8/12/2002 - Football
Navy Football Practice Report Day 6, Practice 1
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Navy Football Press Conference
Practice 1, Day 6
Senior defensive end Dan Person (Havertown, Pa.)
Q. Are you excited about the way the defense is progressing?
A. Yes, every day we are improving. Coach Green has gotten everybody to have a different attitude. We come out 100 percent every day. It is a lot faster paced.
Q. What?s the difference between last year?s defense and this year?s as far as scheme?
A. Every defense has its own little quirks, special plays and blitz packages. For the most part he emphasizes getting to the football, all 11 guys.
Q. Does it seem like it was just yesterday that you were a plebe and here it is your senior year?
A. It is pretty interesting. It does seem like it was yesterday that I was looking at guys like Brad Wimsatt and Michael Wagoner for leadership, now it?s our turn to be leaders. It takes on a whole new perspective. If we?re not doing things right, it sets a bad example for the younger guys on the team.
Q. Two of your older brothers, Andy and Chris, had the opportunity to play for Coach Johnson, albeit when he was the offensive coordinator and they played on defense, but what did they tell you about Coach Johnson when they heard he was going to be the new football coach at Navy?
A. As soon as I told them he was coming back they were nothing but smiles. They were so excited for this team and the program. They, like every other Navy fan and former Navy player, wants to win just like the team does and they knew Coach Johnson would come in and change the attitude and bring with him some wins.
Q. Your two oldest brothers played at Navy (Andy and Chris), Brian played at Penn, you are a senior at Navy, Fran is a sophomore playing at South Carolina and Joe is playing up at NAPS, do the brothers that went to Navy give the other two a hard time?
A. No, we are proud of them. Brian went to Wharton Business School so we are just looking to give him our money and hopefully he can make us some cash. Fran is doing great down at South Carolina and is happy with his decision.
Q. How much influence did Andy and Chris have on you as far as choosing to go to school at the Naval Academy?
A. The Naval Academy is something that you have to want to do, regardless if your brother or father came here. It has to be something you want to do yourself; otherwise you aren?t going to make it through. Certainly, coming here at a young age, seeing the games, seeing the atmosphere, seeing everything, it was a big drawing point. It was something I wanted to do for a long time.
Q. With Joe following in your footsteps, does that make you proud that there is going to be another Person playing Navy football for four more years?
A. It makes you feel good when you can pass along the knowledge on what to expect and things you have gone through. It lets you reminisce about some stories you have, it makes you laugh at some things that were tough then, but now that you look back on it they are pretty funny.
Q. Episcopal Academy has produced the four Person?s, Ryan Hamilton, Kyle Eckel and former Navy Basketball player Mike Palumbo, why do you think that school has produced so many Navy athletes?
A. Episcopal is a great academic school. It is a great place to be from, it opens up some doors to some pretty important places, places that maybe wouldn?t be open to you if you went to school somewhere else. It was a good thing for us. We also had great coaches there; they were great role models.
Q. Did Fran consider coming to Navy at all?
A. Definitely. He looked at it, but then Coach Holtz came knocking on his door and it was something he wanted to do. He made his own decision. It has worked out great for him.
Q. What are your goals for the team this year?
A. Right now we are just focused on winning the opening game, that?s something we haven?t done in the last couple of years. SMU is a huge game, we have to go down there and beat them in their back yard. We have to start off on the right foot.
