How good of a football team can you have this year?
“I think we can compete again for the NFC North championship. I really do. I know last year didn’t turn out so well for us but I don’t think we’re as far away as some people think.”
Will this team likely be focused more on running the football no matter who is quarterbacking?
“For sure. We’re going to definitely try to use Adrian Peterson as a strength like we have in the past and just make sure that everything starts with Adrian. Hopefully our passing game will feed off of that.”
How do you develop the offensive line?
“You know, we’ve got some guys that we drafted that we think are going to help. Being able to have a healthy Anthony Herrera (guard) will make a difference. A healthy Steve Hutchinson (guard) will make a difference. So if we can get some of our key guys back healthy again, including our center (John) Sullivan, we’ll have a chance to improve our offensive line.”
How much of a difference can leadership make in the wins and losses for a team?
“If you’ve got good leadership in your locker room, you may not have the most talented team, but your leaders can really turn a team around by their attitude and their approach everyday. And that’s the intangible that gets overlooked sometimes when you talk about talent. But great leadership—and I’ve been on teams with great leadership—you can win games with it.”