Quotes from Nate when he arrived for the Eagles' mini-camp

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Not minding the long distance he had to travel to Philly, Nate said:
"I probably had the longest trip to Philadelphia as anyone. I think it was like 6,000 miles or so. I left Thursday night and had a three-hour layover in Los Angeles. It was pretty long. I have to suit up and go. No one is going to feel sorry for me because I had a longer trip to get here. I would have gone anywhere for this. This is my dream to play in the NFL." (HA)


About how 7th-round draft picks like him aren't guaranteed a roster spot, Nate said:
"I figure if I go out and do the things I'm capable of doing, everything will work out the way it's supposed to. I'm excited to be here but I'm not in awe or anything like that. I want to show them I belong here. I've seen a number of Eagles games and I see how they use their backs like Brian Westbrook. He catches a lot of balls out of the backfield. I did a lot of that at Hawai'i. They threw to me a lot and I had to catch and hold on to the ball across the middle with not a lot of room. I think the fact that I caught so many passes was attractive to the Eagles. I feel I'm versatile and I can contribute so many things." (HA)


About how the Eagles' offense is similar to the UH offense, especially from his perspective of the RB catching balls out of the backfield, Nate said:
"I first met with the Eagles at the combine and we talked about the similar offenses. Not a lot of teams ran the complex offense like we did at Hawai'i. The Eagles do similar things because they pass so much to the backs. I felt good about coming to the Eagles because the offense is something I'm really familiar with. It's exciting to me because I like to be part of the action. I have a lot of things to learn. I'm ready to go. I want to soak as much information up as possible." (HA)


Happy to help Nate and the other rookies, Philly WR Reggie Brown said:
"I remember my first and I was like, 'Whew, this is more work than college.' I told Nate that you can't do everything in one day. Do your work, study your playbook and be prepared. Preparation at this level is very important. He has a lot talent because the Eagles drafted him. Now it's up to him to do the work. I'll help him and the younger players out in any way." (HA)


About his nickname, with the vets joking around about a rookie having a nickname already, Nate said:
"It was a nickname I got from my one of my brothers while we were growing up. It's from the movie called 'Half Baked,' and there's a character called "Nasti Nate" on it, and they used to make fun of me about it just because the character was real goofy in the movie. For whatever reason, it stuck and that's how I'm known." (HA)


Understanding the passion Philly fans have for the Eagles, Nate said:
"They like guys to give everything they have and they should. That's how I am. When I hit the football field, I'm all business. There's no fooling around there. It's time to work. I think the fans will see a player willing to do anything." (HA)