Chad Smith: Hey, we're still relevant. We're still here and we're going to make another run for it.- with video

Hey, we're still relevant. We're still here and we're going to make another run for it.

How does it feel to be back out here again and where are you currently repping:

"We're back at it again--just like that. We're attacking it each and every day, one day at a time."

Right now I'm at will. Being here, going into my fifth year definitely helped a lot, knowing both, all three positions, Mike, Will and Sam. But I think the main difference is that your in the boundary, so everything happens a little bit quicker where Mike is a little more out in space—the field. So that's probably the biggest adjustment, but Coach V thought that I could be very useful there, that my strengths would be really good there."

What was Coach Venables message to you after the transfer of Shaq Smith:

"Just that you're the guy. You're it right here. Go make the most of it. It's an opportunity right there, so go make the most of it. Either way, whether he was here or not, there's still an opportunity to compete every single day. So even if he's gone, there's other young guys trying to push for that job—everybody's trying to push for a job in camp. Ain't nobody got a job here yet. That's the mindset, that each and every day is an opportunity to solidify you as a person that can play more snaps each and every day. That's kind of my mindset going in, to take a job."

Is there a certain amount of hunger going into camp with everything as wide-open as it is:

"I think so. I think after last year, obviously was a historic season, but we're coming into this camp with a chip on our shoulder. We're not trying to rely on last year's success for this year's success—that's just not how things go. You can't carry over last year's touchdowns, last year's sack to this year. And we had a lot of great leaders leave. So people are kind of doubting us a little bit, seeing how many big-time players left for the draft and all that. So, we kind of have a chip on our shoulder to prove that, 'Hey, we're still relevant. We're still here and we're going to make another run for it. That's kind of the mindset each and every day and continue to be who we are."

The void that former Tiger linebacker Kendall Joseph left:

"Kendall Joseph was an awesome, awesome player. A lot of people, I feel, underestimated him and how much he meant to the team and the defense. He was kind of that vocal leader out there on the field, getting everybody lined up. He knew both Mike and Will like the back of his hand. Very smart player, very crafty player. Technically sound. So it's obviously big shoes to fill, but we're not going to fill those shoes with just one person. We're going to fill it as a group. Jamie Skalski is doing a helluva job at Mike taking that spot right there and the same with Jake (Venables) and all of those other young bucks who are trying to push and vie for that role. It's kind of like we do it as a collective group of leadership. So, that's kind of the mindset that we have."