Jaylen Waddle – November 28, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, November 28, 2021
Postgame – Carolina
WR Jaylen Waddle
Q. The long deep hitter you had and the quick-hitting slant, looked like you were off to the races?
JAYLEN WADDLE: It was kind of like a deep over. Tua (Tagovailoa) just found me, gave me a great ball and made a positive play.
Q. Have you been waiting to show your speed vertically? This year we haven’t seen a lot of it going to the jet sweeps or passes that way into the end zone but nothing north and south like that very much. Was that nice for you to show?
JAYLEN WADDLE: I wouldn’t say I’ve been waiting. Honestly, I just go out there and try to do my job. Whatever it is that they want me to do, I try to go out there and execute.
Q. Were you surprised the guys caught from behind? Were you surprised? Were you, like, dang, I almost took it to the crib?
JAYLEN WADDLE: No, not really. I feel like he had an angle. I seen him coming from the corner of my eye but they got great players over there.
Q. Is that called the ‘Waddle Waddle?’
JAYLEN WADDLE: You like that? (Laughter) Definitely. Definitely. Definitely. Most definitely.
Q. Is that — it’s a waddle, right?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Waddle, for sure.
Q. Like a penguin?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Definitely.
Q. Who came up with that? I think we saw DT Christian Wilkins do it with you.
JAYLEN WADDLE: Christian (Wilkins) was kind of making fun of me at first and then he just started doing it. Then it just became me and his thing. He be the first one out there. We just do it. J.P. (Jaelan Phillips) be in on it too. He was in the training room.
Q. You like it?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Definitely.
Q. Twitter likes it, too.
Q. Can I ask you a follow-up about Thanksgiving? You said you were going to go to as many players’ houses and eat as much food as possible. QB Tua Tagovailoa said he uninvited you after hearing that. How did Thanksgiving go?
JAYLEN WADDLE: He really did uninvite me (Laughter). I really did not show up. It was like you get to Thanksgiving day, and you are, like, ‘Yeah, remember to come by.’ It wasn’t one of them. It was like, about your day. I spent time with my family and went and ate good, and it was a good day.
Q. Do you feel like you are part of a rookie class that’s really on the ascension? Do you feel like you’re really starting to figure it out and if so why? What’s been the difference the last few weeks?
JAYLEN WADDLE: I think just our OGs, our vets. Just going out there and seeking knowledge when we don’t know and just wanting to learn and just be out there and go out there and give great effort.
Q. The communication QB Tua Tagovailoa says he has always had with you. The chemistry we saw today, does it really just go back to what you are used to with him at Alabama?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Yeah, most definitely. A lot of things we do, we did. We did a lot of routes from previous before I was here and so I think it’s all just connecting, just going to the flow.
Q. Any catch stand out for you today as far as either a read you made or beating somebody that… any of these?
JAYLEN WADDLE: No, I don’t just got one that just stand out or stick out. No.
Q. QB Tua Tagovailoa was asked as well if this is a continuation of your Alabama chemistry. It seemed like he was kind of hesitant to admit it, because you had a lot of new chemistry to build over the past few months. Do you feel like you guys have — that’s what you’ve been working nonstop to do? Have you had to relearn each other since you got here?
JAYLEN WADDLE: I would say so to a certain extent. I think Tua (Tagovailoa) grew as a player. I’m trying to grow as a player. Just learning what he do and his new knowledge and me going out there every week and learning something new and just putting it all together. We work throughout the week on just new things that we find and just trying to get better.
Q. Knowing your quarterback, having had a relationship with him, does it help you quicker grow as a player?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Definitely. I think it’s definitely, you know, a good thing.
Q. How important is it for you to develop a reputation as an all-around receiver instead of just being a speedster?
JAYLEN WADDLE: I think it’s very important. I think I work extremely hard not to just be known as a speed guy or a guy that just is a vertical threat. I think I’m just going to continue to try to go out there every week and show that I can actually run routes and do things that I would say people don’t expect me to do.
Q. Can you walk us through the touchdown?
JAYLEN WADDLE: It’s more like a timing route going out there, gameplan and just dotted it. Real good ball. Fit it in there, pause. Yeah.
Q. How tight was that window?
JAYLEN WADDLE: It was tight. (Laughter).
Q. You had to make sure you were in the end zone for that amount of space?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Yeah. Yeah. (Laughter) For sure.
Q. What did you make of the Iron Bowl yesterday?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Come on man, we thrive on those type of moments (Laughter). Y’all was worried. We had people really worried. I wasn’t. I was, like, man, we do this. We do this.
Q. Four overtimes and you weren’t worried?
JAYLEN WADDLE: No. No, not at all.
