Transcripts

Search Transcripts
Emmanuel Ogbah – September 17, 2020 Download PDF version

Thursday, September 17, 2020

DE Emmanuel Ogbah

(I’ll ask you the same question I asked both DE Shaq Lawson and LB Kyle Van Noy yesterday. When it comes to defending the zone read, how much more of a challenge is it for a player at your position to kind of have to read that mesh point and it kind of slows you down as you approach the running game defensively?) – “It kind of just depends if you’re the force player or not. You’ve got to make sure the quarterback either doesn’t have the ball, or does have the ball, so you’re actually kind of real slow to react. We’re trained to do it, so we just got to do a better job doing it this week.”

(I know last week is in the past, but what were some of the issues you guys were having as edge guys picking up those read options?) – “Sometimes we get different responsibilities and it kind of threw us off last game; but we’ve got it better this game because it is a similar quarterback we’re playing. We’ve just got to do a better job stopping the power read and the zone read plays.”

(You guys struggled as a group defending the run, but DT Christian Wilkins made a couple of high-impact plays. What is it about his skillset that has impressed you from being around him on the field now for six weeks?) – “He’s a worker. Whenever he’s out there, he tries to make plays. That’s our goal as the defensive line, we just try to make plays to help the team win games. Christian did a good job last week. Even though we fell short we lost the game, he did a good job. He did his job.”

(I know as edge guys, you guys want to get to the quarterback. How does that change your mindset when you’ve got quarterbacks that want to get outside the pocket, that want to run? You can’t necessarily get up the field the way you want to.) – “First of all, we’ve got to stop the run. If we stop the run and make them one-dimensional, it’s going to take care of itself. We’ve got guys that can chase after and get after the quarterback. We have to focus on stopping the run first. That‘s the most important thing this game.”

(Do you feel totally back from the injury you had with Kansas City last year? Is there anything that’s missing or are you absolutely 100 percent?) – “Yeah, I’m 100 percent. I’m back where I want to be.”

(What’s the biggest challenge when it comes to setting the edge? Not necessarily against the read option, but having that responsibility and that role of being an edge-setter for the defensive front?) – “The most important job is getting to the offensive tackle or tight end as fast as possible. We try to set the edge one yard up the field. If we can do that, that will help a lot. We need guys corralling to the ball when we set the edge because if you set the edge without nobody running to the ball, then you’re just setting the edge and there is a free lane for him to keep running. It takes the whole team to get after it.”

(The Patriots rolled out that 350-pound dude in that heavy package. When they add that extra offensive lineman to your side of the formation, how does that change your approach?) – “It definitely changes the approach because first you’ve got to worry about that guy – either you’re getting a double-team block or a base block, so you’ve got to attack it a different way than if a tight end was right there, if that makes sense.”

Search Transcripts

Weekly Archives