Recently signed Eagles running back/kick and punt returner is elated to be back in the Nest. He worked out for the Birds on Tuesday and was signed later in the day. Reno answered some questions after being resigned.
On how it feels to be back:
“It’s nice to be back. It’s been good. I got to go out and catch some punts today with the Australian rugby guy [P Sav Rocca]. Gosh, he’s huge. It was fun. It felt good; it felt like riding a bike, getting back into the swing of things. It’s just nice to be back in Philly.”
On what work he’s been doing the past couple of months to stay in shape:
“As far as staying in shape, I had a guy by the name of Dustin Johnson, who used to play at BYU. He was in the league, he was always wanting to be a trainer. He trained me and [former NFL TE] Gabe Reid every morning. So, we kind of did that as far as training. And, I’ve always played basketball every day, some flag football, and I’ll go out and play with the rugby guys.”
On whether he has been fielding punts:
“There was a punter at BYU who kicked to me. So, every now and then, when I was in Texas, I would find a punter from the school and have him kick to me.”
On how much he expects to accomplish on Monday night against the Redskins:
“First and foremost, catch the ball. Then, just go over the things I’ve done the last four years here—make some good choices, and do everything I can to help the team.”
On whether playing on Monday Night Football will be exciting:
“It’s very exciting. I’m excited for it. I have to put my work in to meet the challenge. I’m just hoping something good happens and we can win the game.”
On how much pressure he feels:
“It’s just been so exciting these past couple of days, so I haven’t felt much pressure. I went out there, and there was a little bit of pressure to get that confidence back. I’ve done this for a while, and I’ll be fine.”
On whether he expected a call from the Eagles:
“You never know. I sat there for the past six or seven months and nothing happened. I kind of moved on with life. I still worked out and prepared for it, just in case it happened, but you never know what was going to happen.”
On what makes punt returning so difficult:
“Not everyone can play in the NFL, there is only a small percentage of people who can do it. As far as punt returning, it’s hard work, but you practice at it and you’ll get better at it.”
On whether he got any interest from other teams in the offseason:
“None. There were a couple of teams that talked to my agent, but nothing happened.”
On whether he was surprised that not many teams were interested in signing him:
“It was my first time doing it, so I didn’t really know what to expect. The NFL doesn’t surprise me with anything.”
On whether he feels like he can pick up where he left off:
“I feel like I can pick it back up. If you’ve ever been through training camp, and there’s a chance of missing it, it’s kind of a blessing. I’ve been through some crazy training camps. You can look at it good or bad, it all depends on what the outcome is.”
On whether there is added pressure to perform well in front of the fans:
“It’s Philadelphia. The fans expect a lot, so you have to do your best and try your best to please them.”
On whether he thought his playing days were over:
“I was still waking up at six in the morning, getting myself in shape and staying in shape. As far as moving on, [I was] doing things to where I don’t really need [to play football]. You get paid pretty well to come and play football. I meant I had moved on, as far as other ventures, and providing a living for my family and stuff like that.”
On what kinds of things he had become involved in:
“I don’t know if you have enough time for that. There are a couple of things. I was involved in preventing drug use in the area in Utah that I was living in. I was doing a group home, helping a buddy out, starting up a detailing shop, doing a sports talk radio show, a website for BYU sports fans, stock markets. There are a bunch of things to live the American dream.”
On whether he feels like it’s his job to not mess up:
“I’m just hoping to do everything I can to help this team win the big one. It’s as simple as that.”
