NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Rocky Boiman is preparing like he is still playing linebacker and loves every minute of it.
Boiman, who played four seasons with the Titans (2002-05), took great pride in the amount of study time he applied each week and has found a way to stay connected with the game by providing color commentary and sideline reporting for multiple broadcast entities.
"For me, what I like is it's kind of the same. I was always a real student of the game," Boiman said. "I think it's very similar, in terms of preparation. That's what I really loved about playing. There's a ton of preparation. It's a great thing for me because I loved putting in the hours when I played, and the same thing now, I love putting in the hours it takes to prepare for a game."
Boiman was a member of the Colts when Indianapolis won Super Bowl XLI to conclude the 2006 season. He stayed with the Colts one more season and spent a year each with Kansas City and Pittsburgh before retiring.
Boiman's been honored to call the past two Super Bowls — the pinnacle of the sport — by quickly accelerating through the broadcasting ranks. He started with coverage of high schools on Fridays and with studio work after NFL games on Sundays for a television station in the Cincinnati area.
Boiman capitalized on a league initiative that helps players transition to an alternative career after their playing days are complete. He attended the NFL's Broadcast Boot Camp at the NFL Films headquarters in Mount Laurel, N.J. The week-long program brings in broadcasting professionals like Ron Jaworski, Curt Menefee, James Brown and Greg Cosell and guides participants through sessions of studio work, field reporting and color commentary.
Based on his performance that week, Boiman was selected to go to London to work for a week to work for Sky Sports. He returned from that experience and soon received a call from BBC Radio asking if he wanted to call the Packers-Chiefs game in December 2011. That question needed zero deliberation, and Boiman has called the past two Super Bowls for BBC Radio.
"It's been tremendous. I was fortunate enough to play in one (Super Bowl) and win with the Colts—unfortunately it wasn't with the Titans," Boiman said. "To be back there and call two of them, it's a tremendous thing. I feel very blessed and fortunate to have these opportunities. I'm still climbing, still reaching. I'm working very hard at this in the offseason and during the season because I want to be the best at it and I really enjoy doing it. It's a way for me to stay around the game. I love the game of football, and I didn't want to go into coaching, so this was kind of the next best thing than playing or coaching it."
This past year Boiman also did color commentary for Dial Global, working five college games and three Thursday night NFL games that included Tennessee's 26-23 win against Pittsburgh.
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| **Although Rocky Boiman is involved in multiple business endeavors, he still thinks fondly of his time with the Titans. Click here for a slideshow from Boiman's four seasons in Tennessee.** |
"That was tremendous because it was like a homecoming for me," said Boiman, who was selected by the Titans in the fourth-round (133rd overall) out of Notre Dame in the 2002 NFL Draft.
Boiman said he still thinks so highly of his time as a Titan because of how close the players on those teams were to each other. Boiman said fellow linebacker Keith Bulluck and safety Tank Williams are two of his best friends. Williams was even in Boiman's wedding.
"I'm not just saying this to placate you, my time with the Titans was one of the most fun and enjoyable experiences of my life," Boiman said. "We had such a tight-knit group, unlike other teams I've been on. I played eight years in the NFL for four different teams and the group of Titans, we really hung together on and off the field."
Teammates gathered for dinners on Friday nights and often watched Monday Night Football together off the field, but there were also special memories made on the field. The Titans opened Boiman's rookie season with a win, suffered four straight losses and won 10 of 11 to end the regular season and advance to the AFC Championship.
"I think it was a credit to that team that we all rallied together, put a win streak together. Steve McNair was playing absolutely lights out, Eddie George was playing great, great defenses with Keith (Bulluck) and with Jevon (Kearse) and Samari (Rolle) and those guys," Boiman recalled. "The fact that we were a tight-knit team on and off the field helped us get through four losses in a row. Everyone was getting ready to cash us in, and because we were a tight-knit team, I think that allowed us to come back and have a great season."
In addition to his broadcasting career, Boiman also owns Rocky Boiman Football Academy, a sports training facility where Panthers linebacker and 2012 Defensive Rookie of the Year Luke Kuechly trained before last year's combine.
Additionally, Boiman is an elected official, serving as a trustee of Green Township in Hamilton County, Ohio, and is a co-majority owner of El Arco tequila, a premium brand that is gaining acclaim and distribution, including in Nashville.
"One of my best friends brought (the opportunity) to me," Boiman said. "We started off distributing it here in Cincinnati because it was just coming to market. We had the opportunity to buy into the company, so he and I are majority owners of this company in the entire world. Honestly, it's still early. It's a very small thing right now, but it's doing really well. I hope to keep expanding."
While Boiman's added the other ventures, his love for football remains the strongest. He said he's grateful for the experiences he had as a player and the opportunities ahead. Boiman said he appreciates that broadcasting has enabled him to stay connected to the game while settling roots in his hometown of Cincinnati.
"The NFL is a very transient lifestyle," Boiman said. "You're with one team one year, another team another year. With coaching, it's almost worse than that. When I played I wasn't married so it was easy for me to kind of jump around and go from team to team for a couple of years. Now, I'm married and hope to have kids here soon, I see how tough that is, especially on coaches. You can be in a place for a year and do a great job, and the head coach gets fired and you're gone. You have to move across the country to do that.
"I specifically like calling the games," Boiman added. "There's a lot of guys that get done playing and they go to a studio set. To me, calling the game, that's an honor for me to do, and I take pride in that and want to keep getting better at it."
