Feature on Travis LaBoy

About how his travel plans suddenly changed when his flight to New Orleans was canceled after they signed a LB free agent, sending him on a flight to Arizona (where he left after signing a 5-year, $22 million contract), LaBoy said:
"It was kind of a last-minute decision. I didn't know a whole lot about what they did defensively. I knew more about the offense — Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, (Larry) Fitzgerald, Edgerrin James. I thought this might be just right. We may have something going on. When you have an offense putting up points, it makes it a lot easier to play defense." (HA)

HA Note: "The Cardinals have more playoff victories this month than they had in the franchise's previous 87 years, which contributed to the perception that LaBoy said prevailed throughout the league during his four seasons with the Tennessee Titans, who drafted him in the second round in 2004."

About the lack of respect that Arizona had around the NFL, LaBoy said:
"Arizona was like a team when you go to play them, you don't even have to practice that week. You kind of take the week off. They were a joke team. I'm being real. Arizona had no respect. It was like a clown team, it really was. It was that team that as soon as you got them on your schedule, you were looking ahead to that next week. You can't say that now. You do that to the Cardinals now, you get your head pushed in. I heard we were the worst team in Super Bowl history. I really don't care if people realize it, but they really have no choice but to say we are one of the best two teams in the NFL, at the very least." (HA)

About how he will play in the Super Bowl despite being listed as questionable in the latest injury report (he has elbow, ankle, and biceps injuries), LaBoy said:
"I don't know who decides all that, but I'll be out there. I'm not questionable in anyone's mind, really." (HA)

About how he's used as an outside LB in their 3-4 D, which suits his abilities better than how he was a DE/pass rush specialist with Tennessee, LaBoy said:
"Defensive end, you are just one-dimensional, where this is more multi-dimensional. I like this defense a lot. The longer we are playing and keep this nucleus, the better we will be. We will do some great things. We've been playing real well in this playoff run. I think a lot of it is just coming together as a unit and finding an identity, you might say." (HA)

About how he'll be in Hawaii for a long time after the Super Bowl, LaBoy said:
"We have two or three days of packing and we're out to the Islands for a good two months if possible. We try to get back as much as we can. The last offseason got a little short with us having to move, but we look forward to getting back out there this year." (HA)

HA Note: "Travis LaBoy is son of Cliff LaBoy, a Farrington alum who played for the University of Hawai'i in 1973-75. While at UH, Cliff was a teammate of June Jones, who became Travis' coach ... Travis LaBoy is married to former Rainbow Wahine volleyball player Nohea Tano."