Skylar Thompson – August 9, 2024 (Postgame)
Friday, August 9, 2024
Postgame – Atlanta
QB Skylar Thompson
Q. Take us through how you feel your half went, the orchestration of the offense and everything.
SKYLAR THOMPSON: — I felt like it was a solid first half. You always wish it could be better or plays that you could have back. I was very proud of our group. It was just a weird, weird first half. It felt like it was kind of just some guys getting injured. The pace, finding a rhythm. That’s what I kept preaching to the guys is we just got to find a rhythm and get going. I had the pick but bounced back and put it in the end zone. That’s a real-life situation. Being able to flush the last play and move on to the next one is big-time. We were able to put it together and get in the end zone, which is very good for us.
Q. You don’t get many opportunities in game situations outside of the exhibition season. Do you feel like in Year 3 the game is slowing down for you a little bit?
SKYLAR THOMPSON: Yeah, absolutely. I think being able to anticipate windows and kind of trust my feet. I felt like I did a good job today of just getting the ball out on time. There were a couple plays where I had to extend and scramble a little bit. But for the most part I just felt like getting the ball out and seeing it well has been a big point of emphasis for me just to improve on. I’m interested to go back and watch the film and kind of see how it looks on film. Things I did well and things I can get better at. That’s the whole point of these exhibition games is to evaluate them and get better for everybody.
Q. The series that ended with the touchdown pass, I think you completed four passes in that series. They were good passes and a touchdown pass. Is that the one series you look at more than anything to kind of take away when you’re looking at the good?
SKYLAR THOMPSON: Absolutely, absolutely. I think that’s the biggest challenge for the quarterback position is being able to respond after you have some adversity. Throwing a pick, nobody wants to throw a pick. But being able to put it behind myself and move on to the next play, I was very proud of myself of how I handled that and got back on track and found a rhythm there and got in the end zone for the team. All the guys, we did a really good job of hanging in there together and sticking together and taking it one play at a time and having that approach. I feel like we kind of found a rhythm there in the second quarter a little bit.
Q. When did you realize you were going to start tonight?
SKYLAR THOMPSON: I found out yesterday. Yeah, yesterday.
Q. You’re in Year 3 I guess now. How do you think you’ve developed over the course of those years?
SKYLAR THOMPSON: Back to what I was saying, we talk about so much of just playing on time here, playing in rhythm, trusting our feet and getting through our progressions. Our system, the more that I’ve been in it, it’s a very fun, quarterback-friendly system. As long as you know the progression, the read, the footwork, the offense works for itself. I think for a quarterback, it allows you to just kind of not feel like you have to force anything, trust what you see, trust the windows, trust the timing, trust the receivers. Everything is articulated to a science honestly. It’s really cool when you really look at it. The third year going into it, the verbiage was a challenge to me at first. I feel like that’s simplified and gotten a lot better for me. Just being able to process things quickly, that’s the biggest benefit I’ve reaped from this third year.
Q. What was the demeanor of the rookie left tackle Patrick Paul?
SKYLAR THOMPSON: I thought it was great. I think that’s a big thing. I benefited a ton my rookie year getting out there for the first time. It’s different obviously than a practice setting. You’re out there, there’s no coaches. You’re truly trusting your training. I thought Pat did a really good job tonight. He’s a really cool guy. He really has some confidence. He’s a great teammate. He’s a large human being. (laughter) It was cool to get that first experience with him, his first experience out in the field, being in there and getting to play with him.
Q. How are you approaching getting back into another competition with QB Mike White this preseason?
SKYLAR THOMPSON: I’m approaching it like I have since the day I walked in the door here. I’m just really focused on my process and improving each and every day. I firmly believe if I do that, take care of my business and improve – it’s not about anybody else. It’s about me improving and getting better. That’s ultimately what I’m focused on every day. On top of that, just being a good teammate, being a good leader and being good for the quarterback room. I think any time you provide some competition, it makes everybody better. I’m not speaking for Mike, but I believe he would say the same thing. It’s a great competition. We have a great quarterback room. The competition has made me better, so I’m thankful for that.
Q. How was it having the fans here at the stadium after this long layoff?
SKYLAR THOMPSON: Yeah, it’s tremendous. Football is back. You kind of get that smell in the air, that feel. It’s special. You can’t take it for granted. Every time we get a chance to come out here and strap it up and play football, it’s a great day. It was cool to see everybody out in the stands having some fun and getting a taste of the season coming up. I’m excited for it
