**Director of Strength and Conditioning Bob Rogucki
**
Opening statement: "Well, we're back into the offseason program. Sixty-three [players] was the number [that attended workouts] yesterday. Today we haven't finished tallying the group. We have another 12 o'clock [session], possibly, and we'll know then. Our format is pretty much the same. We've added another area with Steve Saunders, right here. Steve is our recovery and performance coach. He'll explain after I go through what we do what his part of the new program is."
What, if anything, can be done at this time of year to prevent the pile up on IR [Injured Reserve] like you had last year? Can anything be done during the offseason? (Joe Platania)"We're working on that right now, and that is why Steve is on board. He's here as a performance coach, recovery coach. We have some different things we're doing, assessing players, hopefully finding out weak areas of the body before we begin the program and then address them at that point in time."
How much is different this year, Bob, than before because of what happened last year? (Stan White)"I don't think it's because of what happened. We changed a little bit of the running program, and I'll let Steve explain that. He brought a different philosophy into the running program. The weightlifting program itself is pretty much the same. We're attacking the five areas of the body that we used to do always – the neck, midsection, legs, shoulders, back, chest and arms and hands. If anything, we're adding some rehab exercises in with the protocol that we're doing, hopefully to catch up to those things."
Is Pilates something you can use in football? [Chicago Cubs Pitcher] Jake Arrieta … (Kirk McEwen)"I don't know. I've never been associated with it. Maybe Steve can address that. I have never used that."
How much is diet involved? (Mark Selig)"We have a nutritionist. In fact, we just had a team meeting in which the defense was spoken to today, the offense will be tomorrow. We have a whole new regimen of dietary things that's going on in the cafeteria. If you notice, if you're ever in there for lunch, it will say, 'Players Only.' So, we are attacking that area, also. All of the things we're trying to catch up to we're catching up to. Different things are occurring."
What are some of those new changes? (Mark Selig)"I do not go into detail; I'm crossing union lines there. We have a dietician that handles that. That was a pretty good answer, wasn't it?" (laughter)
That has changed several times through the years. Even on the plane, with what's served. (Stan White)"Sure, we're always looking at that, always looking to improve. Whether it be a snack program, a supplement program or whatever it might be."
What type of supplements? (Stan White)"It has to be approved through the league." Reporter: *"Is creatine, and stuff like that, approved?" *"It is not approved unless it is a Gatorade product. If it's a Gatorade product, then that's what the league is supporting and we can use that. So no, they can't go to GNC and buy a product. They have to check with the league to determine whether or not that product is safe to use. There is a list and a toll-free number to call."
Do you meet with [head certified athletic trainer] Mark Smith and go over the program for each person? (Mike Preston)"Every day, Mark Smith and I get together and go over plans for every player, depending on what injuries they may have, or what weak areas they may show they have. We try to attack that in that manner. But to answer that question, yes, it is a daily thing."
Bob, you said you wanted to catch up in certain areas. What did you feel like you needed to catch up on? (Ryan Mink)"As far as catching up, everybody can improve on every area. So, when I say catch up, we've just got to work harder. I can't say specifically that [someone] needs more strength, or he needs more speed. I'm just saying overall, we're attacking areas."
You're saying players catching up in areas? (Ryan Mink)"Right. It's all about the players. It's all about weaknesses that they have – bringing that to the forefront and training them to improve those weaknesses. Like I said before, in years past, they're going to do what they're comfortable with. We've got to find what makes them uncomfortable and what they don't like doing and make them do those things."
How much do you work with their own personal trainers that guys have and go do their stuff? Do you coordinate with them at all? Do you know what they're doing at those places? (Stan White)"No, not really. There have been attempts to understand what they're doing at those places. Do we really know what they're doing at those places? A guy could tell me something, and I don't know whether it's really happening or not. I don't want to get into the personal training thing, because I have a very strong opinion of that, so we'll let that go."
How much are WR Steve Smith Sr. and QB Joe Flacco able to do at this time? (Kirk McEwen)"They are progressing very well. That's a medical question."
I know John [Harbaugh] has talked about, based off of injuries the past couple of years, doing studies and trying to do whatever you can to eliminate that as much as possible. As far as strength and conditioning, has there been anything different that you guys are doing that could be related to somehow reducing injuries? (Jamison Hensley)"I think Steve needs to address that. That's why he was brought into the program."
Will you look at other teams who maybe only had one or two guys on IR and see what they did? A lot of it can be good fortune, obviously. (Stan White)"You know, you're inches away from it happening or not happening. So, to say that whatever this team does, we should do … If it's something that we feel is safe and productive, yes, we'll do it. But just because they won the Super Bowl doesn't mean we're going to hop on and do what they did. If it has a place for us, and we think it's good, then we use it."
But you aren't looking to see what other teams are doing? (Stan White)"Sure. We're always talking – yes, always talking."
Going back to playing on natural grass, does that have you vary on these workouts at all? (Kevin Richardson)"Surface is going to affect your legs. It doesn't matter if it's a strange surface, your shoes, all that's a factor. So, we take that into consideration. Certain times of the year, we back our reps down to eight on legs, because we know the amount of running they're doing is doubled or tripled that of what they're used to doing. We have to adjust that. We have to look at the whole scope. We have to consider what we do in the weight room, what the coaches are doing on the field. And we have to join somewhere in the middle and make sure they keep progressing in the weight room and keep improving on the field. So yes, every surface you go onto, you're going to have an effect on legs that's going to be different. If you run on a basketball floor and you run on the street and you run on turf, all those surfaces are going to be different on the legs. We take that into consideration. If you play a night game, at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday and you're lifting on Monday, you better back something off, because they are lacking sleep when they come in. We look at all of that. There isn't just one stamp, boom this is what we do! This is what we do because of the circumstances that we're in prior to that lift."
How much do you look at sleep in what they do? (Stan White)"We encourage that, we talk about that. We don't really monitor; it's talked about, though. It's an important factor of it. But, to say that we're going to be there and say, 'You must get eight hours of sleep,' well, who's going to be there to see if they get eight? The guys that are on a dietary program, they pass Popeyes every night on the way home. They do everything we want in the day, but when they see Popeyes, it might be a quick turn. (laughter) We can't be with them 24 hours. We hope to educate them."
What about hyperbolic chambers? Do you use them? (Stan White)"That is a medical question. *(laughter) *I like that answer. Any other questions? How many pushups have you done since five years ago?"
Director of Performance and Recovery Steve Saunders
**What does that [director of performance and recovery] mean? *(Stan White) *"I think I'm trying to fill the gap between and add one component to our athletic training and/or strength and conditioning program. I think [it's about] performance of the guys – implementing some new runnings, looking at some individual training for the guys, looking for muscle imbalances [and] implementing some new screenings. I think we're just trying to say: 'Alright, how can we get ahead of injuries?' And really, injuries are muscle imbalances or they're overuse injuries or fatigue. How can we look at that, get ahead of it, monitor it and really try and stop the nuisance injuries. I don't think you can stop the freak injuries, so the guy that gets plowed into and blows out his ACL and stuff like that, you can't do anything about those. We can really help the nuisance and the overuse, and I think that's what we're looking to do."
**What would you classify as a nuisance injury? *(Mark Selig) *"Hamstring pulls can be a nuisance injury. It's repetitious, but it is the hamstring, the hamstring. From my background, really, a hamstring pull is usually the straw that broke the camel's back. It's some type of overuse. Well is it the hip-flexor that has a muscle imbalance in it? Is it something in the lower limb at the foot? That's stuff we're trying to get ahead of with what we're looking at now."
**Could you describe the differences in the running program? *(Ryan Mink) *"Absolutely. I think our running program, now, we're really focused two days a week on speed and power, so we're working that stored energy system. What happens with those is, when you're working speed, you have to let the body recover fully. So, if we do a 50-yard or 100-yard sprint [and] turn around and do another one in 30 seconds, you didn't let the athlete fully recover to go full speed. I think a lot of ways their speed and power days are a little easier than they thought they would be, although the heavyweights, the linemen, would beg to differ after yesterday. Then, our conditioning, we're really working the lactic system. Tuesday and Thursday, but again, it's going to be smart running. We're going to start with certain rest intervals and work intervals, and we're going to work our way up from there as the season gets closer."
For players that have had persistent hamstring issues, what are the usual causes of that? (Cliff Brown) "It could be a lot. It could be ankle, it could be hip flexor [or] it could be low back. It's an injury that comes from a lot of different things, so it's really impossible to say. And that's really why we want to dig into each player and say: 'What does this guy need that's different from the guy next to him?' so we can prevent that stuff."
Are you using heart monitors to see how guys' heart levels raise up and then how fast they can recover? (Kirk McEwen) "We don't, because football is not an aerobic sport. I don't believe in the heart rate monitors [or] the GPS systems. Aerobic work, by definition, is two minutes more of continuous exercise, so in my opinion, football players are never in the aerobic training zone. It doesn't make sense to use the heart rate monitors. If we want to test lactate levels in the blood we could do that, but it's really unnecessary. For us, we're just looking about being smart with our work and our rest, what we're training that day and making sure everything builds."
How about cameras and technology used to for range of motion, and what changes and what doesn't change? (Mike Preston) "We're implementing some new software and some new camera systems where we're looking at ranges of motion in the body. We're looking at movements in the body, and we're getting a good baseline now of performance – stuff that we can measure month to month, week to week and say, 'OK, is this guy breaking down? Did he have too many plays? Did he have too many reps? Does he need extra work? Does he need less work?' [We are] really trying to get ahead of that tuff this year."
* *
Are you filming the runs and then do you review that with them or is it something you just look at? (Jamison Hensley)"Well, we film the runs for a variety of reasons, but I would say no on the runs. Really, it's really we're taking people through a screening and filming that and assessing that."
Is there more work in between workouts? Are there changes in that area? Whether it's stretching or that recovery portion between workouts? (Garrett Downing) "For sure, it will be. That's something – the guys have only been here a day-and-a-half – we're working on implementing. We have some different recovery processes that we're doing with the guys. Now, it's just sort of feeling out what time we have to work with, getting a buy-in from the guys on recoveries. It's a necessary thing. Recovery, to me, is: Can they practice tomorrow at a high level as they did today, week to week? Can they perform Week 16 like they did Week 1? We're trying to put that system in place to have a real successful year."
As far as range of motion, are you working on mobility stuff, too? (Stan White)"Mobility and stability, absolutely. So, we're going to look at a range of motion and then say, 'OK, are they strong in a range of motion?' Because some guys can get in a range of motion, just the loose limb, the joints, but can they control that range of motion? Because to me, that speaks to if they can't, then we have to make them more stable in that. Because guys can get in positions, [but that] doesn't necessarily mean they can control the position to get out of it and change direction."
The schedule came out last week and it's pretty much all Sunday, 1 p.m. games. How crucial do you think that is in terms of recovery and getting into a routine? (Mark Selig) "I think routine is always big for the guys. I'm excited about every game, so the 1 o'clock games are just fine for me. I think it definitely helps in the beginning of the year getting everybody in the habit of the same game time. I think that consistency can't do anything but help."
How many teams have a person like you and will you see more? (Mike Preston) "I think the Eagles added a sports science guy [with a] little different background, a military background. I think some other teams have added a guy, and I think everybody is looking for something a little different. I think it's the position some teams are looking to add, and then the trick is implementing it with everything else that's already in the organization."
I know it's a short time, but how do the guys look as a whole walking into the building? (Kirk McEwen) "They're working hard. It's different for them. It's not what they're expecting, so we sort of pulled the rug out from under them yesterday when they showed up that it wasn't last year's first run; it was something different. I think they liked it and hated it all in the same breath. (laughter) Nobody took the tires off and keyed my truck yet so, I'm OK. (laughter) But, that still could happen. These guys aren't old enough to remember the movie 'Road House' so, I can't even refer to that anymore; it's sort of sad."
You mentioned balance. What different things can you do to help improve a player's balance? (Jamison Hensley)"Balance is a lot of things. Balance is proprioception, it's muscular strength, it's joint stability. Again, the balance comes down to, to me, to what's working and what's not, what can contract for a certain time, a certain time under tension, and what can't. And muscles vary in the body. The hardest thing about working with these guys is they're fantastic compensators so, an athlete is going to say, 'I need to accomplish this task, and I'm going to put my body in that position.' And that's not necessarily the right position they need to be in. So, our job is to say, 'OK, what can't they do? What are they compensating with? And what do we need to get working better?'"
WR Kamar Aiken
On the differences to the Ravens' offseason program this year:"It's more competitive this year. There's a lot of competition. They started from Day One with the competition, so I would say it's a lot more competitive, and just guys getting after it."
On how they foster competition among the group:"I guess who's coming across the line first, who's finishing the drill first. Then they're keeping a chart on who's coming across first, and who's coming across last, so guys are paying attention to that and it's getting a little more competitive every day." (laughter)
On if he likes the changes to the program:"I definitely do. I think if you start from Day One with the competitive stuff, it's going to translate to the field. I love to compete anyway, so whatever they've got for us, I'm all for it."
On if going into the season feels any different for him coming off his big season last year:"I would say [I'm] more hungry, more so than anything. I wouldn't say there's a difference from what the season was. I'm just looking for us as a team, me in general, to have a better year than we did last year and win some more games this year."
On why he'd be hungrier this year:"Because we weren't successful last year. We lost a lot of games last year, so we didn't do what we were supposed to do, obviously. So, this year, our mindset is to come in here and work harder than we did last year coming in."
On how he looks at the wide receiver position now and where he sees himself fitting into the group:"The more, the better.* *The more guys we've got that can come out there and make plays, [the better we'll be]. I think competition in itself brings out the best in everybody, so you're going to see a better individual out of everybody."
On if he'd be OK with the team drafting a WR in the first round:"I don't care when they draft one." *(laughter) *
QB Joe Flacco
On if anything is radically different about this year's offseason program:"For me, I haven't really been too much a part of it – the first two days. I'm kind of just going along with my rehab and all that kind of stuff, so it's tough for me to really tell. But it seems pretty normal with all of the young guys back and just kind of getting in here and grinding."
On where he is with his rehab: "Four months and a week. (laughter) [That's] more literal, but I feel good. I'm getting better and better. I still feel improvement week to week. We've never really set a timeline out and said I'm going to be back at 'this point,' but I think it's still going really, really well. Over the past three weeks, I've started to feel some big improvements so, I feel good about it."
On if he has full range of motion back in his knee: "My range of motions pretty good. Obviously, as the week goes on it can get a little bit tight here and there, but it's still something we constantly work on. When I'm sitting on a table and I'm pulling back on it, it's pretty comparable to my right leg. I'm probably not able to get on my knees and sit back on to my heels all the way, but that's something that I'm able to do at home to work on it and all those kinds of things. So, it's getting better and better. It's pretty good; it's functional."
On if he has been surprised by his recovery rate: "I really had no idea. I still really don't know too much. All I know is I want to be back for training camp and be back for the season and be ready to go, so I'm doing all I can to get to that point."
On how close he is to running or jogging: "I do all that stuff. I can do everything pretty much; it's just a matter of how well I can do it and do I have a little limp here and there. We do little agility [drills]. It's not like I'm running full speed and cutting on it and things like that, but I have a good amount of things that I'm allowed to do. I go out on the field and run, wear my braces and all that good stuff."
On if he feels like he has to protect his knee when he runs: "No, I don't feel like I have to protect it. There are some things that … I'm not a big brace-wearer, but I wear it just so I don't hurt myself, for the most part. But there are things that I started off wearing it [for], and I'm not really wearing it for that anymore. I want to be as cautious as possible with all of that stuff, but at the same time, no, I don't feel like I have any tentativeness when I go out there and I'm doing things. Whether it's in the training room or on the field, jumping up on the boxes, lifting weights, I don't feel a ton of tentativeness. But at the same time, there's probably a little bit in there just because I think it's probably pretty natural, or if I'm doing a movement for the first time, I'm not sure how it's going to react to it. So, it's probably a little bit, but after you do it for a week, I felt pretty comfortable with everything."
On his apprehension landing on his left foot when throwing: "I haven't thrown a ton. I've stood 15 yards apart and kind of thrown here and there. I haven't really been too concerned with it yet, but it's kind of getting into that time when I want to start doing it a little bit. I have played catch a little bit and, no, I'm not really too worried about it."
On what his daily/weekly regimen is: "The difficult thing with this is that you don't want to* just* rehab your knee. You have to come in and you have to work out and you have to do typical workouts that you'd be doing in the offseason. I think that's where it kind of gets time consuming, is [when] you come in here, you do your rehab, you have to get treatment on it after you do your rehab, but you also want to lift the rest of your body. You want to get a good workout in; you want to get all kinds of stuff in that you would normally get in. You don't just want to do your left knee rehab. The good thing about the ACL is, in order to get that back to being healthy, there are so many things that go into that within your body – your hips, your ankles, your back – everything. In order to get your knee back to being healthy, your body needs to be working in-sync so you minimize the risk on the back end. I come in here, and it's a little bit different now that everyone is back. I was in a nice little routine when it was just me and a couple guys in the training room. (laughter) It was nice and quiet, and you could kind of go about your business. Now there are 60 guys here, and it's a little bit tougher to do that. You come in here and you get your work done and go home at two o'clock, and that's when my day really starts to get pretty interesting." (laughter)
On how much time he will need to throw with new targets to be on the same page for Week 1: "You want to throw to them at some point and you want to get a feel for these guys. It's not necessarily I need to throw to them, but I need to see how they run routes and throw a couple go-routes and see how far I can let it go and all of those different things. At the end of the day, training camp is going to be enough time. I'm pretty sure I'm probably not going to get a ton of time before that, so that's going to be enough time. You'd like to get as much as you can, but that'll be plenty to get going."
On if he had any idea the Ravens would sign former Steelers WR Mike Wallace when he commented on the Steelers' speed at that position: "Not really. (laughter) I honestly don't … I'm not aware of anything or anybody that's usually out there [in free agency], but I'm excited about Mike. I think he's a good wideout. I think he can definitely run, which you can see, but I think he can do a lot more. I think he's going to help us out in so many ways and free up other guys and do all kinds of things for us."
On how much it helps him mentally to have the same offensive coordinator as last season: "It's nice. I'm already in the meetings kind of complaining that this is all redundant for me. (laughter) But that's a good thing. It is a good thing, and it's always good to be in there with the young guys and see them learning and making sure that they're on the same page with everything."
ILB C.J. Mosley
On differences between the offseason workout this year and last year when he was recovering from injury:"I did all the running, so that part is not really different. (laughter) I'd say it took a few weeks before I actually got cleared to lift weights, but that's been the only difference just coming in, lifting weights. I had a full offseason of training [and] workouts and everything, so that's been good for me."
On the changes in the offseason running program: "So far, I think it's going well. Guys responded to it well. We've been busting tails. It's kind of like we're running the conditioning ourselves, but also kind of competing against each other, too so, kind of gets that competitiveness going. It'll be good going into OTAs."
* *
On if leadership roles will be different without LB Daryl Smith: "I think I have to be more of a vocal leader more this year, especially being at 'MIKE' now. It's going to take time to get comfortable with it. It's not [like] me to be the one to talk a lot, but once everybody starts getting together and once the group that's here now starts going through OTAs together, that leadership part will start kicking in."
* *
On if he watches the draft more since he was in the prospects' position just a few years ago: "Some of the top guys, I watch some of the games, so I know a few of the players that we're looking at or players that are just in the draft especially. Mainly, I try to watch, obviously, our pick first, then try to see some of the 'Bama guys that go in the first round, second round. That's about as much as I do right now as far as watching it."
* *
On if there are any draft prospects that may be the missing piece to the Ravens' defense: "I know [UCLA LB] Myles Jack would be an incredible piece to our defense, [with] the versatility he has. Not too many linebackers play running back in college, so he's just a freak of nature. That will definitely be an added piece to our puzzle. [Ohio State DE Joey] Bosa, he'll be a good added piece just being one of those players that can rush off the edge [and] set the tone on the defensive line coming off the edge. I have enough faith [in the scouts] upstairs, so I don't have to really worry about that."
On switching to the middle linebacker position [MIKE]: "With me and Daryl [Smith], sometimes we switched up roles; sometimes he came off the edge, sometimes I stayed in the middle. So, it's not like I haven't done it before, especially the past two years I've been here. It might be a little different just being in a different spot. I just have to remember where to line up. I'm not going on the weak side of the defense so much, but I feel it will be an easy transition since I know the defense."
On how he will become a more vocal leader: "Honestly, I think it's just a mindset thing, because you can always be a leader by example. But when you feel like it's: 'OK, somebody needs to say something,' that's when you have to be like: 'Alright, it's my time to do that.' Or just something in general, whether it's just talking to somebody on the side or [if I] see somebody struggling and just talking to him, keeping his head up. [It's about] being a leader any kind of way you can."
On if he watched Daryl Smith in that leadership role: "He was definitely my mentor. We kind of set up a system my rookie year about vets being guys' mentors. Even though he was assigned to me, before he even got assigned I was already looking up to him. I'm sad to see him go, but he balled out and got a second paycheck and he's back in Florida, so I'm pretty sure he's happy about that." (laughter)
On if it feels weird that he may be a mentor to rookies in his third year in the NFL: "Not really, because I guess I don't really see myself as a mentor. I'm [still] learning the game, even though the guys might be younger than me, but sometimes I can talk to a vet or say something to a vet. It's all about building that bond, that brothership. So, sometimes I don't look at is as a mentor, [it's] more I'm just trying to help my teammate, trying to help my brother out."
On if he took any lessons away from last year's unusual season: "Well, we know what not to do this year, for sure. Coach [John Harbaugh] kept a great mindset going into every game. Sometimes we'd have a bad loss or a blown lead and you'd think next day at our team meeting, 'He's going to rip our butt.' But, he kept a positive mindset the whole time. [We were] real frustrated, especially after the [close] games, but we turned around real quick. I can say that we pretty much practiced like we were undefeated every game, so that's a lot of kudos for the players and also for the coaches. Also, I feel that we just have to bounce back. I always say that football always humbles you. [The] year before that we were in the playoffs [and] won a playoff game, next year we had what we had. So, it's just something we have to keep being patient; you can't get too high or too low."
On how much better the defense can be with S Eric Weddle and defensive draft picks: "We can be as good as we want to be. Weddle is going to be a great piece to our defensive backs. [We're] looking to get a lot more turnovers as far as sacks, sack-fumbles, forced fumbles, interceptions, all that. It's just a mindset thing that we have to come into when it's OTAs and it's training. As soon as we start we have to feel like we have to run to the ball, we have to make plays [and] we have to go pick up loose balls. So, it just starts off in the offseason with that kind of mindset."
CB Jimmy Smith
On going into the offseason program feeling almost 100 percent healthy this year:"It's going to feel great to go into OTAs and all of the camps without having nagging injuries and being able to go full speed with the team."
On how happy he was to see CB Shareece Wright re-sign and also with the signing of S Eric Weddle this offseason:"Obviously, I was really excited about Shareece, but I was a little bit more excited about Weddle, just because I know what type of leader [he is], just from hearing Shareece talk about him and what type of player he is. Around the league, you know how smart he is as a player. He comes in the building at 5 a.m. to study film, and you know a safety like that is going to put you in the right position to make plays, and he is going to be in the right position to make plays. So, I think he's going to help our defense in the back end tremendously."
On if he has a chance to watch other guys, like S Eric Weddle, who play during the season for other teams:"Oh, absolutely, because you watch offenses [on film], so you see other defenders go against those players. You have no choice but to see certain defensive players shine against other teams. You see Eric Weddle pop off on the film when you face any opponent that they faced."
On why it's important for him to be here this time of the year, especially after getting the big contract last offseason:"For me, it's kind of a conscious thing, like I've got to be here. I just felt like I had to be here no matter what for the offseason training. Plus, we've got one heck of a run test that I don't want to do [during training camp]. *(laughter) *So, I'd rather just be here for that and not have to do that come June or July."
On his thoughts on the new offseason program they're implementing now:"I think a lot of people are shocked just by how intense it is. It looks very intense; they've been running a lot – way more than we have in the past. So, I think we're going to be in great shape come OTAs. Probably by next Friday, I think they'll be in great shape." (laughter)
* *
On what the difference is in the program this year:"Before we kind of eased into it, and this year coach [John] Harbaugh wanted us to start at the top, so there was no easing into it. The intensity is definitely ramped up. It's a lot more burst, quick-type exercises, like sprinting, 60-yard dashes, that type of thing. I think it's going to be good for our explosion."
On if he has done the running personally yet after saying it "looks" tough:"I've kind of just had to ease into it."
On if he thinks S Eric Weddle helping keep guys in the correct position could be a factor in the secondary creating more turnovers:"I think it's going to be that … Interceptions, turnovers in general, I think it's a mentality for the defense to have in general; punching balls out, trying to strip it. So, playing different coverages, changing up our scheme a little bit in certain ways I think will create more turnover opportunities for us."
On how much he's looking forward to working with new secondary coach Leslie Frazier:"I actually got to meet him coming out [of college] as a rookie, and I have a lot of respect for him. Just his presence alone coming into our room, we have a lot of respect for him. I'm looking forward to just being with him. The last couple of days and being able to talk to him for the last couple of months, you know he's going to bring a lot of intelligence to our room. He's going to be able to teach us very well what we need to do this season."
On if he was at any point last year feeling like he could play at full speed:"You're never 100 percent, especially not at the end of the season. I mean, I felt good. Some games I felt way better than some [other] days. It's just a lot of wear and tear on the foot, and you can never not use your foot – you're always on it. And the Lisfranc is a tough injury; it's still got a little bit of stuff that occurs with it now, that reoccurs with it. But it's healthy, and I'll be able to run full speed and be able to train regular."
On if the Lisfranc injury is more of a two-year injury:"I hope not, but it's definitely a difficult injury, kind of more than I expected. It's very … You can live with it; you can play with it. Obviously, I played with it last year – not at the level that I expected myself to – but I think I'll be better this year."
On if it's something he thinks he'll kind of always have to play through or if he thinks he'll get to a point that it doesn't bother him at all:"I'm hoping that it doesn't bother me at all, but I'd be lying if I said it doesn't still get sore just from the amount of training I've already done. But it's just kind of like with any injury: When it heals, it heals, and when it's done, it's done."
