On his last season as a Philadelphia Eagle: "They brought me in late in camp because of an injury, so I don't necessary think they were planning on keeping me. When you don't play for a while, people forget about you really fast. When I got here, they were like, 'oh, this guy can really play some football.' They tried a lot of ways to fit me in. As you guys know, there were some stud defensive ends here that year and unfortunately I was the odd man out."
On playing in the wide-9 defense: "The big part being (DL coach Jim) Washburn. He is a good coach. He evaluated myself along with other players and said, 'This is what this guy can do, this how he can play, and this is how he can make plays.' On top of that, he gave me the opportunity, or I earned the opportunity, to play in a full-time role and I took advantage of it."
On playing further outside of where some DEs line up: "Obviously I'm not 280 pounds or six foot five inches, so I'm not going to wrestle with a tackle. I'm going to use my speed and explosion to hit him in the mouth, go around him, go through him. I'm going to use my skill set to my advantage."
On his relationship with defensive coordinator Juan Castillo: "I actually had a really good relationship with Juan when I was here in 2009. I would stay after practice and help out with the O-linemen. I knew my situation was pretty limited come Sunday, so I didn't mind putting the extra work in after practice. Consequently, we developed a good relationship."
On why he wanted to come here: "When I knew I was going to enter free agency and be sought after, there were some decisions that my wife and I, with my agent, we sat down and decided what was important to me. Obviously one was to keep playing the way I played last year because if it's not broke, don't fix it. Obviously with (DL coach Jim Washburn) Wash, that was a big incentive. Two, I wanted to go on a team that was not only winning, but had a high-powered offense. From a selfish and D-lineman point of view, if your guys are scoring points and you have (QB Michael) Vick and all the other weapons in the backfield and the wide receivers, you're going to have to score a lot of points. The other team is going to have to throw the ball a lot to catch up, but guess what? We can rush the passer all day and be just like (Colts DEs) (Dwight) Freeney and (Robert) Mathis. That was another big incentive for me."
On the moves that the Eagles have made via trades and free agency: "It's impressive. It has sent shockwaves throughout the NFL. It's like 'Listen, this what we're going to do. We're going to win and this is how we're going to do it.' They put their foot down, and I love it."
On being affected by the lockout and not knowing where he would end up: "Fortunate enough for me, I was part of the process. I was the first alternate union representative for the Titans. A lot of my time was spent working on that. It was conference calls, flying out, sitting in meetings, discussing, and deciding. Knowing what was really going on helped me ease my mind a little bit. I honestly tried not to think about March 3 was going to happen, but I always felt in my heart it was going to happen. I'm excited now."
On having to think about the last time he was with the Eagles: "No, I don't think so. People always ask if I wish that Coach Washburn was with me from the beginning. I say that when I was drafted and went Houston, they traded up for Tennessee's pick. At first everyone thought I went to Tennessee. I said no, not at all because of all the things I've had to go through, whether it's playing the linebacker position, going to Seattle and not playing. I had to earn my stripes basically back to the NFL to get the opportunity to play again helped me cultivate who I am as a person, father, husband, and football player. If it wasn't for all those things, I wouldn't be the person I am today and I wouldn't be the football player I am today."
On what type of teammate QB Vince Young was in Tennessee: "He was a good guy. Obviously, there were some situations that went on behind closed doors and on the field. Speaking from personal experience, when you get fired, there's a self-evaluation that goes on and some humbling that happens. You think, 'Listen, this is what I have to do now. I have to earn it back whatever it takes.' The coaches and the guys upstairs obviously believed he was in the right position. Hey, I'm sure he's here to work."
On players acquired in Eagles secondary: "Monumental. I don't know if I've ever seen anything like it. I think it's great from a d-line point of view. That's kind of how I look at everything. Those guys in the backfield, we should have all day to rush the quarterback."
On whether he'll get in a training camp scrap: "I can't guarantee it, but I wouldn't dismiss it."
On what he likes about defensive line coach Jim Washburn: "The thing that I'd like to stress about him the most is that everyone sees he's rough, young, in your face. Honestly, the thing I like the most is he doesn't have a filter. You guys are out there and you see how it is. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it's truth. At the same time, you do what you're supposed to. You bust your butt, go as hard as you can to the best of your ability and make plays, he's going to hug you up like you're his lost son. You get both aspects and a lot of time you don't see that about him."
