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HEAD COACH JON GRUDEN
(On Derrick Brooks’ injury)
“He has just a slight hamstring [injury], I believe. Although I say that, it seems a lot. We’ll see how he is in the next couple days but we’re confident he’ll be back soon.”
(On putting on pads on Sunday)
“I think we should put on pads, yes. We’ve been in shorts for a long time. We had so many injuries last year that I don’t think we practiced often in pads all last season. I think our guys are really excited about putting the pads on and getting on with business.”
(On being a more physical team)
“We have been a more physical football team, and I think our players would attest to that. We have some guys that are without a doubt physical, but we need a collective physical show, every play, every day. That’s what we’re after, that’s what we’re all about here and that’s what we’re looking for.”
(On how Stovall has improved since last year)
“He’s done nothing but work. It’s the legendary Michael Irvin-Jerry Rice work ethic. I’m not comparing him to those guys, but from a work-ethic standpoint this guy’s insane. He is a great worker. He’s faster, he’s much more in shape than he’s ever been and he can move for a big guy. It’s a credit to him and what he’s all about. He’s going to make things real interesting.”
(On the tight end position)
“We like our tight ends. Jerramy Stevens comes over after being a starter on a perennial playoff team and Super Bowl contender. He’s a big guy that has range as a pass receiver. He can run a lot of different routes – down the field; inside he’s a big target. We’d like him to be a more consistent blocker. Not that he isn’t a good blocker, but we’d like to see him be much better. Anthony Becht is a pro football player, a leader here, and Alex Smith is a guy going into Year Three who we think has a big upside. It’s time he steps up and explodes onto the scene so everybody in the country knows who he is. So we like our tight ends. We’re going to try to use them as much as we can. They’re competing with the third and fourth receivers to get on the field.”
(On the onus on the offensive line)
“Well, you know I’ve been saying that; we say it every year. It all starts up front. Last year was really tragic in some ways when we lost Davin [Joseph] and Kenyatta [Walker] and Dan Buenning before the opening game. But the right side looks good. Davin Joseph right now is exactly where we thought he should be. At the same time, he’s got a long ways to go to really put it on tape; he’s got to do it. [Jeremy] Trueblood’s getting better and better. I can say we’ve got a real battle on our hands right now at center. The left side? It’s a work in progress. These guys are new players – [Arron] Sears, [Anthony] Davis is new at guard and [Luke] Petitgout just got here. So we’ve got a long way to go.”
(On players who didn’t practice)
“[Michael] Pittman is not hurt. We felt his biceps could use a little work. Derrick [Brooks] has a hamstring injury; I don’t know how severe it is. Sometimes they say it’s tweaked and that’s two weeks, sometimes they say it’s tweaked and that’s two days. We’ll just bring you up to date each day and right now he’s out of practice.”
(On having that cap space if new players need to be added)
“It’s something that gives you great flexibility. You can make a trade. You can sign a player in free agency. You can keep your own. That’s exciting. That’s something that every team that’s active in those areas needs. Salary cap space is certainly a big part of pro football these days.”
(On if he’s confident with the current group of quarterbacks going into Seattle)
“I can’t answer that right now. I have a lot of confidence in these guys but that doesn’t guarantee that you’re going to win. I want to see it out here for three weeks in training camp. I want [Jeff] Garcia to really assert himself. He makes four or five plays a day that we haven’t had out here – instinctive, scramble plays; sidearm throws. I want Chris Simms to come back. He’s going to get a lot of reps this afternoon. I want McCown and [Bruce] Gradkowski to compete. One of those young guys has to clearly step up.”
(On if he is comfortable with a number-two option)
“We’ve got three young guys. We’ve got three young guys, period. Chris Simms has done some good things and he’s had his share of troubles. Physically and on the field he’s been up and down, but he’s had some ups and that’s a great thing to lean on, a guy that has made plays and you know he can make plays. Great kid, great worker. All I can say is that he’s in a competitive situation with Jeff, a competitive situation with the rest of the guys and the world. I want him to look at it that way and I think he is.”
(On Joey Galloway leaving the field early)
“Two things. He has some cramping and he also was excused from the afternoon practice and he’s got to fly to…I let him fly to New Orleans. He is the owner of the Columbus Destroyers. I would like somebody here to do their work and find out, maybe privately, what percentage of the Destroyers he owns. That is being investigated and I have had no success. Maybe with the media’s help I can get a discreet answer.”
(On DE Greg Spires saying he’s an AFL owner, too)
“Yeah, Spires, he owns the San Jose SabreCats. And I got two phone calls that one of our players owns a dog at the Tampa Bay greyhound track. We’re going to let Joey go because he’s put a lot of work in with that franchise. He’s from Columbus and God bless him. He’s a guy we’re going to let go.”
(On if he’s pleased with camp so far)
“Yeah, I really am. We’re working four different quarterbacks, four different centers; not a lot of wasted plays; the effort’s excellent; the team’s in shape; and the enthusiasm is there. It’s competitive, just like we expected.”
(On Garcia having a lot to ingest)
“Well, you can do it a lot of ways. You can give it to him easily or gradually, or you can give it whole-part-whole. We like to get a lot in because I like our defense to see a lot also. Our defense has to prepare for the Detroit Lions’ attack. We’ve got to prepare for a lot of different things that we’re going to see from Drew Brees and company. I think in fairness to everybody you have to have a multiple attack early in camp to get everybody ready to play.”
(On Cato June)
“He’s really fast. You see why he’s really good in this scheme. He can play the outside linebacker position with an effortless style. He’s got great familiarity with our defense, certainly, but he’s also got great athleticism. His legs are alive. He can run. I know he’ll hit. He’s had a knack for making plays. Whatever position you play him at, weakside or strongside, he’s going to be a guy that shows up where the ballcarrier is.”
(On if it will be hard to take June off the field in passing downs)
“Heck yes. It’s hard to take him off the field in any situation. You’ve got a chance to kick off or cover a punt, you want that guy out there. He runs and hits, and he’s instinctive as hell and he’s a never-say-die kind of guy. That’s something I’m really, really pleased with. I think Quincy Black and Adam Hayward, two guys that can also run – that’s exciting, to have those guys on our team.”
(On if he has ruled out moving June inside on passing downs)
“We haven’t ruled out very much. We’ve got a lot of change on this football team. With that being said, you understand that you’re two days deep into training camp, so just keep coaching, keep working and keep studying.”
G DAVIN JOSEPH
(On T Luke Petitgout on the left side)
“He brings a lot of experience, a lot of consistency. The guy is a heck of an athlete and to be in the league as long as he has been, he still looks like he is a young guy out there.”
(On having a year of experience)
“You have to keep it up. You still have to work to get better and work on the small things. It is not as much as learning plays but learning how to get better each day. My focus changed a little bit now, but it is more to improve my game more than trying to learn the offense right now.”
(On helping G Arron Sears)
“Yes, when I can. When you have some of the best coaches in the league right now he doesn’t need much. I am still working to get better so I can’t give him too much.”
(On working with T Jeremy Trueblood again)
“It is going to be fun. I think the group of guys that we will have this year is going to be fun. Matt Lehr, I like him a lot. Luke [Petitgout] is definitely a great player and [Arron] Sears is a great addition right now. We don’t know how everything is going to shape up, but the group that we have right now is really good.”
(On being excited about putting on pads tomorrow)
“Yes, very much so. That is a lineman’s dream right there. It is all good when it is hot and you don’t have pads on, but when the pads come on, then it really gets you going.”
LB CATO JUNE
(On his role/fit in the defense)
“I think it’s a good fit. Essentially it’s the same thing, in the over fronts, I’ll be playing strongside, what we called weakside was the same fit for the most part, so I think I’ll fit in well. I’ll have a group of veterans I’ll be able to learn from and I’ll be able to, once I pick up the language and the different terminology, it will be downhill from there.”
(On his position, if he will be moving around a lot)
“Yes, you know, getting different looks in different situations. Trying to pretty much learn, be versatile and learn more than one position so to speak and then being able to effectively execute in the same manner. So just getting that exposure and that experience and those reps and different thing is always going to be good for me.”
(On if it was easier to leave the Colts with a Super Bowl ring)
“You had a feeling that you left something on the shelf if I would have left and we hadn’t won the championship when you’re expected to win, but I guess this year, we didn’t have that expectation like we didn’t think well, the defense is this and that and I don’t think they could get over the hump they can’t beat New England in the playoffs. When everybody didn’t expect you to win, we finally got it done. I think that was most satisfying. It’s always hard to leave a good situation, good program, good people, it’s just part of the game and you have to move on.”
(On if Indianapolis Head Coach Tony Dungy gave him any advice)
“You know, I kind of have been learning from him [LB Derrick Brooks] from afar. As soon as I got in the league, it’s just one of those guys that when the coach says we’re watching films, we’re going to watch this defense, watch this player, I’m going to watch the person at my position so of course, naturally, I’m going to be watching Derrick Brooks, what does he do. I already know who he is, so I’m watching and learning, like I said from afar on a film standpoint. Now, I’ll be able to watch and learn while I’m lining up next to him, I’ll be able to talk to him and those sort of things, so that sort of thing was kind of set in when I came into the league already. I’m a smaller linebacker so I’m already getting the comparisons, the Derrick Brooks type, so it’s been a good fit from the beginning.”
(On his impressions of Monte Kiffin)
“It’s great, my impression is great. I mean, even for an older guy, he has so much energy, it makes you feel like man, I’m tired, but he’s still up there going full motor, full throttle and I like that. Him and his staff are such good teachers. For me, I still see myself as being young in my career so I have a lot to learn. I know it will just continue to get better.”
(On where the name Cato comes from)
“My momma, she gave me the name. It’s a family name, I’ve come from a long line of Cato’s. My middle name actually means care of my father’s name. My great, great grandfather’s is probably I think the last person in my line of family but it’s a lot of Cato’s.”
(On if there are there a lot of Catos)
“There are, but not necessarily from my father, but from my mother’s side of the family there’s a lot. When I go to family reunions, they’re saying Cato, they’re really talking to an older guy, so I really don’t get that much anywhere else.”
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