Today, get to know defensive tackle and German native Markus Kuhn better in this exclusive Q&A.
*Note: This interview was conducted before Kuhn suffered a season-ending knee injury last Sunday against the Bengals.
Q:What did you know about the Giants organization and Tom Coughlin before you were drafted?
KUHN: Honestly, not that much. Before I came here, not much at all. When the draft comes closer and you look at the different teams, you know more. I obviously knew he won the Super Bowl just the year before and things like that. I knew also that you heard from the media that he was on the hot seat and people were saying he should be fired, and then he won the Super Bowl. So that's kind of a story I still remember.
Q:What's the defensive line meeting room like?
KUHN: When we're in there and we watch film and watch our opponent, we're focused and we're dialed in. But we also have some fun. I think it's a great mix in there between knowing when to relax and to have a good time but also knowing when to go to work and put in the time to focus.
Q:Any stories from being the rookie in the group?
A: That's hard. All those stories are going to stay in the meeting room. But pretty much we just talk about a bunch of different things and if you have a bunch of guys who are young and then the experienced guys, definitely a lot of funny stories come together.
Q:Do any players give you a hard time about being from Germany?
KUHN: Not really German jokes, but more like just funny questions about Germany – like 'Do you have electricity there?' After Hurricane Sandy, we had no electricity and they said I should be used to that from Germany because we don't have electricity there. Then Eli [Manning] was making fun with me and said German is like Latin, it's a dead language. So it's all fun and games.
Q:Have you ever had a problem during a game or practice because English is your second language?
KUHN: Oh, no. All my calls, I learn everything in English here. So I would have a harder time if I were to hear something on the field in German to translate it back. So no, that's not an issue.
Q:Can the NFL expand more in Europe?
KUHN: I think it's smart to expand maybe some more games. Maybe even to Germany as well because when NFL Europe was there, the biggest fan base, or most of the teams, ended up being in Germany. So I think now with having two Germans in the NFL -- and maybe some more coming soon -- I think a game in Germany would definitely be appropriate.
Stay tuned to Giants.com as tomorrow we talk with the Giants' fourth-round draft choice TE Adrien Robinson.
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