Eli was extremely poised. He knew exactly what he was coming into, he was focused and he didn't let any of the noise or anything bother him. He played well enough. If we'd done some things on defense, he played well enough for us to win.

He's excited and we are, too. We're all anxious to really get going. I think Eli has put himself in a position where he feels really good about where he's at. The questions we asked [in meetings] were all about the Cardinals.

We're very fortunate to have Eli. We've pressed on through some difficult times his rookie year into this season. He's improved and gotten better as we've gone along here. We've gotten him great experience; experience under fire, obviously, and some very, very big games. And he's performed well.

Kevin's a great coach and the hands-on guy that's taken Eli through all the mental processes, ... Being his position coach, it's Kevin's responsibility to teach him how to conduct his business and how to accept his role as a team leader.

Kevin's a great coach and the hands-on guy that's taken Eli through all the mental processes. Being his position coach, it's Kevin's responsibility to teach him how to conduct his business and how to accept his role as a team leader.

All along I knew [the draft] was coming, but all along, I was focused on the Final Four. I didn't really pay much attention to what was after that. [The draft] kind of picked me up a little bit.