Skylar Thompson – January 11, 2023
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Wednesday, January 11, 2023
QB Skylar Thompson
(On running the first team offense this week in Buffalo and just your thoughts about going into your first playoff game?) – “The good thing for me, I feel like I got a pretty good feel for what a playoff game kind of would look like just last week. It was a win or go home type of situation for us, so getting to experience kind of what that felt like last week I think was helpful. This week is just going to be like any other week for me this entire season. It’s preparing like I’m going to be the starter and getting reps where I can build some confidence throughout the week and build continuity with this offense to where when we go out there, we can play fast and play with confidence on Sunday.”
(Do you think it will hit you Saturday when you arrive or Sunday when you walk into the stadium? When do you think that moment will hit you?) – “I’m going to try to eliminate that as much as possible. I don’t really know when that will – I can’t say when exactly that will happen. I don’t know, I’m sure it will at some point, but just trying to eliminate the emotion of all that as much as I can and just treat it like any other game.”
(If someone would have told you a year ago that you were going to be starting in a playoff game in your rookie season, what would you have thought?) – “Obviously, it’s a goal of mine to be a starter and be in these types of situations. You just never know what that’s going to look like exactly, and the way that things have played out this year to where I’ve had opportunity to play a little bit and have an opportunity like this this weekend, it’s crazy. But I’m very, very excited for it. This is what I’ve worked for for a very long time. So it’s time to soak it in, have fun with it and do the best that I can help this team win.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel praised your poise. You did not turn the ball over. I think you took one sack. But only nine points. More will be needed presumably against the Bills, correct?) – “Oh yes, 100 percent. It was just the flow of the game, the way that it was playing out. We didn’t score a touchdown. That’s obviously the goal every time we touch the football. But all we needed was a field goal to win it. That became a reality for me on that last drive (to) just put us in a position to where we kick a field goal and trust Jason (Sanders) that he’s going to hit it and that’s what I did. Obviously, we want to score every time we get the ball, especially against a team like this. It’s a very good football team, very good offense, very good defense all around. Any chance you get to score touchdowns, you’ve got to capitalize and do that.”
(I was curious, how instrumental has Quarterbacks Coach/Pass Game Coordinator Darrell Bevell? What sticks out to you about him not only as a coach but as a person?) – “He’s been a tremendous, tremendous help for me. He’s a great coach. He’s a great person above everything, which is awesome. His demeanor, the way that he approaches the coaching of the quarterback position, I think has helped our entire room of just staying calm, cool and collected through everything that we’ve experienced this year. He does a great job throughout the week of just prepping us and getting us ready for the game and proposing different situations, looks that just kind of help run things through our mind to where when we get to the game, we can play fast. He’s been awesome. I appreciate Coach ‘Bev’ (Darrell Bevell) a lot.”
(How much have QB Tua Tagovailoa and QB Teddy Bridgewater helped up with instances where you’ve been elevated to start?) – “They have both been a great help to me and supporting me, which has meant a lot to me, coming from guys that have had a lot of experience and have played the position in the league and just spreading wisdom to me as much as they can. (They’re) not trying to overwhelm me or give me too much information, but just tidbits here and there to help me just slow the game down and play fast. Both those guys have helped me a lot.”
(You were on the sideline a few weeks ago in Buffalo with the snowballs flying and everything else, the cold weather. We don’t know if Damar Hamlin is going to be there. It’s possible, I suppose. What sort of atmosphere are you expecting when you walk into that stadium?) – “It was electric the last time we were there, and I expect nothing less now. My thoughts and prayers are out with (Damar) Hamlin. Everything that’s happened with that organization and the way that he’s bounced back is amazing. It shows the power of prayer of how much it can impact the world. His story is going to be phenomenal of how many people he’s going to impact through what he experienced. It’s going to be rocking. I know that. It was last time. And they have a great fan base. That’s a great atmosphere. You can tell they feed off of that and that will be a great challenge for us.”
(You touched on starting last week. Your confidence level, how has it changed? You’ve got to be confident to play that position, but how has it changed just getting that one start under your belt?) – “Honestly, every snap, I feel more and more confident. It’s not always going to be perfect. We strive for perfection in this position and that’s what you want, but in reality, name a quarterback who has ever played a perfect game. For me, it’s just dialing in on one play at a time and taking the game as it comes, controlling what I can control, and ultimately just giving it my best, because my best is always enough. That’s something my former quarterback coach at K-State, Collin Klein, used to always tell me, and that’s something that I just remind myself all the time is my best is always enough. I think just moving forward, that’s going to be my same mentality and just having fun with it.”
(You talked to us about how influential your family has been in your journey and your dad and the role he’s played in your now-NFL career. How excited are they? What’s the reaction like? Are they going to be in Buffalo?) – “Yes, my dad will be driving from Kansas City to Buffalo for the game. It was really cool. They were supposed to come down here for Christmas, but their flights got canceled. Before we even knew anything about last week, they rescheduled their flights to come down to the Jets game, and it just happened to work out that I was starting. So everything happened for a reason, but I’ve had tremendous support from my family, my friends, everybody back home supporting me. The amount of text messages I’ve gotten of just support and the encouraging words has been overwhelming, but it’s awesome. It just tells me I’m surrounded by great people and have great people in my life, and that’s something that I value a lot.”
(Every gameplan is different. Obviously, you ran the football and protected the ball last week. Are you looking forward to opening it up a little bit maybe?) – “Yeah, like I was kind of touching on earlier, it’s just about feeling the flow of the game. I think that’s super important at the quarterback position, being able to feel what that’s like and knowing the situation of when there’s times to take care of the football and maybe where there’s times where you can hang on and give it a shot. That’s something that I’m just learning through and growing through as I go. But yeah, obviously, we want to open up the field and take our shots when we get them and be explosive on offense. So yes, that’s something that we definitely want to do, but just take what the defense gives you.”
(We saw QB Tua Tagovailoa was greeting teammates as they came off the field in the tunnel last game. What did he tell you after your quarterbacked that win?) – “He told me he was really proud of me. For what Tua (Tagovailoa) has experienced this year, I know – I can only imagine how hard it is for him. I just commend his leadership and the way that he’s treated me throughout this whole process. It’d be hard to do, and he’s been very supportive of me and everybody in this locker room, considering all the stuff that he’s going through. So I think it shows the type of person and leader he is. It’s meant a lot to me, for sure.”
(I’m sorry if you’ve been asked this already, but from standing on the sidelines a few weeks ago and just from the sideline perspective watching the Buffalo Bills defense, what are some of the things that are going through your head as you go into this game to be successful?) – “They’re a very good defense and you can tell that they have a lot of veteran guys that have played a lot of football. They play fast. They’re very disciplined. And they play hard. For me, it comes down to just executing and doing our job each and every play and not getting ahead of ourselves, not trying to press. Just take what the defense gives me and gives us and just take it as the game comes. It’s going to be a great challenge for us. I got the experience of seeing it in person, what the atmosphere is going to look like, getting snowballs chucked at us, all that. It was awesome. (laughter)”
(No snow this time I heard.) – “Yeah. (laughter) Above all else, it’s a great atmosphere and it’s fun. That’s what makes the game fun. I’m just looking forward to going out there and competing, and I know our guys are too.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel talked going into December what it would be like for you guys to experience December football. Now it goes to a different level – playoff football. What type of energy are you expecting and maybe some of the things you might have to get used to pretty quick? You just got used to one full game, and now you’re in the next level of a full game?) – “That’s just something that I know there’s more at stake, but like I was saying, last week there was a lot at stake too. So I got a similar feeling of win-or-go-home type situation. I know there’s a lot at stake and they’re going to be ready to go. They have a lot to play for considering all the stuff they’ve experienced the past couple of weeks. It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be a lot of fun, so I’m looking forward to it.”
