Is there anything cooler than a big guy who doesn’t take himself too seriously? Women love them and men want to be them. Some people get to BE that guy, like Rams offensive lineman Rodger Saffold.
Sure, he could pound your face in, or physically embarrass you in a stadium in front of 60,000+ fans, but only if you brought that out of him. And every Sunday during the NFL season, opposing defenders get to meet that version of the sixth-year pro.
Saffold has teamed up with Gillette for the Fusion ProShield and wants people to show off their dance moves, like he does here:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LODFG39tb6U]
We were lucky to speak with Rodger via a safe distance of several hundred miles via telephone about #ShieldMoves, bad puns, and getting paid “to take away a man’s will.”
Male Standard – Duuuude, the Forcefield was the best move of all!
Rodger Saffold – That’s what I’m sayin’, man!
MS – How do the ladies respond to a big guy who can move like that??
RS – Hey, you know they like it. I’ve gotten everything from ‘This is hilarious,” ‘This is so dope,’ to ‘Man, what are you doing?’ But hey, if anybody has a problem, tell ‘em to come see me!
MS – Talk about Gillette’s new Fusion ProShield
RS – The new ProShield is about protecting your face. Usually, guys shave with shave gel and they get irritation because when you’re shaving, two or three strokes will hit the same area. But the ProShield has lubrication on the blades, so when you shave, you’re adding lubricant to it every time. So you shave without irritation.
Offensive lineman are all about protection so me, Trent Williams, and John Urschel got involved. We have the hashtag #ShieldMoves going on, so people can use Twitter and send us examples of their moves. Then me, Trent, and John are actually going to sit down and go over these videos and pick a winner of who we thought did the best.
MS – So basically, you attract the ladies into your forcefield, and they can’t help but touch your smooth face? Nice!
RS – That’s how smooth I am. I’m a straight baby-face, I have to keep it all shaved off.
MS – So, you might say the ladies “Saf-fold” under the pressure?
RS – Oh my gawd! (Laughing) NICE!
MS – You can use that one Rodger!
RS – Yeah, thank you, I will, I appreciate that!
MS – You play Seattle twice a year, one game at home, one in Seattle, where the crowd noise is notorious. Talk about being an offensive lineman playing a road game in that environment; is it legitimately different compared to Seattle, they’ve been winning, they’ve had success, versus playing some lower rung team like the Bucs in Tampa Bay?
RS – In Seattle, the crowd noise is ridiculous – I have to literally SCREAM to my tackle or to my center so they can hear me. But really, it’s the optimal environment you want to play in. You want to be the bad guy, you want to hit those other guys, so it’s a lot of fun playing those games.
The way we played a couple weeks ago (in Seattle), I was so proud of the lineman and the offense. The way we got off the ball, the way we made good decisions, we didn’t turn the ball over, we did everything the offense is supposed to do. And their defense is so explosive, you know?
MS – Is that the BEST feeling? Football is predicated on physical dominance. You’re one of the BADDEST dudes, playing the other BADASS, physical dudes. What does it feel like to physically dominate a guy for one play in an environment like that, and then the next play, maybe have him beat you?
RS – It’s awesome. It is absolutely awesome. Being able to overpower a guy, that is the most… you want to take away a guy’s will to fight and dump him on his back. That’s exactly how I can describe it.
People are always like, ‘But you don’t get the ball, you don’t hold the ball.’ I take away a man’s will. That’s as good as it gets right there. And then knowing you got a touchdown because you just totally… knocked a guy on his back, or pretty much owned a guy. That’s a really good feeling.
MS – On the opposite side, if you get beat or if a guy physically dominates you, what is your focus, mentally? How do you not get caught up in getting’ whupped on a play?
RS – Well, that’s the difference between defensive line and offensive line. When that happens to defensive linemen, they have a lot of emotion, and sometimes it’s hard for them to try to beat up a guy that just beat you up like that. As an offensive lineman, these things happen. You can get caught off-balance, that type of thing. Most offensive linemen just take a breath, get back in line, and get ready to attack.
Now if it keeps happening, that’s when you have problems. That’s when you see guys giving up three sacks a game, because they are constantly getting beat and they don’t know how to come back from that.
MS – Who is the strongest player, physically the flat out strongest guy, you’ve played against in the NFL?
RS – Oh, that’s Justin Smith hands down. He is country stronnnnnnnng. I mean, he is the whole reason why I just wanted to get stronger. I played him in San Francisco my rookie year. I remember him hitting me and I closed my eyes, and when I opened my eyes, I was five yards back – ‘What just happened?’ So I got with our strength coach and said, ‘That’s that, we can’t have that happen again.’ I’m actually gonna go see Justin today, we’re gonna lift. I have to keep working man. No days off.
MS – What’s the most complicated part of being an offensive lineman that nobody understands?
RS – One of the most difficult things is playing on a field goal – people don’t understand that you are just a crash dummy. Everybody lines up and just tries to pummel you. It’s pretty vicious in there, man.
Another thing is goalline. It doesn’t look like much is happening but a lot is going on. People are taking each other’s legs out, it is an absolute war at the goalline. The last one I’d say is just being underneath a scrum, there’s all types of stuff going on.
MS – And people assume because you’re so big, it never hurts, right?
RS – Ohhh, it hurts (laughing)!
MS – Speaking of hurting, don’t hurt ‘em on the dance floor, alright Rodger? Take it easy on the ladies, OK?
RS – Oh, yeah! I will man, ‘Roger that!’
To celebrate these unsung protectors of the gridiron, Gillette is finally giving them the chance to dance – literally – by showcasing their signature protection-inspired #ShieldMove dance. NFL O-Liners Rodger Saffold (St. Louis Rams), John Urschel (Baltimore Ravens), and Trent Williams (Washington Redskins) are inviting guys around the country to submit their very own dance on Twitter with the hashtag #ShieldMove all month long to receive some fun perks.