Albert Wilson – July 25, 2019
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Thursday, July 25, 2019
WR Albert Wilson
(How does it feel to get back out there?) – “Pretty good. I’m just finally getting back out there and getting my legs under me, so I feel pretty good.”
(In June, you said you felt 100 percent. Are you still feeling that way?) – “Yeah, I feel pretty good. I’m just going by our timeline, just doing what we can right now and just working every day to try to get back on the field with my team.”
(As far as team drills, any idea when you’ll be involved in those and how close we are to that?) – “That’s up to Coach (Flores). You’ll have to ask him about that one.”
(Do you expect to play in any preseason games?) – “When (Coach Flores) lets me go, I’m ready to go. We’re on a timeline. We’re just going to stick to it. We’re going to take it day-by-day and get ready for whatever comes.”
(You know your body better than anybody. Do you feel like it’s the same or better than it was before the injury?) – “I’m definitely feeling better. I’ve been working on little things that I haven’t been working on before, so I’m definitely getting stronger. I feel like I’m getting faster so I think it’s going to be a good thing.”
(How close to 100 percent are you?) – “I’m feeling pretty good but we’re taking it day-by-day with whatever they give me. I’ve been doing pretty good with whatever they throw at me. We’re just really waiting on the day that we decide that it’s time to go.”
(How tough is it to watch them in team drills and not be out there?) – “It’s kind of tough but I’ve been doing it for a long time now. I’m just standing on the sidelines, trying to learn this playbook like the back of my hand, cheering guys on and making sure that we’re there for each other so when the time comes, we’ll be pretty tight and we’ll be ready to go.”
(With that in mind, how big was it for you to not start training camp on PUP?) – “Pretty good. It’s just every day, we take it one day at a time. So whenever it’s time, we’re going to be back out there.”
(Last year, Head Coach Adam Gase came up with creative ways to use you and you took full advantage of it. Have you and Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea talked about other ways that you can be used – if not like last year – to maximize your skills?) – “Right now I’m just trying to get back out there and show them what I’ve got. They’re a new coaching staff so I’m just trying to wait until the day that I get on the field and show them how talented I am so they can get upstairs and do what they’ve got to do.”
(You mentioned the new coaching staff. What’s Head Coach Brian Flores like?) – “He’s a great leader. He came in and gave us the blueprint on how to be a winning team and to take care of the little things and do what we need to do before we get out there on Week 1. We definitely bought in. We’re definitely behind it 100 percent. We believe in him and what he’s got going on. I’m excited to see what the season holds.”
(I’d imagine this is what you live for – games, practices, being back out here on the field. So after all of that work and rehab, what does it mean to be back out here?) – “It’s a blessing. It was kind of a rollercoaster. I didn’t have any setbacks but it has been a long time since I’ve been able to do the things that I love to do. So for me to be back out here, it’s truly a blessing.”
(What are those challenges like when you’re doing the rehab and you maybe want to open it up and the coaches are like no? How patient do you have to be or how has that been?) – “Real patient. But you know, these guys are professionals at what they have to do. I trust everyone in the training room. I trust all of the coaches to make sure that when I get back, I’m 100 percent and can benefit for the team.”
(You mentioned the timeline. Are there things that you look for yourself that can kind of make you feel that you know that you’re ready for that next step and that you’re getting closer?) – “Just every exercise they give me, I’ve been knocking it out. There’s really nothing that I’m rushing to do. Like I said, I trust everything – the plan – that they’ve got for me, and I’m just taking it a day at a time.”
(What does the hip most affect from a skill standpoint? Is it speed? Is it movement back and forth? What is most affected where you’ll have to cross that barrier to be 100 percent?) – “Nothing is affecting me. I’m good.”
(How fun was it to run the ball last year? Is that something you would hope would continue?) – “It was awesome. I grew up playing running back so it was kind of a dream of getting to the NFL and running the ball. So it was pretty cool. If that’s what they have planned for me this year, I’ll be happy to do it; but if it’s not, I’m not tripping.”
(How much have you and WR Jakeem Grant helped each other – since you’re both coming back from injury – having a guy side by side…) – “We’ve been pushing each other since the time it was ready for us to get up and start doing rehab. Every day we show up ready to compete against each other. If it’s lifting, if it’s running in the pool, if it’s coming out here and doing conditioning or whatever it is, we’ve been competing nonstop and I think that’s why our rehab has been so successful. To have someone, I feel like I’m so competitive and so willing and ready to work every day so it was truly a blessing that I had somebody to go through it with.”
(How would you describe the potential of this offense?) – “I think it can be one of the best. I think we have a lot of guys that can do really good things with the ball. I think we have quarterbacks that can get the guys who can do things with the ball. I think we are going to be really good.”
