Tuesday’s sound bites from UCLA practice

On a day when the majority of the players interviewed used the word “happy” at least once, perhaps the most surprising outcome of the morning was that Eddie Vanderdoes will not be facing discipline from the Pac-12. The details are included in an earlier post, but basically, Vanderdoes is going to receive in-house punishment for throwing a punch against Oregon.

We also had a post on offensive tackle Conor McDermott and his unreliable shoulder, as well as a notebook from Chris Foster, and, of course, quotes from Tuesday’s practice.

Sophomore linebacker Deon Hollins

On the team being relieved of outside expectations: “I wouldn’t say relieved. It’s just more of a mindset change. It’s just more of a ‘go out and have fun,’ instead of worrying about people’s expectations, the fans’ expectations, your family’s expectations, so just getting back to that has been real important”

Redshirt senior linebacker Eric Kendricks

On whether he’s talking trash with his brother, Mychal, who went to Cal and now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles: “The week is still early.”

On staying true to gap assignments: “Since I started playing in sixth grade, we’ve had gaps, and they’ve always been popped. That’s why coaches coach and that’s why we play. Offenses try and expose that, and we have to do our best to stop it.”

Sophomore defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes

“At today’s practice, I felt like we’re getting back to our old ways as a team, not just the defense. We’re having a lot more fun out there. I think we were taking it too much as a job, rather than realizing it’s football. You just need to go out there and have fun. Play hard and have fun. That’s what we kind of lost sight of. We were making it too much of a business thing rather than playing ball.”

For more Bruin observations, follow Everett Cook on Twitter @everettcook