ARIZONA HEAD COACH DICK TOMEY

Season Outlook:
"We can't wait to get started. We've worked really hard, and we are as optimistic as the next team about the season. It's just a great time of the year. We have a lot of players who have made major changes during the offseason, and we are going to spill our guts all over the place this season."

"I have a lot of concerns entering the fall because we need to have a team that does what winning teams do. We have to bring the team together and try to have one heartbeat and develop the team's chemistry. We need to develop an overall team discipline because that is what is necessary to take care of the ball on offense and to create turnovers on defense. We want the sum to be greater than all of its parts, and putting the team together is the hardest part."

"I am always optimistic, and I always believe in our players and in what they have the capability of doing. I believe the players can do more than they are capable of, and I think we are all tired of hearing about last year. We know we have to do better, and we know that we have to do it on the field."

Camp Cochise:
"Well, we have four days less because school starts earlier, and we are going to try to get the hitting done early, so we don't get talked out of it by injuries. Our numbers are not quite what a Nebraska or a Penn State would have, so we have to find a balance."

"We have some guys who are limited by injuries, but that's because they have worked so hard this summer. Brad Brennan is probably the guy that we know the least about in terms of when he will be ready to go at full strength. He had a back injury this summer, and he has had some tough things happen to him. His hamstring is doing well, and he is an amazing guy who has been our leading yards-per-catch receiver for the last two years."

"We have a lot of competition at a lot of different spots, and we have to find out which players will emerge. I think there are a lot of guys who will emerge, and it is exciting to see who they will be. We have some good candidates at every position who have worked hard and who deserve a chance. We definitely need to develop depth so we are ready when injuries come about."

Special Teams:
"Bobby Gill, Sean Keel and Doug Jones are going to be very competitive for place-kicking duties, and I think we are going to be much improved in that area. It will be interesting to see where they are at this point, and we are going to put the guy in there that is the most competitive."

Offense:
"I will be very surprised if our offensive line is not a real strength of this team. We have some great returners on the line and in our tight ends. We have a very experienced offensive line and quarterback, and that will be important because we know they will keep their poise down the stretch."

"If O.J. (Ortege Jenkins) can stay healthy, I will be shocked if he is not outstanding. He has paid a tremendous price, and he is very experienced. I don't think that there is any other position where experience is more important than at quarterback. We still have to identify a backup, but I am comfortable with the position, which is the most important in the game."

"We broke a record for most yards in the league last year, but we also proved that it doesn't mean anything. We didn't have a great offense, and we need to do better this year."

Defense:
"It has been a long eight months for the defense. We were awful last season, and we all deserved the criticism that we got. The problems with the defense (and the rest of the team) were a combination of coaching and playing. We have a tradition of great defenses, so it hurt when we didn't have that. Now it is time to turn the page."