New Orleans Saints DE Greg RomeusConference Call with New Orleans mediaSaturday, April 30, 2011
What are your feelings about being drafted by the New Orleans Saints?
"It's crazy. I feel so blessed. It's such a great situation. I talked to the Saints at the combine and they were definitely a team I was very very interested in. Just hearing my name and hearing coach call me is a feeling that you can't even describe. I want to thank God for that and I'm ready to go over there and get to work."
How's the knee?
"The knee is doing really well. I'm five months out right now. I've been running, doing explosive stuff. It's coming along and my surgeon told me I'd be ready for camp. I'm just going to keep rehabbing it and be patient."
How's the back?
"The back is great. The back hasn't been a concern since my surgery. That's a nonfactor. Right now, it's just the knee rehab."
Do you think the two injuries cost you a lot of money?
"Yeah, it definitely did. It cost me a lot of money, but that's the game. There are injuries in football and sometimes it takes away from you, but at the same time, that's behind me. I know I have to go out and get healthy now to get back on the field."
Your emotions through this entire season, obviously you could have come out a year earlier, and chose to go back to school. What are your emotions throughout this whole past year up to this point?
"Yeah, It's tough. I can't act like I didn't struggle a lot. Emotionally, it's been a tough season for me. I had so many expectations going into my senior year coming back, I didn't fulfill the ones that I wanted to. At the same time, it made me a better person. I've gone through these different things. It's tried me and I'm still standing. I know when I look back, I'm going to look back and just appreciate things so much more."
When you talked to the Saints at the Combine, what did they ask you?
"They were asking me general questions. We went over the film and they brought up good plays and they brought up bad plays. They asked me what I did wrong and they told me what would be acceptable and what wouldn't. It was a good meeting and I was excited afterwards."
Who did you meet with?
"Yeah I met with Gregg Williams. I met with everyone over there, a scout, Coach Payton, I think it was like four or five guys in there."
Considering you're a seventh round pick, and the Draft is winding down, do you feel fortunate to be drafted and not have to go through maybe the undrafted free agency route, since everything is in such a flux?
"Yeah. I feel very fortunate. I feel so blessed just for the opportunity. Just hearing my name and being drafted is such an accomplishment. That was great. And I know with everything that's going on in this agency, it's not looking good right now. It was definitely a great, great, great feeling just hearing my name."
Do you know much about Gregg Williams?
"No, I don't, but I'm excited to find out though.
