Q. Curious just as a player coming back, how has it all come together?
BRANDIN COOKS: I think any time you go out there and suit up and you go out there and playing against another team, obviously the competition is always going to be high. No matter new team or not, it's always a time to be able to get to know one another out there live and compete.
Q. Any more value on the team this year?
BRANDIN COOKS: No, I think you just approach it the same way. Every game is valuable, no matter if it's the first preseason or the last. I think you've got guys who are all fighting for our jobs and competing, so every single one of them is valuable.
Q. Called Tim Kelly a genius play caller. In the way that you can, how does Kelly use you guys in this offense?
BRANDIN COOKS: I think at the end of the day he does such a great job of spreading the ball around getting everyone the ball. This offense is based on team and doing it for one another, and I think he does a good job with that when it comes to his play calls.
Q. This team with so many new guys and so many guys on one-year contracts, does it feel distinctly different in the locker room or the building?
BRANDIN COOKS: No, I think at the end of the day, any time you're in that locker room and you're spending time with people like this, you become close. You're not thinking about this guy's on a one year, two year. At the end of the day, we're teammates, and we're focusing on the now, and I think we're doing a great job with that.
Q. What's the trick to learning everybody's name?
BRANDIN COOKS: I think the good thing is now with the new lockers, we've got everybody's name above it. When somebody's sitting down, you look up and try to read the name, and jot that mental note.
Q. Even though you've been through a number of these, are you still eager?
BRANDIN COOKS: Always. First of all, it tells you the time of football is back, and the competitive level is going to be high here on out. So always eager to get going.
Q. You've worked with lots of quarterbacks. What do you see from a guy like Davis Mills coming into this league?
BRANDIN COOKS: You talk about a guy that's really, first of all, smart, and he's learning from his mistakes out there. He's playing faster every single day. I think, as a young guy, as long as you continue to take steps forward in training camp and show that you're playing faster and faster, that shows everyone else that you're getting the hang of it.
Q. Anything that he's shown you that has kind of stuck out for you?
BRANDIN COOKS: I mean -- that's a good question. A lot of things stick out to me for a young guy and what he's doing. Something in particular, I'm not thinking of it now.
Q. How do you feel about the new guys and the guys that have been here gelling together to help the team?
BRANDIN COOKS: I think a lot of the veterans that we got coming from other teams or other places is doing such a great job to lead in their aspect and showing these young guys how it's done. So not one guy has all the answers. We lean on one another, and we gel together on that veteran leadership to make sure things are going as smooth as possible.
Q. When you look at the transition, is it made easier about the fact that a lot of the new guys have a lot of experience with other teams?
BRANDIN COOKS: I think so, especially when you talk about those other teams are successful organizations.
They've been doing it year in and year out the right way, so they bring that caliber to our team, and we continue to just build from that.
Q. (Inaudible question)?
BRANDIN COOKS: The guy is explosive. He can move. He's real shifty and fast. To have him out here, he's a great addition to our room.
Q. What do you think of Nico Collins?
BRANDIN COOKS: Same thing, explosive guy. He may say rookie, but the way he goes about his work, the way he follows some of these vets, you respect that out of a young guy, and he's picking it up every single day.
Q. The way they play off each other?
BRANDIN COOKS: Now you're getting into specifics. We're not going to talk about that.
Q. In the offense, what changes have you seen from last year to this year?
BRANDIN COOKS: Changes? I think we're getting into specifics again. I think we're going to have to wait to week 1 to talk about that. On a serious note, we do great when we play fast, and we've been doing that, having that sense of urgency every single day coming out here and building on that in these training camp days.
Q. David Culley said he wants to see more consistency out of Nico. What do you think that consistency looks like for a rookie receiver? What does that mean?
BRANDIN COOKS: I think he's been doing great. You're going to have to talk to Coach Culley on that one. I'm not looking at it from a coach's standpoint. I'm here to encourage and have Nico lean on me and other vets the best way that he can and continue to build him up.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports