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Observer staff writer Charles Chandler was among reporters who interviewed Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams Wednesday after a summer school practice. Here are highlights, edited for clarity and brevity:
Q: Did the success of the running game last season exceed anyone's expectations?
A: Nah, we don't make any expectations when it comes to that right there. We just try to go out and do our jobs to the best of our abilities. Our O-line opened a lot of holes for us and our wide receivers did a great job of blocking downfield to give us those long runs.
Q: With all the offensive starters back, can you do even better?
A: Every season is different from the season before. We've got to work as hard as we did last year to continue the success we had running the ball and passing the ball.
Q: Offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson and some of the other offensive coaches have lost a substantial amount of weight. What happened?
A: They had their own ‘the biggest loser' here. A lot of guys shed a lot of weight. They've done a great job. They've dedicated themselves in the weight room, in the sauna and the steam room. They stepped away from the Krispy Kreme and the Dunkin' Donuts.
Q: Are you and Jonathan Stewart committed to the nickname “Double Trouble” this season?
A: We are. It's trademarked by us and not somebody else. We let those guys in Tennessee (LenDale White and Chris Johnson) have ‘Smash & Dash,' even though we made it famous.
Q: How do you and Jonathan encore what really was a smashing season?
A: I don't know if we can encore or not, but we're going to try our best – encore from the sense of making it to the playoffs and going deeper in the playoffs this year and ultimately going to the Super Bowl. Stats only matter if you're winning.
Q: Some fans reacted negatively to the team signing quarterback Jake Delhomme to a contract extension after his poor playoff performance against Arizona. What was the players' reaction?
A: We love Jake. That's our quarterback, contrary to what our fans believe – or those non-fans who call themselves fans. Jake's a great quarterback, he knows the system in and out. Every guy has a bad game at some point in his career.
Q: What's been the highlight of your offseason so far?
A: Probably the (Orlando) Magic beating the (Cleveland) Cavs last night. I'm going to get my Dwight Howard jersey tonight. I'm not a LeBron (James) guy.
Q: What do you think of attending your first NASCAR race during the weekend?
A: I went, I saw, they delayed the race, I went home. That's pretty much how it went for me. I was ready for it. I was out there. They were saying you're going to get a rush. I had my ear plugs in. I was waiting for ‘Drivers, start your engines,' and then it started raining. (They said) it would take them 21/2 hours to dry the track.
Well, it takes me 15 minutes to make it home, so I took the latter of the two and went home – and they still didn't race until Monday.
