Chris Samuels

REDSKINSTACKLE

The five-time ProBowler, and erstwhile Vick apologist, prepares for camp

On staying fit asa 6'5" 310-pounder
I've added mixed martial arts training for an hour a day. The cardio'scrazy—punching the heavy bag alone wears you out. I lost 14 pounds in threeweeks! I wouldn't go in the ring with one of those fighters though. I'm notcrazy.

On new coach JimZorn
We think he's a player's coach. Some coaches come in and it's all about them—myway or the highway. Players won't play their best for them. But I talked toCoach Zorn before the Pro Bowl, and I'm excited; he's young and smart.

On fishing as akid in Mobile
I'm the youngest of four brothers and my father, James, would take us intoMobile Bay. I was four the first time that I got a tug. I yelled, "Dad, Igot a fish, I got a fish!" When I saw it, I was like, "Dad, I got asnake, I got a snake!" It was an eel, two feet long. My dad grabbed it witha rag, and later he cooked it and ate it. My dad will eat anything.

On his brightyellow 1978 Cadillac Eldorado
I bought it in 2001, my second NFL season. In Alabama everyone has big rims onan old box Chevy or Impala or Caddy.

On backlash afterhe and teammate Clinton Portis defended Michael Vick in an interview lastyear
After they stopped filming, I said to Clinton, "This is going to be amess." I come from a place where you might see that [dogfighting] stuff.But it's wrong. If people saw the whole interview, they would've seen we werekidding. We got death threats. And we apologized. We shouldn't have joked aboutit.

On the Novembershooting death of teammate Sean Taylor
It devastated all of us. Sean was probably our best player and one of thehardest workers. He was quiet but when you talked to him he was encouraging. Inthe Pro Bowl we [Redskins] all wore his number. I was just happy I could playfor Sean one last time.

PHOTO

PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM DEVINE