Quote wrap-up on draft from ex-Iowa players, NFL officials

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS LB PAT ANGERER

On being drafted by the Colts -- “I can't wait. It's truly going to be an honor playing for them. I'm going to do everything they ask of me. I can't wait to get started.”

On coming to a team with former Iowa standouts in TE-Dallas Clark and DB-Bob Sanders -- “There are some good players that have come out of Iowa, and hopefully I don't let them (Iowa) down.”

On his strength and having the necessary speed to play in the NFL -- “I like to think I can do both. Obviously, I'm nowhere near where I need to be. I'm sure I'm going to improve and learn a lot from the coaches.”

On if he can play inside and outside -- “I'll play wherever they place me.”

On if he felt he would be drafted (Friday) -- “I wasn't even watching it. My agent said there was about a 35 percent chance I'd get picked, so I was just sitting around eating some food and I got the call. It's a dream come true.”

On if he was having a draft party today with the family -- “My family comes over all the time. If the draft wasn't today, everybody would still be over.”

DETROIT LIONS COACH JIM SCHWARTZ ON AMARI SPIEVEY

On CB Amari Spievey and whether he can run with players at this level -- "That's probably the one thing that he's going to have to prove, I guess. His strength is being a run support player. He's a tough, physical player. He's got good instincts in the pass game. He's made some really good interceptions, has really good ball skills. Didn't run a great time (but) didn't run an awful time. I mean, we had a lot of corners on the board who were 4.6, 4.65 guys that had productive college careers. You're talking about a guy that was low 4.5s. You're still talking about a fast guy, he's not speed-deficient. He didn't run the 4.4s and the 4.3s that some of the other guys were running, but I dare say not many of us could call him speed-deficient. He's never ran a super-fast time. It doesn't mean that he doesn't play fast.

"The things we liked about him: his toughness, his ability to defend the run. We liked the track record of Iowa corners. Iowa corners have come out and done well in the NFL. I think that was one of the things that gave us a little bit more comfort. Like I said, he has good ball skills and just because he didn't time well … I don't want to say didn't time well, but didn't have a super time, it's really not that much of a concern."

On if cornerbacks who don't have top speed have other compensating factors  -- "Forty time is interesting for corners. You want guys that can run really fast, but playing corner is about quickness and it's about top-end speed because generally you're not starting from a three-point stance or, like a wide receiver, in a two-point stance going straight ahead. You're starting in a shuffle, you're starting in a back pedal. You have to have the ability to flip your hips and then you have to have the ability to run long down the field. Those kind of things are probably a little more important than an actual 40 time. It probably all comes down to the tape also. You're looking for players that play fast on tape, not necessarily run a fast time. Players that play fast on tape without running a fast time. But, again, this guy - it seems like we're talking about this guy like he's a 4.65 guy. He's not. He's a low 4.5s guy. There's a big difference there."

DETROIT LIONS GENERAL MANAGER MARTIN MAYHEW ON AMARI SPIEVEY

On if a player can play at cornerback without 'great speed' -- "Absolutely. I don't think, if you're talking about Amari, I don't think that he's slow. I mean, you watch him play, he's not slow at all - ran a 4.51 at the combine. A lot of guys have a lot of speed that can't play the position. There are some guys who aren't as fast who can play because they have great instinct. He's a very physical guy to the line of scrimmage with his hands on his jams. He can play football and he's not slow."

 

BUFFALO BILLS T KYLE CALLOWAY

On being a member of the Bills -- “I'm really excited.  I'm thankful for the opportunity.  It's been a long couple of days.  When I got the call I was really thankful.” 

On the level of contact with the Bills leading up to this weekend -- “Not too much.  I talked with one of their guys at the East–West Shrine Game and also at the Combine.  I believe I just did the standard interview.  It was definitely a surprise.” 

On the different positions he played while at Iowa -- “Sophomore year was my first year playing and I started at left tackle that year.  Junior year I started at right tackle the entire year.  Also, my senior year I was at right tackle predominately except for that last game against Georgia Tech.  One of our guards got injured and we moved our lineup around a little bit.  I ended up at right guard and lined up with a pretty big defensive tackle at Georgia Tech.  My first years at Iowa I also played guard so it wasn't a big surprise for me. I think I handled it well.  At guard or tackle, I'm comfortable playing both.”   

On the coaching techniques a player learns from Coach Ferentz at Iowa -- “It's definitely professional grade.  What attracted me to Iowa was Coach Ferentz.  He has a long history in the NFL as an NFL coach.  It seems like everyone around the league really respects him and his coaching style.  It's been a pleasure playing for him the last five years.  I went into Iowa not really knowing anything about O-line and it's been a process and I've learned a lot.” 

On what he learned in college translating to the NFL -- “I think it will translate well.  I'm very confident in the technique they teach.  It really makes it so if you're doing your technique right you can't get beat really.  I'm real confident in my technique.  Obviously, there are a lot of things that I have to sharpen up especially moving on to the next level.  I am confident.” 

On what kind of offense they ran at Iowa -- “I would say it was a balanced traditional zoned scheme.  I would say 60 percent run and 40 percent pass.  Everything at Iowa works off the run.  We do a lot of play action and a lot of nakeds to get the linebackers to bite.  We're known for our run game and we enjoy running the ball.  That's always something we focus on in practice as well but we do have the ability to drop back and pass it.” 

On being comfortable in his own skin -- “I've always been comfortable in my body.  Growing up I've always been involved in sports.  When I was in fifth grade I did track competitions. In high school I was in AAU basketball.  I was also in track and football.  Even though I went through some growth spurts I was always kind of comfortable in my body just from playing sports all the time.” 

 On not being affected by cold weather having played from Iowa -- “Not at all.  I look forward to the cold weather.”  

MIAMI GENERAL MANAGER JEFF IRELAND ON LB A.J. EDDS

On where he fits with the team -- “I think you'll see him on third down almost immediately. My vision for him is that he's a nickel linebacker. I think you'll see him on the field pretty quickly in that role. That's my vision for him anyway.”

 

MIAMI DOLPHINS LB A.J. EDDS

On being a big play maker in college and using that to transition into the NFL – “Sure hope so. I think that is the reason that Coach Sparano and Mr. Ireland decided to take me. I am excited to get down there and to learn to improve and compete and just try to pick up where I left of at Iowa.”

On how he was used at Iowa – “I didn't do a whole lot of pass rushing because our defense didn't call for it. I am excited to improve on, excited to get [to do that]. The strengths are being a physical player, playing in space, playing in coverage and just being an all around type of player.”

On where he expected to go in the draft – “I didn't have a lot of expectations. I just went with an open mind and just want to get a chance. I am very happy to be able come down to Miami. The last time I was down in Miami, I played in the Orange Bowl and had a good experience there so I am just hoping to build on that.”

On what he got playing under Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz – “The accountability and the way the University of Iowa and the football program coached young men and Coach Ferentz molds and shapes young men. I think the biggest thing is the accountability aspect and being able to take on responsibility and being able to handle it the right way you are able to do great things and prosper. That is something I was able to do and I was proud to be able to that at a young age.”

On what he knows about the Dolphins linebacker situation – “I don't know a whole lot. I didn't really look into a lot of teams throughout this whole process. I just wanted to wait, figure out where I'd be and go from there. Now that I know I will probably be exploring here in not too long. But right now I do not know a lot, just going to get down there and compete do that kind of stuff.”

On if he is aware of Joey Porter and Jason Taylor not being on the team anymore – “I do know those situations. I do know that those guys are no longer on the team. I guess that is good for me, but at the same I am not worried about that kind of stuff right now. I am just worried about getting down to Miami fitting in and trying to make a name for myself.”

On if he expected to go in the fourth round – “It is about where I thought I would go. Talking to my agent, [we] felt I was a fourth round guy at best, maybe a third round guy, potentially going into the [fifth or sixth rounds] but this is really where I thought I would be. At the end of the day it doesn't matter where you get drafted, it is about what you do when you get to a team and once you settle in. So it is good to go early, and better than going later, but at the same time it is not a whole lot of importance once the draft is over.”

On how much contact he had with the Dolphins coaches at the Senior Bowl – “Playing for the North side, I wasn't with them every day. Being around the hotel, I had a chance to speak with the coaching staff, casual conversation on and off for the whole week. I had a nice meeting with Coach Sparano and Mr. Ireland down there and that went pretty well. I must have done something to make an impression on them. I just told them on the phone that they are not going to regret their decision taking me. I am excited and hopefully everyone else is too.”

On his pass coverage skills – “I think it is one of my strengths, the way I get back in coverage and read and diagnose run [or] pass, get my drop and survey the field. I think I really improved on that between my junior and senior year. I think it showed up my senior year. It is something I feel pretty strong about and hopefully I can build upon it a little more.”

On the adjustment from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense – “There is an adjustment just like any time you change to a new system. At the end of the day, defense is defense. It is all about desire and tenacity and how much you want to make it happen. You can draw up all the schemes and coverages you want, but when it is all said and done you have to line up, get off blocks and make tackles. That is what boils down to.”

On what AJ stands for – “Andrew James. It is a good name, it is good. A.J. fits a little bit better, but you guys can call me whatever you want.”

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS TE TONY MOEAKI

 

 

What do you think about being drafted? -- “I am just excited. When the trade appeared on TV, I got a call. I am really excited right now, excited to be a Chief. I am really excited to play for Coach Haley and the whole organization.”

It seemed like this trade went down and everything happened fast. Did it feel that way for you? -- “It happened within seconds. It was lightning quick. I was sitting on my couch, I heard my phone ring and I jumped up and sure enough it was from the Kansas City Chiefs. I am on cloud nine right now, just really excited.”

What were you doing when the call came? -- “Just hanging out with my family.”

Were you guys still watching the draft? -- “We were still watching it.”

How frustrating is it to miss most of the year with an injury? -- “It's definitely frustrating, but it's part of the game. That part is behind me and I'm just ready to go.”

Was there a time that you got frustrated and wondered what your future was in football? -- “To be honest I never did. Our coaching staff, Coach (Kirk) Ferentz, Coach (Chris) Doyle, I have a great team, a great family so I never really doubted myself, I never really got down and I think continued with how I came back and played and I just feel great right now.”

What do you know or have heard about (General Manager) Scott Pioli and the Chiefs through Coach Ferentz? -- “{Scott) Pioli was with the Jets and the Patriots and both those teams were winners. That's the first thing that comes to mind is he builds a team around character and being a team. That goes a long way in sports and he's just done a great job and I'm excited to be part of the Chiefs organization.”

What's your preference, to be more of a pass catching tight end or a blocking tight end? -- “My preference is being a complete tight end. I know these days in college football they are spread offenses but at Iowa we ran a pro-style offense like most NFL teams. You have to be a complete tight end to play in the pro-style I feel like. I did my fair share of blocking and I caught my fair share of passes so I like to say I'm a complete tight end.”

You feel pretty confident in your receiving abilities? -- “Absolutely.”

 

 

GREEN BAY PACKERS GENERAL MANAGER TED THOMPSON ON T BRYAN BULAGA

Are you going to look at starting him inside or at the tackle position? -- We'll let the coaches do that. It's my understanding we're going to put him at tackle. Whether it's left or right or whatever, we'll figure that out as we go along, but he's going to be a good guy to add to our group.

What do you like about his makeup and the way he plays the game? -- I like his makeup very much. He's a finisher, he's a tough guy. He's athletic, he's got great size. Loves football, real gung-ho type attitude. He's the real deal, I think.

Are you confident the thyroiditis he had last year is not an issue anymore? -- Yeah, I don't know much about medical stuff, but our doctors were fine with it.

What do you think about the Iowa impact and him coming from Kirk Ferentz's program? -- I think it's an asset. First of all, the Packers have had good luck with Iowa players in general. But their offensive linemen, even sometimes guys you don't rate as high, they come into the league and play, and they play well. We have coaches on our staff that have worked with Coach Ferentz and his staff and so we have a lot of information about this young man.

There was a report on NFL Network you were trying to trade up. Was that the case, or did you feel there were enough good guys that would fall to you that you wouldn't need to do that? -- We were fishing going forward, we were fishing going backwards, but we're always doing that, and we'll be doing that tomorrow night and on Saturday. Nothing really of significance, though.

Last week you said you'd be happy with any position. But now that you've made the pick at tackle, can you tell us how much you really wanted to solidify the future there? -- it's not any different than the answer last week. It really was. This was a value pick for us, we felt like. But yeah, clearly whether it's on the defensive line or on the offensive line, sometimes it's tilted in that favor because there's fewer options. But the answer is still the same as it was last week.

At the Combine, Bryan talked about how his illness really affected his strength. Did you look at lot at the 2008 tape as well as 2009? --

We did. Believe me, with all these fellas, we've watched a lot of tape in the last whatever. But we focused a little bit more on the end of the season this year, the last few games, and felt like that was when he was at his best and healthiest.

He struggled a little bit against Graham and Schofield. Does he have trouble with speed? -- No, I don't think that's any more ... those are two pretty good college players, though. But yeah, he did, and that's something, I don't know. He did, he struggled against those guys.

Does that worry you at all? -- Not overly, no. Everybody has bad days.

 

(How much does him playing in a zone scheme help you out projecting him?) -- Didn't factor in very much at all, nor would it if he had been in another kind of system. But it's good to be able to see that he does some of the same stuff that we do.

(Was it a no-brainer when he was there, or was there debate in your draft room?) -- We were pretty solid on who to pick.

Do you have the luxury of bringing him along slowly? You don't have to put him in the starting lineup right away? -- We don't know. You never know when you're going to have to play, but we'll put him in behind somebody and let him go and take some reps and see where he goes. He'll be competing for starting jobs just like everybody else on our team does.

If you knew you could get this guy, would you have needed to re-sign both of your tackles? -- Sure. You can't just have five, you know, as you've all seen with our team. You have to have more.

For more on Thompson's interview, click

here