(on what it takes to play defense for Defensive Coordinator Sean McDermott) “His defense is all based around discipline, being accountable, and playing hard. Effort is a big thing, too. As long as you know what you are doing, you’re accountable and give great effort, then I think you can fit right in.”
(on McDermott being different than his past defensive coordinators) “No, I think the big part of any defense is knowing what you are supposed to do, doing it, and giving great effort. I think a lot can be made up for giving great effort especially running to the football, because you never know what is going to happen. The ball could pop out or a guy could slip out of a tackle, but as long as you are running to the ball, it usually works out.”
(on Head Coach Ron Rivera referring to him and Cam Newton as ‘puzzle pieces’ to build the team around) “Anytime you can get a franchise quarterback like Cam, it solidifies things for all three phases of the team. When you can get a guy who can generate points and yards, but also generates energy and enthusiasm it’s awesome. I think on defense you can add pieces, but the foundation of our defense was already kind of set up with guys like Thomas Davis and Charles Johnson, guys who have been around for some time. Those guys set the foundation and I think we just added some good pieces around them.”
(on looking at himself as the defense’s version of Newton) “No, I don’t think so. I don’t really look at myself like that. I thought I could come in and do my best and see if I could help out.”
(on being nervous when he first joined the team) “Absolutely. I came in and heard what the NFL was like, so I walked into the linebacker room and there was Thomas Davis, Jon Beason, James Anderson, Jordan Senn – I mean, the list goes on and on. Those top three guys have been in Carolina their whole careers and have been successful. Beason had been to Pro Bowls, James had a ton of great years, and obviously Thomas. So when I got, there I didn’t know what my role was going to be, but I knew my role was going to be one thing and that was being the Rookie. If I worked hard, kept my mouth shut, and did what I was told, I knew it was going to work out for me.
(on his success early on in his career) “I think a lot of it has to do with those three guys I mentioned in the previous question, especially Jon Beason and Thomas Davis. In our linebacker room, we have three or four rows of desks and Jon sat right next to me. Every day I was taking notes and Beason was giving me information. Even when he went down that first year, he still continued to help me. Jon Beason was my second coach and he sat next to me every day, he was out there at practice and the games. He really taught me how to play middle linebacker, because he had played it at such a high level and he knew all the ins and outs of the defense. He knew our division opponents and knew how to be productive. Him and Thomas were great for me and I really appreciate all that they did for me.
(on the comparisons to Patrick Willis and his ability to cover) “There are always aspects that you can improve. You know, the run game is the easiest (for me). Well, I don’t know if that’s the right word, but (it’s) the part that comes the most natural to me. Pass coverage is something I am trying to improve on and obviously the blitz aspect and pressure aspect of a linebacker is something I need to improve on. I think NaVorro (Bowman) is a tremendous inside pressure guy; he can rush and has good power, moves, and pop. Patrick (Willis) kind of reminded me of Jon Beason because he is all over the place and has great effort. They are just all-around fun guys to watch. When I was coming out I was watching those guys and when I was in the league earlier on in my career I would watch some of the stuff of those guys. I think there is a lot to be said about a group of linebackers like that, guys who fly around, hit guys, and get after the quarterbacks.”
(on if he ever gets the chance to watch Von Miller play) “Not as much because we don’t have as much crossover tape with those guys. I watched him when he was at Texas A&M and I watch him when they are on primetime games or when we aren’t playing. He is fun to watch. He is explosive, athletic, and him off the edge is a special thing.”
(on his ability to make more tackles than an average linebacker) “I think preparation is big key to that. Obviously you can know what you’re doing in your defense and be able to react very well and that’s an aspect. If you can study and be prepared for what teams are trying to do to you in given situations like first-and-10, or second-and-short, or their tendencies and formation-based runs, it helps. There is a lot of studying that goes into the week where I have seen this look in practice and on tape, so I will see this look in the game. So by the time the game rolls around hopefully you have seen that look a couple times and you can make that first step quicker and maybe allow you to get to the ball faster.”
(on his concern with head injuries and his concussion earlier this season) “No, I don’t worry about that. You know what you are getting yourself into when you are playing football and I love playing football. I feel great and I have never thought about that because they take great care of us. As long as you are smart when you are tackling then you should be all right.”
(on the amount of defensive takeaways the Carolina have this season) “We practice it every week and it is a big part of what we do. Coach (Sean) McDermott always talks about it, we have practice sessions on Thursdays where we are trying to get the ball out in our turnover circuit, and when a ball goes to the ground in practice, guys are running around to pick it up. It has almost turned into a competition a little bit to see who can force the most turnovers and Coach McDermott does a great job at allowing us to play fast and aggressive and that has something to do with it. We have guys that like getting around the ball and like getting their hands on the football to force turnovers. We know how much that affects our offense and put them in good positions, so it’s a big emphasis on what we do, we stress it a lot, we track it a lot, and it makes football more fun when you can get the ball out.”
(on the Carolina defense tracking the number of turnovers) “I don’t know if there is necessarily a reward, but there is always a constant competition. Everybody knows who has the most picks and forced fumbles. Kurt (Coleman) has the most picks and everybody knows that, Josh (Norman) and Thomas (Davis) were up there. There is a big emphasis on that and guys have a lot of fun with it.”
(on his thoughts on the days leading up to the Super Bowl) “It’s unique and it’s special, this is one of those things that coach always talks about. He says you got to enjoy the experience and let the experience kind of happen. This is all part of it and it’s something that you don’t get every week. You know, Monday was fun and it’s something that special. You have to take advantage of it, because it doesn’t happen all the time and you have to make it fun.”
