(on being selected by Jacksonville) ³I¹m really excited about coming to Jacksonville, obviously an expansion team with an exciting crowd and city. I¹m really looking forward to coming down there. Also, the plus of being close to home with family and friends and where I went to college, so I just couldn¹t be more excited about where I¹m going.²
(on the possibility of playing guard) ³That¹s great. I played some guard in college in practice situations, never in a game, but when I went to the Senior Bowl I played left guard. It takes some adjusting, but it¹s something I think would be a challenge and something I look forward to.²
(on competing for a starting job this year) ³I know you have an experienced center in (Dave) Widell and that he¹s been around the league a long time and he¹s been a successful player. If not from playing, I think at least from practicing with him I can learn a lot of things and improve myself as a player and get ready to play when he¹s done.²
(on making line calls as a center and being a leader) ³I think it¹s something that has been my responsibility ever since I got to college as a freshman, being 18 years old and everybody expecting you to tell them what to do. It¹s been something that wasn¹t easy to learn, but since I have, it¹s a responsibility that goes along with the position I play, and I actually enjoy it.²
(on getting into a tussle with a defensive lineman at the Senior Bowl) ³If I see something going on that I don¹t like, I¹ll let the person know. That was an incident where I felt the defensive lineman was taking advantage of the offensive lineman, and the offensive lineman was trying to separate and the defensive guy had a hold of his facemask in an all-star game and was trying to hurt him. I felt like that needed to be addressed. I think being on the football field with football being the aggressive sport that it is, a lot of things happen, and you have to assert yourself and say you agree with it or you don¹t.²
(on coming to an expansion team where there aren¹t a lot of established positions) ³I think it¹s a great opportunity for me, kind of like the opportunity I had when I came into Georgia Tech. I think with Widell being in his eighth or ninth year or something like that, I look at that as another great opportunity for me to come in and learn from a guy that knows what he¹s doing. I¹m just really excited.²
(on possibly becoming a long snapper) ³It¹s something I¹m going to learn, as I¹ve been informed. From the time I went to the Senior Bowl to the combine, everybody has been asking about it, so I think it is something I will work on in practice and hopefully get good at.²