Christian Wilkins – June 11, 2020
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Thursday, June 11, 2020
DT Christian Wilkins
(I have a question for you for versatility and it’s certainly a buzz word we talk about down here, and you’ve moved around as much as anybody among that defensive line last year. How do those multiple fronts and multiple roles for you really help maximize your game?) – “For me really, I just take a lot of pride in being able to do my job and a lot of other jobs along the defensive line. The saying in the NFL is, the more you can do the better, so I always try to add a lot to my game, and that comes from film study, working out hard, just really honing in on my craft at every position on the defensive line. That versatility is huge and I’m glad I’m able to do that for this team, because anything that can help this team I’m all for. We’ve got a really versatile defense. We do a lot of different fronts, a lot of different things upfront. I’m glad I’m able to do those things as a big part of our defense.”
(You’re still the ‘PA’ [NFLPA] rep, correct?) – “Yes.”
(What kind of communication have you had with the union about protocols about getting us back to football? Do you anticipate four or five weeks from now being back and ready to go at training camp? What information can you share with us?) – “The ‘PA’ (NFLPA) has done a good job of trying to figure things out. We’re really just trying to figure out the best way, and the safest way to carry out with the season this year or starting up on time and things like that. There’s a lot that goes into it, but really everyone is working hard on their end to try to figure something out. That’s really all that I can share, is that we are trying to figure everything out and do it in the safest way possible where it’s the best for everybody involved.”
(I wanted ask you about Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney. I know he’s been getting a lot of flack in the media with everything going on recently and a lot of players spoke out for him and advocated for him. I guess I wanted to ask, you know Dabo closer than a lot of us do. Who is he as a coach and what do you think about some of the things being said about him in the media in recent days?) – “About everything going on with Coach Swinney in the media, I just really feel like people are really trying to paint a negative picture on Coach Swinney in a lot of ways, and that’s not who he is at all. That’s not the guy I’ve known since I was a sophomore or junior in high school. He’s a man of faith, he loves his players, I know his character, I know his heart. I see a lot of different things being said about him that I don’t necessarily agree with. I know him personally, I know his intentions, I know his heart and I know he’s a great coach. He’s passionate about developing young men on and off the field. Granted, he might not have said all of the right things. He might have done some things that people disagree with and that maybe I disagree with. But that just shows where someone like me could really be a help to Coach Swinney too, just as someone who is close to him, and someone who loves him. To continue to help him and educate him, and continue to have those conversations with him about things going on with him and the media as well. I’m not going to let anyone create a negative image of Coach Swinney because my experience with him has been great and a lot of other players feel that way as well.”
(More than probably a lot of players in professional football, you have some sort of motivation behind what’s going on in the nation right now and the political protest regarding police brutality. With that being said, can you answer and address why you never thought about or did kneel, or did you think about doing some sort of protest when you were in college, when Colin Kaepernick started in 2016, and have you given it any thought to it now?) – “Like you said, pretty much for me, what’s going on in the country right now is extremely personal to me because I experienced it with my family. Whether it was my brothers or close family and friends – a lot of people know the story about what happened to my grandfather, so it’s extremely personal to me. I just feel like it’s my job to use my platform to shed a positive light and be a spark of hope really through all of this. As far as kneeling or anything like that, that’s something I’m sure I’ll figure out as we get closer to the season, and we’ll talk about it as a team and figure things out. That’s something I’ll think about as we get closer to the season.”
(Along those lines, you had a lengthy Instagram post about your grandfather with all of the emotions that were stirred up. I’m just curious – it’s obviously been a very raw time for a lot of people in this country. I’m curious to where your emotions are now and do you feel what we’re seeing these last couple of weeks has been positive in the sense that it has seemed to have sparked some change?) – “Like you said, it’s hard not to get emotional and (I) have strong feelings about what’s happening right now because it hurts to see what’s happening to a lot of people that look like me. It’s something that has been going on forever. It’s stuff we’ve always had to deal with but now I feel like the rest of the world is really starting to see what we go through as the black community and the challenges we face day in and day out. I think now is a good positive time for some change to really happen. It’s great that I see a lot of my counterparts, a lot of my brothers speaking up about this whether it’s guys in the NFL, NBA, MLB, wherever. A lot of people are speaking up and using their voice which is great because change needs to happen. Stuff has been happening like this for far too long. We’re all one and everybody has a part in it, whether you’re black or white, it doesn’t matter. Everybody has a part to making this change and making the world a better place.”
(I know you were asked about Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney earlier, but there was another storyline in the Clemson database last week about an assistant allegedly calling a player a slur. I wanted to ask you about your experiences at Clemson and whether you felt any sort of racism that other players may have alleged happened with that assistant or otherwise.) – “In terms of with that assistant, I obviously know of that situation. I was one of the guys who was first informed about that – I heard about that and everything – and obviously I wasn’t happy that he used that language at practice and in front of everybody. I was not happy with that. But for the most part, it’s not like it was a (common) thing or he said it a bunch. Personally for me and my experience at Clemson, in terms of racism, it might have been a lot different than the everyday black student in the Clemson community, because their life is different than mine where all of my interactions and everything are positive because I was an athlete, because I was a community leader, a person on campus that everybody could relate to and see, and they know it’s me and they showed me a lot of love. So my experience at Clemson was a lot different than the everyday black student, so in terms of that, obviously me coming from the North to the South, I experienced a little bit of a culture shock; but in terms of me personally dealing with specific examples and instances of racism, there were fewer of those, if that makes sense.”
(What do you feel like you need to see, what will make you comfortable returning to practice in late July. From the union standpoint and you personally what needs to be done for you to be ready for football?) – “Really, I just want to know if we can do everything in the safest manner possible and that there is a clear plan for everyone involved and that things can be done in an orderly fashion and in the safest way possible, because that’s all we care about. We always talk about player safety and it’s bigger than just the players on the field because things like that could affect our family, our loved ones and stuff like that too. I just want to know that there is a set plan that that in order to get on the field and get out there, and if someone does contract the virus or whatever, that there is a plan for that, and everything can be handled orderly and cleanly really.”
(What was your reaction to the Commissioner’s statement encouraging players to peacefully protest? Do you support that idea and will you support your teammates who express support for the social justice movements when the games start, the kneeling and such, or whatever they decide to do?) – “The biggest thing I’m in support of is that people using their voice and this means a lot to a lot of people. That’s what I’m behind, and I’m behind people who are against social injustices because that’s something that is important to me, that’s something that affects me personally. I’m in support of guys who are courageous enough to step out of their comfort zone and be a leader and stand up for something that isn’t right because that’s what I’m all about. I’m behind guys who are willing to be that courageous and do what they feel is necessary to allow their voice to be heard and using their platform.”
Ted Karras – June 11, 2020
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Thursday, June 11, 2020
C Ted Karras
(What do you feel your role is from a leadership standpoint playing that center position and what’s it like now? I know these are Zoom meetings, but what’s it like trying to develop chemistry for an offensive line with you guys usually the most tight-knit unit?) – “The center’s always had a leadership role. I take that very seriously and really enjoy the opportunity. The Zoom meetings, though, it’s basically just trying to speak the same language, everyone getting on the same page, making calls and kind of trying to see the game through one set of eyes; so it’s been very beneficial. We’re all getting on the same page, speaking the same terms and we’ve gotten a lot of good work in this spring already.”
(I wanted to ask you about what the team’s response has been to obviously the death of George Floyd and the unrest that has followed since. Has Head Coach Brian Flores had listening sessions? Have you had big group talks about it? What’s going on?) – “We have talked and I have been around some guys down here, and obviously there’s some good talk going on. I don’t really know what my role is going to be going forward, but I’m listening and learning and doing my best to empathize and understand and do what I can to be an advocate for progress and stand in solidarity with my teammates.”
(I know that you guys probably haven’t met – you and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick – but where do you see his value and how familiar are you with his game and what he may bring to your offense this year?) – “Well, I’ve been a fan for a long time. I love the way he plays. We definitely communicated a lot this spring. I’m really excited to start getting in-person, start getting some reps together; but I love the way he plays. He’s been a great leader and very welcoming to me so far, so I’m really excited to get to work with him and play some ball.”
(Back to the protest movement, you talked about striving for solidarity. Fifty-three people aren’t going to agree on anything, but to what extent do you think kneeling during the national anthem is a potentially divisive locker room issue going forward?) – “I can only speak for myself and I know there’s a lot of valid protests going on and there’s definitely some winds of change, and I’m going to do my best to keep learning and listening and try to fit in wherever I can. But I’m with my teammates; and whatever we decide, I’m going to go with what we’re doing in unison. I want to be unified and do whatever I can to be an advocate for progress.”
(What do you think makes you an ideal center because that’s a position that you only got accustomed to – I know you probably practiced with it for some time – but you only got playing experience last year. Why is center the right fit for you?) – “I’m (a) good leader, making calls, I’m a pretty decent size for a center. I like being in the mix. I like the fact that we’re kind of in there fighting in the A gaps. I’m just working hard every day. I learned center my rookie year in New England and then played it for four (seasons) and now get a chance to get another season under my belt. I’m very excited. I love anything on the o-line. Any opportunity and job in this league is precious and I’m very excited to continue to work with the guys and be the best player I can be so we can win as many ball games as we can.”
(I have a question about some of your teammates that were added along the offensive line this year. Five additions among the draft and free agency, including yourself, and several of those guys are 325, 330 or even bigger than that. How much does that sheer density alongside you help you do your job better?) – “I’m excited to get in with them. There’s some big dudes coming in, yeah. We’re going to have a pretty big o-line and that’s exciting, and everyone’s been working hard. I’m really excited just to get together whenever that may be, but I think it’s going to be a really good competitive camp. Everything is going to be competition and we’re going to have the five best guys out there Week 1 and start putting it together.”
(I’m just curious what you’ve been doing as one of the new guys to kind of establish yourself and stand out as one of the new guys and also as the veteran, and how difficult has that been virtually with the nature of what’s going on? How can you make a name for yourself virtually with the coaches and your teammates?) – “I think just being prepared every day, coming to work every day ready to work. I think that maybe sometimes – especially Zoom – I’m really not usually this serious all the time, like I come off pretty serious in meetings. Football time is serious time, and I think one thing that kind of stinks about this spring not being in the building is that now sometimes your teammates only see the serious side. You don’t get that hour in the locker room after to connect, but as guys are trickling down here, we’ve started to lift together a little bit, run together and just whoever can make it and it’s been nice to meet people and start developing a personal relationship because that’s one of my favorite parts of the game.”
(I understand you got a second Master’s degree this offseason. I saw somewhere else your goal is to go for six and I wanted to ask you about the challenge of doing that and when you get those, how does that rank in terms of accomplishments for you compared to what you do on the football field?) – “It’s definitely second to anything I do in my (football) career. It’s just a perk that I’ve taken advantage of. I encourage a lot of guys to do it as well. It can be any accredited school. You can go get your degree paid for by the NFL. It’s very important to me. I graduated from Indiana this May with an MBA and going to see what I do next. I don’t do anything ever during the season, so it’s always about February to June, but it’s really exciting. I don’t know what I’m going to do next. I’ve got a couple options. I’ve applied some places, but we’ll see.”
(I know there’s probably some tentative clarity on the training camp starting in late July. I wanted to ask about your thoughts on a shortened preseason, if they were to cut it down from four games to two. How does it affect players like yourself getting chemistry? How does it affect players at the end of the roster? How do you guys think a shortened preseason would pan out?) – “Every game is really important, but having two games instead of four to stand out as a guy – especially in any type of competition – definitely kind of raises the stakes; but our job is to play football and whenever we can get the opportunity, you’ve got to go out there and play your best and do your best. It’s definitely going to be more limited reps and definitely ramp the competition up because less reps for guys. That’s how you make the team, so it’s going to be an interesting training camp just like everything this year is very unique. We’re just going to have to adapt as players to perform our best.”
(You mentioned you’re down here, is that right?) – “I am.”
(Have you got a chance to work with any of your teammates?) – “Yeah, I’ve met a few guys. I’ve got a gym in my garage that a couple guys have come over and lifted at. (I am) lucky, too. I know a lot of guys on this team already, which has been great. A lot of guys are trickling down as it kind of ramps up toward the season and I think it’s going to be a really, really productive summer.”
(So you guys were working out in your gym? Is that what you’re doing?) – “I’ve had a few guys come over, yeah. Yeah.”
(Offensive linemen? Paint the picture for me. What do you guys do? Pushing trucks, too?) – “Oh, I haven’t pushed any trucks, no. (laughter) I’ve got a rack and a bench. Just when all the corona(virus) stuff happened, I kind of was left in the – I didn’t have anywhere to work out and so we kind of put together a weight room and got it going, brought it down here and yeah, it’s been good. Really good, and I just like to start relationships. Obviously we’ve been working together for nine weeks now, so we’re trying to just cram in and kind of still follow the rules as much you’re supposed to with the distancing stuff.”
