Q. Having an off-season this year, how does it make you feel, and why do you feel like that?
CHARLIE HECK: It feels great. As a rookie, I really didn't get that off-season, so this year I really wanted to take full advantage of this one. So I really was here every day living in the weight room, meeting everybody, learning the new offence. So that was big for me.
Q. What do you feel is different this year?
CHARLIE HECK: I think the big thing is confidence. I was able to get in the end of the year into some of the game. I definitely had my struggles, but I proved to myself I could play in this league, and I carried that out going into the off-season.
Q. How different is it to have preseason? Does maybe even one game show the tangible value of it?
CHARLIE HECK: It's huge. It's live reps going against a different team. That's how you get better is gaining experience, getting those live reps.
Q. What do you think you've gotten best at? Is it strength?
CHARLIE HECK: Yeah, strength is a big thing. Confidence is big, knowing your job inside and out, trusting your technique. That's huge for an O-lineman.
Q. How much do you weigh now?
CHARLIE HECK: 308.
Q. Is that down from where you were when you reported?
CHARLIE HECK: No, I showed up about -- I've been in the 308, 310 range, but it's a lot better weight.
Q. Any advice you got from your day as far as making the leap from first year to second year?
CHARLIE HECK: My dad's been a great resource for me. One thing he always says, it's camp. It's getting better every single day. Finding something to work on and just improving on that every day.
Q. How much better do you think the offensive line is right now? How good can you be when the season starts?
CHARLIE HECK: This O-line is great. I feel we're getting better every day now. It takes time on the O-line to build that chemistry, and I think we're doing that right now. We're slowly getting better throughout the camp.
Q. How do you think you've become who you are because of your father?
CHARLIE HECK: Football has always been a part of my life, but what's special to me is my dad was always my dad first. He wasn't really that kind of coaching figure. Obviously, as I got older, he was a resource for me, which was great, but he was always our dad first.
Q. In short yardage situations, what's been the biggest thing to work on to help improving that over the course of the preseason?
CHARLIE HECK: Short yardage, we've been talking about a plus two mentality. That's really the mentality in the O-line. When we get those one yard, two yard games, it's about getting behind the line and pushing for momentum for the extra two yards.
Q. (Inaudible question)?
CHARLIE HECK: He's been an awesome coach for us so far. He's played in this league. He understands it. He's great kind of picking out individual things for each player and working on that every day. So it's been awesome to have him.
Q. They're asking about the value of preseason. How important is it for you as an offensive line to get that time together and then have that on tape?
CHARLIE HECK: It's huge. It's everything really. Like I said, when it comes to chemistry, it's getting that feel for where your man's going to and where those aiming points are, and you can only really get that in games.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports