Q&A G WILL SHIELDS

Jul 28, 2005, 3:22:44 PM

TRAINING CAMP

Q: Was this a hard off-season for you considering all the retirement talk?

SHIELDS: “It was a difficult off-season. I think more or less not whether I wanted to be here or not be here, but because of the simple fact of how your body feels and that kind of thing. That’s something that you’re still going to deal with and go through. Hopefully you can stay healthy enough to get through the season and you know you want to play well and we want to get to another level.”

Q: What were some of the factors other than physical involved in your decision process?

SHIELDS: “It was more physical than anything else. I love the sport of football and I love to play football. But it’s more or less trying to figure out if your body can get through there and that kind of thing. I think that’s the biggest issue.”

Q: So if the Chiefs hadn’t added anybody on defense would you still be here?

SHIELDS: “Yeah I think so. If my body was feeling the way it is right now and then you just hope you can do well and get through it. That’s what I’m looking forward to is trying to have a good season.”

Q: What do you think of the off-season moves this team made?

SHIELDS: “They’re good moves. Anytime you add another player from another place that’s been productive, from a Pittsburgh or a Tennessee, you get a different feel. Hopefully it will bring a different passion, not only on offense but also on defense.”

Q: Is it a good possibility this could be your last season?

SHIELDS: “It’s a good possibility, yes.”

Q: Is there a sense of urgency this year?

SHIELDS: “I don’t think it’s any more urgent than since we were young. That’s the way it was. Every year you come into it you want to win a championship. That’s why you come in it, to play well and perform to a certain level. So I don’t think it’s a sense of urgency. I think you’ve got to look at it like you’ve got your six-shooter and you’re running out of bullets. That’s just sort of the way it works right now.”