The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Two-minute drill: Tarell Brown
08.15.2006 | Football
On how his condition: I feel good; Mad Dog got me into great shape. Coming off the broken arm, I had a better opportunity to train and to get my body right and to focus on the little things that I was missing in my game.
On if he feels a difference in the way he is playing with the weight loss: I feel more explosive. I had more time to focus on my explosive power with the squat and power clean and stuff like that, getting my speed back to where I was in high school. Last year I focused more on my upper body strength because of my hurt knee, and I felt like I got too bulky up top, but I have balanced it out this year, and I got my body in shape, so I know I am physically and mentally ready for anything.
On how strenuous his workouts were: I think it was more dedication, more focus. Mad Dog came and sat me down and we just set up a plan and stuck to it. I have been working hard since I got here and focusing on the smaller things, like being more explosive and coming out of my breaks, working on my back pedal and things like that.
On the concept of working hard and having fun in the secondary: We love to enjoy ourselves, we kid around with each other, but when it is time to get to work, we get to work. The best thing about it is that we're very competitive. With me, Aaron Ross, Michael Griffin and Marcus Griffin and some of the other guys, we all compete with each other as far as who can have the best interception, who can hit the hardest, who can run the fastest and get to the ball the quickest. The small things like that help us build our chemistry back there because one mistake with us in the backfield and it's a touchdown. We need to stick together and battle.
On his role as leader for the young guys on this team: We have to mold them and bring them under our wings, just like Nate [Vasher], Cedric Griffin and Michael Huff did with us. Just following in their lead and trying to be the model that the young guys see both on and off the field and bringing the attitude we need at practice when they're down or when they mess up, brining them up and not beating them down.
On his individual goals: All I'm concerned about is winning as part of a team. All of the individual goals will come with us winning. I'm not worried about that; I want our team to get back to the Big 12 Championship and the National Championship.
On if he is looking forward to the scrimmage on Saturday: It's going to be fun. It's going to be exciting, and we are ready to get out there and play. We've been practicing really hard and getting ready for North Texas and our main focus is just getting out there and being physical.
On his coaches: Coach Chizik is one of the best coaches I've ever been around. Coach Akina and the rest of the coaching staff is one of the best in the country. They get us prepared for every game and get us focused and break down film and put us in the best position to make plays. They bring a lot of energy and keep us up when we're up and light our fire when we're not up. The coaches push us to the next level, keep us levelheaded and keep us on the right track.
