Interview with Samsom after his first Raiders practice

PD = Press Democrat

Asked how it felt to go through his first practice after his surgery, Samson said:
"Back in football shape. Back to hitting some guys for the first time in a while. But it feels good." (PD)

Asked if he's limited in any way, Samson said:
"Take a little bit of reps here and there, but as the days go on, the more reps I get. I mean, next week or whenever, I'll probably practice full practice." (PD)

Asked how he is feeling physically, Samson said:
"I feel good. The rehab here was awesome. Those guys got me ready in no time, and got my strength back up. These guys did an awesome job of helping me on my strength, and not just that but everything else." (PD)

Asked if he could pinpoint anything in rehab that was particularly effective, Samson said:
"Just the guys in there. The training staff they have is unbelievable. Like I said, they did everything and anything to get me out here early. So I'm out here. Which I'm not supposed to, but they got me ready, so I'm ready to practice." (PD)

Asked if his recovery is ahead of schedule, Samson said:
"Yeah, ahead of schedule. Like I say, Scotty (Touchet) and all those guys in there, they just did a great job." (PD)

Asked if he's comfortable in Tom Cable's blocking scheme, Samson said:
"Oh, yeah, it fits me. I can run, athletic. And the guys around me, like Robert (Gallery) and Cooper (Carlisle), they're made for this system. They can run, and I'm just trying to catch up to them." (PD)

Asked how close their system is to other systems you've played in, Samson said:
"It's not close. This is my third year, and the last two years I've been in a power system. So that is way different from what we're doing. I mean, I got help no matter which I go, so it's a good system for me." (PD)

Asked for the challenges in learning the system, Samson said:
"There's a lot of other stuff that we have to call here. Not so much a lot of calls, but as long as you learn the basics, like every offensive system, everything else just falls in place. Just learning the different languages, I guess." (PD)

Asked about the importance of the center making the line calls, Samson said:
"Yeah, that's what I mean. Center calls everything on the line. The quarterback does, but if the center gets it out before the quarterback, the line can hear it. So it's a good system. I've just gotta learn the language." (PD)

Asked if he likes having a head coach who was an OL coach, Samson said:
"Oh, yeah. Offensive linemen, we're not receivers. We like to run the ball. But to have him as a head coach, he's always there pinpointing everything that goes wrong in the front. So it's like we have another O-line coach there." (PD)

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