Q: On the last day of Napa…
Watson: I know, right? Great time to get back in it. It's been a long process, took longer than I thought, but it was good to get out there, get a couple reps. It's been good. I've been able to get in the playbook, get my head around that. I'm confident in all that stuff now. Now I just have to put a couple days together and keep building on that.
Q: Dennis [Allen] had talked earlier about last time both you and Pat [Sims] went out the same day and then got hurt and so they thought, 'we've got to be careful with these guys this time.' When you balance that now, especially with having Jared out, you probably want to get back even more to pitch in and help out, does that…
Watson: Yeah, definitely. When Jared went out it was just another man down. Then the pressure was on a little bit on me personally just to get back and help out. But we also had to take our time and not rush anything. We sat down, reevaluated the rehab process and changed up a few things and it helped out a lot.
Q: How far behind do you feel?
Watson: Not far, about a day or two. I have to get used to hitting again, obviously, that's important. At camp you get in that mode where you're just hitting and your body gets adapted to it, so couple hard days practice…As far as the plays and the plabyook, I'm right there.
Q: Are you working more on the left side or right side or are you doing both?
Watson: I'm working both. Right now, I spoke with Coach Sparano and it's wherever he needs me. With Jared out, obviously, and Mike [Brisiel], Mike's nursing his knee, but I just told Coach, 'I'm ready, just wherever, just tell me where to go and I'm there.' That's how we're handling the situation from here.
Q: You've played on the right obviously more. Are you comfortable on the left?
Watson: I'm comfortable. I got a couple snaps today at the left. I'm comfortable either way, just kind of wherever you need me to go really. Either way you've got to block somebody, so I continue putting in extra work on the left side just in case.
Q: Do you expect in the final preseason game you'd get some extensive work?
Watson: Yeah, obviously me and Coach we're still going to talk about it. But yeah, I would like to get a bunch of snaps and get used to being back out there.
Q: How were you able to keep your head up when you're out and you don't want to be?
Watson: Like I said when I was going through the draft process, this is a job now, you know what I mean? This is my job so for me to allow myself to slip into a place where I'm not focused on what's the task at hand…Every week I try to stay with the game plan. I take notes as if I was playing. We go through the pregame stuff. I go through that obviously when I'm there. I take notes and I studied the plays we're going up against so it helps keep me in the mode so in case I was playing, I'd be ready to go.
Q: You had a moment when you first reinjured it where you looked pretty upset and you went over and sat down. How long did it take you to sort of get back into the, 'All right, I'm a pro?'
Watson: Yeah, it was a big blow because I was fighting to get back and when it happened it was just another big shot because I did generally feel really good. I just had to take a minute to cool off so I didn't end up doing something, harming something, so I just had to get in my little corner real quick and calm myself down. After a couple of minutes, went back inside and got some treatment and spoke with the trainers again. They gave me the same spiel – 'I have to take my time and be sure next time I go out there that I'm 100 percent.' Like I said, it was frustrating, but it happened and now it's in the past.
