Terron Armstead – June 1, 2022
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Wednesday, June 1, 2022
T Terron Armstead
(What did you see when you were watching out there?) – “A lot of energy. A lot of energy. Highly competitive from both sides which is a great thing – kind of training to be in those real-life situations, circumstances. I think everything’s been going pretty good. It’s still a learning curve, of course. A new offense, new players, but positive.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said that’s something he doesn’t do until like Week 3 of training camp so here we are in the first I guess minicamp that you had to be at and he’s doing these things. What does that say about his faith and what he’s throwing out there on the field right now?) – “I think the guys’ performance has built the confidence in him that they can handle it and even that period that you’re speaking about, I think it went well. Offensively we had some bad plays, but we also had some explosive (plays).”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel has talked a lot about how hungry the young offensive linemen are on this team and how he wants to kind of build around those guys. What is your perception been working with those guys and kind of how they’ve taken to your teaching so far?) – “It’s been great, man. It’s been great. Just a great room. I’m blessed to be here, blessed to be with those guys. They come, they work extremely hard, open to coaching. They just want to be successful.”
(Do they ask you a lot of questions?) – “Yeah, not too much, though. Not too much. It’s been great.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel talked about the athleticism that that unit has. What have you seen? How do you see that? How do you gauge that?) – “Yeah, you see guys like Rob Hunt, Austin Jackson (and they are) just extremely explosive. Like they jump off the film. So those guys are just tapping into what they are becoming as players, as pros. It’s exciting. It’s exciting. And then the scheme – the offense that we’re running – it allows you to show those abilities and use that athleticism and explosiveness, so it’s exciting.”
(How’s your rehab process going?) – “It’s been good. It’s been really good. Just been getting ready for training camp so we can hit the ground rolling.”
(When you played through the injury last season do you feel like you set your process back or obviously you wanted to continue to play?) – “I’m always in the moment, so I was in New Orleans trying to play. We were competing for a playoff spot, so there was nothing I was thinking about in the future. I don’t think it has anything to do with where I’m at now. I’m just getting fully prepared for when training camp starts, we’re ready to roll.”
(How antsy, if at all, are you to line up with the guys on the field?) – “Oh, I am. I am. (laughter) I’m anxious to get into this offense, this scheme. I think it fits my skillset pretty well, so I’m excited. I’m going to keep saying that word because I truly am. Just ready to get out there and show what I can do in that fit.”
(At the start of training camp, you’ll be good to go?) – “We’re just taking it a day at a time getting all the way right so when we start, it’s up.”
(I asked RB Chase Edmonds if he counts the big runs that he springs in these non-contact practices and he said ‘No, they don’t count. You’ve got to show when the pads come on.’ How do you kind of evaluate offensive line play without full pads on?) – “I disagree because it’s harder to run the ball in this dress and underwear. Defense can shed a lot easier without the pads on, so if you get an explosive run in this dress – it’s not real football, don’t get me wrong – but lanes, like if you are creating lanes, that carries over.”
(Sorry if you’ve been asked before, but how do you take on the teaching role? We’ve seen you on the sideline kind of mentoring some of the young players, but how do you take that on?) – “It’s pretty natural, man. I’m always just looking to help any way I can. I’m at these guys’ service. It’s been that way for the last several years. I’ve been a captain for the last five years in New Orleans, so it’s just a part of who I am as a player. If I get knowledge and information, I’ve just got to share it.”
(You said you’re watching the tape obviously so far. What are you seeing from the defensive side of the football, what they do, to kind of create problems for you guys up front?) – “Dangerous, man. They’re really dangerous. The looks, the speed – there’s a ton of speed throughout the defense. And the pre-snap looks create a lot of challenges – will create a lot of challenges throughout the season. Regardless of who we’re playing, it’s tough. It’s hard to pick up and then just adding players like Melvin (Ingram), the things that he can do, that’s another piece of versatility. I’m excited.”
(Speaking of LB Melvin Ingram III, are you guys going to have a collab in the music any time soon?) – “Yeah, we’re going to do something, for sure. Yeah. (laughter)”
(I was going to ask how the album is coming along.) – “Right now I’m just kind of putting out some singles. I have enough material for an album but I’m kind of slow-rolling right now. I’m putting some singles out there.”
(Got to keep the hype going, right?) – “Yeah, yeah, for sure. I’m trying to have a plan. (laughter) Strategic.”
(You know we’ve always heard that Head Coach Mike McDaniel’s offense is very offensive line-friendly and I know you’ve just kind of been here for a bit now, but have you been seeing that in your transition? Kind of going to the team?) – “It allows the offensive line to be playmakers. It’s a tough job. Offensive line is a tough job. You’re tasked with things that are just difficult to get done, especially against the guys that you’re playing against. But this offense allows you to be directly impactful on a lot of plays and to walk away from a play and feel like, ‘I made a play,’ like ‘I caused that run’ – that’s a friendly feeling.”
