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Samson Satele
SAMSON SATELE
Samson Satele has been the quarterback of the Dolphins' offensive line for all 28 games of his NFL career, lining up at center since the first day of his rookie campaign. The 24-year-old former second-round pick last year became the first rookie in franchise history to start at center on opening day and he also was the team's first rookie to start at center since Jeff Uhlenhake started the final 15 games of the 1989 season. When he lined up for the season finale against Cincinnati, Satele joined Wade Smith (2003), Todd Wade (2000) and Richmond Webb (1990) as the only rookies to start every game on the offensive line.
The 6-foot-3, 300-pound Samoan was born in Kailua, Hawaii, and starred at the University of Hawaii from 2003-06, serving as a tri-captain his senior year when he was named first-team All-Western Athletic Conference. His durability was on display in college as he started all 53 games in which he played and he helped lead a Hawaii team that led the nation in total offense (559.21 ypg), passing offense (441.29 ypg) and scoring (48.86 ppg) as a senior.
Satele began his college career as a left tackle and moved to left guard for the final 13 games of his freshman season, and then made his first 10 starts as a sophomore at left guard before moving to center for his last three starts. He spent his entire junior year at left guard and was a first-team All-WAC pick before making the conversion back to center as a senior. He majored in sociology.
In high school at Kailua High, Satele lettered three times in basketball and three times in track where he competed in the shot put and discus in addition to playing football. As a senior he was named first-team all-state and was the school's athlete of the year as a junior at 2000-01. Satele is the nephew of former Hawaii and San Diego Chargers linebacker Alvin Satele and his father, Faalata, was in a band from the time Samson was around 6 years old. When he was old enough, Samson accompanied his father and the band to as many performances as he could attend. He now plays a little bass, piano and ukelele.
Satele discussed what it's been like adjusting to the loss of rookie starting right guard Donald Thomas in the season opener and then the loss of veteran left guard Justin Smiley last week, the emergence of his former college teammate Davone Bess at wide receiver for Miami, what it's like running the Wildcat formation, and his impressions of Sparano, among other things, in an exclusive one-on-one interview with Digest correspondent Andy Kent for this installment of First-and-10.
1. What kind of adjustments have you guys had to make up front this season after losing Donald Thomas and then Justin Smiley?
When Donald went down, Ike (Ndukwe) came in and did a great job. When Smiley went down, his leadership role goes to Vernon (Carey) and Andy (Alleman) has to step up, and he's one of those guys that can step up. He's a great player and he played center (in practice), so he knows the system. It impacted me a lot because I solidified with these guys from the first four preseason games that we had a chemistry and I was pretty solid with the guys around me, but Andy had snaps at guard with the first group throughout the whole year and I got a feeling from him. Now I get to have more feeling because he's with the first group.
2. How surprised are you by the emergence of your former teammate at Hawaii, Davone Bess, at wide receiver?
He's not surprising me at all. I knew what the guy can do and I think he knows that he can do a lot more. He's just got to learn the game speed and learn this offense, and he'll tell you he can do a lot more than he is doing now. I'm surprised at some of the things that he does, but not everything.
3. Were you surprised Bess was not drafted?
I was pretty mad (that he didn't get drafted), but there's nothing I can do. I mean, we only had one guy last year that got drafted, Colt Brennan, out of the whole senior group that they had and I thought that they had the best senior group to come out of Hawaii, but anything goes inside that draft room.
4. What would you consider your biggest highlight of the season so far as a team and personally?
That first win at New England turned our season around, taking us to 1-2 from a possible 0-3. It would have been harder for us to be in the playoff hunt now without that win. The Wildcat came in that game and everybody had to be worried about the Wildcat, and it was just a great win for us.
5. How much if a challenge is it running the Wildcat, especially as the center making the shotgun snaps to Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams?
At first I had a hard time, but now it's second nature to me. It's like snapping it back to Chad, but instead it's Ronnie and it's a good thing that we have it in our system. The unbalanced line doesn't change what I do as I still call it out and direct traffic at the same time, but it's a good thing. It looks unbalanced but we can do a lot of stuff out of the formation.
6. What are your impressions of Coach Sparano?
He's a real, real, real good head coach. He's the type of guy that will get your attention without even saying a word. With that much power and that much respect from the players, that means a lot to us and speaks a lot for itself. You see him come in here and this locker room will be quiet, that's how much respect he has from the team.
7. What is it like blocking for Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams?
It's great. I wish that we could have put up more numbers for them but we're trying every week to open up holes for them. Last year when Ricky came back, I was like, 'Wow, that's Ricky Williams.' I used to watch him when I was in high school; not saying that he's old or anything, but it's just a great feeling that I can block for Ricky, Ronnie and Chad Pennington at the same time.
8. What would you tell Dol-fans about this team and the future?
We've changed the culture. Coach Sparano came in and that's one of the first things he said, that he wants to turn this thing around and change the culture. Just keep supporting us. The more support we get, the better we play and it can push us to be in the playoffs.
9. If you were NFL commissioner for one day, what would you change?
I would have the coaches stop worrying about our long hair and tell them to keep the long-hair talk out of the meetings.
10. Tell us something about Samson Satele off the field?
I'm a great father, a great husband and a good man who loves music. I want to be one of those guys in the music business after football. I'm not waiting for it, but my time will come when football ends, so I have plans ahead of me ready to start this business. I want to be behind the glass producing and I'm going to start something either here or back in Hawaii, and then let it get bigger from there.
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