Joey Harrington
Q: What was your reaction when you realized that your role was changing on the team to the starting quarterback?
A: “I don’t know that my role has changed to be honest. My role when I came to Atlanta was to be ready to play and whether I am number two or number one I have to be ready. My mindset nor has my preparation has not changed a bit, and I still have to be ready to play no matter what.
Q. What are you doing to gain the respect of your teammates and showing leadership on the field?
A. “I believe the important thing that I have learned from my experiences is that most of the guys really don’t care as long as you’re playing well and it’s kind of a cynical thing to say but honestly, most the guys really don’t care. What people care about in this league is about winning football games. My job is to go in and be prepared and win football games and when they see me playing well they are going to have confidence in me. I don’t think I go out and do anything special and I don’t do anything special to try and win their confidence. I go out play and do what I am supposed to do and my team’s confidence will come from that.”
Q. How tough is it to fill the shoes of Michael Vick?
A: “Well I’m not trying to fill shoes and I think that’s the biggest difference. Mike is one of the most, if not, the most talented player to ever play this game. Mike is an athletic phenomenon, but my job is to try and win football games and if I worry about living up to somebody’s athleticism then I am not doing things right for myself nor the team. My job and my responsibility is to win football games for this team and not try to fill another player’s shoes.”
Q: Did you notice any differences on the field today about training camp that was different from other training camps?
A: “Yes, it was hot, and the humidity in Detroit and Oregon pales in comparison to here. And last year in Miami was a similar climate. But like everybody else, you have to deal with it and get the work done. Nobody was distracted by anything today and everybody was focused on practice because if you are not, it will put you down pretty quick.”
Q: Have you talked to your cousin?
A: “I haven’t spoken to him directly but I sent him a message. I’m sure he’s got a thing or two on his plate right now.”
Q: How comfortable are you with Bobby Petrino’s offense?
A: “I’m learning it and the thing I like about it is that it gives quarterbacks options and it puts the control in my hands which is all that I can ask. There is a lot of memorization and there are a lot of idiosyncrasies you might say. There are things that make it different from other people and you have to learn those and familiarize yourself with his style but the more I play the more I enjoy it and become comfortable. I’m excited to see the things that we can do in this offense.”
Q: What is the biggest difference about this offence and the offense that you were running in Detroit?
A: “The biggest difference in Detroit is that it is completely different from the West Coast system in that I had no control in Detroit. All the line calls were made by the center. There were no side adjustments and there were no hot reads and I had no ability to change the protection or rely on what they did. I had to rely on everybody else. For me that does not work, I need to have answers and coach Petrino’s system does that.”
Q: You have a new quarterback, a new playbook Joe horn is a new receiver, and your starting running back is going to miss some camp so is it realistic for everything to come together?
A: “You mentioned thirty people, one of whom is a ten-year veteran and the other is a ten year veteran and the other is a quarterback that has had a little bit of experience. There are more than three players that make up this team and that is what training camp is for. To get all of those pieces together. I feel great about this team. I feel very confident to see what we can do. Every team has adversity and every team is going to have to deal with some type of injury. Every team is going to deal with some form of bumps in the road. It’s probably not going to be as big as the one we have dealt with this week but every team is going to have to deal with it. Nobody is looking for excuses and nobody is looking to blame anyone and we have a job to do and I absolutely know that we can get it done.”
Q: Talk about Jarious Norwood and his potential for the team.
A: “To be honest, he’s one of the fastest guys that I have seen in this league. He catches the ball extremely well, and if you give him some space or a crease he’s going to beat them to the sideline and that is the type of speed that you can’t coach. He has the ability to make big plays and that’s something that as a quarterback loves. I love to get the ball to him and I’m looking forward to see what he can do this season.”
Q: What was your reaction when you saw the Michael Vick indictment?
A: “I was very surprised because it came out of left field. Things seemed to die down a little bit and I was on vacation with my family and somebody called and told me and it was very surprising.”
Q: What’s the chemistry like between you and the other quarterbacks?
A: “Great, it’s a great group. I love to be in that meeting room because it’s a great group of guys. We get along and we help each other out. There was a couple times today when DJ served as my eyes on the sideline and pointed things out when I came back. I came back and spoke with him so that’s the camaraderie that we have in that meeting room. The group of quarterbacks are very close. It’s a situation that I haven’t been in that much in this league, where everybody steps in and helps everybody out.”
Q: What have you guys done as a team to show some solidarity together?
A: “Play. Its kind of cliché but one of the best things that you can do after something rocks you a little bit is to get back to what you were doing. The longer you sit and dwell on something the more it has the opportunity to affect your ultimate goal. The leaders on the team have spoken and the players have spoken. The coaches have spoken and people have said there pieces and I’m sure there are a lot of different opinions in the locker room but the fact is that we are all part of the Atlanta Falcons and we are all proud to be a part of this team. I guess the solidarity comes on the field naturally; you don’t have to make a special effort for it.”
