Anyone else more excited about the nose tackle position than any other on the defense this year? Ron Edwards has been getting the most of the reps during camp but the last few days Tank Tyler has been getting his shot. Remember, he was the strongest guy in the 2007 draft class. It's his third year so I'm hoping this is a monster year for him.
Anyway, Todd Haley talks about Tank, how much the starters will play (maybe a series into the third quarter), and the competition between Bernard Pollard and Mike Brown.
Q: What’s Tank (Tyler) shown you for better or worse during this pre-season?
HALEY: "I think that it’s been a little up and down. I’m waiting to see Tank kind of…the thing I remember about Tank when he was coming out (of college) was just the nastiness that he played with. I mean he was a bad dude and you didn’t want to mess around with him. So, I’m waiting to see a little more of that."
Q: So, he’s a little more subdued than you’d like to see of him?
HALEY: "Seems like a nice guy."
Check out more highlights from the Mothership after the jump.
Q: Do you have the sense that anxiety is a little higher right now before the first cut?
HALEY: "Without a doubt. I told the guys yesterday that this is the toughest week in football. Number one, you’re going into week four of hitting each other twice a day most days, it’s hot, you’re getting tired of seeing the same guys, there is anxiety over jobs. But I’m looking for guys with staying power, guys who can sustain, and that’s why I think that camp has to be a tough camp to find out who those individuals are. We’re starting to find out."
Q: Has Mike Brown pushed Bernard Pollard as much as you have thought?
HALEY: "Like I said, the defensive backfield as a whole, I think, there’s excellent competition. I don’t think there’s anybody who feels real comfortable. Mike’s one of the reasons for that but I think that’s the way it is across the board there. Those guys know there is somebody right behind them that could be playing just as well as them. That’s how you get your team good."
Q: You talked about how special teams will be a little different this year and you might see more wide receivers out there. Does that mean you might look at a roster and figure out a number? Do you have a number in mind?
HALEY: "I think there is a general number but that’s one of those positions. Some teams have four and two practice squad guys. Some teams have six. At Arizona we had six. It all depends where they’re contributing and how many plays we expect to get out of them. The kickoff return stuff could factor into that."