(On if it has been a long day for him) – “Not really. Me and a couple of my buddies went fishing, tried to stay away from the TV and not just sit around sweating. It wasn’t too long.â€Â
(On staying in Florida to play) – “It’s a great feeling. It’s real cool to stay around. My family is in Tampa now, so that’s not too far of a drive to come see me play. It’s a good feeling and I am real happy about it.â€Â
(On if he grew up a Dolphins fan considering his father played for them) – “Yes, my dad played here and Tampa Bay. That’s why I usually watched those teams. It’s a blessing to be able to play for the Dolphins.â€Â
(On if he is disappointed he did not go earlier in the draft) – No. Everybody wants to be the first pick of the first round, but there are millions of kids out there who want to have the opportunity that I have. I am just happy to be able get in the NFL, to be ready to get in the door and start a career with the Dolphins and have the best career I can have.â€Â
(On if some of his off-field problems factored into his draft position) – “I don’t know. There is a lot of speculation. I am trying to stay away from that now. That happened. You just got to go with it. I am trying to have a good career and look forward to the future with the Dolphins.â€Â
(On if he came to a lot of Dolphins games as a kid) – “No, sir. I wasn’t even into football when I was real young. I got into it in high school. I was in Atlanta then.â€Â
(On his memories of playing against Nick Saban’s LSU teams) – “He was a great coach. They would always be prepared for you. We had to load up. I remember I came back, it had to be ’03, I came back off injury to come play them and we beat them, the only team to beat them in a national championship year. We were a wrench in their machine that year. It is a great opportunity to be able to play under a coach that we respected so much in the SEC, and in the nation, as a college football coach. Now him coming to the next level and giving me an opportunity to play with him is great.â€Â
(On how many tackles he had that game) – “I don’t remember. It was double digits, right around ten somewhere.â€Â
(On what made him decide to come out early) – “They told me I could send the paperwork in and get the estimate. It takes them a couple of months to look at the film and see that. My family, my sisters weren’t doing as well as they could. My mom had to take a leave of absence from work and go down help to them with their kids. The paperwork came back and told me early rounds. I was thinking to take the opportunity I had and try to do the best I could do and go to the next level.â€Â
(On if Randy Hand was his roommate at Florida) – “No, sir. I am cool with him. He is my homeboy, but I wasn’t his roommate.â€Â
(On if he is excited about playing with Zach Thomas and Junior Seau) – “Yes, that is a great thing. It’s not like college where you get to take five visits – here, here, here, ‘I like these schools.’ It’s kind of like who likes you. You try to impress them so I was always saying it would be a great opportunity for a young guy like me to try to get in with some guys who know the game and can teach me the little stuff about the NFL game. To go with two of the best ever is a great opportunity for me. I was just thinking about that as soon as they called me. I said ‘wow, that’s a pretty good opportunity for me, for me personally and my career to work under those two.’â€Â
(On if the first Florida player being selected in the third round is an indicator that the program’s fortunes are down) – “No, sir. It’s on and off. There are a lot of great players at Florida. It’s going to pick right back up. This is, I don’t want to say a down year, there are a lot of great athletes coming out, but it wasn’t a year like you’re saying with all the receivers. A lot of coaching conversions and all that stuff might have had something to do with it. You can’t really say that. I can’t say that. There are a lot of great athletes coming out of Florida this year and there is going to be a lot of good guys in, but it isn’t like with all the receivers going high and all the quarterbacks with thegun. It will be a prosperous year and they are going to do great next year under Coach Meyer.â€Â
(On how much contact he has had with the Dolphins since the combine) – “They called me to get some basic information and then at the combine I had to sit down and talked to Coach Saban. Afterwards Coach Saban sent down one of his assistants and he had a more in-depth interview with me. At the combine you only get 15 minutes. He came down to Gainesville and had a more in-depth interview with me. Then they just called and verified my draft-day phone number. That was about it, but it is a great opportunity. It is a great surprise to be able to go be a Dolphin.â€Â
(On if he visited the Dolphins as a “local†player) – “I am not considered local, I don’t think, because my home is in Atlanta. I think I would have had to count as their [top] twenty. I don’t really know the rules, but I know I went to Atlanta for the home one. I don’t know if I could have two home ones.â€Â
(On if the Dolphins asked him about his off-the-field troubles) – “Yes, I did have those and that was very well-publicized, but it was in the past and I think I threw that out the window during the meetings and with the interviews. I’m past that. I am trying get past that and have a great NFL career.â€Â
(On who his agent is) – “Joel Segalâ€Â
(On if he has talked to his father tonight) – “No, sir. Me and him aren’t really close like that. I might get in touch with him sooner or later, but basically my mom, she is the one I look to.â€Â
(On where his father Randy lives) – “He is in Tampa."
