Q: Has there been a play that you've made in this camp so far where you've said "yeah, I belong here"?
A: No, not yet. I'm still learning and stuff.
Q: A lot of rookies, they don't feel they can show their quickness and athleticism because they're thinking a lot. Where are you with that?
A: I'm still thinking but I'm trying to get to a point where I just don't think and react fast. But right now I'm just still learning, I'm just being a sponge to the coaches and just learning the plays and stuff. But once I learn it, it's going to be automatic, and I can react faster than what I'm doing now on the field.
Q: Have you gone through that in your previous levels where you've come into a situation and had to learn?
A: Yeah a lot. Even through college I had to do the same thing, like learn plays and stuff and just automatically think fast, but once I learn the plays and stuff I can just react quicker.
Q: How quickly did you find that you adjusted to that?
A: I adjusted very quickly actually. Basically when I got in I just learned the plays and if I didn't know something I just asked the players and the players tell me, and if I feel like I still need to be corrected I would just go to the coaches and the coaches would inform me more about the situations and stuff so it helped me get better on the field.
Q: Is training camp and your pre-season practices in college more different mentally for you than physically?
A: Well I had never been to a training camp in college. But practices were basically the same thing. You just do what the coaches ask for you to do. The physical part comes way easier.
Q: Any of the pain in your back that you experienced during mini-camp?
A: No. Not at all; sometimes it will lock up, but it's not anything, you know what I mean? But most of the players were having back problems too; guess I wasn't the only one. But I got rid of mine, so I'm just moving around.
Q: Do you think it's easier that you're so un-coached, you have an un-coached history, that you just kind of focus on what you're doing and not worry how it fits in the big picture? Does that help you?
A: Yeah, actually it does. Because once I get coached, it's going to be on. I've been bouncing around and around though, junior college here, junior college here, then University of South Florida, then NFL. So I've just basically been bouncing around but once I'm coached, by my coach, Coach Nunn, he's coached me very well, and the other coaches around him, it's going to be on man.
Q: When you say it's going to be on what do you mean? Are you basically just getting by with your athleticism for now?
A: It's going to be on. Yeah, that's it; I'm just going by my athleticism for now. And just getting through the plays and stuff and I'm just going, so even when I make a mistake I'm going hard.
Q: So your athleticism got you this far. And now you're going to add the thinking?
A: Nah, I've been thinking too. I think hard, that's the point.
Q: You're the first round pick; do you sense the excitement and attention here as being different than what you've had before?
A: Yeah, it's a lot of excitement and a lot of attention on you. You have people calling your name, you're on the field and you have to be mentally focused on the plays and stuff, but I'm doing a good job so far.
Q: Do you realize how far you've come in one year?
A: It hasn't hit me yet but it's going to hit me. When that first game starts it's going to hit me.
Q: There are some high profile, big name guys at your position here, have they got on you as a rookie, and as a first round pick?
A: They didn't get on me. They joke, they fool around and stuff, but it's all good. They help me a lot, though; you know [Justin] Tuck has been helping me, Kiwi [Mathias Kiwanuka] and Osi [Umenyiora]. They just taught me basic skills for D-ends and stuff. What I don't know they teach me and coach me and stuff.
Q: Do you think you're more like any one of those guys?
A: I'm like myself. I don't like to compare myself to anybody on the team, I just do me. I just look at what they do, and if their move can help me out, I'll use it and if I feel like it will take me long to learn it, I'll ask them and they'll coach me up on it.
Q: You use the word sponge a lot.
A: That's what I am. You just soak it in and when you're ready to release it, you just squeeze it and release it. That's what I am, and when I learn the plays I learn and I have a mental focus on the plays and I get ready to release it. I think but I don't get on the field and think "what should I do, what should I do?" you just automatically start and just go.
