Kenyan Drake – August 21, 2018
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Tuesday, August 21, 2018
RB Kenyan Drake
(What are the thoughts of the offense for the third exhibition game, in terms of getting into that end zone?) – “Well you know, (for) anybody in the league, it’s a dress rehearsal for the third game. So we want to go out there and execute the plays that (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase calls and make sure in the situations that we need to be very productive, which is third downs and in the red zone, that we need to try to pick up a little bit of that slack. We (want to) kind of use this game as a dress rehearsal to go into the season and have that type of success that we need to, to get in the end zone. There’s nothing that we need to do out of the ordinary, we just need to execute more and not shoot ourselves in the foot.”
(You’ve obviously had a high yardage per carry average throughout your career. In the exhibition season, you’re at 7 yards now. Do you think that is something that can be sustained? Not seven yards, but…) – “With the success of our offense and how explosive we are in general, the sky is the limit for myself and a lot of other players that come out here and try to do their best in this offense. Big plays are something … Big explosive plays are something that we pride ourselves on. Obviously you got to take what the defense gives you, but in those situations where you make big plays, you have receivers blocking down the field, running backs blocking down the field, o-linemen chasing down the field helping get those big plays. Not one person can do it on their own. Collectively as a group, we strive to have that excellence. I’m not saying that we can sustain 7 or 8 yards per carry, but having those high expectations is something we always look forward to.”
(With this offensive line, how much has it benefitted you and the other running backs that they’ve stayed together and are able to build chemistry working with the same unit?) – “Just having those guys out there – whoever it is honestly – we have a lot of confidence running behind them. As the preseason goes on and the offseason continues, they continue to build that camaraderie. You have more knowledge of the offensive scheme, so when they’re double-teaming up to the linebacker or gap blocking, whatever the case may be. You know what to expect, so you can be on the same page with whoever’s in there. I feel as the season continues to develop, we will continue to build that chemistry.”
(Can you share a couple of things or at least one thing you’ve learned from RB Frank Gore since he’s been here?) – “Just how hard he works on and off the field. He comes in and he’s one of the first people to come in. Every time I come in, I think I’m here early and he’s always in here before me, early in the morning getting extra work in. He has a full slate going like he’s already did two or three practices. Just seeing how hard he works to take care of his body on and off the field, there’s no wonder why he’s still in the league performing at the level that he is. I feel like, if anything, that’s something can take from him with just how hard he trains his body, so when he’s playing in the game throughout the season it’s easy for him, because he’s always training like that.”
(I wanted to ask you something about DE Robert Quinn. How tough is it to block him? Have you had him chipping or one-on-one at all, and how tough is it?) – “I mean a guy like Robert Quinn, being a running back, he’s the type of person that schematically, I’m not going to be lined up on at all or very rarely, coming off the edge on like a K-4, K-5 type of block off the edge. It’s definitely a lot that I can chew. Coach (Adam) Gase would definitely say, die a slow death in that situation. (laughter) I’m glad that he’s on our team in that term. Having him come off the edge and being as explosive as he is, you can definitely see why he’s been good for a long time.”
(Die a slow death, explain that.) – “Just hold your own. I’m a little … Around 210 (pounds). HHe’s explosive, big and fast. It’s just simple physics. (laughter)”
(When you have a guy like that on defense, does it put pressure on the offense? Do you always have to be aware? You guys have him and DE Cameron Wake. How much pressure does that put on an offense when you have guys at both edges like that?) – “Yes, you always have to have accountability for a guy like that to come off the edge and be that disruptive. He can change the game in one simple sack and strip fumble, and the offense gets the ball back in a very pivotal area. Like I said, it’s definitely great having a guy like him, Cam and Charles (Harris) on our team – Andre (Branch) – on our team that can make those types of plays off the edge. I look forward to watching them make plays like that all season.”
(You have a nice group of running backs, obviously RB Jeremy Langford trying to make a name for himself. He had a couple of good seasons in Chicago. What have you seen out of this young man?) – “I watched him in college when he was at Michigan State. Unfortunately he had a couple of injuries in Chicago, but he was definitely a good back. He was someone that I tried to … Coming out of the combine he had very similar numbers to me. Numbers-wise, that was somebody that I tried to shoot for because I was definitely a similar stature, similar speed and things of that sort. Now having him on the team and seeing how he moves in person, he is definitely impressive. I look forward to seeing what else he can bring to this team.”
