by John Moorehouse
TriCitiesSports.com
January 23, 2013
Daniel Kilgore grew accustomed to striving for championships at Dobyns-Bennett. As a collegiate player at Appalachian State, he played for championships.
Now, Kilgore's about to compete on football's highest stage.
The Kingsport native and alum of D-B and Appalachian State is wrapping up his second season as an offensive lineman with the San Francisco 49ers, who are preparing to face the Baltimore Ravens next Sunday in New Orleans in Super Bowl XLVII.
“The more you think about it, it's just another game. I think people outside of the team are pumping it up more than we are as the players or coaches,” Kilgore told Tricitiessports.com on Wednesday night. “For us, it's another week to get better and to go out and capture the world champion title. Outside the team, I think people are making it more than what we really should be, as a team right now. Once we go down and take care of business, then it'll hit us. 'Holy cow, we just did this thing.' I think that's the way our team's approaching it. It's just another game, another business trip and go down and take care of business.”
Kilgore's getting ready to cut off most communication and focus on the biggest football game of his life. But he took a few minutes out of his Wednesday evening to discuss the Super Bowl, his second season as a pro and much more in this one-on-one telephone interview.
Q: So you have this week off. So what's the routine this week? A lot of film study, or more practice because next week's going to have the media day and everything else?
KILGORE: We're approaching this week as if we had a game on Monday night. Everything's just pushed back one day. We have a normal routine as far as practice and meeting time. We still have the same mind-set of going in to work each and every day, looking at the Ravens and going ahead and digging into our game plan. Once we do get down to New Orleans on Sunday, it'll basically be a review for everybody.
Q: Individually, how's this season been for you? You've played a lot more this year. Going through this NFL grind, how's it been? What lessons have you carried over from your rookie year to this season?
KILGORE: I think for a personal aspect, I've grown as a player. Just making an appearance in one game last year and this year playing in every game, I think I've really grown as a player. And just being around the game, one more season around the older guys, the vets, I think you hvae no option but to gain as a player. I can definitely tell a difference in where I was from last year to this year. Just my coaches have that trust in me to put me out on the field, if it's third-and-1 or kickoff return or field goal or being a backup long snapper. You can definitely see I've come a ways from last season. I can only go up from here. Just looking forward to the opportunity.
Q: You, and Gerald (Sensabaugh) and Coty (Sensabaugh) are making Dobyns-Bennett look pretty good right now. I don't know how many high schools can say they have three guys in the NFL at the same time. Is that an important thing for you, to represent for your hometown?
KILGORE: It's definitely very important for me. I never forget where I come from. I've said this time and time again. Kingsport will always be my home, will always be the place that I go back to. I don't know if we so much make Dobyns-Bennett look any better, because Dobyns-Bennett's always looked pretty good. If anything, they help us. People outside the game of football realize what a program Dobyns-Bennett brings forth and what sort of athletes they bring to the table. It's a prideful thing. I said this earlier in another interview, to have three guys from the same high school, it's something special and it speaks volumes to the coaching staff in the school. They love to see their student athletes grow on the field, and also outside of the sport. It's good to see other players from the same high school in the NFL. It's unbelievable.
Q: How do you feel like (Scott) Satterfield will do as the new head coach over there at Appalachian State?
KILGORE: I think Scott Satterfield will do a great job over there. He's been there before; he's played there. I think he has challenges as far as getting other coaches from powerhouse programs to come, and be a part of the Appalachian State program just because of funding issues. I think people want to be a part of that label, Appalachian State. Especially now from what they've done for the past decade. I think coaches are buying into it. Knowing that they're a contender each and every year for a national championship.I think a lot of people will like that, and I think a lot of recruits love to see that. I think Scott will do a great job. He's been there, been around there, been a part of every championship that was there. He played there, so he knows the area very well. He's gone on and has coached at higher level universities and that gave him some experience. Coming back, I think it'll really help him get that team back to where they need to be.
Q: Something else I was curious about. When coach Harbaugh decided to bench Alex Smith and go with (Colin) Kaepernick at quarterback for the rest of the season, and obviously that's worked out well. But at the time, what was the reaction like in the team? Was there some hesitancy? What was the mood in the team when all that went down?
KILGORE: I think anytime you have a big decision like that, with any team, there's gonna be some guys that might be hesitant about it. I didn't so much see it inside our locker room, cause I know, our guys knew what Colin was capable of doing. To have two quarterbacks that are so high profile and have the ability to lead us in bigtime games, and make the right decisions, and put us in position to win ballgames, I think it's special. I think our team has really handled the situation well. Colin's done a great job and Alex has been there 100 percent to support him. I know the whole team, from day one, when coach made that decision, we stood by his decision and we went with it from there. Obviously it's paid off, with his decision to put us in the Super Bowl. Colin's done a great job of handling everything, all the pressure, and Alex has done a great job supporting him. We're going into the Super Bowl with Colin as our quarterback. We stand behind him 100 percent, and he's going to do a great job.
Q: You've mentioned the fact of treating this like another a game. You've got all kinds of media from the Tri-Cities calling. All kinds of distractions. How challenging next week is it going to be to keep that focus? You've got Super Bowl media day next week, and everyone knows what a circus that is. What's the key to keeping it even keel until next Sunday?
KILGORE: I think there's going to be a lot of upset people when I dodge phone calls or texts. It's just the nature of the beast. My priority from here on out is on the Baltimore Ravens. I think people realize that. I think a lot of people don't fully understand what goes into it. It's a growing thing as a person that you have to be able to say no to a lot of things and a lot of people. If they're really there to back you up, then they'll understand. Step back a little bit, you let your family handle everything, or let them go down and enjoy themselves. But they've also got to step back a little bit and let me take care of what I need to take care of. At the end, we're all gonna be celebrating the same victory. You've just got to learn how to deal with the pressure, and all the attention and everything, and just focus on what you've got to do.
