Bobby McCain – May 25, 2016
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Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Cornerback Bobby McCain
(On if he’s been with the first group so far) – “Yes. (I’ve been) inside with the first group. I’ve gotten corner reps as well.”
(On how exciting it is to get that opportunity to win that job) – “It’s a great opportunity. It’s just competition. Iron sharpens iron and I’m trying to do what I can for the team. (I’m trying to) do my best, whether it’s slot corner, safety, special teams … Whatever it may be, I’m going to do my best.”
(On what he’s looking to accomplish during these three weeks of OTA’s and how significant they are) – “These are big because we have no pads on, so (we’re) focusing on technique. (We’re focusing on) little things like eyes, the right steps to take and playing the coverage the right way. They go a long way right now because they carry over into camp. The more reps you take the better you’ll be so that’s big for me.”
(On how much more comfortable he is now than at this stage last year) – “I’m a lot more comfortable. I have a year under my belt so I got some playing time last year and you get to see it and now you learn. You live and learn and so you may make mistakes, but you learn from them. You do good things and you learn from those as well. (I’m) just trying to stay positive and be consistent in what I’m doing and that will take you a long way.”
(On some of the things he learned from last season) – “(I learned) football 101 stuff (and) just being smart out there on the field. (I was) just taking things from the classroom, the film room, to the field, and using them as such. When you are playing a guy like (QB Tom) Brady and (QB) Philip Rivers and all your great quarterbacks, you have to be a step ahead. It’s because they’re going to be (a step ahead), honestly. (I learned from) taking those small things and small details.”
(On if he thought that things began to slow down for him a bit last year) – “Yes, they did. They definitely did. At the beginning of last year, you’re wide-eyed, you’re big-eyed and everything’s going fast; but you calm down and you learn to play the game. It’s a game we’ve been playing our whole life and now towards the end of the year, things slowed down and things got a little easier. I wouldn’t say easier but things got a little … They didn’t come at you as fast.”
(On what stands out to him as a highlight from last season) – “We had a great win to last us, to end the year against the Patriots. That’s good team win – defensively, offensively (and) special teams. All three phases did their job. That was probably the highlight of the year for me.”
(On an individual highlight that stands out to him from last season) – “You make good plays and you have bad plays but individually, just playing and getting the plays and the starts I did. Being able to take those and carry them over throughout this year and being able to learn from those. Like I said earlier, to me that doesn’t sound like a highlight but that’s the thing I’m learning from. I wouldn’t call it a highlight but I’d call it something that I need.”
(On how much an opportunity to potentially start motivates him) – “It’s a great opportunity and you have to just live within the moment and play ball. If you’re going out (there) thinking numbers of who’s going to be here and who’s not, it’s not going to be any good for you. Just go out there and play ball. It’s a great opportunity. Like I said, competition makes everyone better. That’s what I’m looking forward to – going out, competing and winning ball games, to be honest.”
(On what he has taken from Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph in terms of technique and physicality) — “We’re going to play a lot of coverages and a whole lot of schemes so just knowing the defense and playing within the defense. (I’ve learned) just making sure your techniques are on point, regardless of what it is. Whatever defense is called, (we) just (are) making sure that you are physical. But at times, you don’t have to be (physical and) at times you need to be. That’s what I take from him.”
(On what the biggest difference for him with Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph) — “Coach Joseph is a great coach. I still have my defensive backs coach (Lou Anarumo) from last year. Those two together, they’re really good coaches and they taught me a lot and they’re still teaching me a lot. You’re still learning. You can learn every day. You can learn something new. Coach Joseph is bringing things in that we haven’t heard and that we have heard. That’s probably what’s best for us, as a group, to hear things that we don’t know and that we do know, to reiterate.”
(On if he has sat down with the coaches and looked at plays last year that he defended) – “Yes, we sat down. We watched a little film and (learned) from it. (They’re) just making sure ‘Right here, use your eyes. (You) did a great job right here. (You) didn’t do so well right here.’ That’s the biggest thing – just learning. As a group we’re learning and we’re learning each other. We’re getting better every day.”
