Stoney: Now Jon, you sound less confident in this [charity event with fans] than you did talking about the season upcoming, where you said you expect this team to win at least 10 games.
Kitna: Dude, that was 10 games before I saw the schedule, too. I'll keep to myself what I think that we actually will win, but it's more than 10 games -- after I saw the schedule.
Stoney:Really!? I thought the schedule was brutal.
Wojo: Wait, you're saying more than 10 games now?
Kitna: Yeah. That's what I'm saying.
Wojo: Holy smokes. Is there something schedule-wise or is there something you've seen team-wise that you can enlighten us on? Cause, let's be honest, the record was the record last year, 3-13. That's a pretty big leap, even in the NFL. What are we missing with this team?
Kitna: Last year, man, it really sucked. I mean, week in and week out, to be right there to have a chance to win week in and week out. That was a hard thing for everyone of us to swallow. But, the good thing about it, like Coach Marinelli said, he found out who wanted to be here, who didn't, and he has been able to put his stamp on this team now going into his second year. We've got a bunch of guys who have been hardened by this. They have been through something like this -- how to get over the top, how to win in the fourth quarter, we did it in Dallas, and had a chance to do it, just missed doing it in Chicago the week before that. The pieces we've added... I don't like putting a lot of pressure on people, but Calvin Johnson, to me, will have the same impact that Reggie Bush had in New Orleans. In my opinion.
Wojo: Is that because Calvin Johnson is very talented, or because of the offense or all the weapons at your disposal? What have you seen in Calvin Johnson that makes you say that?
Kitna: He's everything that they said he was and more. He's a pro already. He understands how to practice. He understands how to prepare for what this offense brings to the table. He takes care of his body. He is a perfectionist. He doesn't like to make mistakes, and when he does he doesn't make them again. If he does something wrong, they tell him what he did wrong, and he fixes it. He doesn't argue. He's not combatitive towards coaches. He takes coaching well.
On top of all that, he's 235, runs a 4.3 [forty], has tennis rackets for hands, and he's 6-foot-6. Other than that, he's alright.
