Kenny Stills – August 19, 2019
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Monday, August 19, 2019
WR Kenny Stills
(On leadership) – “…A quote that I have. It says, ‘leadership is about empathy. Having the ability to connect with people for the purpose of empowering and inspiring their lives.’ And I feel like – I like that. I like that. That’s from Oprah. It’s crazy you asked me about that; but yeah, it’s really trying to do the right thing – trying to inspire others.”
(What is about just your mentality – your chemical makeup – that makes you want to be that leader here and beyond because you do a lot of things outside the locker room as well?) – “Honestly, I don’t even think about it from that perspective. I’ve said it before: I pray at night, and I ask God to use me for whatever his purpose is, and this year preparing for this season, I was so focused on ball and not anything else outside of that, and then things come up and things happen, and I feel it on my heart to say something about it. I think just – sometimes, things work out that way.”
(You talked about on your Instagram post – you said, ‘we all could work together social justice without disparaging one another.’) – “Yeah.”
(I’m sure you’re referring to the Jay-Z situation – Jay-Z vs. Colin Kaepernick – can you expound on that thought?) – “I think that thought was directed just at everyone. I’ve seen a lot of people just kind of going after each other on social media, and I don’t feel like that gets us anywhere. If you say, ‘F this guy’ or ‘F that person,’ Okay, cool. Now what? How is that helping this cause? How is this helping this situation? And then, directly, I was speaking to Shawn Carter and the NFL. I felt like he really discredited Colin and myself and the work that’s being done in our communities. I think he could’ve handled the whole situation differently. If he were to say, ‘I see the work that Colin and these guys have been doing, and I want to partner up with the league to further that work,’ it would have been totally different than some of the ways that he answered some of these questions. So yeah, I just felt like I needed to let people know that speaking to each other the way that we have been, it’s not helping us get to any solution. We’re not solving anything, and we’ve got to do a better job.”
(So it’s not necessarily about the fact that he didn’t speak to Colin Kaepernick or yourself before joining that partnership; it was about the fact that his point-of-view: ‘what next after kneeling?’) – “Well, I mean I could go on a list of things that I felt like could’ve been done or handled in a better fashion, and I don’t really don’t want to get into that; but for the most part, what I’m trying to say to people is let’s work towards solutions and let’s wait and see what goes down from this deal. You can’t really tell right now. It doesn’t sit right with me. I don’t think that it was handled the right way, but you never know.”
(What about it doesn’t sit right with you?) – “That’s exactly what I was saying: I really don’t want to get into it. But yeah, I mean I think that he could’ve reached out to Colin (Kaepernick). He could’ve reached out to me. Some of the ways that he answered his questions. He’s talking about, ‘we’re moving past kneeling,’ like he ever protested. He’s not an NFL player. He’s never been on a knee. Just choosing to speak for the people like he had spoken to the people. And I think sometimes, I notice that – I wonder how many common people that he knows or that he’s spoken to. I wonder if he’s read my Facebook comments or my Instagram comments or some of the things that people say to me. To be able to speak on and say that we’re moving past something, it didn’t seem very informed.”
(Do you feel like that that even more divides people instead of talking about the subject?) – “Which part?”
(Like if you take two sides like say, Jay-Z’s side and what you guys have been doing, do you think people want that? People want that to divide it?) – “I mean, it seems like right now, that’s what’s fueling everything is division. So I don’t know; but I wish it was handled a better way.”
(Do you feel like it was a little cynical by the NFL partnering with Jay-Z? Do you feel like it was coming from a good place or do you think that’s PR?) – “I think it’s hard to say, but they’ve done a good job of shifting the problem onto Roc Nation and Shawn Carter’s shoulders instead of themselves.”
(Do you think people still view this as a patriotism issue, or do they view it as a social justice issue? I know you know from the comments that you get.) – “I think people are – both. People think that it’s a patriotism issue, and people think that’s a social justice issue, and people think that we don’t have an issue in our country. Go through and read the comments, you know what I’m saying? Read – there’s like bots, and then there’s people that are actually expressing themselves, and read those comments and see what people are saying. There’s a lot of confusion still out there. There’s a lot of people that comment on my page and have never looked at any of the work that I’ve done or any of the work that Colin’s done. Do some research before you’re just out here like, trying to discredit people and put people down. If you want to have a constructive conversation, do a little research, and then let’s talk about something. Leave your feelings out of it, leave your emotions of it, and come with some factual things and speak civilized. If you can’t agree on something, then agree to disagree and then go your way.”
(What do you think of what Carolina Panthers S Eric Reid said?) – “Exactly what?”
(‘Despicable’ I think is the word he used?) – “What was the context?”
(About Jay-Z becoming – or the reports that Jay-Z is going to become part-owner of an NFL team and joining the partnership with the NFL?) – “Yeah, I mean, that’s what Eric (Reid) said. I don’t…”
(I’m not asking you to speak for Eric Reid, I was just…) – “What do I think about his comments about it? I mean, I understand their frustration. I understand his frustration. Like I said, a lot of what I’m trying to do is bring people together, so I’m not going to personally go that route; but I understand when people do go that route. Like I said, I’m looking for solutions, and I’m going to try and give this man the benefit of the doubt for now, but it doesn’t sit right with me. It’s not something that I agree with. It’s not something that I respect.”
(What would you say to Jay-Z if you had the opportunity to talk to him?) – “Honestly, I need some time to think about that. I haven’t had that much time. We’ve been playing and preparing for this season. It’s really important for me to not be a distraction for this team, but also to do the things that I want to do outside of football. So (I’m) really just focusing on this, but that’s something I can think about.”
(Some people would say, ‘don’t let it become a distraction.’ In your mind and your teammates’, this hasn’t been a distraction here, has it?) – “No. As long as I continue to handle my business on the field, everything’s fine. I think I’ve done a good job of that the past couple years.”
(Do you think you’d like to talk to Jay-Z at some point?) – “I don’t see why not.”
Laremy Tunsil – August 19, 2019
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Monday, August 19, 2019
T Laremy Tunsil
(The preseason for veterans is one game away and then it’s go time for real. How ready or close to ready are you?) – “Am I? I’m as ready as I can be. I come in every day and try to prepare and improve and work my ass off and provide for this team. That’s my mindset: to come in here every day and work and get better.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores said that he’s seen improvement from the o-line. What specifically have you seen, experienced, witnessed that’s on the up and up here?) – “There are some new guys on the front five and I think we’re coming along together and executing plays and learning each other. I think that’s what we’ve improved on, but there is more stuff to detail and improve on every day. That’s what we’ll keep doing. We’ll go today in the film room, in the meeting, and fix our mistakes and keep moving.”
(You said that you wanted to be more of a vocal leader, how is that coming along?) – “PRETTY GOOD! (laughter) Hey, guys clean up now! (laughter) It doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. We’re still trying, we’re still getting there.”
(Seriously, looking at the room now, we know the bigger task at hand.) – “Yeah it is, it is. It’s still something that I need to work on: being more vocal with the guys. But you know, I take it day-by-day and try to keep improving. I just keep leading with my actions and the vocal part will come with it.”
(What about your relationship with the two rookie guards that are starting right now – G Michael Deiter and G Shaq Calhoun? How would you describe that relationship? Does it take you back to when you were a rookie and how new it all was?) – “It does. It does for sure. ‘Deits’ (Michael Deiter) playing left guard, that’s the position I came in and played (as a rookie). I was right next to (Mike) Pouncey and Branden Albert. It was a fun time. I had a great time with those guys. Now I’m the vet in the room and I’ve got to bring the rookies up. Mike Pouncey and Branden Albert helped me out a lot and I know what to do from that point.”
(How do you embrace that leadership role that’s been put on you whether you want it or not?) – “Like you said, whether you want it or not, you’ve got to embrace it and keep trying to be better. Just be a better person, be a better leader, be more vocal and lead by your actions a little bit more. Just take it a step up and keep doing things.”
(Although you’re a younger guy, talking to a lot of the guys, they say it doesn’t matter your age.) – “It doesn’t matter your age at all, for sure. It’s Year 4 for me and it feels like Year 10.”
(Which is easier, which is more natural for you: to take care of you and to play up to your level or to take on an entire group and try to raise them up?) – “I’d rather take ownership of the entire group and raise them up. You can lead vocally or you can lead with your actions. It depends on who you are. I lead with my actions and I’m working on being more vocal. I’d rather focus on the group than focus on myself any day.”
(Did T Branden Albert change the way you looked at this thing? He was kind of the model guy.) – “He was the model guy. He did, he did. He came in and changed a lot of ways and has also helped me improve and mature, I’d say.”
(What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve gotten from either T Branden Albert or C Mike Pouncey that you can pass along to those guys?) – “That was a long time ago, guys. (laughter) Three years seems like a long time. I hit my head a lot.”
(Does there seem to be a whole lot of change in this area of the room in just the few years that you’ve been here?) – “Just new faces and new coaches. That’s a part of the business. That’s the only thing that’s really going to change in the environment. What ‘B-Flo (Brian Flores) came in here and did, he wants players to be more mature. That’s something he established and that’s something we’re working on. No changes, (just) new faces.”
(As with age, obviously comes more wisdom. Have you seen yourself mature a lot more since you’ve started and can it help you become a better football player?) – “Yeah, for sure. That’s one of the biggest things for me is maturing. Having guys like, Josh Sitton, ‘D.K.’ (Daniel Kilgore), Branden Albert, Mike Pouncey and seeing how those guys operate, I just took some tips from them and started doing it my own way and leading from that point.”
(What’s one thing that you know now that you wished you knew as a rookie?) – “How to watch film. That’s one thing some of the guys taught me, how to break down film – especially Sam Young – how to break down the film, what to look at, and what this player is doing and what this player is doing. I wish I would’ve watched film a little bit more when I was a rookie.”
(The Laremy Tunsil coming out of Ole Miss, if he was to meet this Laremy, what would the reaction be?) – “It would be a lot of things. (laughter)”
(Would it be a short conversation?) – “No. It would be a long conversation. We’ll leave that alone. Next question for sure. (laughter)”
(As far as the third preseason game, is that one the most fun because it’s like a regular season game?) – “Yeah, because we’re going to be in there the whole game. It’s the most fun. Let’s get some work.”
(Are you ready for a big year?) – “A big year? Yeah. (We’ve got to) keep improving. Not just me, just the whole team. We’re underdogs. We want to prove some people wrong.”
Sam Eguavoen – August 19, 2019
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Monday, August 19, 2019
LB Sam Eguavoen
(You played for Regina, Saskatchewan last year?) – “Yes.”
(Tell me what that was like for a guy from Dallas. Tell me about that experience at first and what good came out of that in your eyes, do you think?) – “A lot more focus on football, because there’s not much out there but the stadium and the casino. (laughter) I could focus more on football, because there wasn’t really anything to do. (That’s) not to knock Regina, Saskatchewan,=, I loved it out there, but I had major focus.”
(Did it thicken your skin with some of the weather that you had to experience?) – “Definitely. The last game I played in, I think it was about 10 degrees and the ground was like frozen concrete. That was tough. Then coming out here is the complete opposite. (laughter)”
(Different rules, different dynamics How did that benefit in your learning process do you think?) – “The CFL is more of a spread-out game. It was a lot of passing. There are only three downs, but there are 12 people on the field. The three-down thing, I got really used to. If you stop somebody for a 2-yard gain on first down, now it’s second-and-long and you’re thinking screens, draws and things like that. But then coming here, it’s way more condensed – tight ends, 21 personnel, 11 personnel, things like that – and then there are four downs. There is a lot more running and a lot more thinking you have to do here in the NFL. Going from the CFL into OTAs helped me a lot because I was pass heavy coming from the CFL and OTAs, it is pretty much all passes. There’s no pads. The transition from OTAs to training camp was huge for me because now I’m seeing the real formations, I’m seeing the heavy formations – 22 personnel and things like that – and understanding where to fit and how to fit on the run. That’s why I had to pick up and learn quick.”
(How ready are you to start a real NFL game in your mind?) – “I’m always ready. That’s my mindset. I never see myself being second to anybody. That’s just my mindset that I grew up in whether it’s basketball, ping pong, anything. I never want to be behind anybody. I think that’s how a good team is built, if everybody has that mindset of, ‘I’m going to be the starter. I’m going to be the communicator. I’m going to run this team.’ If everybody thinks like that, we’re going to have a really good football team. That’s just my mindset. I’m ready.”
(A wider field in the CFL. Do you think that helped you as a Mike linebacker to be able to cover the field side to side?) – “Yeah, definitely. It’s a 65-yard-wide field there and in the NFL I believe it’s 53 (yards). That’s huge. If they throw a screen to the left side here and I’m dropping to the weak hook, I can get there. If I’m running full speed, I’m going to get there. In the CFL, sometimes you don’t get there; but you’re trained to go sideline to sideline out there since the field is so big.”
(Did you have anything to do with the AFL? I thought I read somewhere that you were involved with the AFL.) – “No, I never did. Somebody called me from the Arena Football League, but I never was going to go there.”
(Do people come up to you and say, ‘How do you say your name?’ Or how does that go?) – “Sam eh-GWOV-en.”
(Seems easy enough.) – “I’ve been saying it my whole life. (laughter)”
(This third preseason game, starters get a lot of run. It’s like a dress rehearsal for opening day. What do you hope to get out of this third game?) – “The build – max communication across the board on the defense. I want everybody to feel comfortable. I want everybody to play fearless. I want to see what all do we have? Some guys only play one quarter. I’ve been playing about two to three quarters every preseason game, but most of the starters have been playing one quarter. I want to see what we’re working with as a defense – see what we really have, all the pieces, all the weapons. That’s really what I want to see: how could can this defense really be?”
(When you think back to the most intense Arctic tundra game last year, how satisfying is it to me close to a job with the Miami Dolphins?) – “It’s great. Just being in the NFL period, knowing that I worked so hard, I’ve dreamed about it, prayed about it, cried about it and now that I’m here, it’s just a huge blessing for me. Definitely I like being here rather than blizzards out there in Saskatchewan.
(laughter) It’s just a huge blessing.”
(The defense, you’re like us, you don’t know what it’s going to look like yet?) – “No, I don’t, because we’re not even where we want to be right now. It’s a learning process for all of us. I’m waiting to see what we could really be.”
Reshad Jones – August 19, 2019
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Monday, August 19, 2019
S Reshad Jones
(How do you see this thing coming together, this defense?) – “I think it’s coming together. We have a lot of moving parts. Guys are playing different positions, different roles and I think it’s coming together.”
(How much does that take getting used to? You’re a veteran and you’ve been here for a little while.) – “It takes a lot to get used to. It’s different positions, like I said. Everybody is playing different positions so it’s a lot you have to learn, a lot you have to pick up. We’ve got to make sure everyone is on the same page. It’s a different defense but I’m excited.”
(Having said that, obviously you want to play in one of these preseason games, right?) – “I’m taking it one day at a time. I would love to be out there with my teammates and help and get this defense down or whatever. But when the time comes, I’ll be ready.”
(How did it feel to be back at practice today?) – “It felt good. It felt good to be back out there with my teammates, just running around a little bit. I haven’t been running around in a while but like I said, it felt pretty good.”
(How do you establish a leader in the locker room? I know you guys haven’t announced team captains or whatnot. How is a leader established?) – “Basically by how you go about your business – how you go about your everyday work program or whatever. I’m one of the guys that really has never been a vocal leader. I just try to lead by example. There are different ways you can establish that role and I try to get it done by going out, playing hard and having guys watch me, the way I play, the way I perform, the way I practice and different things like that. There are some guys that speak up and like to be vocal leaders. I just lead by example by my play and my work ethic.”
(You’ve been doing this for a little while. How tough is it to change, like with the changes they’ve given you?) – “I think this is my fourth time changing but defense is pretty much the same. You just have to take it like it comes and like I said, take it a day at a time and pick up it all and learn it as much as you can with a new system and a new staff, and just putting the work in, I guess.”
(Who are some of the players that you’ve watched so far that you are must excited about on the defense that will make this defense exciting besides yourself?) – “It’s going to take a team. It’s going to take a team effort. Sam (Eguavoen), the linebacker, he’s coming on. He’s been making plays out there and I’ve been seeing him run around, making plays and getting the ball out and things like that. I think that guy will potentially help us a lot.”
(What do you think will surprise people the most about this defense? What might be the most exciting aspect of this defense as we watch the games?) – “I’m not sure. I’m not sure.”
(What might not fans be expecting that you guys know…) – “Just different roles for different guys. Usually you see certain guys play the same position. In this defense, they can expect guys to be in different roles and in different positions, really all over the field.”
(Were you able to do any 11-on-11 team drills today or more individual?) – “I did more individual.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores talked about how you were kind of trying to play through a little bit of soreness and whatnot. How concerned were you at the time and how much better do you feel now?) – “I think I’m pretty much where I need to be. I’m getting there. Like I said, I’m taking it day-by-day and try to do everything I can to get back out there with my teammates.”
(Do you believe you’ll be available against Baltimore?) – “Oh yeah, most definitely.”
(I know last year you talked about having to play some free safety some and you did fine even though obviously strong safety is your strength. Having S Bobby McCain now in the backfield at free, does that help you at all in terms of being able to focus more on strong safety?) – “I think it does; but like I said, I don’t think there are any set positions for anybody. (There are) spots on the field and guys are playing all over the field and asked to do different roles or whatever. (When you have) a veteran guy like Bobby who knows the defense and is more of a vocal leader (back there), I think it definitely will help.”
(Do you have a pretty good feel for what your role is going to be on this defense?) – “A little bit. But whatever I’m asked to do, I’m willing to do it to help this team win football games.”
(You have three quality NFL players now at safety and more, but three play a lot with obviously you, S T.J. McDonald and S Bobby McCain. If it ends up with you all sharing playing time among those two, is that an adjustment? I assume it’s fine with you?) – “Yeah, most definitely. Like I said, whatever it takes to help this team win football games, that’s what I’m willing to do. I’m going to get myself physically and mentally ready to play 16 games, play a long stretch, and like I said, when the time comes, I’ll be ready with whatever that role is.”
(How long do you figure it’ll take you to be regular-season ready?) – “Oh, I’m about ready.”
(On Head Coach Brian Flores, how would you describe his personality and approach?) – “He’s a straightforward guy. He calls it how he sees it. He tells you when you’re not doing so well. He tells you when you’re making good plays. He’s about business. He comes from a winning program, so he knows what it looks like.”
(How has Head Coach Brian Flores attempted to engage with you and connect with you personally?) – “He just checks on me to make sure I’m good and make sure that I’m up to par on my conditioning and different things like that. We’ve had minimal conversations but I know he cares. I know he’s a straightforward guy and like I said, I’m excited about the season.”
Brian Flores – August 19, 2019
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Monday, August 19, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(If QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is starting Thursday – and you can tell us if anything has changed – is it accurate to say that is an indicator that he’s a projected starter for the season opener?) – “No, I wouldn’t say that is accurate. I would say that we go into every game trying to evaluate every player on the team. I know this is the third preseason game and the thought is this is the dress rehearsal for regular season game No. 1. In a lot of ways, it is that; but every game is important to me. So every time we step out there against another opponent, it’s a great evaluation for everyone on the team. This week is no different. That’s what I would say about that.”
(So do you want to have one quarterback or do you feel like on a week-to-week basis you’ll be deciding…) – “I want to put the best guy who will help us win, who we feel will give us the best chance to win games. If that’s one quarterback, if that’s four quarterbacks – I think in a best case scenario, it is one person. But things happen. We have to be ready to adapt. Guys go down at all positions and you have to be ready to adapt and have that next-man-up mentality.”
(Do you anticipate being able to make that decision after this third preseason game for Week 1?) – “Potentially. I think we may – obviously it’ll be our third game. We’ll have most of the evaluation done. So yeah, potentially we would be able to make that call. But we may not. I think part of that is as a staff, we’ll get together and talk about what we feel is best for the team and if we feel strongly that it’s one guy or the other, then we’ll make that decision. If not, then we’ll continue to evaluate and go from there.”
(Now that you’ve looked at the film of the game, how would you grade the progress that QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and QB Josh Rosen made last week?) – “I think there’s a lot of things we can do better offensively. We had some drops, we had some penalties, we had some negative plays – in the run game, sacks. We spend a lot of time talking about one position but as a total offense, there are a lot of things we can do better. Specific to that position, I thought there were some good things from really all three guys. I thought there were some not-so-good things from all three guys. But I think there was some good things and not-so-good things from everyone on the team. Again, I mentioned the drops, I mentioned the penalties, I mentioned the negative runs – those are things we have to clean up as a collective group. Some of those are not all on the quarterback. Being second-and-15 or first-and-20, that’s not advantageous for anyone. We need to clean those things up to get a good evaluation of the entire offense.”
(Will WR Albert Wilson be ready to play a full game this week?) – “Albert is doing everything he can to get back on the field. We’ve seen him – he’s done a little bit more each week in practice and he’s continuing to do that. He’ll be out there as soon as he can. Maybe that’s this week, maybe it’s not. We’ll see. We’ll go through these next couple of days of practice and we’ll take it from there.”
(What’s your general philosophy on starters playing on special teams?) – “We’re going to have the best 11 guys in the kicking game out there. So yeah, we’ll have some starters playing on special teams. That’s a very important phase, a very important phase. So yeah, you’ll see some starters playing in the kicking game, whether it’s linebackers on punt or receivers on punt return. We’re going to get the best 11 guys because that’s a very important phase to me, as I’ve said in the past.”
(Oftentimes in the third preseason game, the starting quarterback will go the first half and sometimes into the third quarter. Is there a scenario in which we could see QB Josh Rosen and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick both play in the first half?) – “Yeah, there’s a scenario you could see that. There’s a scenario you could see them playing a half. There’s a scenario you could see them playing the entire game. (laughter)”
(What scenario is most likely then?) – “(laughter) That’s yet to be determined. It’s still early in the week. We’re going through the process. I’ve got a few thoughts in my head of how I’d like it to go but again, there are various scenarios so we’ll see which one – it could be a half, it could be a quarter, it could be a series. We’ll see.”
(What does QB Josh Rosen have to do in the next two weeks to be a starter in Week 1?) – “That’s a good question. I think he has to continue to improve on the things that he’s done well and then the things that he hasn’t done as well. We need to see improvements there. He can’t take as many sacks as he’s taken in practice and games. We’ve talked about that. He has to step up in the pocket. He has to have command of the offense. I think those things are very important at this position. He’s got to get the ball out quicker. He has to do all of those things. And I would say the same is said for ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and Jake (Rudock). They have to do all of these things better. At the end of the day, it’s about our offense moving the ball and putting points on the board.”
(After the first preseason game, you said sometimes you want QB Josh Rosen to take a sack. It’s the right play to make. What happened after the second game? Is it the offensive line? Is he holding the ball too long?) – “Sometimes the right play is to take a sack. We’ve got to know when the journey is over. Other times, you’ve got to get the ball out quicker. So there is a fine line between all of those things and it’s something we talk about in the quarterback room. Again, every play is a little bit different and each quarterback is a little bit different. But we don’t want to just take sack after sack after sack. We can help that by getting the ball out a little bit quicker and stepping up in the pocket. That’s about footwork and fundamentals and those are things we’ll be working on this week.”
(You have a lot of key players that have been injured. How realistic of a look can you get of your team if they don’t play this week? LB Kiko Alonso, S Reshad Jones and S T.J. McDonald – you know the list – RB Kenyan Drake, RB Kalen Ballage.) – “Well, we’re going to have put to somebody out there. It’ll be a real look for someone. As far as our evaluation, we can only evaluate the guys who are out there. If they’re not out there, we can’t evaluate them. I know guys are working extremely hard to get back into the game, whether it’s Kiko, Reshad or whoever else you may mention. We’re going to have 11 (players) out there. I promise you that. Hopefully it’s 11 and not 10 or not 12. That’s something that we harp on a lot here. All we can do is evaluate the guys who are out there. We’ve got 90 guys on the roster and each guy is competing and trying to make this team. If they get an opportunity, they’ve got to take advantage of it. There’s nothing we can do about the injuries. These guys are trying to get back and we can only evaluate the guys who are out there.”
(How clear do you feel it is at this moment that you have the best five on the offensive line – that you know who they are?) – “Well, I think the two young guys (Michael Deiter and Shaq Calhoun) are improving and developing. I feel good about the five guys that are rolling right now. I think the communication is improving on a weekly basis. I think the technique, the fundamentals are improving. I think they’re working well together – guard to tackle, center to guard and then the entire group. There can always be improvement, but I like what I’ve seen from those five guys, and hopefully they’ll continue to improve; but each game is a little bit different. Each game is an experience, and hopefully we just continue to improve and get better.”
(Where do you stand with the pass rush? We saw sometimes that worked well the other night. What was going on there that led you to that improvement?) – “I thought Charles Harris played really well the other night. I thought we had some really good individual efforts, and I thought as a group we played well as far as not allowing the quarterback to step up, as far as running a few games and just our pursuit to the quarterback was very good. Now, I would have liked to see us tackle the quarterback a little bit better. That would have helped us. But I think those guys are really working hard as a unit to try to work their pass rush games and then their individual technique on a one-on-one rush has improved, and you saw that the other night.”
(On the offensive line, some mix of players are going to play together at some point during the season. What could a lineup of G/T Jesse Davis at right guard and T Isaiah Prince at right tackle probably yield you guys?) – “I think that if that were the case, I think we’d have two big, strong guys on the right side. We’d have a young guy working with an older guy – kind of similar to how we have Shaq (Calhoun) and Jesse right now, where the young guy would probably have to lean on the older guy a little bit for calls and adjustments, etc.; but we’d have to make that work. Again, it’s a team effort. Jesse – from a leadership standpoint – is a quiet guy; but when he speaks, people listen. I’ve really enjoyed working with him. I think he’s really doing a lot of things well, and he’s a guy who’s helping some of those young guys – really, Jesse, (Daniel) Kilgore, ‘Tuns’ (Laremy Tunsil) – I’m really appreciate of the way that they’ve worked with these young guys in trying to help them come along because they were young guys once, too, and they had some older vets help them along. So I like to see that from our veteran players, and that would be the same if it was a Jesse and Prince lineup.”
(You’ve had the same five guys working together since the coaching change and it’s been like, three weeks and two preseason games. Would it be counterproductive to start experimenting moving guys around now, or is that the five?) – “I don’t know if it would be counterproductive because I think we’ve got to be ready if something happens. I think we’ve got to be – that’s part of our jobs as coaches is to kind of think worst-case. If something happens or if somebody’s shoe comes off and another guy’s got to go in, the wheels can’t fall off. I think we do that really at all positions, so we’ll work a mix of guys. I could see how you would think it could be counterproductive and that you’re not working the five guys you think all the time, but we’ve got to be ready if something happens, and that’s on the o-line, on the d-line, different groups of guys in the secondary. I think we have to – it’s all the same verbiage, but the communication between you and I might be different than me and (that guy). I think that’s something that you’ve got to work through. We try to create situations where we force that communication between different guys.”
(When you have players like CB Xavien Howard and T Laremy Tunsil playing cornerstone positions at the level they are, how freeing is that for you from a game-plan perspective?) – “From a game-plan perspective, it allows you to do a few things that if you didn’t feel as good about some other players, you wouldn’t do. For instance, we’ll leave Laremy one-on-one or leave ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) one-on-one. I think offenses and defenses, they can force a situation where you can’t do that. Every coordinator knows how to do that; but yeah, it gives you an opportunity to slide the protection away from Laremy or move the coverage away from ‘X.’ We can not do that, also; but I think having good players is always a good thing. I’m not going to tell you that it’s not. So we’re happy with those two guys. We’re happy with a lot of the guys. It’s a nice feeling to know that, ‘hey, I like that matchup with ‘X,’ or I like this matchup with Tunsil. Let’s leave those guys alone and let’s work around – we’ve got some other problems somewhere else. Let’s focus our attention there.’”
(Where do you feel like you’re at with the running game right now?) – “It’s really – I’m focused on the run game today. It’s been – I would say from a practice and a game standpoint, we’ve seen some bright spots; but we need to continue to improve there. There are some combination blocks, there’s schematically a few things we can do a little bit better; but it’s an ongoing process. Like I’ve said with everything, hopefully what we’ve seen from the run game isn’t the best we’ll see for the rest of the year. I hope not because we’ve got a long way to go here. I think you guys feel the same way, hopefully. We’ll just continue to try to improve, but I think we’ve got good backs. We want to get them the ball in space, try to create some space for them in the run game and hopefully we can pick up some yardage, control time of possession, control the clock and grind out some tough yardage.”
(What has stood out to you about RB Patrick Laird?) – “Laird’s a young guy who works hard, who has done everything we’ve asked. He’s played well in the kicking game. When he gets his opportunity in the running game, as a receiver, he’s taking advantage of them. He just does everything right, and he’s had a good camp so far. He’s earned some more opportunities, which he’s gotten, and he’s taken advantage of them. He needs to stay on this path and he’ll have a chance. Again, it’s about consistency. It always is.”
