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Q: Rosevelt, why New England?
RC: It felt like it was a better fit for me. Obviously they've been winning for a while. Coach Belichick and his staff have developed a scheme that they feel is good and it fits them and I was impressed about everything. Not only their stadium, but the staff, the front office, everyone came across really well.
Q: Did you feel like New England wanted you? Did that have a lot to do with your decision to come here? Did they want you more than other teams perhaps?
RC: This process has been very extensive and tiresome and my thoughts in the last couple of days had been circling so many different ways. Honestly, I couldn't answer that question correctly because I haven't been writing things down and saying different things to different people, I just waited for my gut instinct and felt like the Patriots were the best place for me.
Q: Rosevelt, what is it about the defensive system that makes you think it's a good fit for your style of play?
RC: I've been in Chicago for four years playing in a defense that was pretty good. I just felt like I could bring something to the table that some linebackers don't have. They have pretty good talent on defense. Don't get me wrong. I'm not the answer to any questions that they have, I'm just a piece of the puzzle. Obviously they've been to the Super Bowl and they've won it and they have a thirst to get back there. I have that thirst of getting there for the first time. I'm just looking to come in and contribute and do my part just like every other player on the team and Coach Belichick has expressed that to me, that I will be expected to do everything that everybody else has to do.
Q: Rosie, was there any attempt by the Bears at the last minute or did you give them a chance to make a last offer of any kind?
RC: I'm not sure. You'll have to speak with my agent about that. Like I said, I just felt like I made the best decision for myself by coming here to New England. The attitude is definitely right. The direction they're going in is positive and the front office is invested in winning and obviously I want to be a part of this.
Q: How's your shoulder doing after the surgery?
RC: The shoulder is doing real good. Not just the Patriots' physicians, but every other team that we visited and the Bears have also said that everything should be fine. It should make me a better player by getting it stabilized. I feel really good about it and it's just a process of rehab and strengthening and endurance. I'm just looking forward to getting things rolling in New England.
Q: Which shoulder was it?
RC: Left.
Q: It was just to clean it out?
RC: No. It was a stabilization. I had been playing with it for four years. It happened in college. It wasn't anything major, just something that we felt it was time to go ahead and take care of going through the process that we were getting ready to go through.
Q: Did you talk to your former college teammate Matt Light at all about this decision?
RC: I tried to get in contact with Matt, but I was unsuccessful. I talked to Brandon Gorin and Larry Whigham who used to play here for Coach Belichick. My agent represents other players on the team. Through the process, I did my homework and obviously I came here, so that's why it came together as it did.
Q: Any final thoughts on your four years in Chicago as you move forward now?
RC: It was fun-filled. We went through the process of trying to build a team into a winner, a powerhouse or whatever and we did that in 2001 and took a step backwards in 2002. I wish them the best of luck, all of my friends and my fans that I leave behind. It's tough but being a professional you have to be able to do your job in any given place, that's what they call it being a professional athlete. I just want to come here and do my part and obviously contribute as much as I can.
Q: When did you really know you were not going to be back?
RC: When I signed the contract with the Patriots. Nothing is final until it is final and it's final now. I'm a Patriot and an ex-Bear.
Q: Do you leave the Bears at all with any bitterness?
RC: You know, like I was saying earlier, I am a professional. I can't control some of the things that go on outside of the locker room past myself. The only thing I can control is my effort on the field and my performance each and every weekend and if they decide to go in a different direction that's their problem to have. I'm going to be me and like I said, I am going to be me in New England, not in Chicago.
Q: How much time did you spend in New England? When did you arrive? Are you at Logan Airport right now?
RC: I've been here enough time to get everything worked out and done. Like I said, I have a lot of connections with the Patriots not only with the players, and not only with my agent and not only growing up watching them when I was younger but also my defensive line coach in college used to coach here. It just felt like the right choice for me.
Q: How did the recruitment process go? Did they get into detail what they wanted you to do, because you and Willie [McGinest] are really very similar players in a lot of ways.
RC: I haven't had the opportunity to sit down and discuss anything like that. Obviously, like I said, they are very talented on defense. They are just coming off a Super Bowl run two years ago and they've got a lot of guys in the place doing real good things. When I see them on defense, when I was in Chicago, they were doing things real well. It shows that they are a well-coached football team. I'm just coming in trying to be a part of this. I want to get acclimated as soon as possible. I don't know yet where I'll be fitted in. I just want to be part of a winning organization.
Q: Back in November, Bill Belichick was saying some pretty glowing things about you. Did you hear about those comments at the time?
RC: I can't remember. If I did, I probably didn't pay too much attention to it because whenever somebody puts you on a pedestal and gives you praise you should try to work that much harder. I don't really remember what he said. If I do get an opportunity to read it, I will go around the corner and thank him. I am just happy to be here and happy to be with an organization that wants me a part of the team.
Q: Rosevelt, your defensive line coach in college Randy Melvin, what did he tell you about the Patriots organization that impressed you?
RC: In all honesty, I haven't had an opportunity to speak to Coach Melvin. I know he is coaching at Rutgers now. I need to get in contact with him because I have some stuff I want to give him, some pictures and stuff. But I am pretty sure he would have positive things to say. Everyone else has positive things to say about him. He got the opportunity to win a Super Bowl and coach a professional football team so I am pretty sure he is happy. I don't expect anything negative to come out of the situation.
Q: There are always high expectations when a team signs a free agent like yourself. What would you tell the fans here in New England about yourself?
RC: I am just a happy go-lucky guy. I like to have fun playing football. I am a family man. I am a Christian man. I just take pride in who I am and what I can do. Like I said, I'm just going to try to do the best I can to help the organization and the team get back to the Super Bowl and win it again.
Q: Rosevelt, a lot of people considered you probably the top free agent prospect this year. You made six stops this year and you've watched other guys go through the process. How difficult was it for you to be the carrot and all the other teams being the rabbit after you? Was it exhausting?
RC: It was definitely exhausting. It started to wear on me, but I'm a high-energy-type person. Being up for it and going through it was not the problem. It was just to the point that it got to all the flights, all the dinners, everything, the physicals … I just got to the point where I wanted it to be over. It's a process that I think everybody should be able to go through to a certain extent. But I'm grateful, don't get me wrong, I'm definitely grateful
