Q&A with Carolina Panthers safety Tre Boston

Tre Boston, former North Carolina football player and current Carolina Panthers safety, has made big plays for his team down the stretch after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

With the NFL playoffs in full swing, Assistant Sports Editor Pat James spoke over the phone with Boston about his rookie season up to this point, his UNC career and the Panthers' showdown with the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC divisional round on Saturday.  

THE DAILY TAR HEEL: Your starting quarterback gets in a car accident, your team comes back to win the NFC South in the final week of the season and, then, this week Coach Ron Rivera’s house catches on fire. How much of a roller-coaster ride has your rookie season been?

TRE BOSTON: It’s been crazy. It’s one of those things where it shows the true definition of 'Keep Pounding.' As much as everything has gone on, it’s one of those things where we just have to keep fighting, control the things we can control. With our quarterback being in an accident and Coach’s house, those guys have been dealing with the situation along with the team very well. It helps that you have guys around you who care for you, and when you come to work, it can change your whole attitude. I’m pretty much just happy that were able to do that and just keep pounding.

DTH: What was the atmosphere like on Saturday in your first NFL playoff game?

TB: It was hype, but it was just a football game. As much as people want to call it a playoff game and this and that, to me as a rookie, I’ve never been in the playoffs. So to me, it was just another game for me.

DTH: You battled a sports hernia injury at the beginning season that forced you to miss the first couple of games. How were you able to come back from it? How did you continue to grow and improve during that time period where you couldn’t play?

TB: Well, I had guys like Roman Harper and Thomas DeCoud who were very influential to me. Guys who really helped me while I was off the field mentally take reps. It was one of those things where I had to take as many reps mentally as I could. It paid off in the end. When I got back, I wasn’t as fast as everyone else, you know, because I was back 1,000 reps from everybody. But it was good be in the mix and show that while I was on the sideline I was at least paying attention. So to pay attention and then translate it to the field as fast as I would, it’s just a blessing.

DTH: How would you compare this season to your senior year at North Carolina in terms of having to fight an uphill battle to make it into the postseason? What were the similarities and differences?

TB: Just backs against the wall. My team was back against the wall my senior year along with this year with the Panthers. You have to have that back-against-the-wall mentality, and you’re able to fight out of it. That’s just one of the best things about it. You got guys on your team who you believe in. Nobody else believes in you but yourself, and you come out every day to prove that your not the team who people think you are.

DTH: How did your time at UNC help prepare you for the NFL?

TB: I can say having five different position coaches helped me very well. You get to hear different perspectives from different coaches on how to play different techniques. So it’s kind of me putting everybody’s words and coaching into a toolbox of my own. So I think that helped me in the long run. It might not have been the best short run — having five position coaches in four years. But it helped me in the long run.

DTH: How has former UNC teammate Kevin Reddick been able to help you adjust to the NFL?

TB: Kevin came kind of later in the season. But it’s always good to have a friend around, always good to have somebody who you fought with for three years together. So it’s always great to have him around. But when it comes to adjusting to the league, I kind of made that with the help of my veterans here.

DTH: What has been the biggest challenge for you in your rookie season?

TB: Biggest challenge was getting back on the field, staying healthy and being able to help my team. So being able to get back on the field, I feel like I’m able to help my team. And that was my biggest challenge.

DTH: When you were drafted, did you see yourself stepping into a starter’s role so soon in your career?

TB: When they called me, they had told me they had Roman Harper and Thomas DeCoud — guys they felt were veterans and I could just come up behind and learn from. Them knowing I was coming off of injuries, too. So I was hoping, ‘OK, maybe I can get a little action in the middle of the season when I come back from injury.’ But I honestly didn’t think I’d be starting as fast as I was. And like I said earlier, it’s just a blessing. And I thank God for the opportunity I’m getting.

DTH: In the Week 17 win over the Atlanta Falcons, you pretty much sealed the win and the NFC South title with your first career interception — which you returned for a touchdown. What was going through your mind on that play?

TB: Ah, man, everything. As a child, you dream of an opportunity like that. You dream of getting an interception in a big game and taking it for a touchdown. It’s one of those things where so much stuff was going through my mind. It was just surreal. It was just me living the dream.

DTH: Before that game, you apparently predicted you and teammate Roman Harper would each have a pick-six. What made you believe that? How did Harper react to your prediction?

TB: I just woke up feeling good. I woke up feeling good and made a bold prediction. Roman was like, we were on the bus when it happened, ‘OK, let’s do it,’ And then we just went out and did it. It’s one of those things where I woke up in the morning, felt good, had got my rest and made a bold prediction.

DTH: You then follow that play up in the playoff game against the Arizona Cardinals by intercepting a pass late in the game. How have you been to put yourself in position to make these big plays for your team?

TB: It’s just coaching. I’m doing what the coaches are asking me, and, not only that, I’m preparing myself. Through the week, you’ve got to prepare yourself for what’s coming in the game and what the other team might do. And I think the coaches and myself along with the vets do a good job of talking with each other and preparing each other to be in position to make plays like that.

DTH: You guys now head to Seattle on Saturday to face a team the Panthers have lost to three times in the past three years by a total of 13 points. What have your older teammates been telling you about this game? How have you been preparing for it and the hostile environment?

TB: I think the older guys tell me — just because I’m a younger guy — just prepare for it like every game, let it become football to you. The older guys, they just like us to be new to it. It’s hard to throw a lot on rookies like, ‘Oh, this is what’s going to happen. Oh, it’s going to be crazy out there. Oh, it’s going to be this and that.’ But you’ve got to dumb it out. At the end of the day, we’re only playing football. You’ve just got to play well and do everything you’re capable of doing. You’ve got to make sure you prepare for it like it’s your last. That’s what we’ve been doing for the last five weeks.

DTH: Is this the biggest game of your football career so far?

TB: Yes, it is the biggest game of my career so far. So hope to prepare for it like the last and go out there and do everything we’re prepared to do.

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