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Dan Koppen Conf. Call Transcript 4/27/2003

To view Dan Koppen's Conference Call Transcript, click below.

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Q: Is there still kind of a Tom Nalen and Damien Woody legacy at Boston College that you have come out of?

DK: You know I hope so. Those are two great players. Obviously, I was there with Woody and learned a lot with him that first year I was at B.C. I am just excited to reunite with him and learn from him again.

Q: If you look at the Patriots offense there are a lot of screen passes and they are looking for mobility from their offensive linemen. Is that something that you are going to have to work on?

DK: I think it is just something I have to technique a little more. If I do it more, I will get better at it. I think I am pretty good at it now. It is just something that you have to work on, just like everything else.

Q: Did you do any shotgun snapping at Boston College?

DK: Yes.

Q: I assume that you saw that the Patriots picked Dan Klecko as well. What were your thoughts when you played against him?

DK: Dan Klecko is the best player I played against this year, bar none. He is a great player with great intensity. He has a heck of a work ethic. I am excited to team up with him and be on the same team as him. We are good friends now. We have been friends for the last three years. I am excited to be with him.

Q: What makes Dan Klecko so good?

DK: He loves to play the game. That is the kind of player you love to play with. He never stops running. He never stops working. He is always in plays. That just makes him a great player.

Q: Would you say the same about yourself loving to play the game?

DK: I definitely would. This is what I have wanted to do since I was in eighth grade. Today, to realize that the dream is coming true, it is just unbelievable.

Q: Are you disappointed that you dropped to the fifth round?

DK: I was a little bit bummed last night, but talking with my family I got over it real quick. I can't control where I go or where I got picked. I am just happy that someone liked me. I am going to do the best I can for them.

Q: Were the Patriots around you quite a bit? I know that you worked out with Dante Scarnecchia.

DK: Yes, he was at my pro day and I worked out with him. Other than that, I really didn't know. This was a little shock, but I am very excited.

Q: Can you talk about your relationship with Damien Woody and whether you have kept in touch with him?

DK: I haven't kept in touch with him that much. Obviously, he was back for a couple of games and I talked with him for a little bit. That first year, coming in and learning how to play the center position, he was a big help for me – just teaching me the techniques and what to do on plays and work your opponent. I learned a lot from him that first year. I am excited to learn from him again.

Q: Do you have any experience with long snapping?

DK: No.

Q: As happy as you are to get picked, you are picked by a team that has Damien Woody. Do you say to yourself that they have Damien, why are they picking me?

DK: Not really. I don't know what plans they have for me. I'm sure that I will find out later on when I get there. Right now, I am just happy be somewhere and that is New England. I love the area up there and I am excited to come up there.

Q: Do you feel like you are just a center or do you have the versatility to play another position?

DK: I believe I can play guard. That is not for me to decide. That is for them to decide. Whatever they have in store for me, I will be ready to do. I don't really have any indications of what is going on. I know that they will do things in their best interest and mine. Things will work out.

Q: You talked about being upset that you fell to today and this round. The Patriots have had some players like Tom Brady that were motivated by all the teams passing on them. Do you feel any of that?

DK: Absolutely. I am always going to go out to prove that I am the best player out there. You go where you are needed and obviously New England needs me. There is definitely going to be a little incentive to do that much better.

Q: You talked about wanting to play in the NFL since eighth grade. How did that happen?

DK: I have been playing football since I was in the second grade. That (eighth grade) is the time where you get older and start to think about what you want to do. I always just wanted to be a professional football player. I worked all through high school to get to the next level, which is college. I worked through college to get to the next level. This is what I have worked for for a long time.

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