I had a rather lengthy interview with veteran wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad following Friday's practice. Here's some of what Muhammad had to say. You can read more about him and what he has to say in a story that will run Sunday:
Q. How does Jake Delhomme look to you?
Muhammad: "He was lighting it up today. I don’t think I saw a ball hit the ground today in seven-on-seven drills, man. Maybe one time, but that’s it. And that’s out of 20-something plays. He looked good today. He really looked good today. He’s like me. He has a competitive-type personality and when he comes on the field he wants to get better. If a ball ain’t perfect, he gets pissed off. That’s just Jake and you can appreciate that on Sundays.”
Q. What do you think about this receiving corps as compared to ones you've been with in the past?
Muhammad: Every now and again you come across some very special players in the NFL – guys like Randy Moss. You get a guy like Smitty and he’s a real special player. He’s got big-play capabilities and we have steady guys who know how to get the job done. I think D.J. Hackett is going to turn out to be a real pro for us – a big guy who can stretch the field and make big plays for us. And with myself I think it compares to back in the day when it was me, Rocket and Patrick Jeffers. We all were lighting the scoreboard up and we were all in that 1,000-yard range. The capabilities are there for all of us to have real special seasons, but we have to see how everything plays itself out. And we have a lot of young talent, too. Dwayne Jarrett is a young, talented guy and I like Ryne Robinson. The one guy that is really turning my head is Jason Carter. He just comes out here and makes plays every day. He’s a guy that hasn’t really made a splash in the NFL yet, but he’s a guy that can really play.”
Q. Dwayne Jarrett has been a disappointment thus far. How do you think he's progressing and what can you do to help him along?
Muhammad: "I’m going to lead the horse to water, man. It’s up to him to drink. He has enough guys around him that have played in this league and had some success that he should be able to learn a lot from us. I think everybody forgets the fact that this guy just got his drinking license (he turned 21 last September) a couple of years after getting his driver’s license. So he’s a young guy with a lot of room to grow. But all the physical tools are there. He just has to mature and take this job real serious and get in that playbook and study.”
Q. You were in Chicago last year, so this is your first look at backup quarterback Matt Moore. What are your impressions of him?
Muhammad: "Matt is real comfortable out there. It’s almost like he doesn’t feel a lot of pressure out there. It’s almost like basketball, it has a lot of Xs and Os in it, but you just come out and play. And he’s one of those playground guys who just comes out and plays. He’s real comfortable out there. I like his personality on the field, not to mention that he has a pretty good arm. He throws the deep ball and has a nice touch on the pass. He’s learning a lot more as he has a chance to watch Jake.”