 
Becoming a Cowboy
What did you like about the Cowboys besides them being your hometown team? It was just a good situation. In speaking with Coach Parcells, he seemed to have a pretty specific plan for what he intended to use me for. Dallas and Jacksonville were my best options, and it seemed like I would have a better chance making the team by staying here in Dallas. And it is my hometown, so it would be great to play here. What are your impressions of Coach Parcells? He's a hard-nosed, tough coach who's all about discipline and working hard. I'm enjoying that. It's something you really need going to the next level. What are some of the benefits of being able to stay home? Will it help your transition? I don't know if it will help me, but it will definitely be nice. I already have a support base here and it will be great to have people cheering you on, and I think it would motivate you even more not to let them down. What did you know about the Cowboys defense going into the situation? They play the traditional 4-3, and they're starting to use more 3-4 defenses. That's pretty much all I knew, and when I was talking to Coach Parcells, he spoke with me about playing linebacker and the outside linebacker position in that 3-4. That's pretty much all I knew going into it. How was the experience of the first mini-camp? I played nothing but linebacker in mini-camp. The experience was an eye-opener. You've got a lot of guys coming in there competing for a job, so for the next few weeks, I'll definitely be working as hard as I can to get in the best shape I can and give myself the best chance of making the team. Did anyone make a big impression on you? Everybody was working hard out there and very athletic. (Former Notre Dame RB) Julius Jones was out there working hard and some of the other draft picks like (former USC OT) Jacob Rogers. You can really see why some of those guys were picked as high as they were. Have you spoken with Marcus Tubbs since the draft? Yeah, I talked to him a few days ago. I just congratulated him and told him I knew he was going to take care of business up there, and it was vice versa. We're going to try to hook up here in the next few days while he's still around in the Texas area. What kind of feedback did you get from the scouts before you signed? They liked my ability to rush the passer, and they were looking at me as kind of a 'tweener, a little bit to small to play defensive end and not necessarily fast enough to play linebacker. The main thing was to get as fast and strong as possible and be able to play whatever, whenever. My whole thing was just going into the weight room and getting as strong and as fast as possible so that I could make that transition. And Coach Parcells expressed his belief in you being able to do it? Yes, if I do everything he says and work as hard as possible, I should be able to do it. What are your plans between now and the next mini-camp? For the next couple of weeks I'll be working out. I've got a trainer here in Dallas that's working with me. I'm doing a lot of stuff with him, and then on the 16th of May, that's the first day that free agents and draft picks can come and start doing offseason workouts with the team. I'll be doing that for a few weeks, as well as continuing to train with my trainer. It'll be nothing but working out for me.
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