He's acknowledged in the league as one of the best position coaches.

The tough thing in this league about playing the linebacker position is that as a rookie you are seeing many things for the first time and you are going against athletes that you didn't always play against when you were in college. The physical part of it is tough, but they have handled that beautifully. Then it was just a matter if they could handle the volumes of material that are expanded a little bit when you get into our league.

Coaches are bad patients -- and Ray may be the worst.

I did realize how hard it was. I think coaches realize it a little bit sooner than players do. I had hoped that we would have been able to do it a little sooner than we have done it, but you know things happen along the way.

John Marshall has coordinated in this league and has done a nice job at it.

At the league level -- and I sit on the committees that talk about this stuff -- they want to do everything that they can for the safety of the player, ... In warm weather, we really talk about it a lot.