Malcolm Brown – August 31, 2021
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Saturday, August 31, 2021
RB Malcolm Brown
(What’s this day like for you? I think early in your career, you may have been a little more worried on a day like this and now you have worked yourself to more of an established role.) – “Yeah, I mean it’s the same old thing. Even, like you said back then it was a little more nerves but at the same time, the work is still the same. I’m still going to work like I’m not going to make the team. I still put in the same work even going on year seven. I’m still working, still got a chip on my shoulder like I am that undrafted guy coming in like I was my rookie year.”
(In the previous preseason game, you carried a dude and I didn’t get to ask you about it. You made it obvious that it wasn’t going to be easy to tackle you. If you remember that situation, what’s the mindset that you try to have in that situation?) – “In that situation, really it’s just; we’re this close, we got to score. That’s my biggest thing. I know getting into the red zone, it’s a little bit tighter. Guys are closer to the line, linebackers are walked up a little but more, safeties are walked up a little bit more. At that point, it’s whatever it takes. That’s the type of mindset I have.”
(How often would you run into LB Elandon Roberts during camp? What’s it like taking a hit from him?) – “A lot of energy. Fast player. Smart player. A lot of the plays he makes, I feel like it’s off of just his knowledge. Just seeing him the couple times I was able to really watch him and really see how he is, I definitely could tell he’s a smart guy, knows when to trigger, knows his key, knows everything he’s doing out there. He’s a vet player that knows a lot about the game. It’s easy to play fast when you know your stuff.”
(You obviously were with a team in the Rams that was able to get to a Super Bowl and have a lot of success in recent years. Now, you’re coming to a bit of a younger team that is trying to get to that level. What can you say about what the team is like, what the players are like in terms of leadership and trying to get to that level? Do you think in terms of having the right guys and leaders, this team has it?) – “Yeah, for sure. I think we got a lot of the right pieces in the right places. Obviously, a lot of the coaches have been coaching for a long time. They’re putting people in the right positions, putting people in the right places to be able to succeed. I’m pretty excited about this team. Young team, as you all know; but at the same time, I can definitely see a whole bunch of development even from the first preseason game to the second. I saw so much improvement. A lot of communicating going on. It’s definitely fun to get around the young guys and be able to interact with them and see how they work and encourage them to do anything that they can to get better.”
(I believe that season on the Rams, obviously you were hurt that season but they kind of surprised people. What stands out from that team in terms of the little things that you saw behind the scenes?) – “A lot of communication. A lot of communication, a lot of small details, communicating on the small details. It can be some of the smallest stuff from where we stand in practice, making sure we are listening, communication from players to players, coaches to coaches, coaches to players, everything like that. I feel like a lot of it, speaking on offense, a lot of it was all about communication, being on the same page whether it was us out during an actual play communicating pre-snap or in a meeting room and making sure every single running back knows what the offensive line may call in certain situations like that. I feel like that was a lot of our success was definitely, in my opinion, communication.”
(Is that part of your game? Knowing what the offensive line will call? Obviously you have to know from a protection standpoint but do you take that viewpoint from a running standpoint?) – “Yeah, you kind of know the scheme at least. You may not know every single call. I think that just comes with time and being in the system for so long. Obviously with me coming here, it’s a new system I’m still learning as well on certain stuff. But definitely at least knowing the scheme of the run and knowing what offensive linemen are blocking which players, how to set certain blocks up and stuff like that. It definitely helps and it just comes with time, comes with experience.”
(I’m sure you’ve been around a bunch of quarterbacks in your life, college and pro. How would you describe QB Tua Tagovailoa’s leadership style?) – “Great leadership. Great leadership, man. He’s a guy that when he steps in the huddle, he’s saying, ‘alright listen up.’ Everybody is quiet, everybody listens in on him. He’s not so much of a ‘rah-rah’ guy, screaming and yelling type of stuff; but when he comes in the huddle and he’s ready to call the plays and ready to make his calls pre-snap and stuff, everybody is going to listen up. I like Tua a lot.”
(Going back to what you talked about earlier being able to punch it in the red zone, that’s something that this team has been up and down on over the years. Has that been a point of emphasis in this training camp? Being able to impose your will on the goal line?) – “Oh yeah, for sure. I think that’s with every team. There are certain situations throughout games that I feel like the whole stadium may know you are about to run the ball and you still have to be successful at it. I think that comes with some heart, with will and any synonyms you can think of that when it comes down to it, even though a team knows you’re about to run the ball, you still run it and you still succeed.”
(You got to try your best to focus but I’m sure you’ve seen there’s been QB Deshaun Watson stuff in the media as far as him here. How do you guys handle that in the locker room? As far as that stuff being out there?) – “I think we really just don’t pay attention to it to be honest with you. It’s something that the coaches and the front office more so handle. Us as players who aren’t involved in any of those types of decisions, to me you really just don’t pay attention to it. It’s nothing that we can control. That’s really that.”
(Can you talk a little bit about your relationship with Head Coach Brian Flores? Is it what you expected? Is there something in particular that surprised you?) – “It’s about what I expected. When I came up here before I signed, I got a really good feel for him. He’s a straight-up guy, tells everything straight up. He’s up front, knows what he wants, he communicates to us what he wants out of us as players as far as on the field and off the field, and everything has been pretty straight forward.”
(But Head Coach Brian Flores always takes the defensive side, right?) – “Always. (laughter) He’s always on the defensive side. We make a good play on offense and he doesn’t like it (laughter).”
