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With the 51st pick overall the Chicago Bears selected LSU defensive tackle Ego Ferguson. With the loss of Julius Peppers and Henry Melton, Ferguson fills a major hole on the Bears defensive line.
The former LSU Tiger looks to continue the great tradition of defensive tackles from Baton Rouge.
Transcript below of conference call:
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On how difficult it was to go in the NFL Draft and not go back for his final year
“It was a tough decision, playing with your teammates and having the fun that I had with the players on the team, but at the end of the day, my mom, she got hurt on the job and she wasn’t able to work and I knew that my family needed me. So my decision I made was family decision based.”
On what kind of job his mother held and what was her injury?
“She was a juvenile detention center worker. And she was breaking up a fight and fell on her back the wrong way and she’s in rehabbing since.”
On if she’s getting better now
“Yes sir.”
On if he came to Chicago for a pre-draft visit or did the Bears go down there for a private workout
“They flew me in. They flew me in before my pro day.”
On if he talked with defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni during the pre-draft process
“Yes sir. And he has great, great personality. He brought me to the office and we were basically just talking ball for the long time. He asked me, ‘Can I play that 2-technique? Can I do it? That’s what they want me for’. They showed a lot of interest.”
On what the reason was for missing the bowl game
“Coach’s decision. I violated team rules and my coach made the decision that I miss the bowl game week.”
On if he felt he was being unfairly punished or he had let your teammates down
“I was disappointed missing the game, watching the game at home. I wanted to play. My teammates showed me how I love that game. Anytime you miss a day like that, being able to play with the team, which would have been my last game, it hurt. I can’t say it was wrong personally or not. I’m not the coach. The decision was made and we just rolled with it.”
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On if he will be playing 2 technique or 3 technique
“2 technique.”
On if he feels like he can get after the quarterback as an interior pass rusher
“Yes sir. I feel like I can definitely get after the quarterback.”
On what else he brings to the table skill-set wise and where he needs to improve
“You always have to work. I need to work on pass rushing; staying low. But one thing I always bring is my heart and my competitive nature. I’m going to try to do what I do. Whatever it takes to win. Whatever it takes and however long it takes. I’m not going to stop trying.”
On what he would say to his critics that say he was a reach for the Bear
“That’s all motivation and I’ll just tell them to watch out for me. That’s all I can say.”
On his name
“It’s not a nickname it’s my real name. My father named me; I’m named after my father.”
On his upside
“I feel like I’ve got a lot of upside. I feel like a lot of people didn’t realize how athletic I was; my ability to move around a lot better than people thought I [could]. I just feel like I have the perfect opportunity with the perfect team and I just want to make the best of it.”
On his mother’s name and if his family pushed him to go pro
“Her name is Brenda. Brenda Bryant. And she never wanted to push me to make the decision. She kind of just told me she’s always going to make it. She’s a very strong woman. She’s been raising me and my brother for the longest by herself. It was kind of a decision I made because I knew the type of situation she was in. She’d never let me see her worry, see the struggle she went through; I just want to take care of my momma.”
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On if there are any players in the NFL that he models his game after
“I can’t say one player. I watch a lot of great players. I try to base my game off of multiple players like Vince Wilfork, [Haloti] Ngata, [Ndamukong] Suh, all them players; I’m trying to keep developing.”
On his ankle injury that kept him out of the combine
“A week before the combine, training with Coach T – Thurmand Moore – doing position drills, came around a corner, slipped and had a high ankle sprain. It was like the Tuesday before the combine and the swelling wasn’t down so we just decided not to participate in the combine.”
On what it was last season that made him realize he was ready for the NFL
“In the conference we play in we go against the best every week. I feel like as the season got along, as we got deeper into SEC play, my game started to get more developed and the competition level was good and I just made a decision at the end that was the best for my family. I always have room to develop but I feel like I can come in and contribute.”
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