[
]()
**Q: Not having Terry [Glenn] here, does that in any way inhibit your progress with him?**
D: Well, obviously to have everybody here would be beneficial, but what we are focusing on right now is going forward and try and polish up the nuances and the changes that we have made in our offense and obviously in our defense as well to this point in the off season. And that's really where we are headed right now. We just…we are out there trying to fine tune things. You know last year I think at this point we were very focused because we had to be on just learning the offense and learning how to get from point A to point B. Now we're spending more time focusing on the nuances and fine tuning certain aspects of our offense rather than just trying to learn the language.
Q: So it would be best if he were here?
D: Well obviously, but…the only thing I would say on Terry's situation is that I hope that he is able to get his situation resolved and we'd love to have him back as soon as possible.
Q: That said, you have to be sort of giddy with the other talent at the wide receiver position?
D: Yeah, we've got some great competition at the receiver position and we've got a very high level of competition at that spot. You know it is becoming very obvious that in order to make the team at that position you're going to have to play extremely well because there are a whole ton of guys that are competing for a limited number of spots.
Q: There is a big turnover on the offensive line?
D: Big turnover there and the thing that I hope, before going into the season, is that I hope we can just go into the season with a group of five guys and say listen these are our guys, these are the backups for those guys, and approach the season that way. That was the thing that probably hampered us on the offensive line as much as anything last year, was that we had a group of probably nine or ten guys that were all playing at different times at different spots. And that makes it hard, particularly on the offensive line because so much of it has to do with timing and being on the same level when you are passing off the games and so on. So I think that we'll be better if we can just simply do that. If we can just simply have a group of five guys and say these are our guys and go with them.
Q: Can you just talk a little bit about the most enjoyable things that you did in the off season?
D: As football players we're extremely blessed in that we have a lot of time off and with three young boys at home I got to spend a ton of time with those guys…from a personal standpoint. From a football standpoint, I think that this year our off season conditioning program this year was excellent, was very well attended, and personally I feel as strong and as healthy as I have felt in a long time.
Q: Going back to the offensive line, as of today it looks like the two tackles will be rookies or second year players, are you confident in that?
D: Well, I think that yeah…I mean losing a guy like Bruce Armstrong, as I have said in the past, those are shoes that are not easily filled. But that being said, I think that [Adrian] Klemm and [Greg] Robinson-Randall have some experience and they are also going to face some staunch competition from the guys that are competing with them. So whoever ends up winning those two tackle spots, they are going to have to play at a high level.
Q: Have you expressed to coach that you really want to have the offensive line situation straightened out before camp?
D: Well I don't think that really needs to be expressed. I think it is probably fairly obvious…that it's beneficial to all involved if we can get that set and I think that would be something that would probably happen at some point during camp.
Q: You've got a lot of new offensive linemen, wide receivers, and tight ends. Is it both exciting in one respect and also going to take time to develop those tools?
D: Well, you know we've got a lot of guys. We go out there and we're running through our agility drills and the line goes forever. I mean there are a ton of guys out there. But what that does for you is, first of all it gives you an extremely high level and very competitive environment. But if they are all competing at a low level, that's not going to benefit you. But…just the fact that we have numbers is not the positive thing. We've got numbers and we've got a lot of guys that can play the game. So whoever ends up filling those various spots for us, they're going to have to be good players.
Q: The thing that you don't have at this juncture is a running back?
D: Well I am hopeful and I'm looking forward to seeing how that position develops. I think that we've got some guys that can play the game at running back and I just looking forward to seeing how that shakes out and who can be productive for us. I think you will see us be a lot more productive in the running game this year, but exactly who it will be that will carry the majority of load I don't think has been established yet.
Q: Why do you think you'll be more productive?
D: Well, like I say, I think that we'll be more set up front. Which, that is where it starts and if we can be established up front then we're going to have a little more room to run. You're going to have guys with a little more experience. You know J.R. [Redmond] last year really didn't get healthy until after the season started and he's got that experience behind him. And then Robert [Edwards], if he continues to progress you have a guy that was a thousand yard rusher coming back for you.
Q: And the key still has to be you though?
D: Well, until things change drastically we are going to be a team that throws the ball to win games. And from that standpoint I am excited. I am excited about the weapons that I have and the number of guys that I am looking at that I can throw to and looking forward to having our situation up front resolved a little better and I think we should be pretty productive.
Q: How much better do you have to be?
D: Well, I've got to continue to try and improve in a number of areas. The number one thing for me would be to continue to work towards improving my accuracy. I need to…last year one of the areas that we weren't as productive as some teams, was in the run after the catch. And I can help that by being more accurate, putting the ball on the right side of the receiver so he's running up field with the ball. And then continue to work on my footwork and work towards buying myself a little more time in the pocket. And then I have said in the past and will continue to say this; my standard in my decision-making is perfection. I feel like that is one area that I can be perfect in playing quarterback. I can be perfect in my decision-making and I'm going to work towards that goal.
Q: You are doing something at McCoy Stadium on Friday night. Can you talk a little bit about that?
D: Yeah, we are coming down to the Paw Sox game. We're doing a Bledsoe Foundation Parenting with Dignity Night down there. It should be a great night. Stu and John and I are going to go out and throw out the first pitch. It should be pretty good. The boys like baseball a lot.
Q: When's the next haircut?
D: Next haircut? Probably sometime before camp, we'll see.
Q: When was the last haircut?
D: It's been a while.
Q: Charles Johnson and Torrance Small are both big guys, do you like that?
D: Yeah, it has been a while since we've had a big guy to throw the ball to around here that had some speed. So yeah, it's taking a little getting used to but yeah, having a little size obviously is beneficial.
