarterback Tom Brady in Tampa.
Wirfs met with the media on Friday to discuss what draft night was like for him and what he has heard from the Bucs coaches and players so far.
Q: How did yesterday go for you and how did it play out?
WIRFS: I was excited about yesterday. My agent and I thought things might play out differently, but in the end I get to go to Tampa, where I played in the Outback Bowl. I get to block for Tom Brady and play next to Rob Gronkowski, I am more than excited about how it went. I can’t wait to get down to Tampa and start working.
Q: What conversations did you have with the head coach and Tampa about your plan moving forward?
WIRFS: We had a quick call with the head coach and the general manager and it was kind of tough because I had whole group at my house in Mt. Vernon and people were flying by and honking. They said they will be calling me on Monday to get me the playbook, training equipment, and everything like that.
Q: The red carpet that you did for your mom seemed to really go viral on social media last night. Can you talk about the planning that went into that? How much did it mean to do that for your mom?
WIRFS: So there’s a lady that works for my agent and it was kind of her idea. She wanted to do something special for the draft night since we wouldn’t be in Vegas and I was all for it. She actually ordered the red carpet and the flowers. I had to have my sister get the packages and make sure my mom didn’t see them.
Being able to do that for my mom was pretty awesome. It was funny because my mom was outside and we needed her to come inside so we could roll out the red carpet. She was talking to someone outside and I kept telling her to go inside because they needed her help. She went in and then I rolled it out for her. To be able to do that for her was really awesome.
Q: Bruce Arians is a different guy than Kirk Ferentz. What are your impressions of him?
WIRFS: It was a short conversation with him, but he seems very outgoing. He seems fun to be around, but he’s also kind of a no nonsense type of guy from what I have heard. I am excited to play for him and get down there.
Q: What kind of pressure or excitement comes from having to protect Tom Brady right out of the gate?
WIRFS: That’s a good one. I think there are a lot of emotions. I grew up watching him on TV and he’s a legend in the league. He has to put his trust in me to protect him and I am looking forward to something like that as a rookie. I am excited to learn from him because he’s obviously been a student of the game and in the league for 20 years.
Q: You came in to the Iowa program with A.J. Epenesa and you guys left together. Did you talk to him yesterday or today and what are they missing about him?
WIRFS: I did text with him yesterday and said here we go brother and replied back and said I can’t believe it’s here and we wished each other good luck and he said I was his Uso for life. Uso means brother in Samoan. People just need to put on the tape and see what he does. I think a lot of teams missed out and someone is going to get the steal of the draft. I know he is going to come in with a huge chip on his shoulder and he’s going to be a force.
Q: What have you been able to do training wise?
WIRFS: I am going to just keep doing what I have been doing the last six weeks. There is a gym here in Iowa City that is privately owned and he’s been letting me come in and that has been awesome. I don’t know what their workouts will be, but I have been able to get Coach Doyle’s workouts done for the most part. I have to have had to improvise a little bit because they don’t have all the stuff that the Iowa weight room does, so it’s been good.
Q: Did Anthony Nelson reach out to you after you were drafted?
WIRFS: He did. It was immediately after I got picked. I think he might have been the first person to text me. Being able to be teammates with him again is going to be so much fun because he taught me so much about pass rushers in the first two years. We actually did a player report on each other, so he gave me a scouting report on what I could do better and I did one on him. I love Anthony and it’s going to be fun to be his teammate again.
Q: There was some expectations you might go higher, but in the end do you think it ended up being the perfect situation for you?
WIRFS: 100%. I couldn’t think of a better situation. It’s kind of funny, after you meet with a team at the combine they give you a shirt and a hat. On Wednesday I grabbed the Tampa shirt out of my drawer and was wearing it. I have a picture of it. I wouldn’t want this to have turned out any other way. I get to block for a hall of fame quarterback in Tom Brady. I am kind of bummed about the virus situation because I just want to get down there and get going.
Q: I read some of the comments from Tampa about how their offensive line coach had kind of built a relationship with you in the process. Did you feel the connection?
WIRFS: Yeah, in the meeting I had with them on Zoom, he seemed like he was ready to go. They obviously have some new weapons and they are excited to get going, but he was asking me if I could come in and do my best to be a leader. It was questions like that and I tried to give him that same level of energy.
Q: Coach Ferentz said last week that he was going to reach out to you. He’s always big about not paying attention to mock drafts and things like that. He wants to make sure your heads are in the right place. Did he talk to you and how did he help you?
WIRFS: Yeah, he actually called me yesterday when I was driving to my mom’s house and told me how proud he was of me and everything. He actually called me today, but I was on the phone so I have to call him after this. He has been so supportive during the whole process. When we were making the decision to declare he was supportive of during training and he would come in and say hello. He wished me luck before the combine and congratulated me afterwards. I love Coach Ferentz and always will. He has been the best coach that I have ever had and there are a hundred other guys that would say the same thing.
Q: What was going on in your mind when the other tackles were going off the board ahead of you?
WIRFS: It was different for sure seeing those three go before me. But, it was kind of nice because I would almost prefer having it like that than being the first tackle. I’m a competitive person, so it stung a little bit, but being able to go to Tampa, I would 100% rather have it this way.
Q: Has anyone with Tampa mentioned anything about when you might be able to get down there?
WIRFS: No one has told me anything. They have just told me they would get me the ipad for the playbook and the workouts. I think we will have meetings on Zoom, but I haven’t heard anything about a date yet.
Q: Did you have any interactions with Roger Goodell last night?
WIRFS: I did actually. We have a facetime call where he held up the jersey. It didn’t have your name on it, but it has a #1 on it. He said congrats and welcome to the league.
Q: A lot of NFL folks are probably interested in Alaric Jackson. Do you think he has a good chance at being an NFL tackle and have you discussed this process with him?
WIRFS: He will 100% be one. He has a weight rack set up in his garage and lives right up the hill from me. He has been grinding and he’s really hungry. He was really disappointed last year because his knee wasn’t 100%. He’s doing really good and looking good. We really haven’t talked much about the process, but he will ask me when his time comes next year.
Q: Last night that video of you jumping out of the pool went viral on social media. What is it like to have people realize you are that athletic?
WIRFS: It’s kind of cool to see that come out now because I did that two years ago. I am sure I can still do it. I might have to try it again this summer. It’s kind of funny that it is coming out now and coming full circle. No trying to toot my own horn, but all my buddies knew how athletic I am. It’s just cool to see it spread around like that.
Q: Have any of the other Tampa players besides Anthony Nelson reached out to you?
WIRFS: Some of the OL guys did. The guy that wears #74 said I have to look for a new number. I was like that fine.