University of North Carolina Athletics
Player Media Day Quotes
August 5, 2006 | Football
Aug. 5, 2006
On being a leader:
The best way I can see myself leading this team is just leading by example - going out everyday and working hard, keeping this team's enthusiasm, keeping our positive attitude, keeping our work ethic and keeping our esteem high. [That will help us] be a positive team and get things accomplished and move forward to win ball games and make more big plays.
On his maturation at UNC:
It's been a long process, but now just being here and being around all the positive influences that I have been around - like Tommy Richardson, Coach Thigpen, Coach Bunting - my growing up process has been good. Now, I put more effort and more faith to this team than I do to my own my athletic ability and my own athletic pride. The team's first, and it has always been, but now it's an attitude about being more of a role model, more of a leader to look up to. That has taken my work ethic and my development to another level.
On the team's attitude:
It's been a long time since I've been around a team with such positive attitudes. A lot of teams you'll have that one player who is all about himself; you'll usually have one or two players who are kind of bad apples. But this team is not like that. It's a team full of people who are dedicated, focused, ready to do anything - whatever it takes for us to be successful this season.
On the potential of the defense:
We just love playing football. We love to have fun. We love being out there together. And that's one thing that drives us to be more successful. We've matured, we've gotten smarter. We've got some veteran players and we've got some youth that's really talented, so I just expect the sky is the limit for this defense.
On the team as a whole:
You know how there are some teams that have volunteer things and a couple people may show up here and there and a couple of people may do certain extra things - like extra workouts, extra film sessions - in order to put themselves ahead of the game? But it's not like that with this team. Everybody has rededicated themselves to the game of football. It's not one person staying in the weight room late - it's everybody doing it. It's not one person in the film room - it's the whole defense in the film room. And steps like that, they can only lead to greatness. If you have everybody on the same page working towards the same goal putting in the same effort, everybody should have success.
On his strengths:
I think I understand the game a lot better than most people in college football right now. I think as a player I could tell you a lot more than some other people could tell you. That's going to help me. What I lack in skill, I think I make up for in my intelligence.
On the receiving corps:
They are very dynamic. They all have different strengths, different talents. You've got guys who are possession receivers and you've got guys who can beat a corner. You put those things together and in situational football, you can't ask for a better group of guys.
On if he feels like he has something to prove:
No, not really. I feel that I shouldn't be judged based on my performance in terms of as a person. In terms of as a player, and once I'm finished with the game how I want to be respected, I guess I have two years to "redeem" myself. I guess I'm out to dispel all rumors.
On the possibility of splitting time at quarterback:
It would be no different than having two running backs that do two different things well. You can have your third-down back who's going to be your power guy and he's going to run the ball up there and get the first down. And you've got your first- and second-down back who's going to be able to take 20 to 30 carries a game. It really wouldn't be any different than that. That's the way I view it. Obviously, [I'd love to play every down] - that's what we want to do. But it's not about us. It's about the team.
On his injury last year:
It ended up being a blessing in disguise because I got to redshirt, which I wanted anyways. So, being able to redshirt and then with [Matt] Baker leaving, the competition opened up, new offense - it couldn't have fallen into place much better.
On the competition to be the starter:
Competing is what we all play for. If you don't want to compete in football, you don't need to be here. That's what I play for. It's a tough game to play. It's taxing on your body. But the best thing is competing, so I absolutely enjoy competing for the job.
On leadership:
I think sometimes people appoint leaders, and sometimes leaders just emerge. I think I emerged a long time ago as a leader. I think there's a learning process that goes with being a leader, especially when you haven't done it. Through the time that I've been here, I've definitely matured and learned how to be a leader and the things that it requires. And sometimes it can be a bit heavy because it's not only on the field or in Kenan Stadium or in the locker room, it's off the field, too. Staying out of trouble, making sure your grades are right, things of that nature - all of those things filter in to being a leader, and over my the course of my life, I've been kind of been trained to be a leader. So I take it head on; I enjoy being a leader.
