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Jerome Baker – December 27, 2019 Download PDF version

Friday, December 27, 2019

LB Jerome Baker

(You get kind of shorted with the fact that your birthday is on Christmas.) – “Yeah, I’m used to it. (laughter) It’s been 23 years, so I’m kind of used to it. I kind of look at it as everybody is celebrating my birthday, so it’s all good. (laughter)”

(How do you guys approach this last game of the season going up to New England?) – “It’s still football. We’re still a family. It’s just one last time to go out with a bang and enjoy each other and also come out with a win.”

(How would you describe your growth this season?) – “It’s indescribable, really. In the beginning of the year, you have your own expectations, you have your own thoughts of what you can do. Throughout the year, things change; but one thing is I definitely grew as a football player and as a person. I’m definitely grateful for that.”

(What are you looking for – moving forward, what’s the next step going to be for you, do you think?) – “For me, it’s to take a little time away from football; but I’m definitely excited for next year (and) all of the pieces we’re going to bring in. ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores), it’s something special playing under him so I’m definitely excited for next year to see what we can bring. It’s definitely going to be fun these next few years.”

(What makes you confident that what they’re building is going to work and lead to success?) – “I think this year kind of proves a lot to everybody – from the beginning of everyone saying we were going to tank and not win a game to getting some wins. They were hard, they were tough, but we got it done. After this whole year, it’s hard not to be confident in this group – just the pieces we have, the people we had in and out and we still got a few wins. I’m definitely going to be excited when we gel together as a team for more than a few weeks. It’s definitely going to be fun.”

(What’s the biggest challenge about this season in terms of all of the guys coming in and out?) – “That was the hardest thing I think, out of everything. There were so many guys, so many new faces, so many different things you have to do. Getting guys ready to play, and they would just come in on Monday, I think that was the hardest challenge; but I’m definitely excited for next year. Hopefully we all gel together for longer than a few weeks. But for right now, it’s just finishing out strong with the guys we have and ultimately walk away with a win.”

(With so much change, do you actually know everybody’s name in the locker room? The DBs corner over there, that’s got to be a challenge.) – “I think I know everybody. Pretty much everybody on defense, for sure.”

(First and last name?) – “That’s tough. (laughter) That’s very tough. There are a lot of guys that I didn’t know like their real name. I’d call them one name – like De’Lance (Turner), I didn’t know that was his real name. Everybody called him ‘L.T.,’ which I still don’t know why. There are certain guys that…”

(They call RB De’Lance Turner what?) – “’L.T.’ I never understood that. But I pretty much know everybody.”

(Aside from winning the Good Guy Award, what would you say was the personal highlight for you this season?) – “The first win we had. That was a big one just because it felt so good. That was definitely a big one. I think the fun moment I had was definitely the ‘my mama’ video. That was pretty cool. This whole year has been hard – it’s been tough – but overall it has definitely been fun.”

(Are you pleased with how you played your first year in this new defense?) – “Yeah, it was definitely cool. I made a few plays. I made a few mistakes. But I’m definitely happy.”

(In what area would you even like to be more impactful next year? What particular area in the game?) – “Yeah, so after the season that’s really what I’m going to look over and see some of the things that I didn’t do as well or that I can work on. I’ll definitely have a better answer for you in a few weeks.”

(Will you sit and actually watch all of the plays or some of them?) – “I talked to ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) and he’s going to put together a tape of me doing some things I could do better. I know (Linebackers Coach) Robbie (Leonard), he’s definitely going to sit down (with me) and watch a lot. It works a little better when your coach is there. It will definitely be good.”

(As a pass rusher, how pleased were you with how you did? You had some opportunities and obviously you were in coverage a lot, too. Were there plays where you thought you left something there where you maybe could have gotten them or were your pleased overall in that aspect?) – “Yeah, there’s definitely some plays I definitely could have worked on. I could have made – as ‘Flo’ would say – some good plays I could have made great. But overall, I’m still happy with this whole year.”

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