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(Interview starts out with Ken pointing out Vonnie's purple tie).
Ken: Bruce Allen couldn't have given you one of his Burgundy and Gold ties?
Vonnie: I grew up a Cowboys fan if you can believe that. I'm from South Carolina but my Aunt was a big Cowboys fan. There were five girls in the house.
After a few Barbie jokes, we asked for Vonnie's take on how the Redskins minicamps have been so far and how Shanahan has done.
The reason I'm here is because of Mike Shanahan. As a 13-year vet, I didn't want to go into a situation again where they're starting over. I felt they have a lot of pieces of the puzzle. Shanahan brings in a wealth of experience and knows how to get it done. I think the turnover in change will happen quickly. I think we're going to surprise a lot of people.
I asked him to address the lack of depth along the DL (a lot of guys didn't play last season).
They've done a great job this off-season getting those guys back ready to play. Things behind the scenes you don't see. Kemo is on vacation but making sure they have someone on staff who goes out and makes sure this guy gets work done. Shanahan's been in the game long enough and knows guys need time away to be with his family, but let's get someone out there to take him through his workouts, so when he does come back, he can help us.
Is he still limping around?
He was..but he's better. Carriker can play Nose, End. He's a smart guy. [Darrion] Scott to me is a guy...I didn't know anything about him. He's a guy, watching him, he's very, very aggressive. He's a guy to watch in camp.
Who's a draft pick that's impressed?
I like Trent Williams. Great feet for a big guy. That's why he's on the left side. Some guys don't get it. But he's one of those guys that wants to prove he's worth the value. He doesn't want to be a bust. I'm working against him and he's making me better.
Regarding #92, is it a big deal learning a new playbook and switching to a 3-4? Is it hard to learn?
It depends. With #92, he needs to be a part of this like I said in an earlier interview. Training camp...he'll have a lot of catching up to do. It'll be a crash course, but it can be done.