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Oregon linebacker Tony Washington almost gets a sack as he gets to Tennessee Tech quarterback Tre Lamb during a 2012 game at Autzen Stadium.

(Doug Beghtel/The Oregonian)

EUGENE -- Oregon senior drop end Tony Washington stopped by for an interview after the Ducks' penultimate practice of spring Wednesday morning, where he discussed the progress both he and his team made during the last 14 practices heading into Saturday's spring game.

Here's what Washington, Oregon's leading returning tackler for loss, had to say:

Q: You've said before you felt that you didn't feel you performed how you wanted in the fall despite leading the team in tackles for loss. How far do you feel you came in these last five weeks to that goal of playing better?

Tony Washington: I feel like I've come a lot since last season. Like I shared before, I don't think last season I didn't play as well as I can. I still feel like there's a lot for me to prove this season so just this whole offseason I've been trying to work on the little things, day by day, to get better. I'm excited to see what comes at the end.

Q: When you moved from end to outside linebacker/drop end, did you feel the spring was a good time to experiment and learn the position?

TW: The first time I played outside linebacker was after the Rose Bowl (2011). Actually the first day of spring practice coach (Jerry) Azzinaro at the time told me to take some reps at outside linebacker and I was wide-eyed. I was 260, I wasn't expecting to go out on receivers. I didn't really understand the technique or the concept behind it but spring was big, especially having Dion (Jordan) out there helping me. I was kind of just watching him and seeing how he took on certain things, it's good to have those veteran guys who help you out because it's a lot. It's hard at times to understand concepts and fundamentals, technique, where you're supposed to be, where your man's supposed to be and spring ball is perfect for that.

Q: It's like the spring is a lab.

TW: Yep, exactly. If you're going to mess up, this is the time to do it because we have all the rest of the summer to fix it.

Q: As a team leader, what's the most important thing this team needs to accomplish between the spring game and fall camp to guard against regression?

TW: I think it's just continuing to take care of little things and redefine our discipline. make sure we're in the right spots doing the right things at all times. I think we're in a good spot right now but it can always be better and we're always striving to be great. We're good right now but we have to be the enemy of good and continue to grow and ascend.

Q: There's the new rule requiring up to eight hours of mandatory summer practice. Will that change much for this team and how it operates in the summer months, or will it be similar to the past?

TW: I think so, a lot of guys even if we don't have scheduled workouts a lot of guys are coming in on their own time and collectively, as a group, making sure we're on the same page. Watching film, doing extra footwork, communication stuff. Things that will help us in the long run because you get that bond between players and their comfort ability out there.

Q: What's the feeling around the team for this spring game?

TW: I think everybody's excited to finally play in front of people in Autzen. I know it's a first time for some guys so it's going to be a big deal. It's fun to see the glitz and glamour that comes with the spring game, the new cleats and all that kind of stuff. It's an exciting feeling. I'm just ready to play.

-- Andrew Greif | @andrewgreif