Skylar Thompson – October 9, 2022 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 9, 2022
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
QB Skylar Thompson (transcribed by N.Y. Jets)
(On how it felt playing) – “It was great to get out there and get my feet wet. The first real taste of wild NFL football for sure, as far as getting experience, the atmosphere on the road, live reps. So it felt good to get out there and get that going.”
(On how he was able to adapt and get himself ready to play mentally after the first play) – “Obviously, you never want to see one of your teammates go down, especially to see Teddy (Bridgewater) on the first play. Definitely was a little bit to take in. It kind of took me a little bit to settle in there, take a deep breath and just relax and trust the work that I’ve put in up to this point. I kind of knew that it was going to be a little bit of that going into this, or whenever the time came, but you have to start somewhere. We didn’t play well enough today and that obviously starts with me. There’s a lot to learn from and go from which is the exciting part from my end.”
(On how he thinks he performed and what he needs to improve on) – “It’s hard to – I try not to make quick judgement on how I feel right after a game, because sometimes it’s different on tape than what we feel in the game. I just really try to hone in on my thoughts right now and what things looked like on the field to me every play and then try to go back and watch the film and try to correlate with my eyes, ‘Did I see this correctly? What could I have done differently on this play?’ There’s a lot to learn out there, I know that for sure. So, I’m excited to watch the tape and start improving on the things that I need to.”
(On if the game felt fast at first and if it slowed down at any point) – “Yeah, it started to slow down. Like I said, it’s a jarring situation. The first play to see Teddy (Bridgewater) go down and what not. I kind of knew it wasn’t going to be perfect right off the bat, but I definitely felt like there were times where it was slowing down. I was able to see the defense, see what was going on, being able to make decisive reads, put the ball where I wanted to, but there’s still a lot there. I’m looking forward to watching it on film.”
(On the offense sometimes seeming out of sorts and what stood out to him) – “That starts with me in my operation of communicating clearly and controlling those things in the huddle to where there is no confusion and where we don’t look out of sorts. That’s not something that we want on offense and that starts with me in the huddle commanding things, speaking with confidence, doing those things. That’s something I’m going to get better at and continue to improve on. That’s definitely something we want to improve on, because we don’t want delay of game penalties or those unnecessary false starts. Those things that get you off schedule are really tough, so that’s something we have to clean up and that starts with me.”
(On the frustration level after missing the field goal with 13 minutes left in the game and having the rest of the game slip away) – “It’s tough no matter what fashion that you lose. I’m here to win. I know everybody in this locker room and this organization are here to win, and to just lose in general is really tough. It’s hard to fully speak on everything right now just because I want to go back and watch the tape and align everything with my initial thoughts and feelings right now. But losing is not what we’re about here, and I know we have the right guys in the locker room that are going to bounce back from this and find ways to take ownership in their play. It’s not about pointing fingers or pointing blame or anything like that. It’s about taking ownership in what you did, and that’s what I’m going to do and do my best to just get better and continue to improve.”
(On how tough it is on the sidelines to see your teammates QB Tua Tagovailoa and QB Teddy Bridgewater go out) – “Well, my world has changed quite a bit in three weeks. Like I touched on earlier, coming in here this year, Tua (Tagovailoa) and Teddy (Bridgewater) have been phenomenal to me and helping me learn, helping me grow, mentoring me, even though that’s not in their contracts at all or something that they’re asked to do – they’re just those types of people. So when you’re surrounded by people like that, especially in your quarterback room, it makes the team better. I think the three of us in our room, the attitude and the people that are in there has really impacted our team in a great way this year. To see those guys, to see Tua go down the way he did and to see Teddy go down the way he did, it’s something that I’d never wish on anybody. You just hate to see it and it hurts. I care about those guys and want to see them do well. I was really excited to watch Teddy play today; his week of preparation was unreal. I just tried to jump on his back hip, tried to learn as much as I can from Teddy. He’s done an awesome of mentoring me, even though I know that he’s not asked to do so. I feel for those guys and I’m praying that they’re getting better.”
(On how tough it was to get the ball to WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle) – “I felt like I got the ball to them in certain situations. Like I said, it’s kind of hard to really comment just because (it was an) emotional loss and (I) don’t really know. I want to go watch the film before I really answer those things, because I know there are plays I left out on the field and that’s always tough. The one thing – I gave it my all today; I played the hardest I possibly could for this team and to help this team win. I never gave up and that’s what I’m going to hold my hat on and stand on every time I touch the field and step between the white lines. I’m excited to get back and watch the film, learn and get better.”
