Catching up with former A&M & NFL defensive lineman Rocky Bernard

Key notes from Rocky Bernard interview

• It's been incredible to watch Jimbo build this program. I always felt like A&M could get to this point, and since Jimbo has come in, it has been amazing to see what he's doing. Fisher says we're not done yet, and I believe that with how this program is going. It's time to take the step up and get to the big stage.
   
• My days at Texas A&M were fun. I made a lot of friends there, and playing there in front of the 12th Man is phenomenal. You can't really explain it, and it's really special. We played in a lot of big games and bowl games. I’ll always remember the Bonfire game and the 9/11 game, and I cherish those two games.
   
• With the Red, White & Blue Out and with all of the things that had happened that week, seeing all of the students come together and pull off all those t-shirts in the stadium, it was special. They talk about the “Spirit of Aggieland,” and it was definitely there that day and throughout that week. It was just great to see everyone, the fans and students, all come together.
   
• RC Slocum was the man. He was Aggieland. When I was a kid watching the Aggies, I remember seeing him on TV, so when he recruited me and was sitting in my living room, I couldn't believe it. He talks a lot about character, the desire to win and responsibility. I carry all of that with me today, even in my life after football.
   
• My love for Texas A&M started in the 8th grade. One of my favorite teachers went to A&M and would tell us all about A&M. That's when I started paying attention to A&M. Then watching Quentin Coryatt, who is from Baytown just like me, so that's when it started to get special for me.
   
• I got drafted to Seattle, and they had a few Aggies there like Jacob Green and Sam Adams. They loved A&M guys. Seattle is a special place, and we did something that hadn't been done in going to a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, we didn’t win that one. That was a special time to be in Seattle. I went to New York as a free agent, and we won the Super Bowl. It’s hard to believe that our 10-year anniversary is already coming up now.
   
• In those types of games, it's never over. Once I saw the confetti coming down, it hit me that we actually won the Super Bowl.
   
• The Eli Manning on camera that everyone else sees is different than the Eli behind closed doors. He led the team and made it known what we came to do. That Super Bowl week, he stood up in the meeting and delivered an incredible message. He's really an incredible guy.
   
• When I got to A&M, we followed guys like Dan Campbell, Steve McKinney and Dat Nguyen. We had incredible leadership back then. We didn't mess around. They were all about winning and doing things the right way.
   
• Dan with the Lions... It’s like he's still a player even though he's a coach. That's just who he is. He doesn't really mess around, and I think he'll do great things in Detroit.
   
• I'm living in Katy now, and I've been doing a lot of stuff in youth football, like training kids and coaching on a couple of teams. Other than that, I'm just being Dad.
   
• There are times I miss playing football. I'm still around the game, and I watch almost any game that comes on TV. As far as missing the actual game, not that much because I'm a little older now. I miss the fellas and being in the locker room. I miss game days and coming out of the tunnel. I miss it most when I go to games. I always wish I was out there, but then my knees say, "I don't think so, buddy.”
   
• Any championship team I've ever been on, it's all about the offensive line and the defensive line. Right now, I think A&M has something special with what they have up front. If they can dominate and produce, it could be a special season. It really does start up front.