It was a blessing how the end of the season turned out last year. I ended up with the best team in the league. I feel like I learned a lot with Kevin Faulk and Corey Dillon and I was talking to a lot of the veteran guys about next season coming around, how I wanted to get better and what I was looking forward to doing in mini camp. But they said a good thing for me to do was just play over here in NFL Europe and get used to the fast pace of the game and learn the game and things like that here. So I talked to Bill [Belichick, Patriots Head Coach] about it and we agreed on me coming over here.
I was a little hesitant at first when I heard they wanted me to come over here because I had never been over this way on my own before. It was a new thing but then I heard a couple of guys talking about it and last year and then I started looking forward to coming over here.
Training camp wasn't too bad. It kind of reminded me of college two-a-days because it wasn't long. It was just more of two practices in the morning and then you were off for the rest of the day. And when I got there I met a lot of guys from other teams and other schools and I am just looking forward to playing with a lot of the guys.
I look at this experience as just a part of trying to get better each and every day. I am here with some guys who have played and I am here with some guys who have tried to play, and by me being on the practice squad [last year in New England] I just feel like now it's time for me to get my opportunity to show the coaches what I can really do.
We got here on March 25. When I got here it kind of puts you in a stage where you are in a new environment, a new country, but you really don't notice until you get near the hotel and meet the different people and hear them talk. That's when it kind of hit me that we are in a different country. I have been trying to get out walking the streets a little bit and walking the malls. I have been going to a lot of places where the fans and people are, to a lot of the restaurants and bars and things.
As far as the actual football goes, as a team our goal is to win the World Bowl. Personally my biggest thing is really just to come here and improve on all the aspects that I need to get better in so that when I get back to New England I can just come in and fit right in.
We run a one-back set so coach tries to keep it pretty balanced, but in a one-back set it's really more of a passing offense with what you can do with the four receivers. But when I get my opportunity to carry the ball I am going to try to make it my best. In terms of my running style I was always told that I was more of a slasher as a running back, but I want to try to prove to people that I can pound it a little bit. I don't want to be just a slasher, so I will pound it a little bit and try to mix it up a little bit.
We have come together quite a bit as an offense since we've been together. From day one when we first got [to training camp] the offense kind of didn't look too good, but from then to now is a big difference. The offense is clicking right now and just being with each other for a month or so a lot of improvement has gone on.
In terms of the league a whole, as far as the teams that we played against in training camp, all of them had a good offenses and a lot of multiple looks. But I would say the best team offensively that I have seen would have to be [defending World Bowl champion] Berlin. They have a two-back set with a lot of motions and a lot of other shifty things that none of the other teams really do.
As told to **Patriots Football Weekly's **Andy Hart.
