Q: What do you bring to the defense?A: I hope to be able to offer some positive energy. I just want to run around and hit things that are moving and I want my teammates to get excited. I want the defense to be excited at all times and I hope to be able to just uplift everybody and do what's asked of me and do it full speed.

Q: Do you have a burning desire to prove the critics wrong?A: No. Proving people wrong is not a motivation because people change. People's opinions change. One day they like you and then they don't like you. So for me to come out every day to think that my job is to prove people wrong or prove people right, I wouldn't be of any use to my teammates. My job and my only motivation is to go out there, play hard, play fast, be physical and get my teammates to just be fired up with me and just bring a positive energy every day and to come in here every day to prove other people wrong would be a distraction to myself and a distraction to my teammates. The only thing I can think about is the defense being called and my teammates and giving them everything I've got.

Q: Were you frustrated that you couldn't live up to the hype in Seattle?A: It was like I knew I could do it and I knew I would do it. I just don't think at the time I was interested in doing it. I think I was interested in other things and at the time football just wasn't my top priority, just to be honest. I just had so much going on that I tried to make a balance out of everything instead of doing it the right way. When Coach Norton got there, he taught me how to handle it the right way and I think that really started the next stage in my life.

Q: What did he do for you?A: The first thing he did (is) he was just honest.

Q: That was in Seattle?A: That was in Seattle in my second year when Coach Norton got there. He was just honest with me. He would never let me slide or anything. He was harsh, but at the same time I knew it was because he cared and all along he was just trying to get me to the point where I would understand there's a certain way to be an NFL player and a certain way to be a linebacker. It took some time and I really got a chance to reflect back on it when I got to Oakland. I remember texting him when I got to Oakland just telling him I appreciate everything he taught me and that it was time for me to roll and he was behind me all the time and he's still behind me now.

Q: Why do you think it will work for you here?A: I think maturity. I think my perspective on football and life and being able to really focus on the details of football and have a selfless mentality.

Q: Anything specific?A: I approach everything differently. I see details now. Football is important now. It has a priority in my life that I'm willing to do whatever it takes that's going to help the Giants be successful and I'm not so selfish where if a call comes up that I don't like that I kind of get into a little tank. Now I'm more about finding a way to just put out a lot of effort and a lot of energy and just cause havoc.

Q: What was your situation with your knee? Did you have surgery?A: My knee just wasn't right. I showed up at the offseason programs last year and my knee just wasn't right. I couldn't do anything that I was used to being able to do. That was frustrating because my mindset at the time was to just go out there as a Raider at the time and give it everything I got, but my knee wouldn't let me.

Q: Which knee?A: It was my right knee. My knee wouldn't let me. Because I had gotten into the whole team first mentality, I kind of tried to tough through everything, which I believe set me back. One of the best things that happened to me was when I got released they gave me time. I didn't have a team so I was able to focus on myself and I was able to get it taken care of and my physical therapy has been amazing and I think being here with the Giants is going to accelerate me more in my physical therapy and just making sure that I'm always healthy and I'm not fighting against myself while trying to play against another team.