Anthony Davis needs a new bed.
The 6'6", 350-pound mammoth must try to compress his massive body to sleep on the standard Rutgers University twin-XL size mattress every night - and it just doesn't work.
"Every time, it's like a leg hanging off or something," said Mason Robinson, Davis' roommate and close friend. "They haven't replaced anything. I'm surprised he hasn't broken the springs. Those beds are kind of small: I know its way too small for him."
And Rutgers housing services has yet to do anything about it.
"I need a new one, someone should talk to [housing services]," Davis said. "I hang off the bed. The bed's too small."
Such is life for Davis and Robinson. They are roommates and they are friends, and they live life off the football field in the same manner as any Rutgers student would - with a few exceptions, of course.
The first thing that comes to mind when running into Davis is his sheer size. Catch a glimpse of him around campus, and it becomes immediately clear that he is a football player. Tall, bulky and with muscular thighs built like tree trunks, the offensive tackle unintentionally draws attention to himself on a regular basis, particularly in his residence hall.
"Sometimes, they will look at me, and then look away and then look again, and not say anything at all," Davis said of the students in his dorm. "Once they get to know me they are down to earth and everything. I don't act like I'm a big shot."
Yet Robinson doesn't get the same reactions from people. He too has a strong build, but he is of modest overall size (He stands just 5'10" and is listed at 180 pounds) and did not draw the spotlight last season as the backup running back to Ray Rice.
"They don't know me," he said. "They know Ray Rice, but they don't really know me. They say, 'Wow, that guy's little,' when I'm walking next to AD. But he's a big guy."
People will begin to recognize Robinson very soon. He ran extremely well against the Scarlet Knights' first-team defense during spring practices, and as a shifty, fast running back with loads of untapped potential, he will battle for the starting job for the upcoming season.
Davis became a household name last season when he took over the starting right guard spot against Syracuse in October. He was the first No. 1 prospect in New Jersey to sign with Rutgers in the Greg Schiano era, and as one of two returning starters to the offensive line, he will be counted on to protect quarterback Mike Teel's blind side as the starting left tackle.
But despite their roles on the most prominent sport team at the University, both reinforce that they are two regular guys who just happen to play football.
"There's a lot of energy in that room!" Robinson said. "It's real loud, we just like to have fun. Just to let our hair down, chill out. Video games, chill, watch TV. AD thinks he can rap a little bit, so sometimes me and him freestyle."
Just like other college freshmen, their downtime is a chance to socialize. Call of Duty whirrs on their XBOX 360, a game in which both believe they are the better player. Defensive end and close friend Jamiel Farrington stops by on a regular basis to watch DVDs.
But unlike many other college freshmen, Thursday nights are not just another excuse to go out and drink. Just like in the fall, Thursday night could be game night. In the spring, it's XBOX time.
"Call of Duty 4 is my game, we go hard in that game," Robinson said. "We play video games a lot. I don't know if we ever played in Madden, but I will hold him up to that challenge."
And as is the case with many college students, food in the apartment is sparse. But fellow young offensive tackle Art Forst sees that as a good thing for Robinson and Davis.
"You would be obese if you had food in your apartment," Forst said after Davis commented about having no food in the apartment.
Like most roommates, the two don't shy away from late night conversation, though the topic isn't always football. When the subject does switch to the gridiron, the talk is casual.
"One play, he was running and I hit him in the back of the head, trying to push the pile," Davis said. "But his head was sticking out. We talk about little things like that. Or when I see him get hit real hard, I will say something to him about it, joke around with him. But that's about it."
And no late night chatter would be complete without Davis' leg hanging off the side of the bed.
