Q: How significant is it for you to have come back from your 2008 injury against the Chiefs and accomplish what you have since then?
TB: Yeah, I didn't think about that. Time flies. Yeah, I mean, it's great that we're here. I think all the players look forward to this weekend. It's a long offseason, it's a lot of preparation and it's for this game. When the schedule comes out, you've got this first game is the only one you're really looking at and all the preparation, everything's building for this week. It goes for both sides. I'm sure they're looking forward to it, too. I'm excited for this year and to see if all the hard work we put in could amount to something. It's going to be a fun week.
Q: Are you struck by the level of speed in your offense?
TB: Yeah, I think really it just comes down to whatever your different skillsets are, it's still a matter of execution. You know, fast, quick, tall, smart - I mean, you've got to put it all together, and you've got to put it together on every play. Offensive football is really important that every player is on the same page. You can't really have one part of the chain that's not connected. Everyone's got to be focused on what their responsibility is. So, those guys that can present problems with speed, that's what they've got to do, and then when they get the ball, they've got to play that way. And the quick guys and the tall guys and the strong guys, it's just everyone's got different skillsets and it's really a matter of how everyone comes together within our style of offense and how we can execute in order to get the ball down the field.
Q: With all of your experience, how slow is the game for you right now? Can any team surprise you with defensive scheme?
TB: You know, it's football, and football is very humbling. I mean, you may think you go out there, practice and things go well, and then you go to a particular game and they do things that maybe you haven't worked on or haven't thought about or haven't talked about. I think the experience helps with maybe just some recall about things we could do to solve the problems that maybe a team is presenting to us. For example, I've said before, when I was younger, you'd come in on Monday morning and make corrections. Well, I mean, we'll be making corrections after the first drive based on things that they've been doing and things that they haven't shown, things that they're trying to do to slow us down. I mean, that's how football's played. It's very much like checkers. I mean, they're going to have things that we haven't been working on, vice versa, and it's constant adjustments throughout the game. You know, you can't prepare for everything. We haven't seen that much on film this year, just a couple preseason games where most of the guys weren't in there very long. They've got their defense. We've got our offense. It's going to take a big effort. They've got great players at all levels of their defense, and we're going to need to play great.
Q: How do you control frustration if you can't get off to as fast of a start as you'd like?
TB: Well, I think there's just a high level of expectation, so when we're not performing the way we're capable, it's very frustrating for me and everybody in our offense, coaches included. I mean, we want to be able to score points and that's what our job is, so we go out there, we've all got to be on the same page. And there's a lot of new players, so there's learning curves as we go, and hopefully we can get better as the season goes.
Q: What do you think about adding Phillip Dorsett as an offensive weapon?
TB: Yeah, I mean, I just met him yesterday. I don't know much about him, so we'll see. I think he's a young player and he's trying to learn our system, but he's just coming in, trying to work hard and figure out what to do.
Q: What do you see from Kansas City's defense that makes it so dangerous in forcing turnovers?
TB: Yeah, they have playmakers. Derrick Johnson is one of the best linebackers in the league. He does so many things for that defense. You can tell it really hurts them when he's not out there. And Eric Berry is a big time playmaker. Marcus Peters - more interceptions than anybody since he came in the league. [Justin] Houston and [Dee] Ford, I mean, they strip sack the quarterback. So, they're very explosive and really force the ball out of your hands quick because they get a good rush and then their playmakers in the secondary have eyes on the quarterback and they're trying to make plays, too. When they're roaming around, you can't just stare them down where they're right where you want to throw the ball. It's always like a little cat and mouse with safeties and quarterbacks. But, they've got a lot of playmakers. That's why they've forced that many turnovers. That's why they're so complementary as a team. You know, they get the turnovers, they score points, they get a lead, they rush the quarterback, strip sacks, turnovers, and it just keeps going. Hopefully we can get off to a fast start like we always talk about, but it's a very challenging team.
Q: Does having a primetime game as the season opener get you more amped up than normal for Week 1?
TB: Yeah, I mean, the opener's always pretty - you know, everyone's pretty amped up for this one. It's been waiting a long time for this. But yeah, starting the season and I know they've got a lot of events planned, so probably families are coming in. It's a big game and it's an important one. You know, we're playing one of the best teams in the AFC. Last year, they were the second seed. They try to make this game big. They get good teams playing, and we know we're going to have to play a great game in order to win.
Q: What will it be like to see the new championship banner unveiled?
TB: I don't even know if we'll be out there when that thing comes down, but that's kind of for the fans. I mean, this team has thought about the 2017 season. That was great. We celebrated and had a great time, but I mean, this team has to earn its own. Everything we get we're going to have to earn. Our goals are ahead of us, and we're going to have to earn it. Every team starts at the same place. It's a challenging season. We're starting a marathon. It's going to take a lot of good football to get where we need to be.
Q: What were you impressions of Jacoby Brissett in the year you worked with him?
TB: Yeah, I mean, he's a great young player. I loved my time with him. He was a great person, friend, teammate. He always will be. I want nothing but the very best for him.
Q: Will you still wake up Thursday morning with butterflies and nerves as you get ready for the game?
TB: Yeah, absolutely. You know, I think everybody does. Everyone works hard and it's very unpredictable. You never know what's going to happen. We, as players, feel like that, too. We're prepared, we're confident, but you've still got to go out there and do it, and you've got to do it against a team that you've studied but not much this year. You know they're working on stuff, we're working on stuff, we try to execute at a high level and they do, too. Yeah, there will definitely be nerves and being anxious, but that's part of football. And, once you get out there and start going, those things calm down.
Q: As you've changed your workout and diet, have you lost weight in the interest of better health?
TB: Nope, I'm pretty stable. I've been that way for a long time. Close to 230 pounds.
Q: How do you keep it fresh after being in the league for so long? Does it ever feel old?
TB: Playing football? Oh no. Football is one of the great joys of my life. I love it every day.
