The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
05.03.2012 | Football
May 3, 2012
How did signing with the Baltimore Ravens come about?
Right at the very end of the draft, almost immediately after the last pick came up on the screen, I got a number of phone calls from several different teams, one of which was the Baltimore Ravens with whom I shortly thereafter signed a free agent deal to get into camp and compete for a job.
How does it feel to be a Raven and what do you know about the team?
I think the experience leading all the way up to today has been awesome, and this is a tremendous opportunity for me. It's going to be fun. I know just from watching the Ravens for a number of years, they've always got awesome defensive players, and the offense is always improving, and it just looks like an awesome team to be a part of. I hope I can get in there and earn some respect and have a good time with it and eventually earn a spot and be able to put points on the board.
How does it feel for the process to be over?
It's a little bit of a relief just for the night, but it's also very real now. This whole experience today is catalyzing to me to go out and work harder to get better than I am right now with the hopes of locking down a position.
Did you have a relationship with Ravens entering the draft?
Yes, I had worked out with their special teams coach on Tuesday, and that went really well. I got a chance to meet with him in Austin and we had breakfast before we went out to the field and worked out. He had talked to me and let me know their situation and what they were thinking, and in the end, I feel like it's a perfect fit and couldn't be more excited about the opportunity.
What do you know of the kicking situation there?
They have a veteran in Billy Cundiff who's there. I think it'll be fun and a good experience to be in competition there, and I'm looking forward to it.
How does your family feel now that you have a team?
They were all pretty excited. My mom and dad were both super stoked. Because I don't get great cell reception at my condo or my parents' house, we met up at a restaurant and were all watching on a big screen all together. As soon as I talked to the special teams coach, Coach [Jerry] Rosburg, in Baltimore, and we had locked up a deal, I got home and signed the paperwork and faxed it in. And we were all pretty excited about that.
How do you feel about this being a culmination of what you've been working for?
I think this is truly a blessing just to even have the opportunity. Everyone who's played at Texas who is getting that opportunity like Keenan [Robinson], Kheeston [Randall] and Manny [Acho] - who all got drafted - and other guys are getting their opportunities after the draft, I can't speak for them, but I know getting to experience coming through Texas and playing high school ball in Texas, it's a part of our culture. It's cool to see all of our hard work over the last eight or nine or 10 years come to fruition right now, but this isn't the end. This is just the beginning of a brand new phase.
What do you know about the city?
I don't know a whole lot about Baltimore. I know it's in Maryland [laughing]. I know it's near the Chesapeake Bay, so I know a few geographic things, but I don't know much about it overall. I've lived in Texas my entire life so it'll be a cool deal to experience a new place and new beginnings.
What happens now?
I'll travel up in about 10 or 11 days to rookie minicamp. That will be over one of the weekends coming up. Then beyond that, I'll stay ready for whenever we need to report for the next team activities. As of right now, the plan is to go out tomorrow and kick some balls and hit them as good as I ever have.
How nice is it to have so many other Longhorns in the NFL and that you'll have a couple on your team?
It's cool. Chykie [Brown] and Sergio [Kindle] are there, and I met Cory Redding just the other day at his scholarship endowment event. He was a cool guy. That was the first time I had met him, and I got a chance to talk to him really briefly about his experiences in Baltimore, even though he's going to Indianapolis now. So it's a cool deal. It's great to know there are so many Longhorns, not just in Baltimore, but in the league, and it's great to continue to legacy of Texas players going on to achieve in the NFL.
