Benny Sapp III is a strong safety for the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at Northern Iowa and Minnesota.
His father, Benny Sapp II, was an NFL cornerback. Also playing college football at Northern Iowa, he was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He also played for the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings.
How did it feel to make your NFL “debut” playing your dad’s former team?
“Oh, man, it was an unbelievable feeling. Just being a kid, going to the games, 8, 9 years old — learning the ‘Skol’ chant, seeing your dad in those colors, meeting the Vikings, Brett Favre at the time, just hoping that he’d win the game and I can go in the tunnel. And then, now I’m actually on the field. It was an unbelievable feeling. It was definitely a dream come true for that 8-year-old, 9-year-old kid, and I’m glad that I was able to do that for him.”
Reaction to make the roster?
“My reaction was honestly just, ‘OK, it’s another opportunity, and now my expectations just got higher.’ I’m just very blessed. because I know the opportunity in the NFL is very small. I’m just glad that I actually got an opportunity to show what I can do with those three elevations and show my value, what I can bring to the team to help us win. Right now, it’s special teams, and I’m going to give it everything I’ve got because you’re one play away. You can get a fumble, a forced fumble. You can hold field position for your defense by making a tackle on kickoff inside the 20. It’s definitely a humbling experience, from starting on practice squad and going from Power 5 to FCS, just overcoming those things. I just hope I get to show people that, honestly, never give up on yourself. Whatever opportunity you get, take it with a full head of steam.”
You mentioned not giving up on yourself. Was that hard back in high school when you missed three years with knee injuries?
“Oh, yeah, most definitely. The mental part of the game for me, it was very tough. Being a 14-year-old kid, getting treatment, not even knowing what an ACL is and then doing it again. And then move to Minnesota and you get ready and now it’s your senior year. It’s the first time playing, and then you get hurt in the third game in the warm-up, so I was only able to play two games. Honestly, it just made my mentality way better than what I thought it could even be, because any opportunity that I get or any task that I’m asked, it really doesn’t overwhelm me, because I feel like those three surgeries and three years sitting on the couch was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. So, any other obstacle that gets thrown my way in life, in football, it don’t matter, because it’s not as bad as that. So, I’m just grateful, honestly.”
Would it have been easy to quit?
“Really, my little brother, my mom and dad and my sisters and my family, honestly. They sat there with me, holding the jug when I needed to use the bathroom, making me food, bringing me food on the couch. So, honestly, just that right there kept me going. And when I finally was able to run and stuff like that, it just made every moment sitting on the couch worth it. So, that’s really my drive factor, my mentality, just remembering those days and knowing that any play can be your last play. So, I just want to make sure my last play I gave everything I got.”
With that, what did it mean to make your debut vs. the Chargers?
“It was actually against my cousin (Asante Samuel), so it was pretty cool playing against my cousin, you know — playing with each other as a kid, playing murder ball as a kid, throwing the ball around, going to workouts. Now, I’m actually about to play him in action in a real game. It was a quite a crazy experience. My family, honestly, bought the tickets three months prior to the game, because I was coming to see my cousins. So it was just stars aligning, and it was just a real grateful moment in my life. I’ll never forget that day.”
Last time we talked, you picked off a pass in the preseason game and Rasul treated you like a hero. Where are you a better player?
“I feel like I know every situation as far as first down, second down, third down. Where is the offense at on the field? Determining the routes, learning special teams, learning how to get an edge on a defender or opponent that’s in front of you, how to win. I think really that’s the difference. I feel like I’m a way different player on special teams than I was in the preseason, because I really was just winging it. Now, with the coaches helping me out in the morning, telling me the things I need to do and to watch, and how to prepare for the film, I feel like that’s a night-and-day difference from the preseason.”
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