Aug. 3, 2006
Adjusting to preseason hype
“I’ve seen it before, so I know the challenge that it brings, but I’m used to it.”
On the development of Reggie Ball
“Most importantly he is much more patient in the pocket. He’s much more mature and he’s playing his game, which is what got him here in the first place.”
On Ball trusting everyone on the offense
“He relies on his teammates and that’s exactly what we need.”
On the chemistry between him and Ball
“On the field, I basically know when he’s going to come my way. We give each other a look in the huddle sometimes. Just playing together for so long, now it’s just natural for us to know what were thinking out there. Practicing and playing together for two years, you learn each other’s mentality.”
“He knows how I work in certain situations and I know how he works in certain situations.”
On it becoming more evident this season
“It gets better every year, so I definitely expect it to be better this year.”
On the toughest game this year
“Every game, starting with Notre Dame.”
On the losses on defense and the pressure the offense might face
“There’s not just pressure on me and Reggie [Ball], but the entire offense to go out there and produce.”
On the loss of Damarius Bilbo at wide receiver
“We have great depth at receiver, so we shouldn’t lose a step.”
On the secondary
“We have the whole month to prepare. They’re going to be ready. I agree with everything that Joe [Anoai] said, they are young, they are real talented, but they lack experience. I believe coach [John] Tenuta will have them ready for our first game.”
On having a great individual season or making a bigger bowl game
“I just want to do whatever it takes for the team to win. So I definitely want to take the team to a big bowl game this year.”
On Tashard Choice taking over the tailback position
“I saw what he could do last year, so I can’t wait for this year.”
On the team playing with a chip on its shoulder after last season’s end
“I don’t really think there is a chip on our shoulder. We know that it’s a big game [Notre Dame], so we know that we have to play at our highest level.”
On a wide receiver winning the Heisman Trophy
“I really can’t say. I have not seen a wide receiver win the Heisman in awhile, so I can’t say.”
On the NFL talk
“I’m not worried about that. I’m just ready to start our season.”
On expecting a lot of questions about leaving for the NFL
“Yes, I have been getting a lot of questions about it, but I just want to finish out this year.”
On personal goals
“As long as I improve on last season’s performance, I will be satisfied.”
“Just do better than last year in yards, receptions and touchdowns.”
On being the focal point of the offense
“I really am not the one that stands up and talks, I just lead by example. I get my teammates in the right mindset then we will be alright.”
On being humble
“I remain calm. When something bad happens in a game, I don’t let that bother me. I just keep it out of my mind.”
“This is the way I have been since I was a little boy. Growing up I was always quiet and tried not to let anything bother me.”
On getting a lot of attention from opposing team’s defenses
“I love to play football and sometimes that happens. It doesn’t bother me at all, especially when I get to see my teammates making plays.”
On scoring touchdowns
“You always want to score. I always want that one-on-one match-up.”
On modeling his game after Marvin Harrison (Indianapolis Colts)
“Well sort of. He’s not a flashy guy, he just goes out there and gets the job done and he does it well.”
On lining up against top defenses in the country
“I’ve done well against the top defenses we’ve faced over the last couple of years. I have no worries at all, I’m just going to go out there and work hard.”
On a defense placing all of its attention on him
“That one less defensive back our other receivers have to worry about which will allow somebody to go one-on-one.”
On knowing that he would be a dominant wide receiver
“No, I never thought of that when I came here. It’s nice that everybody respects me like that.”
Biggest contributor(s) to success
“My coaches, hard work and all the film study that we do.”
On work ethic
“It’s relentless, never stop until the coach makes you. Always working hard out there and never stopping.”
On the experience of the offense
“We have a lot of experience on offense this year, so we should be more productive. Everybody knows that our defense has been very dominant, so we’re looking to make some noise.”
“Defense is always going to be strong on this team, but with all the experience we have coming back on the offense, especially on the offensive line, we have a change to be really good.”
On playing Notre Dame in game one
“There going to be one of the top teams in the nation and they are coming into our house. It will be a great atmosphere and we will play our best.”
“I’ve been thinking about Notre Dame ever since the season ended. We’ve been anticipating it, working hard and now we can prepare for them in camp.”
On heading into junior year
“It’s exciting, especially when you have one of the top teams in the country coming into your house. Everybody has been anticipating that all summer and now we get to come into camp and prepare for it.”
On getting too antsy for that game
“You can, but you have to calm down and play your game.”
On surpassing 2,000 yards in a season
“That would be nice, but whatever it takes for us to win the game.”
On winning that first game
“That would be everything to us. Everybody has been anticipating that game, we’ve been working hard all summer long for it, we finally get to come to camp and get ready for it.”
On Tech playing well against big time opponents in that first game
“It’s been that way for the past couple of years. When we have a big game, we step up our intensity and a lot of times come out with a win.”
“We just really ramp up our intensity. We have to get more precision with that every game, but we’re definitely able to play to the next team’s level, and even above.”
On Patrick Nix calling the plays
“He’s done a real good job so far, from what we’ve seen and we can’t wait to test it out in a game.”
On leaving for the NFL if he has a good season
“I’ve gotten that a lot and I’m not really worried about that right now. All I am worried about right now is the season.”
On the NFL being a dream
“I definitely want to play at the next level, but like I said, I cannot worry about that right now.”
On being on the same page as Reggie Ball
“We have the same mentality. We both go out there and read the coverage and we are both aware of what he is going to do with the ball.”
On the capability of this team
“I expect a lot of this team. More than any other season so far. We have a ton of experience. Our defense is always going to be good and I expect our offense to always be productive.”
On the offense surprising people
“The experience on the line, giving Reggie [Ball] time to find his receivers and blocking for Tashard [Choice]. The line is the number one thing that is going to lead to our success.”
Goals for the team
“Win every game, starting with the first one.”
On trying to avoid your own press
“I don’t really get to see it. I don’t want to get too caught up in reading what is printed. I don’t read the newspapers during the season. I just worry about what I can control, and go from there.”
On what his objectives are
“Help the team win. That’s my main goal.”
On facing so many different coverages
“It definitely helps, especially reading coverages on the run. I picked up a lot of experience in that last year, so it will help me this year going into the season.”
On recruitment by Notre Dame
“When coach Ty Willingham was up there, he recruited me and I really liked him a lot. I never went up there, but I thought about it.”
On what a win over Notre Dame would mean
“It would be big. Not just for us, but for the fans and the school and everybody around Atlanta. It would widen our fan base, which is one thing we are tying to do right now.”
