On the appeal of the new job: "Well, most of the appeal for me starts right at the top with Mr. (Jeffrey) Lurie and (head coach) Andy Reid to give me an opportunity to come and work in an organization that's been so successful over a long period of time. I was flattered when Andy called and I just couldn't resist taking it. The job is a position that I love; working in the secondary. I'm really excited about learning; learning from (defensive coordinator) Sean (McDermott), the scheme. Again, a scheme that's been so successful. Learning that and then doing the best I can to help in any way I can."
On his relationship with Andy Reid and whether it extends before Green Bay: "Not before Green Bay, no. I met Andy in Green Bay with Mike Holmgren and was lucky enough to stay on when that staff came in. Mike really had a great run there, obviously. That's where I met Andy and then just kind of stayed in touch over the years when we left there. That led us to this point."
On Sean McDermott's defense and what he likes about it: "I love the defensive scheme. Again, it's been so successful, it's proven. The pressure is really interesting. I'm really excited about working in it, I'm excited about learning more about it. Obviously, over the course of years, you're always researching in the offseason. There's been many years where you research the Eagles defense. You look at it but you're not inside of it. It'll be great and exciting for me to be able to get inside of it and see if I can learn it and contribute to it."
On what he looks for in a defensive back: "Probably anybody that plays the game, but the secondary specifically, you've got to have a very, very short memory. There are things that are going to happen to you, you are going to get beat. No matter who you are, you are going to get beat and you are going to look foolish sometimes on the field. So you've got to have a very short memory. You've got to be very, very competitive because if you're outside you're matched against some of the best athletes in the world and they have great speed and they have great talent and athletic ability and they can run and cut. Outside you've got to tackle, too. You have to be involved in that part of the game. Inside you're a little closer to that part of the game, the physical tackling part of the game, but you also are matched up against highly-skilled people and sometimes wide receivers. You have to have the same sort of mental makeup. You have to really be a person that loves to take a challenge, you have to be a person that knows that they're not going to win every single snap; that's focused on technique. So that over the course of a 16-game season, you're going to win a whole lot more snaps than you lose. Obviously it takes a tough athlete to play any position in the National Football League and then specifically outside at the corner position. You have to be blessed with certain speed, too, and inside you have to be blessed with those instincts."
On the experience he brings to the Eagles and on any relationship he had with Jim Johnson: "I knew Jim but I never worked with him. I always admired him. I did work with a number of people that worked with Jim and had nothing but great things to say about him just like everybody else did, as you guys know. Sean is somebody that I met a number of years ago but, again, had never had a working relationship with him and I'm really excited about it. If I can bring anything to help, I'm really excited about doing that. I'm just very happy to be part of the staff and part of the organization."
On taking on a different coaching role and whether he has to "check his ego at the door": "I've never felt really much different in the roles. Now, saying that, obviously they are really different roles. When I was a secondary coach, I've got to tell you, I just loved it. It wasn't like I was holding my breath to be a coordinator. It wasn't one of those things where I couldn't wait for that opportunity. I always thought and would say to my wife, if I do a great job at this thing, at the secondary, then whatever happens, happens but I like this. I felt the same way as a coordinator; really enjoyed it, really liked it. Missed some things about the secondary. Same thing when I was lucky enough to get the chance to be a head coach; really liked it, obviously. You get a chance to make the decisions all the time almost. Make the calls on gameday, you go for it on fourth down or you kick it. But you still missed certain things about the other spots. I never felt significantly different. I always felt very lucky to have played in the league, very lucky to coach in the league. I'm really looking forward to this opportunity, hopefully, as a really great experience."
On whether he would like to be a head coach again: "It's exactly what I just said. It's not something that I think about everyday. When Andy called me I was really excited. I was flattered he called and when we started talking, I was excited about the possibility. When we had the interview and he offered the job, I was really excited about that. I'd like to say it may be a function of getting a little older. I'm not very old, but I'm a little older. Quite frankly, I think I've always kind of felt the same way. I really liked what I've done, really feel lucky to have done it and hopefully I'll continue to feel that way."
