I just want to get in and showcase my talents and get in there and show what I can do. Simmons' position will likely be filled by Ron Cox, Lamont Hollinquest and Keith McKenzie, last year's seventh-round selection. Hicks will start out in training camp backing up Bernardo Harris at middle linebacker while George Koonce recovers from knee surgery. It will be tough for a rookie linebacker to break into the starting lineup of the NFL's top defense. That's not saying he can't do it.
Circumstances sometimes dictate that.
But generally speaking, you would like to have a year for a guy to learn all of the coverages because one of the things about our defense is that it is a little different for some because we are very complex with a lot of different schemes and a lot of different looks. We would hate to be limited because we got a new guy in there. And Hicks is a little more inexperienced than most. He didn't switch positions until the 1995 season. I just started putting on weight and putting on weight and coaches told me I had an opportunity to play at fullback or at linebacker in my sophomore year.