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Question: How much of a relief is it not having to be concerned about your knee this season? Answer: It's just nice not to have to worry about questions about your knee. Pretty much every question you get asked is about football, which is what you want this time of the year. Q: You were happy with your play last year, but there were things you were unhappy with. What have you done to improve? A: I felt I needed to sharpen up my mechanics as far as footwork. Certain throws mechanically, I was off. I feel like I've fixed that. ... I feel I'm a step ahead of where I was a year ago at this time.
Q: Last year before the Patriots game you talked about how impressed you were with Tom Brady's awareness in the pocket. You had a lot of fumbles last year (15). Is that something you've worked on? A: Yeah, you've always got to work on ... where guys are going and where you need to get to and finding that pocket. ... Sometimes it moves, and oftentimes you've got to move and get to the sweet spot of the pocket. It's tough to consciously work on it because you're thinking about so many other things. But in preseason games when you get chances it's a good opportunity, because you're live and guys are coming full speed, to go find that sweet spot. Q: You don't feel this is necessarily your team because you're one of 53 players. But as quarterback, how much responsibility do you take for ownership of the team? A: I've always believed it's the quarterback's job to put yourself in a winning position. If you don't do that, you're not doing your job. It's not anybody's team. ... But there are leaders on this team. There are a group of veterans like myself who will take responsibility for what happens if things aren't going well. Q: Is there a feeling on the team that there's no reason this can't be the year? A: Everybody understands what we've got and what's at stake. Everybody remembers last year and what happened. ... We know we've got a good enough team ... to make a run in the playoffs, and it all falls on our shoulders. So this ought to be an intriguing season on the banks of the Ohio River. The shaky defense and questions on offense could result in another disappointing season. But if things go right, the Bengals could take advantage of an easier schedule and set themselves up for an extended January Columbus Dispatch http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2007/09/06/bengals_carson0906.ART_ART_09-06-07_C6_187QFJI.html?sid=101
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