July 27, 2001

DALLAS, Texas - Baylor head football coach Kevin Steele, wide receiver Reggie Newhouse and safety Samir Al-Amin discussed the upcoming season with reporters in Dallas on Thursday at the annual Big 12 Conference Football Media Day. Following are some of their comments:

Baylor Head Coach Kevin Steele
On the state of the season:
"We're going to have a good football team this season. A lot of it stems from the players believing in the system and not panicking. They've become focused on their own and believe they can make it happen."

"Depth is really going to show this year. That has created competition on the team for starting spots, which can only make us better. For instance, two years ago we literally had only three receivers on the team. This year, we have nine capable receivers."

On quarterbacks Greg Cicero and Josh Zachry:
"Greg (Cicero) is a very confident player, but he doesn't overdo it. We feel if we can put Greg in the right setting and the right players, he won't fail. Like all good players, he has the ability to make a play. Hopefully, barring injury, he can do that on the field."

"Josh (Zachry) started showing us some intangibles last year. He's gotten to the point where I'd feel very comfortable starting him in a game. The two quarterbacks put us in a situation this year that we didn't have last season (playing five quarterbacks)."

On Bobby Hart:
"Sooner or later, you are going to be hearing about Bobby (Hart). He's going to develop into one of the Big 12's top cornerbacks."

Baylor Wide Receiver Reggie Newhouse
On losing starting quarterback Greg Cicero early in the season last year:
"That was it. We really didn't have that much consistency. We tried to make something out of it, and we did the best could and established a little bit of consistency. Greg's a great leader. He has a good knowledge of the game. He knows what everybody's doing. If you don't know what you're supposed to do you can ask Greg and he'll tell you. We have a lot of confidence in Greg and he brings a lot of leadership to the team."

On playing with five different quarterbacks last season:
"It wasn't easy. All of them were different. It was tough to adjust to, but we have the consistency back (this season), so it won't be that tough anymore."

On Baylor being overlooked in the Big 12 Conference:
"It's not easy, but I look at it as motivation. I love to do things that people say that I can't do. I know what Baylor can do, and I believe what Baylor can do. My teammates believe the same thing. As long as we stick together and keep fighting, everything else will take care of itself."

Baylor Safety Samir Al-Amin
On what to expect from the Baylor defense in 2001:
"We expect great things from the defense. We looked pretty good in the spring, and I think we'll look great in the fall."

On Baylor being overlooked in the Big 12 Conference:
"We're a team, and we know what we can do. As for motivation, we take that negative and use it for more positive things."

On the strengths of quarterback Greg Cicero:
"His ability to read the defense. He knows what defenses run and has the ability to pick just about any coverage apart. I think that's what makes him a great quarterback right now."