Senior defensive tackle James Terry has been a trusted backup during his first three seasons of eligibility, but the Delaware native is hoping to take the next step in 2012.
"This season is very important to me. I feel that as a senior, I'm here to guide the young guys that are here and the guys that are coming up now," he said. "I'm also hereto serve myself. I graduate, I'm excited about that. I'm trying to take it to the next level, too. I've been here for five years and I want to see if I can get my shot at the league and see what I can do."
Terry was listed as the backup to DaQuan Jones on the summer depth chart, but knows that Larry Johnson has a penchant for playing multiple players at each position on the defensive line.
"Right now I don't look at myself as the backup guy. I've been here for five years now, I'm pretty much well-acquainted with how things go," he said. "I don't see myself as a backup, I see myself as a valuable piece of this team. Coach J, he knows what's best. I just have to do what he says to do and he'll get me there."
Terry is hoping that he can contribute as a leader in the locker room this season as well.
"We've got a great group in there, a great room. My job is pretty easy because these guys, I'm just there to tell them about the small things. They know the big things, I just tell them the little things that some of the little things like Jared [Odrick], Devon [Still], Ollie Ogbu and those guys taught me," he said.
So far, he's picked out one of the true freshmen defensive tackles as a protege in camp.
"Since camp started, I've been working with Derek Dowrey a lot, he's a nose guard like me. I see a lot of myself in him," said Terry. "He's a real strong guy, so every little thing that he does, I just want to be there to guide him. Ollie Ogbu was the nose guard before me and he taught me a lot. I feel like I can give him the same guidance."
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