Q: Tell me what has you most excited about this new defense
Perry Fewell is installing.
A: We’re attacking up front.
We’re putting the onus on us to get to the quarterback and we’re all
ready to do it, and the guys in the back are going to make plays for us.
So it’s more than an attack-style defense. We’re thinking ‘get there’
and then worry about everything else.


Q: Everyone always places an emphasis on sacking the
quarterback, yet the reality is that when you look at the stats, only a
small percentage results in a loss of yardage. With that said, would it
be fair to say that while sacks would be the ultimate way to go, if you
can increase the number of quarterback pressures, that would be just as
beneficial?
A. Precisely. There can never be too much
pressure put on the importance of getting to the quarterback because if
they can’t throw the ball the way they want to, they can’t complete a
pass.


Q: Isn’t there a danger that if you keep coming at the
quarterback, they might try to counter with something to defeat the
rush? If so how do you prepare to counter that?
A: We just
have to deal with applying the pressure in a responsible way. You don’t
want to take it and do something that’s outside of the defense, trying
to make a play or straining to make a play, but you want to be confident
enough o make moves and be confident even to take a chance to make a
play. But when you do that, you have to make it.


Q: Tell me about your new position coach, Robert Nunn.
A:
He has his own style. The defense is different so we’re in different
alignments so he’s coaching us on different techniques as far as your
angles, your entry angles, and your approach to rushing the passer.


Q: How are the rookie defensive linemen fitting in with the
rest of the d-line?
A: So far they’re doing pretty well.
It’s a new defense for us, but a completely new situation for them
because they’re in a new city, they have to move, and they’re dealing
with a lot of extra stuff as they get settled. I think what they’ve
shown in OTAs is inspiring because we know that we can count on them.