Kickin' back

This life's about simple pleasures

Bucs backup safety John Howell is from Cullen, Neb., and has some traditional country values. Here are his takes on pigeons, throwback jerseys, Sleeping Beauty, tattoos and being a country boy:

RM: Pigeons are rats with wings.

JH: That's a good one. I hadn't heard that one before. You know, there's a lot of things you can do with pigeons.

RM: Like what?

JH: Well, I like to hunt and I've had a lot of fun with pigeons, let's put it that way.

[Times photo: Jack Rowland]

Bucs safety John Howell led a sheltered life growing up in Nebraska -- he couldn't even get his hands on a throwback NFL jersey.

RM: So, you've

got some hate for pigeons?

JH: You can shut the barn doors and go out there with a tennis racket and have a lot of fun at the expense of pigeons. People are going to hate me for saying this, but whatever. They have no purpose. They are just like a lot of insects out there. I have no idea why they are on the face of the earth. I don't know what their purpose is, other than to (tick) a lot of people off or relieve themselves on their car.

RM: When did wearing throwback professional jerseys become the popular thing?

JH: It's pretty recent, I think. Of course, I was raised in Cullen, Nebraska. It was pretty sheltered living back there and there weren't too many throwback jerseys. But I saw some in college, and then in the first year I was here and this year I started to see more and more of them. But man, it seems like halfway through the season they just exploded. Everyone is wearing them.

RM: You have any throwbacks?

JH: No, I don't have any.

RM: Do you want any?

JH: Growing up, I was a big fan of John Elway and Barry Sanders, and if I could get their jerseys that would be pretty cool.

RM: They don't fit on the ranch.

JH: No, they don't. But a jersey of Terry Bradshaw, now that will fit. He's kind of a country guy.

RM: I'm curious, would you have kissed Sleeping Beauty?

JH: I would have.

RM: But dog, she was asleep for 100 years.

JH: Have you seen her? She was hot.

RM: Actually, she was probably cold.

JH: You know she's coming to life. It's right there for the taking. She might be a little cold, but what's one little kiss.

RM: Yeah, but she would be out of date, her makeup would be a mess and she would need a shower, badly.

JH: But you could show her the ropes and have a lot of fun doing it.

RM: What do you think of San Diego?

JH: I've been here before. During my days in college, playing San Diego State the past few years, I always loved coming to San Diego. It's a picture perfect city and area.

RM: Fans back in Tampa are getting Bucs tattoos. You in?

JH: No tattoos. Some of the guys were joking about it the other day. We were saying that maybe we should get Super Bowl XXXVII tattoos. But when you get down to it, I don't think it's something I would do. It's just something we joked about.

RM: You believe in reincarnation?

JH: I don't believe in it. I think when we die we go to either heaven or hell. And I certainly don't think that you come back as a cow or something like that.

RM: Why would you want to come back, anyway? I'm trying to get out of here.

JH: I've heard stories where Earth is just a training process, where until you are actually the type of person God wants us to be, you keep coming back. This is a training ground. I don't know if I believe that.

RM: What would you want to come back as, if it were true?

JH: Having the family I have now, it would be horrible to think about coming back as anything other than John Howell.

RM: Define "country boy."

JH: I think there's a certain peacefulness to being a country boy. There's a certain humble character we have. You have to have a toughness about you as well. In the country, you get up and do chores. You bale hay, feed the cattle, fix the fence. There are some values you learn, and they stick with you no matter where you are or what you do. We're simple people. We don't need a lot. We don't ask for a lot. We enjoy a simple life with a family and a good meal. We enjoy that as much as we do being in Las Vegas rolling the dice.

RM: Tell me you don't have any Eazy-E CDs?

JH: Yes I do. I loved Eazy-E and Public Enemy.