The questions asked of NFL prospects by team personnel are unlike the questions asked at any ordinary job interview. Ohio State linebacker Jerome Baker provided one example of that in describing his interaction with an NFL coach.
“The one question that sticks out is I sat down, and the first thing the coach asked me is what I would do if he punched me in the face right now? To me, being from Cleveland, my natural reaction was, ‘Coach, no disrespect but if you punch me in the face, we’re gonna fight right here,’” Baker told USA Today. “That was just my natural response. I guess that’s what he wanted to hear, because he said, ‘Good.’ It was definitely a fun interview. I didn’t get asked too many weird questions.”
Baker said the coach later told him it’s a question he often poses, and he wants to hear players say they’d fight back.
“I crossed paths with him a little later in the day and I asked him why he asked me that,” Baker said. “He said most guys freeze up or say they wouldn’t do anything when he asks them that. He said, ‘I don’t know about you, but if somebody were to randomly punch me in the face right now, I wouldn’t just stand there. I’d fight back.’ I guess he liked my response.”
So remember that in your next job interview: Tell your prospective boss you would hit back if he punched you in the face.