Mike Pouncey – August 22, 2017
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Tuesday, August 22, 2017
C Mike Pouncey
(I was trying to figure out what your secret Instagram message meant. I think I know. I think were you asking to play?) – “No. Did (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase say I could play? (laughter)”
(No, Head Coach Adam Gase hasn’t said that yet) – “Well, I don’t know. He said he was going to let me know. We’ll see how it goes. But practice has been good. I feel great. Yesterday was really a confidence booster for me because it was the most reps I’ve taken all training camp. After watching the film, I was really proud of what I put on film. So I’m excited to see how it goes. I’ll see how Thursday goes when Coach Gase lets me know; but if it’s time to play, it’s time to play. We’ll see.”
(From your standpoint, it seems like the progression and the routine has gotten exactly perfectly according to plan. Is that pretty much how you would see it as well?) – “Well, I mean perfectly in some people’s eyes; but as a football player, you want to be out there every day. I think the plan that our physical trainers put in place has been awesome. Right now, we’re kind of on an every-other-day plan and it’s really worked really well because my body feels great. It’s reacting really well to it. So we’ll see how the rest of training camp goes.”
(Is the bubble wrap off?) – “I wouldn’t say that because I didn’t practice today, but I think the plan that we have in place is the most productive one. Obviously we joke around with the bubble wrap stuff – me and (Head) Coach (Adam Gase) – but I think they’ve done a great job of getting me ready to play if it was time to play and giving me enough rest time if my body was reacting the way it shouldn’t.”
(Young T Jesse Davis is getting a lot of reps with the ones. What have you seen from him?) – “I like Jesse. Jesse’s a strong football player at the point. He’s a smart guy. He really plays the game at a speed you’re supposed to play and I think he’s done a lot of great things for offense to deserve those first team reps. We lost a big piece with Ted (Larsen) going down with the biceps injury; but I think Jesse is going to go in there and fill in that spot and do a really good job.”
(T Jesse Davis was on the practice squad last year. When would you say you started really noticing him?) – “Well it’s kind of … The way the NFL is set up, during the season when a guy comes in late, we’re not in pads. You don’t really see … He’s running other team’s plays. He’s not running our plays, our techniques, so we didn’t really see what we thought we were going to see out of him until we got to this offseason and we started running our plays. He’s a guy that was dominating throughout OTAs and then once we put the pads on, you could tell it was a major difference for him. He’s a guy that loves to play in football pads and his game reflects that way.”
(What do you want to see from a guard playing next to you? What does C Mike Pouncey want from the guys standing next to him?) – “I just want a guy that’s going to go out there and play as hard as he can on every snap. Obviously when you’re looking at offensive guards, you want to see if a guy can protect one-on-one by himself because the guards are going to be the first and fastest way to the quarterback. I think he does a great job on one-on-one pass rush when he’s by himself and that’s going to get him into the starting lineup faster than anything.”
(You’ve made the reference to the bubble wrap. Have you been popping the little bubbles little by little?) – “(laughter) It’s starting to run out of wrap. (laughter) I won’t lie to you. We’ll see. If Thursday I play, then the bubble wrap is officially gone.”
(How are you feeling?) – “I feel great. I feel really good. (I feel) better than what I expected at this point, obviously, because of the extent of the injury; but it feels great to be back out there playing football. Like I said earlier, yesterday’s practice was a big confidence booster for me because we took so many reps. If we’re going on Thursday, I’ll be ready to play.”
(It’s tough to get that conditioning when you can’t work like you want?) – “I wouldn’t say that because every day I work out. Monday through Sunday, every day we have a plan of what we’re going to do. Even when I’m not on the football field practicing, I’m still in the weight room lifting weights and running around, so I think the plan they put in place has been great.”
(So you were pleased with what you did in practice yesterday. What grade would you give yourself?) – “You’d have to ask the coaches, but I always think I’m going to do good. An ‘A.’ (laughter)”
(What do you feel like QB Jay Cutler is doing well?) – “I just think he’s done what he’s always done. He gets the ball out really, really fast. He commands the huddle. We’re just appreciative of him. He’s a very smart player. He’s been in this offense so he really understands it. He’s the guy that’s making all the Mike points, setting the offense straight and he’s done a great job so far.”
(What have you learned about QB Jay Cutler’s personality and leadership style?) – “I mean it’s different than most guys but that’s Jay, and once you get used to it, it’s just part of it. I think what he does the best is just be himself every single day. He doesn’t change for anybody and no matter what anybody says, he’s the same guy. He comes in each and every day and works his tail off. He makes a lot of amazing throws during practice.”
