NEW ORLEANS – Apparently, another person out there can see similarities between “The Waterboy” movie and how Louisiana really is. The New Orleans Saints’ newest addition, Taliese Fuaga, has taken inspiration from the Adam Sandler-starring comedy several times after being selected by the team during the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night at their headquarters in Louisiana.
Fuaga, a powerful Polynesian offensive tackle hailing from Oregon State with family ties to Hawaii, revealed that he has watched “The Waterboy” multiple times and used Sandler’s character Bobby Boucher for motivation. In the 1998 film set somewhere on the bayou in Louisiana, Boucher is a socially awkward waterboy dominated by his religious mother (played by Kathy Bates) who goes onto discover that he possesses remarkable skill as a football player after rushing past an opposing team’s quarterback during practice.
During a teleconference on Thursday night at Saints headquarters, Fuaga explained how this mindset has helped him become more aggressive and assertive in his gameplay: “I need to be a more nasty player,” he said while wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt and lei around his neck. “[Watching the film] is all in my head”, the 24-year-old continued, explaining that this mindset has helped him remain focused on family values as well – Fuaga often visualizes Boucher’s dialogue being directed at himself or his loved ones during training sessions for additional inspiration to stay dedicated.
Weighing six feet and three inches (189 cm) tall with a weight of 334 pounds, Fuaga has an impressive zero-record over 734 pass blocking snaps he accrued while playing college football at Oregon State during his last three seasons there – this includes only allowing quarterback pressures on 23 occasions. “I don’t know [how many times I have watched the movie]”, Fuaga admitted, before adding that Sandler has produced some other great films as well: “[The Waterboy] was probably my one or two best”, he continued while listing another of his favourites in Adam Sandler’s ‘Happy Gilmore.’ With Fuaga’s arrival at right tackle or left for the Saints, who have struggled with both positions recently, it is likely that he will feature heavily in upcoming matches.
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