Matt Haack – December 4, 2020
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Friday, December 4, 2020
P Matt Haack
(Wanted to get your thoughts on leading the fan voting for the Pro Bowl and what would making the Pro Bowl mean to you?) – “I don’t have Twitter on nothing, so I never saw any of that until our media people here told me. Honestly for me, the Pro Bowl is a cool thing and all, but I’m just focused on winning games and right now it’s beating the Bengals and putting our team in the best position I can to help us win. The Pro Bowl to me is kind of a bonus, but what you do on the field during the season is what matters.”
(I’m going to give you a chance to brag here. Are you and K Jason Sanders the best kicking combo in the NFL?) – “I feel like you have to have some sort of confidence in your unit, right? Jason is having a damn good season. His numbers prove it in and of themselves. I think when all things are clicking – everybody on the unit, when we are clicking, it’s a good one.”
(I need to know what the secret sauce is on how to get so popular in such a short time span. I didn’t know you were such a big fan favorite. How are you leading the voting?) – “I have no idea. I’m probably the most quiet guy and to myself and stuff. I’m just as shocked as you guys are.”
(A second ago, you were talking about you and K Jason Sanders as a tandem. I don’t know if you’ve seen but in the Pro Bowl voting, Jason is not leading in the AFC. Does that surprise you?) – “To me, I don’t even know how all of that stuff works, if it’s just the fan voting and stuff or not. All of our focus right now is on Cincinnati and winning games. The Pro Bowl is definitely not what we are thinking about; but in my opinion, I think that numbers speak for themselves. He’s having a good year. I’m sure a bunch of guys are around the league, but you can’t take away from Jason what he’s done on the field. He’s just as focused as I am about beating the Bengals and winning one game at a time.”
(You mentioned the entire unit getting the job done and I was curious because every time we talk to LS Blake Ferguson, he’s always got this high energy, fun loving guy type of mentality. Since you, Jason and Blake spend so much time together, how has he kind of molded into that relationship with you guys and molded into that room and how he has integrated into the specialist room with you guys?) – “He’s done very well. He’s doing a great job on the field as well. I think when things are going well, it’s easy for all of us to click. Just him being able to get out here in the offseason and train with us a little bit before we even got in the building helped out a lot. We were able to get out before the COVID stuff was real bad and before all of the restrictions and kind hang out outside of football and get to know him. He came in confident and doing a good job, so I think that helps a bunch.”
(Going back to K Jason Sanders real quickly you’ve been here for three years now. What have you noticed from him in terms of differences in maybe his approach, confidence level, anything that might lead or explain the amazing season he’s having?) – “I mean credit to him. He puts in a bunch of work. Even in the offseason when we’re training, he’s a guy that has a great mentality mentally, and he expects to make every kick. He puts a lot of work into it. He’s very detailed oriented. He pays very close attention to detail. He’s one of those guys that when he’s locked in, he’s locked in and nothing is going to distract him from what he’s trying to do. I don’t think he’s changed anything.”
Brandon Jones – December 4, 2020
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Friday, December 4, 2020
S Brandon Jones
(It’s My Cause My Cleats this week in the NFL. I wanted to ask you what you’re wearing, what your cause is, who the designer is for all that stuff and how much you’re looking forward to playing with the cleats this weekend.) – “My designer is Soles By Sir. I’ve worked with him before. He does a really good job with cleats. My cause is going to be osteosarcoma, which deals with – I’ve got a story. I made a relationship with Jayden Morton, a kid that I met at Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin, Texas during my time at Texas in college. He suffers from that cancer and overall, I just wanted to be able to represent not only him, but it’s a cancer that only kind of shows in kids that range from ages 10-20, so they’re younger than me obviously, and I’ve got younger brothers. So I always put Jayden, for example, in my brothers’ shoes and I just couldn’t imagine how hard life at that age, how hard life could be with having to deal with that stuff. I’m representing for him and everybody else – all the other kids – that suffer with osteosarcoma and I’m actually going to wear them during pregame; I’m still trying to decide if I’m going to wear them during the game because I’m going to give it to him for Christmas as a Christmas gift and I really don’t want to mess them up too bad, so we’ll just kind of see how the grass holds up and stuff during pregame.”
(I just wanted to ask you, isn’t that the point that the cleats could get a little bit scuffed up or that you would wear them in a game?) – “The only thing is I’ve got his name on the back of them and I’ve worn some cleats that were custom-made before and they sometimes get a little messed up, so I’m going to have to just stay light on my toes the whole game, I guess, and try not to mess it up for him. But I already took pictures and stuff just in case it does mess up, I’ll be able to send them and show him, ‘hey, this is what they looked like before I used them in the game.’” (laughter)
(Now I’m wondering did you just inadvertently ruin the surprise? Like was that a surprise gift for him or does he know already?) – “I mean, I texted his mom about it. I don’t think he has social media, so we should be good. (laughter) I texted his mom not to say anything, but that’s another reason why I was kind of debating if I should wear them in the game because I know he’s going to be watching the game. If he sees them, he’s going to be like, ‘oh, I like those cleats, what do those cleats say?’ He’s going to end up finding out. He doesn’t know that – well, I’m kind of throwing myself under the bus – he didn’t know he was getting them. (laughter) But if he doesn’t have social media, maybe it still could be a surprise for Christmas, so we’ll see. (laughter)”
(That just had me thinking, obviously that was one of the first stories I think when we learned that you were going to be on the Dolphins, that was one of the stories that we became familiar with. How cool is it for you to kind of have this platform now – even a bigger platform than when you were at UT, to kind of raise awareness about these issues that you care about?) – “It’s super important to me and I think just overall just based off of the relationship I made with Jayden. I didn’t realize how much it would impact my life and truly make me grateful for what we do have and always kind of finding the positive out of every situation. It’s definitely tough for him and like I said, just having younger brothers, I couldn’t image just having to go through that at that age and wonder ‘why me?’ Just overall, just really, it just changed my life and made me really appreciate what we do have and what we’re able to do because that could be taken from you at any minute, any time and you never know.”
Brian Flores – December 4, 2020
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Friday, December 4, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Will QB Tua Tagovailoa play Sunday and can you please address the status of the four running backs who have either been injured, or in the case of RB Matt Breida, not spotted by reporters today?) – “Similar to last week, we’ll review the film and talk as a staff about the quarterback situation. As far as the backs, DeAndre Washington will be doubtful. He’ll be listed as doubtful. (Salvon) Ahmed will be listed as doubtful. We’ve got to talk as a staff and I’ll talk to (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and the personnel department – Chris, (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore), (Assistant General Manager) Mavin (Allen) and talk about Myles (Gaskin) and whether he’s ready to come up or not. And then (Matt) Breida – Breida is dealing with an illness and we’ll try to update that one as soon as we can.”
(With QB Tua Tagovailoa, when you watched him this week, did you see the thumb impacting throws, velocity, accuracy, things of that nature? And will that be a factor in the decision that you make?) – “Again, any time you’re dealing with something that’s bothering you, there is some impact on all those things you mentioned – accuracy and velocity. Obviously any time you have an issue on the hand, there’s some impact. So yeah, obviously that’s part of the evaluation and we’ll go through it as a staff. We’ve gone through it really throughout the entire week and both guys were quarterbacks in practice, so we’ve got to make a decision and we’ll make a decision here pretty soon.”
(I’m wondering if I’m maybe just looking a little bit too much into this, but I noticed QB Ryan Fitzpatrick wearing a mask actually outside during practice this week. I was wondering if that by design you guys wanted to have at least one QB always in a mask just to avoid a situation like what happened in Denver where they weren’t wearing masks and then none of the QBs could play?) – “That’s part of the new intensive protocol, so if you don’t have a helmet on, you need to have a mask on. That’s really kind of the case with everyone and we try to encourage the mask wearing as much as possible and that’s at all positions, not necessarily just the quarterback position. Everyone’s health is important, I think you may have spotted Ryan (Fitzpatrick), but I’m not sure – you probably saw multiple guys wear masks or maybe you didn’t, but we try to encourage most everyone wearing them if they don’t have the helmet on. And obviously the helmet has a visor that protects them. We’ve encouraged all the players to, if they’re not wearing helmets, to try to wear a mask.”
(We talked to a few of the guys this week about QB Tua Tagovailoa and how he looked at practice and one of them said that he looked great and sort of similar to what he did before. I’m curious, do you talk to the players about what they view in sort of the passes or is that just a strictly you and the medical staff and Tagovailoa who make that sort of decision?) – “It’s myself, obviously our medical team, the coaches. I don’t know what kind of evaluation eye these guys have, as you’re talking to these players. I wouldn’t put too much stock in it, in their scouting prowess. That’s just me, but we’ll go through it and we’ll make the best decision for the team like we always do.”
(How much concern is there, if any, that RB Matt Breida’s illness might be COVID-related?) – “Again, I don’t get into people’s medical situation. I never have. Again like I said, we’ll try to update you as soon as we can on status and things of that nature. But again, player, coach; I think I’ve been pretty consistent from that standpoint. It’s an illness and you’ll get that information as soon as we put it out.”
(I wanted to ask you about the offensive line. Obviously G Solomon Kindley came back and wanted to know what his status is for this game, but also are you beginning to gain a comfort level with what you’re seeing from the offensive line, or if not, what do you want to see?) – “There’s always things we can improve on at every position – o-line, d-line, running backs, linebackers, receivers, DBs. Specific to Solomon (Kindley), he’ll be – we’ve got him as, yeah, he was limited – I figured it would be questionable. So he’s questionable. He was limited this week and did some things. Definitely trending in the right direction, but as far as the group as a whole, like always, we’ll play the top five guys and the guys who we feel give us the best combination of players, I would say. But yeah, we can improve on the o-line, but we can improve in really all areas; so offense, defense, special teams, coaching. We’ll try to do that against a tough opponent in Cincinnati. They’re really good in the kicking game. They present some issues defensively, specifically on third down with their different looks and offensively, this is – I would say the strength of this team is these receivers. A.J. Green and Tee Higgins and (Tyler) Boyd. (Drew) Sample – the tight end – is a pretty good player, too. And Gio Bernard. He’s a problem, too.”
(Regarding the starting quarterback, is your plan to choose a starting quarterback later today or is there a chance you want to see this kid throw on Saturday or even Sunday before finalizing the decision?) – “We’ll make a decision probably here in the next hour, right when I’m done with media. (laughter) Right when I’m done with media. Next time you guys see me, it will be postgame and you’ll have the information by then. (laughter)”
Adam Shaheen – December 4, 2020
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Friday, December 4, 2020
TE Adam Shaheen
(I wanted to ask about the productivity that you guys have had in the tight ends room, particularly in the red zone. Did you expect that kind of utilization out of all three of you?) – “It’s been pretty – I think I’ve got three (touchdowns), Mike (Gesicki)’s got three or four (touchdowns) and Durham (Smythe) has two or three, so we’ve been very productive. It’s been good that it’s been spread around to everybody and it’s made for a lot of fun. It’s always good when our room can help contribute in any way we can to a win. It’s good.”
(Last we talked, you had mentioned a different approach last offseason about keeping your body in better shape and being able to deal with the rigors of an NFL season. I was just curious as we get into December here, how do you feel like that’s impacted you now that you’ve come down the stretch run of this 2020 season?) – “I think it’s been good. It also helps when it’s 80 degrees out here and you can walk out and start breaking a sweat. That’s definitely a big advantage. I feel good and ready to make our best push over the last five weeks of the season here.”
(Obviously everybody is curious about what the QBs have done this week. What have you seen from both guys in terms of their practice involvement?) – “For me, I’m not really watching too much of that as much as really watching our position group and what we’ve got to do. You’ve got to ask one of them or ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) for that.”
(I wanted to ask you about the Bengals’s linebacker corps. They made it a point of emphasis this offseason to get faster at that position. I’m curious what the difference is between a linebacker corps that can run versus one that’s maybe more of a physically imposing group.) – “We’ve played plenty of very fast, good linebackers. I think that speed side to side is huge for them, being able to cover, as well as really getting outside on some of these run plays. It’s always a challenge and we’re looking forward to it.”
Nik Needham – December 3, 2020
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Thursday, December 3, 2020
CB Nik Needham
(I was wondering on the plane ride home from New York, did you get any nice text messages from family about the interception, for you guys to continue that NFL long streak you guys have with the takeaways?) – “Yeah, my mom, my dad and some of my good friends texted me and said they saw the interception, so that was cool. That was definitely a big play in the game for me.”
(In the past two seasons, you’ve transformed yourself into being a reliable piece in that nickel cornerback role. What can you say, if you can recap the past two seasons for yourself, how they’ve gone for you and how happy you are with the success you are having?) – “Definitely my first year, I started off a little shaky and I had to adjust. I think throughout the first year, just growing, learning and adapting to the NFL season coaching-wise, I think that helped a little bit. Then them just letting me know what I needed to do in the offseason to really make that big jump in the second year, I think that helped a lot. Then Coach ‘GA’ (Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander) has done a really good job of coaching me the tiny fundamentals in the slot. I didn’t know it was that detailed, so he has been a big help in helping me continue to improve my game week by week.”
(I’m writing a story about DT Raekwon Davis. We talked a while ago and obviously he’s just a rookie. What’s your impression of what he does well?) – “The first impression when I first saw him, I was definitely like ‘this is the biggest dude I have ever seen.’ It’s crazy because he’s just a rookie and you think he’s going to have a deep voice, but he kind of has the light voice, all happy and funny. (laughter) When he stepped out there on the first day of pads in training camp, you could tell why they brought him here. He’s a beast. He dominates the middle of the field. We’re all still learning, but he’s definitely improving every week. He’s definitely up for the challenge and I respect that for sure. He’s taking the coaching.”
(Now that you are a little bit more comfortable playing that nickel role, I’m doing something on the slot position or space or area of the field, which is how Head Coach Brian Flores views it. What’s the challenge of when you’re playing that inside between the hash area, and all of these little scat-back receivers are running option routes on you?) – “That’s a great example right there, they have option routes. Definitely in the slot too they have a two-way go open on both sides. Just knowing where your help is and how you can play to your leverage. Really, it comes down to film study too, knowing what routes they like to run in the slot because it’s a real different route tree than the outside. I’ve been trying to learn all of that stuff and study some guys that have been successful in the slot.”
(I wanted to ask you about Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer. What is his coaching style like when he deals with you guys, and how do you describe his coaching style in terms of the way he calls the game on game days?) – “I would say they are both the same. He’s aggressive. He’s very attentive to details, just how he wants our defense. All of our checks, we’ve got to make sure everybody knows them, that everybody is on point. He’s big on details. He stays on your ass. He pushes you to be the best player you can be, which I like. Always, every day, he’s just never letting up. I think that’s what translates into the game and creating that relentless effort that we all try to play with.”
(It’s the second year in the row that you guys are facing the Bengals. At this time last year, it was a battle to see who might get the first overall pick. A year later, the Bengals are still struggling and you guys are in the thick of a playoff race. What goes into your mind when you contemplate how far you guys have come since that time last year?) – “Just the work that we put in during last year and the offseason, it’s all coming to light. ‘Coach Flo’ (Brian Flores) just says come in every week, grind and try to get one percent better every day. We’ve just really been doing that and the success is showing. We still have a lot more work to do and this is a big game this week. We have to come out and execute.”
(I had a chance to catch up with LB Sam Eguavoen earlier and he was telling me about the Last Air Bender and Street Fighter that he’s going to have on as cleats this week’s game for My Cause My Cleats. I asked him if DT Christian Wilkins is going to come in and try to get his hands on those. I was curious what are you wearing, what’s going to be on the cleats, what your cause is and if anybody is knocking down your door to get their hands on your shoes this week?) – “Mine is Allen Hurns – I did his last year too, the 88 Blessings (Foundation for) single mothers. Mine is red and pink for love, I guess. Then it has some hearts on there and then my mom’s name. I’m just going to be out there representing her.”
(I know this isn’t your position, but since you studied these guys, what makes a good slot receiver?) – “Playing to my leverage, the receivers knowing the DB, knowing how to attack different leverages. Quickness helps a lot. Speed kills. Just knowing where they are on the field, how they move around, having good ball security. That’s really what makes it real tough to guard.”
(I’m a momma’s boy too. Can you tell us a little bit more about your mom and what she means to you?) – “Well, my mom and dad too. I just lived with my mom a little longer. She means the world to me. She grinds every day. She’s very protective of me. (laughter) It’s funny. I love her. She pushes me every day so I go out there and play for her. My dad too. Just grinding. Whenever I make a play or see the smile on their face, that makes me happy and makes mewant to keep going for sure.”
Clayton Fejedelem – December 3, 2020
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Thursday, December 3, 2020
S Clayton Fejedelem
(I had a question for you about Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman. I spoke to LS Blake Ferguson and LB Sam Eguavoen and they both joked about the frequency of getting chewed out by him. I was curious just to get your take on his personality – whether it’s in meetings, on the practice field, on game day – and what he brings to the facility every day?) – “He just demands that you know your assignment. You’re only getting chewed out if you’re not going through all the scouting reports with a fine-tooth comb. He holds the players to a standard, the guys on this team hold each other to a standard and that’s why we’re executing the way we are right now.”
(I know this isn’t specifically your role, but I’m sure you’ve probably played a gunner role at some point in your special teams career. What does it entail to be a gunner? What do you have to go through?) – “To be a gunner? I’ve taken a couple reps in practice here and there. Don’t have any under my belt – no reps under my belt in live games – but to be a gunner, you have to be able to execute in space, you’ve got to beat your one-on-ones if they’re doubling you and vicing. It’s a demanding position. When they have an eight-man box on their punt return unit and you’re out singled, you have to win because everyone else on that unit is protecting first before we can help out and cover. So it’s definitely a skill position. Your better athletes, your quicker guys are out there. Not only do you have to win off the line, but once you get down there, you have to win at the point of attack against some of the best athletes and get the punt returners on the ground. It is a demanding, demanding position.”
(I have a two-part question. I wanted to get your thoughts on facing your former team and also since I’m assuming you have guys that you still have good relationships with over there, how closely do you keep tabs on what’s going on with them and what you make of their season?) – “I still talk to a handful of the guys over there. I haven’t been doing much talking this week. You’ve got to keep everything in-house, but they have a good unit over there. (Bengals Assistant Head Coach and Special Teams Coordinator) Darrin Simmons, he’s a good coach. They’re going to come out and have a good game plan; but yeah, they’ve got guys like – I talk to Brandon Wilson. You saw last week he had a 103-yard kickoff return. They have good players and we’re going to have to execute. We’re definitely excited for the challenge.”
(This weekend is My Cause My Cleats and I was just curious what you’re wearing and what the cause is for you, if you are wearing them.) – “I’ll be wearing the Pat Tillman Foundation. I just – a lot of people know the story unfortunately with what happened to him overseas; but I am a big advocate for our military. I support our military and I love what the foundation does and what they bring for opportunity and scholarships and just a military family with a military background, so they can continue to grow and empower themselves in society. I love the Pat Tillman Foundation. I’ll be representing them and that’s what I’ll be rocking.”
Raekwon Davis – December 3, 2020
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Thursday, December 3, 2020
DT Raekwon Davis
(There was a stat this morning about your total tackles in November. It’s one of the most of all linemen. What have the past few weeks been like for you in terms of your production and it seems like you’re being a difference-maker when you’re out there on the field?) – “Just a better preparation. I’m just trying to focus on helping the defense and trying to do what I can do.”
(I mean this question in the nicest way possible. How did you get so big? Like what did you eat? Who did you eat? Is there anybody that was like really tall in your family growing up? How did the size come about?) – “It came from my dad’s side of the family. My dad’s side of the family – well his brother, his dad and his uncles and stuff, they were real big. So I got my height from my dad’s side of the family.”
(I’ve been to a lot of places, but I’ve never been to Meridian, Mississippi. That is your hometown right?) – “Yeah, it is.”
(Can you tell me about it? I don’t know what kind of stuff people in Meridian do. I heard that people do noodling, which is where you catch fish with your hands. Tell me about some of the things you guys did growing up in Mississippi?) – “It’s a small town. A lot of poverty, I could tell you that. I don’t know about the fishing part or whatever you just said. (laughter) But it’s a nice small town with good people.”
(There is a national website that rates how you played the last three weeks really, really high. Have the grades from Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby been really high, and are you happy with the way you played these last three weeks?) – “I don’t really focus on the outside and online grading and all of that. I let my coaches just come back with feedback and just tell me what I basically need to get good at, what I need to do better and how I need to do it. No, I don’t really pay attention to grades. Not right now. No way.”
(Someone mentioned Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby. What is something that he has said to you or pointed out or stressed, that you have actually connected with and found to be quite helpful?) – “At the beginning of the season, I was struggling with the pass rushing and reading games and reading the fundamental part. Actually right now, I’m starting to make plays off of it. Now I’ve just got to go out there and make more plays, basically.”
(You just mentioned that at the beginning of the year you were kind of struggling. What was your mindset at that point? Did you have any doubts? Did that start to come into mind? Or did you know that it was going to come around for you?) – “No. I just knew I just – just keep working. I’ve got time. I’ve still got more time, but it’s something that’s naturally going to come. At the beginning of the season, I feel like I was just trying to chase it and make it happen on my own, without just naturally just playing.”
(With your gifts from a physical standpoint, some would say you have the potential to be more than just a starting NFL defensive tackle. Does the idea of eventually being a Pro Bowl type talent and player drive you at all?) – “Hell yeah. That’s a goal. That’s something I want to accomplish.”
(Who is the biggest person in your family or is that you?) – “That’s me.”
Jesse Davis – December 3, 2020
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Thursday, December 3, 2020
G/T Jesse Davis
(We’ve got My Cause, My Cleats this weekend. I’m curious what you’re going to be rocking on your feet for this weekend’s game.) – “Yeah, I did Team Never Quit. It’s Marcus Luttrell’s Foundation. It’s a pretty cool thing.”
(Any advice you’ve given the three rookies on just making it through a season? It’s obviously longer than college ball. How do you see their energy level? Obviously G Solomon Kindley has been dealing with a foot injury; but physically, how are the rigors of their longest football season going do you think?) – “Yeah, they’re doing good. Obviously injuries don’t really help but I just tell them one game at a time. You can’t really look ahead. You can’t really dwell on the past. The goal is to stay healthy and keep going.”
(The transition back to right guard, is it more like riding a bike? How difficult is it – the challenges of that position as opposed to tackle?) – “Yeah, I’ve obviously played there so it’s not something new but just re-training my eyes and re-training my footwork and obviously working in a tighter space. It just takes time to get it down; but I look forward to the challenge and wherever this team needs me, that’s where I’ll be.”
(I know DT Raekwon Davis plays on the inside so I don’t know how many practice reps you’ve had against him since his arrival but just in general, what do you view his strengths?) – “Yeah, he’s good. He’s a big guy. He’s long and tall – has good leverage, a good motor. He’s tough to deal with, that’s for sure. The way he’s going, I think he’s having a pretty good year. Overall, strength is probably the biggest factor that he brings.”
(I wanted to ask you about the run game issues. I’m sure you’re aware that you guys are ranked last in the league in yards per attempt most of the season. Last week, you guys had a successful four-minute drive where you killed all six minutes of the clock. What was different about that drive that’s maybe something that you guys can bottle and carry over to the final five games?) – “I think we just kind of made our adjustments kind of later than what we should have done. I think we’ve just got to be more physical. We’ve got to stick to double teams; we’ve got to be able to move the line of scrimmage. That’s the biggest issue we were having. Lately, everybody has been moving on us and bringing somebody extra, so it’s a little bit of communication issues, I think, than most things. We’ve just got to be more physical than them.”
(Offensive Line Coach Steve Marshall was asked this week why you at guard and why G/T Robert Hunt at tackle as opposed to reversing. He cited your experience playing there. Is that something that the three of you guys have talked about collectively through, or is it just something where Marshall said “this is how we’re going to do it. We’re not really feeling a need to discuss it at this point.”) – “We haven’t really talked about it. It’s more upstairs than anything. Wherever they’re going to tell us to play, that’s where we’ll be. I mean it makes sense. You want to keep somebody with a communication-base, especially with these rookies and trying to get them understanding things. They’re smart enough, too. They know the game plan. They know what to do. That’s a question for them.”
(To go back to DT Raekwon Davis, when a guy is that big as a rookie and with his body size, you mentioned physicality as an offensive lineman. Can you just add a little bit more about the competitiveness that he brings, just knowing that he brings that physical stature there at the line?) – “Yeah, whenever you get a guy that big, it’s hard to move. It’s hard to get leverage. Obviously the low man wins, but he also comes off the ball pretty fast. He’s got the physicality nature of the game. So for him, it’s just getting his feet in the ground. That’s the main key of how to get an offensive lineman out of their block. He’s a good player.”
(You talked about working in close quarters. What is different about that as opposed to tackle and what challenges does that present? I know you’re facing more of a 300-pound guy as opposed to maybe a 260-pound guy.) – “Yeah, just getting your feet in the ground in close quarters. At tackle, you’re kind of used to long movements versus inside, you’re used to those short movements. So not stepping on your center or tackle is key. Just fighting in a phone booth. It brings it’s challenges but it’s also – you can lock up pretty fast.”
(Offensive Line Coach Steve Marshall, the last two times we’ve talked to him, he mentioned you being the MVP of the o-line and probably the most important player because of your versatility. What does that compliment mean to you from him?) – “Yeah, that’s nice to hear. I do work hard at this position and try to balance it all or cross-train, whatever they want to call it. I just want to be on the field. The fastest way off the field is to tell somebody no, you’re not going to play the position. I enjoy the challenges that it brings. Sometimes it’s tough but it’s also good to keep it all on the line, playing left to right and right to left, and hopefully keep a future here.”
