OTA Quotes: Alex Smith and Eric Berry

January 25, 2014; Honolulu, HI, USA; Kansas City Chiefs safety

(29) poses with fans during the 2014 Pro Bowl Ohana Day at Aloha Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

ERIC BERRY

Q: You were close with former safety Kendrick Lewis, and you commented that you were going to miss him when we talked to you on first day of the offseason program. How has it been working with Husain Abdullah every day and how long is that going to take to get used to him back there with you?

BERRY: “Man, we’re working every day. It’s not just on the field, but outside of football. Not just him, but the whole secondary. It’s a part of building that chemistry and just talking about things, knowing where he’s going to be at, knowing where I’m going to be at. We need to get on the same page in the secondary period.”

Q: What has he shown you in filling in that position so far?

BERRY: “He’s extremely smart. One thing I take from him is his work ethic and his attention to detail. He’s very particular about things, especially in his technique. So I’ve just been paying close attention to him and just trying to take notes as much as I can.”

Q: You’ve said that Kendrick Lewis was really the main guy communicating in the defensive backfield. With him gone, have you tried to pick up the communication on your end a little bit?

BERRY: “Most definitely. Just alerting the defense with certain plays, looking out for certain things and anticipating the next call so when we break the huddle, already knowing the personnel, already knowing the down and distance. I actually talked to him [Lewis] not that long ago and that’s the main thing, just expecting things before they happen.”

Q: How much farther along are you now than you were at this time last year?

BERRY: “This is my second year in the defense so obviously there are things that I’ve learned and thoughts that I take into consideration as far as certain coverages and things like that that I’m more aware of. So it’s less thinking about what the call is on our end because that’s coming automatic, it’s more so what the offense is going to do.”

Q: Is there anyone that you feel more comfortable playing with back there so far in OTAs?

BERRY: “We all just go in, and together the thing we talk about is if you’re in, you’re a starter, regardless. It’s a long season, things happen throughout the season, and everybody has to be ready to go. Whether my communication is with Malcolm Bronson, Husain or Sanders Commings, we’ve got to all be on the same page because anything can happen.”

Q: Is it your role now to be the quarterback of the secondary and get everybody set up back there?

BERRY: “It’s everybody’s role. Everybody’s taking ownership, everybody is trying to put in. Nobody is just leaning on anybody or expecting somebody else to make a play, everybody is trying to get there and make a play themselves. The more people we have holding themselves accountable the better the team will be as a whole.”

Q: Is what you’re being asked to do any different than what it’s been in the past?

BERRY: “To be honest with you, outside of a scheme standpoint it’s just knowing everything that’s going on. Just talking to coach, he wants me to be the guy to make sure that I know what’s going on, make sure that I’m stepping up and being a leader and holding myself and my teammates accountable. And that’s vice versa throughout my teammates as well. So the biggest thing is just being alert and being aware at all times.”

Q: Are you excited to kind of show everything you can do while playing in the secondary?

BERRY: “It is. It’s exciting just because that’s what I’m accustomed to doing all my life. But like I said before, wherever my team needs me, that’s where I’m going to be at. Whether they have to swap me and Husain, or if they have to move me somewhere else and move him somewhere else, I think we’re all prepared to be wherever we need to be. I think that’s the beauty of this defense and the players we have in it. We try to work and know everything that’s going on and all the moving parts.”

Q: What’s the hardest part of playing back there and tracking the ball? Is that something you can get better at or is that just natural ability?

BERRY: “There’s always something you can be better at. I think back there it’s more natural just because it’s almost like backyard football where you’re just reading the quarterback and reading where the ball breaks out and getting to it. But for the most part, you’ve got to be back there, you’ve got to have high energy and you’ve got to run to the ball at all times.”