William Hayes – July 31, 2017
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Monday, July 31, 2017
Defensive End William Hayes
(Was practice more fun today, because there was a little tackling involved?) – “Yes. Any time you get a little more contact, I think it heightens up the practice. For me, I like to play the run. Any time I can get more of it, it’s more fun for me anyway.”
(You are a run-stopping specialist, but I think you had a few sacks, was it yesterday I think?) – “A specialist? (laughter)”
(Expert?) – “I guess I can just play the run. I don’t know about the specialist part. (laughter)”
(How do you feel when you have a day like that against the pass? Are you especially proud of yourself or is it just another day in the life?) – “I’m a defensive end, so I figure I should be able to pass rush, too. It’s just something I work on a little bit more and try to get better at. I guess the run (would) probably be … I’m definitely a lot better at the run; but I’m just working on my craft. When you see it start working, it’s a beautiful thing.”
(What does it feel like to tackle someone? You don’t always get to do that in practice.) – “It’s cool. It’s fun. It’s part of football. See ball; get ball. That’s how I play it.”
(It’s more fun for us, too.) – “It is.”
(We like it when you hit each other.) – “Yes, it gets a little bit more testy out there.”
(You played your entire career before now for Jeff Fisher, right?) – “I had one year with (Mike) Munchak.”
(Is it strange at all being at this part of the year and not hearing him or being around him?) – “Not really. (Head Coach Adam) Gase is very personable, so they kind of got a lot of same traits like the way (players) interact with the coach a lot. That’s cool. It’s not really a drop off from that standpoint.”
(This is probably a better question to ask you five weeks from now, but from being around DE Charles Harris now for several months – a couple of months – any feel for what he might be able to give you guys this year?) – “He’s a special football player, very explosive. The thing I like about him the most is every day he continues to work on his craft. If he has an issue, it’s not like he’s lackadaisical about it, and none of the rookies are. They really focus on their craft. But he’s very coachable. From the coaches to me, Cam (Wake) or (Andre) Branch saying something to him, he takes everything that you say, and he takes it personal.”
(What are some new theories that you explored during your free time this offseason?) – “I haven’t had too much free time. I’ve been really working on football. I think the theory thing, we’ve probably got to hold off on that until after the season. It’s football time now. I’m just here trying to help win some games.”
(How settled in would you say you are in terms of your new team, new defense?) – “I’m pretty settled in. I’m still learning the playbook. I was trying to get the playbook a little bit better. But for the most part, I’ve got everything down. The more you know it, the faster you’ll be able to play. But for the most part, I process everything. I don’t have too many ‘MEs’ (mental errors), so I guess I’m taking everything in pretty good.”
(DE Andre Branch said the defensive line holds everyone accountable. Is that something you’ve noticed? Is that something you’ve picked up on? Are you comfortable holding new teammates accountable?) – “Yes I am, because I practice a certain type of way and I play a certain type of way. If I tell you to do something, I’m not going to be saying nothing that I wouldn’t do for myself. I don’t have any issues with adjusting to that. That’s kind of how I’ve always done things. From (Ndamukong) Suh to Cam (Wake) to (Andre) Branch – I don’t care who it is – we’ve all got to hold each other accountable. If I say something to Suh, he shouldn’t take it personal, because if he says something to me, I wouldn’t take it personal. For the most part, we’ve been doing a good job with that. That’s not something I had to deal with. That’s something I’m really accustomed to.”
(Is that pretty normal with the group?) – “Yes. I feel like if you do something and you’re leading by example, nobody should have a problem with it if you tell them they need to run to the ball harder or they might need to play this a little bit better, because at the end of the day, you see me out there doing it. I make an effort to get to the ball. If I have to tell somebody, ‘You’re slacking,’ it shouldn’t be an issue. When they see me, they see me as I can be an example.”
(What is a respectable yards per carry average in your mind?) – “Zero. (laughter) I don’t know. I don’t really get into all the statistics. I just want to try to get them to second-and-long, so Cam (Wake) can come in and get a sack.”
(You had your veteran rest day or veteran off day given to you by Head Coach Adam Gase. Which side do you fall on that? Do you want to grind every day and be out there, or it’s a marathon, you need to give your body a break?) – “If you let me, I probably want to be out there, but he’s the coach and he knows what he’s doing, so I’ve just got to believe in his system. He has been doing a good job of keeping guys healthy and winning football games, so I’m going to do whatever he wants me to do.”
(Is a veteran off day enjoyable? What do you do?) – “Looking at practice. I like the grind; but at the end of the day, like I said, he’s a winner. He has proven that, so I’m going to follow by his system.”
(Did you know they tried to give DE Cameron Wake the day off today?) – “I figured that wasn’t going to happen. First full day, first live day, he wasn’t going (out). I wouldn’t blame him. I wouldn’t have done that either.”
(What have you really enjoyed, what have you liked about this new group that you’re part of, this locker room?) – “The chemistry they’ve got here. Everybody just wants to win. That’s the beautiful part about this team. I’m going there and not trying to change the culture. I’m just trying to come in and put my stamp on the game. I’ve just been constantly taking in whatever they tell me to do. It’s a beautiful thing. You can see the system here. You can see the progression this team has taken. To me, I think we look a lot better since OTAs to now. We’re just going to continue to get better and better.”
(You mentioned everybody running to the football. I don’t know if this is more of a collegiate thing, but do you count loafs by any chance and if so, how?) – “I don’t think you count loafs; but it’s pretty easy to see on film. If you see yourself running and you’re running by somebody, you figure they probably could’ve run a little faster or if you see somebody not giving the effort. Like I said, you just hold them accountable. Let them know that’s not acceptable. That’s it. The name of the game is to get the ball carrier on the ground.”
(On a day like today when it’s a live scrimmage, how does it feel when the defense pulls out the victory? Is there a different kind of swagger in the locker room?) – “No, not really. At the end of the day, we’re all in this together. We’re competing on the field and when we get back in there, we’re a family. You don’t hold it over nobody’s heads or nothing like that. I’m pretty sure the offense the next time we go live, they’re going to be ready to go a little bit more. You’re just competing on the field, just making each other better.”
(Is there a strategy behind the wool ski cap?) – “No, not really. It gets cold in the rooms. I just try to stay a little warm.”
(I’ve seen you and G/T Laremy Tunsil talk quite a bit already in this camp, sometimes after practice. Just curious what your early impressions of him is and what kind of knowledge are you sharing?) – “Him and ‘Big 7-0’, big Ja’Wuan (James). I’m just kind of giving them a little feedback on things that I possibly see. I’m not their coach; but I let them know how talented they really are. They’re two exceptional tackles. If they keep working, they can be the two best tackles in football, and I really do mean that. They’re very, very talented.”
