Monday Morning Cheerleader: Rochelle of the Buccaneers
By Shawn Donnelly
Esquire
Tampa Bay’s sideline stunner ignores the latest Atlanta Falcons comeback just long enough to talk blown replay calls, early MVP candidates, playoff chances, and predictions for the biggest game of the year.
If you stepped into Raymond James Stadium yesterday, you might as well have just stepped out of a DeLorean circa 1985. For Week 13’s showdown with the first-place Falcons, the Bucs were sporting their original orange jerseys, the fans were wearing John McKay-style fisherman’s hats, and the cheerleaders were shaking the most enormous pom-poms we’ve seen in ages. (That isn’t a euphemism; their pom-pons were literally gigantic.)
But this is 2010, when Atlanta and quarterback Matt Ryan seem to engineer fourth-quarter comebacks on a biweekly basis. And he did it again — with a lot of help from his defense and special teams, but still, a 28-24 win and another step toward home-field advantage. Even as the Falcons somehow continue to fly under-the-radar at 10-2, a young Bucs squad still has its playoff hopes alive at 7-5 — and hope springs eternal in Tampa native and third-year cheerleader Rochelle Williams. She’s just your typical England-born, Tottenham Hotspur-rooting University of South Florida student with a penchant for making fancy enchiladas and a passion for fashion marketing. And she just happens to know a lot about football.
ESQUIRE: What was the vibe like at field level yesterday? Was the crowd more into the game because of those new hats of theirs?
ROCHELLE WILLIAMS: First off, I couldn’t hear anything. It was literally deafening at some points. Our fans, they definitely came yesterday. They were wearing their Creamsicle and they were ready for a ballgame.
ESQ: We kind of think the Bucs should wear those Creamsicle uniforms more often. Don’t you kind of agree?
RW: It’s funny, last year we played Green Bay in them and we won. It was such a big win for us that everyone was like, “We should wear the throwbacks all the time!” But I don’t know — not wearing it all the time makes it more special when we bust it out.
ESQ: Matt Ryan started cold for Atlanta but warmed up to toss the game-winning TD with four minutes left. Now he’s got some people talking MVP. Thoughts?
RW: The thing about Matt Ryan is, you have to give it to him: he’s a good quarterback. We needed to make sure he didn’t get too comfortable back there or start thinking it was his field. Up until the fourth quarter, we did that.
ESQ: Josh Freeman went toe-to-toe with him. Star in the making?
RW: Definitely. The first thing you gotta love about Josh Freeman is that he’s such a young quarterback, and you would never even know it. He really does have the respect of his team.
ESQ: A two-yard touchdown pass from fullback Earnest Graham put the Bucs up by ten in the fourth. Then Atlanta returns the ensuing kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown. What goes through your mind at that point?
RW: I was screaming. I wish it had turned out differently, obviously, but I can’t say I was disappointed because the guys played really hard. Sometimes you just get a tough break.
ESQ: Except that then Brent Grimes sealed the win with an interception with less than two minutes left. Replays seemed to show he didn’t have full control when the ball hit the ground. From your angle on the sidelines, did the guys in the booth blow it?
RW: Those calls are always tough. It’s really up to the officials, and what angles they have on replay. And no matter what you think you saw, you have to go with what the refs say. Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t.
ESQ: But do you think the Bucs have a shot at the playoffs?
RW: I’m going to keep my fingers crossed.
ESQ: The Falcons are now 10-2. Time to start thinking of them as a Super Bowl team?
RW: They’re doing very well. But the Saints are also playing very well. So… I wouldn’t say that.
ESQ: Jets play the Patriots tonight. Who do you like?
RW: If I had to pick a winner, I would say the Jets just because they’ve been playing so well all year and their defense is so strong.
ESQ: Sticking with the Pats: now that Tom Brady was reportedly seen exiting a hair-restoration clinic, do you have any issues with his flowing locks?
RW: I honestly say, Do whatever is good for you, whatever floats your boat. If that’s his hair, he loves it, kudos to him. Rock it.
ESQ: So it doesn’t matter to you if a guy gets himself a hair transplant?
RW: Nope. That’s his business. And I’m sure his team cares about how he performs on the football field and not about his hair plugs. Alleged hair plugs.
ESQ: You’re big on cooking. Is the best way to your heart through your stomach?
RW: For sure. For some girls, they need something shiny. For me, a good meal and a sense of humor. That’s it.
