Monday, May 5, 2008

Rookie camp defensive players round-up...

In MLive, Tom Kowalski talked to Joe Barry about rookies and Buster Davis...

On Dizon's size:

"I know Shelton Quarles and Barrett Ruud, who I coached in Tampa, were right
around the 230 range. Before I got to Tampa, Hardy Nickerson was there and he
was a bigger man. But this kid is young and when we go to camp I hope he's about
230. He was 229 at the combine. But I don't care about size, I care about
instincts and I care about speed and I care about a guy who is able to make
plays. He can do all of those things.''


On Fluellen and Avril's size:

"I think we're going to try to get Andre up around 300 pounds. I think he was
295 at the combine and he was 292 (on Friday). Our defense is built on speed,
quickness and movement but you've got to be big enough to survive. The three
technique has to be able to hunker down and take on a double team, which Andre
has to. Avril is around that 255 range and that's fine. He is speed. He ran a
4.5 at the combine and that's what we want. We think he's perfect.''


On Caleb Campbell:

"I was impressed with Caleb at the combine athletically. He worked out with
the defensive backs and, at that time, I didn't even picture him as a
linebacker. The further we went on with this process, probably the last month of
the draft, we really viewed him as a linebacker. In three practices, I've really
been impressed. It's a different world now when in your whole career you're
lined up 10 yards from the line of scrimmage. Even when you come down into the
box, which he did a lot of in college, you're still a defensive back. You're at
10 yards and you're coming down into the box and the ball's snapped. Now he's
lined up with his toes at four yards over Gosder Cherilus who weighs 300 pounds.
That's a different world. He's got a lot of understanding of the position to do
but I'm excited about him athletically and mentally. We're not in pads yet but
just watching his college tape, he's a tough kid, he's never going to turn
anything down. I'm fired up to work with him the next couple of months.''

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