- Joined
- Jun 20, 2010
- Messages
- 35,576
- Name
- The Dude
[rp3]http://icestream.dev-cms.com:8000/stl/2012/04/04182012161046.mp3[/rp3]
(You are a proud member of the STL community, aren't ya?)
Definitely. I love going to the schools and talking, especially when it comes to issues about bullying and team building skills. I like to express myself that way. I was NOT with bullying. I was totally against it all the time, and I would always try to look out for the new kids that came into the school.
(How's it make you feel that Fisher is keeping you at LT?)
It definitely feels good to "stay home." I'm excited about this team. All these changes have been amazing, and it's only been a couple of weeks. The biggest difference with having Fisher in place is that he really takes care of us and makes sure we have our bodies together. We have such a respect for the guy. He came in the first day, and you would think that nothing changed at all. Everybody has good attitudes toward the new changes.
(Paul Beaudreaux - what do you think he'll be?)
He has so many details that he tries to each us. He teaches us where our ankles are supposed to be, our feet, our knees, all these little tidbits. Where the DE is in his alignment, things that we need to look for, he's really detail oriented, and it's helping the entire line-up as a whole. You get excited when you see plays run the right way. We take a lot of pride in having the correct assignments no matter who's in. Which is what we need when dealing with injuries down the road.
(What are your goals for 2012?)
My goal pretty much is just to be more consistent than I was last year, plus I wanna be able to stay healthy the entire year. I wanna be the most prepared person on the field. After that, everything will take care of itself. Last year we had a lot of guys losing confidence, and it was problem after problem. Losing players with injuries, etc.
(Sounds like you're still able to learn things in your third year)
The thing about that is, you have to look at my first game and my last game, and the thing that happens with a lot of tackles, technique wears down after a bunch of games. The good thing about coach is that he teaches fundamentals all the time. Where to put your feet, and where to be, to be at the right spot at the right time. Coach has a saying, "You get beat on the first 3 steps." You look on film, and you see that. Putting yourself in the right position is a big part of playing the game.
We wanted to be tough, and I don't know if we were trying to force things, but sometimes you just try to do too much and you get a little herky-jerky in your feet, and in the beginning of the game you kill yourself with so much energy, and when really you just have to go out and plays effectively.
(Did something in your life just change?)
Yeah, I'm engaged now. I think I'm more mature now than when I came into the league.
(Is it fair to expect more out of #8 this year?)
Yeah. Yeah I do. He's done a great job of healing from his injury. He was just as focused on that as he was at learning plays this year. When he comes out fresh, we're going to keep his jersey clean. I'm expecting great things from him. I'm expecting great things for the future. We didn't make it ANY easier for him last year to do that.
(You played as well against Jared Allen as anyone in the league. Can you be that guy every week?)
I think I can be as great as I can allow myself to be. I'll do that by being prepared, and breaking down film one guy at a time. My best game was against CLE before I got my concussion. But if I learn everything, and put all my hard work and dedication in, I'll be as good as ever. My pec isn't 100% healed, but I'm waiting it out. Can I go out and do most of the drills? Probably. But I need to get ready for September, and the coaches and trainers are just being smart about it.
(You are a proud member of the STL community, aren't ya?)
Definitely. I love going to the schools and talking, especially when it comes to issues about bullying and team building skills. I like to express myself that way. I was NOT with bullying. I was totally against it all the time, and I would always try to look out for the new kids that came into the school.
(How's it make you feel that Fisher is keeping you at LT?)
It definitely feels good to "stay home." I'm excited about this team. All these changes have been amazing, and it's only been a couple of weeks. The biggest difference with having Fisher in place is that he really takes care of us and makes sure we have our bodies together. We have such a respect for the guy. He came in the first day, and you would think that nothing changed at all. Everybody has good attitudes toward the new changes.
(Paul Beaudreaux - what do you think he'll be?)
He has so many details that he tries to each us. He teaches us where our ankles are supposed to be, our feet, our knees, all these little tidbits. Where the DE is in his alignment, things that we need to look for, he's really detail oriented, and it's helping the entire line-up as a whole. You get excited when you see plays run the right way. We take a lot of pride in having the correct assignments no matter who's in. Which is what we need when dealing with injuries down the road.
(What are your goals for 2012?)
My goal pretty much is just to be more consistent than I was last year, plus I wanna be able to stay healthy the entire year. I wanna be the most prepared person on the field. After that, everything will take care of itself. Last year we had a lot of guys losing confidence, and it was problem after problem. Losing players with injuries, etc.
(Sounds like you're still able to learn things in your third year)
The thing about that is, you have to look at my first game and my last game, and the thing that happens with a lot of tackles, technique wears down after a bunch of games. The good thing about coach is that he teaches fundamentals all the time. Where to put your feet, and where to be, to be at the right spot at the right time. Coach has a saying, "You get beat on the first 3 steps." You look on film, and you see that. Putting yourself in the right position is a big part of playing the game.
We wanted to be tough, and I don't know if we were trying to force things, but sometimes you just try to do too much and you get a little herky-jerky in your feet, and in the beginning of the game you kill yourself with so much energy, and when really you just have to go out and plays effectively.
(Did something in your life just change?)
Yeah, I'm engaged now. I think I'm more mature now than when I came into the league.
(Is it fair to expect more out of #8 this year?)
Yeah. Yeah I do. He's done a great job of healing from his injury. He was just as focused on that as he was at learning plays this year. When he comes out fresh, we're going to keep his jersey clean. I'm expecting great things from him. I'm expecting great things for the future. We didn't make it ANY easier for him last year to do that.
(You played as well against Jared Allen as anyone in the league. Can you be that guy every week?)
I think I can be as great as I can allow myself to be. I'll do that by being prepared, and breaking down film one guy at a time. My best game was against CLE before I got my concussion. But if I learn everything, and put all my hard work and dedication in, I'll be as good as ever. My pec isn't 100% healed, but I'm waiting it out. Can I go out and do most of the drills? Probably. But I need to get ready for September, and the coaches and trainers are just being smart about it.