Q. What did I think --
CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY: It was good to hear, Top-10 team, see that he's in good hands, he's doing well, he's fighting and we're fighting for him and he's still pushing for us and that's our teammate. It felt good just to see him with smiles and confident and up lifted. You know, we are going to be here every step of the way with him.
Q. What was it like --
CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY: Obviously it was emotional. Whenever you hear a brother go through that, you never want to see somebody have to go through it. I have some people that I knew that was close to me that dealt with some of the same things, maybe not exactly but something similar so I can understand what he's going through and just prayers out to him.
We are going to crowd around him and put our arms around him, this whole organization and we are going to do whatever we need to do to help him and we are going to be right there by his side.
Q. The video that they showed yesterday?
CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY: It was a video, I believe it was either yesterday or the day before.
Q. So he taped something?
CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY: Taped something and showed us, which was good. You know, you never know how somebody will feel if they are sitting right in front of everybody because at the end of the day it's real personal.
But I thought it was good that they could record him and have that one-on-one with us and just letting us know that he's doing fine. You know, he's fighting as if he was fighting on this field, so that's our teammate and like I said, we are going to be right there with him.
Q. We think of you guys being super human, but what does it do for vulnerability, because you're still regular people when something like this happens.
CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY: We're regular people up to regular things. We have battles just like everyone. You know, this is our job. I always say, you know, we got the best jobs because this is what I love to do but at the end of the day it's a job you have to do just like everybody else, and you know, we go through the same thing. We go through life, and things happen. We're not super human. We have feelings. We have a heart.
So yeah, it just goes to show you that, you know, you're Superman on the football field but you're Clark Kent when you have to go and face real battles. It's eye-opening for everybody.
Q. To be a linebacker for Lovie Smith, what's it like?
CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY: It's just good. You're way more comfortable when you're being able to be comfortable, know the scheme, know what to do and it's not fresh and it's not new to you. Like your confident level goes up. You know exactly where to be on the field and you know exactly how to play a certain situation and how to play the scheme that he wants us to play. I think that we are going to go up from this. Everybody that came back and the younger guys that's here, it's easier for us to teach them the scheme because we know it. We're comfortable and we know it like the back of our hand now. It's good to see and come back to.
Q. Last year, you were trying to learn everybody's names. What's it like, how much more familiar are you and how do you see that work out on the field, off the field?
CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY: Well, when you have your previous teammates coming back, you know, you could skip a step in the process. You can skip a step of getting to know somebody. Now you know their background. You know how they live. You know how they play so you're already familiar with them and comfortable and now you can go strictly to football. That's something that will speed the process up and let us play better on the field.
Like for example, Kamu I know exactly how Kamu play and Kamu know how I play. It's a feel thing. I know he's going to be where he's supposed to be, and he knows I'm going to be where I'm supposed to be. Build that team chemistry and you play better.
Q. What about Garrett?
CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY: That's my guy, I call him Gary just for fun, inside joke. He's a high motor and he's smart. He can play any of the three linebacker positions and he just have the high motor where he's going to go make a play and he can do it all day.
So you could see the leadership from year one to year two in his confidence level and also you could see what he's been doing in the weight room and on the field and how his body has been transitioning. He's put in a lot of work in the off-season so I am excited to see him this year.
Q. What are some of the intangibles?
CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY: Everybody doing their job and to the best of their ability. Last year we had flashes of us being good defense and we had flashes of us being undisciplined. Now in Lovie's defense everybody has to be accountable and everybody have to be in their gap and everybody have to do certain certain assignment. If one person explosives their assignment the whole system falls apart.
Guys have to hold each other accountable and know I have to do this not only for myself but to make the whole defense work. We're excited and I think we'll do good this year.
Q. The transition to the NFL --
CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY: I think he probably is the fastest linebacker in the room. This kid can fly. He's smart. He's bright. He's super athletic. When we in the weight room, I think that he's like in every like competition, whether it's like the vertical, speed, his verts, he's at least Top-5. This kid is super talented, young, fresh and he's ready to learn. When you have a guy of that calibre, going to go a long way with him.
Q. When you look at guys of the future -- when they are able to pick it up as quickly as possible, how much confidence does that give for your defense and secondary?
CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY: For sure, those two guys, they play like they have been in the league for a while. You don't see them slacking. You don't see them trying to play catch-up. Like you said, they are going in with the ones. They are fitting right in and they are playing fast and they are playing physical and that's what you ask from a safety and from a corner.
I'm excited to work with them. I'm excited to hopefully teach them all I know in the game and just be on the field together, make a play and you know that's something that in the draft, they felt like we needed on defense and they filled those spots and they are moving. They are doing their job. You.
Q. When you look at Davis -- have you seen him take steps as a leader in the locker room?
CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY: Absolutely. I saw it last year. Towards the end of the season you could see him walking with a different swag and getting more and more confidence. I thought that he is a super-composed guy through the highs, through the lows, he is super composed. That's hard to find in a young guy but Davis has already had that instilled in him. Just translating and coming to year two, I'm just excited to see him take off. Sky is the limit for him.
Q. Do you pride yourself on film study?
CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY: Absolutely, and I say that because when I was a rookie, I had some great mentors to help evolve my game, teach me how to be a pro. That's what the league is about, to give the rookies exactly what you was given when you were in their shoes. It's our job as veterans to be the light and to be the leader for our rookies, and like I said, they are going on the field with us so we have to make sure they know just as well as us because we all know once you're on the field, it's no -- nobody is looking like, nobody is going to take it easy because you're a rookie. You're all out there playing the same offense. So we know that we've got to be prepared together. I'm going to give them all the jewels that I can and see if I can be a light for them.
Q. S has Lovie's personality opened up more as a head coach?
CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY: He's been the same guy since I met him. He's always had a great personality when he's strict, he's strict. When he's fun, he's fun and when it's time to go to work, it's time to go to work. Very clean cut and that's how it's supposed to be.
Q. Are there experiences that you can remember in this off-season like how he'll be able to set the tone?
CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY: He showed a video of a game last season and it just set the tone for the whole off-season, for the whole training camp, for the whole season. He let us know he's certify serious and it's time and this is for real. We going to go as far as we want to go.
Q. What game is that?
CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY: I ain't going to say the game. It just reminded us that we got to go to work.
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FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports