Alec Ingold – November 2, 2023
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Thursday, November 2, 2023
FB Alec Ingold
(What have your experiences been like in Germany? I saw in the team video you got some sightseeing in, sat at a nice restaurant that had some blankets to throw over your lap? What was that like?) – “We went to downtown Frankfurt, a handful of guys. I felt right at home, ordered some beer and some brats and had a great time. It was really cool to get around town, sightsee with the guys on that Tuesday. Coach (McDaniel) obviously got us down here early, just to experience Germany, right? And just getting in new uncomfortable situations with your teammates; I think that kind of brings everyone a little closer together. You get to learn together and I think that this is going to week that I think all of us are going to remember for a long time so doing our best to make it special.”
(WR Tyreek Hill says you’re the team MVP.) – “I don’t know, the MVP of what… (laughter)”
(Tyreek Hill: “At speeches”) – “At speeches? At morale? All right. That’s all I got, though. I don’t know about the catches or results or anything. (laughter)”
(So we know that Tyreek is fast and we know that he practices really hard.) – “Yes.”
(What about that element of his vibe, his self-confidence – can you fill me in some on how you have seen that affect the group?) – “I would say personally, I think Tyreek impacts me as a human being and as a football player because when I mess up on the field, I take that extremely personal. I am really upset. I can’t wait to watch it in film. I want a coach to yell at me and tell me to get better and I can’t wait to go out and do it again. And Tyreek is one of those guys where he is always so present that you kind of understand whatever happens, the result of the play; he’s going to let that roll off because he’s going to step up the next time and he’s going to be at the best version of himself that next time. So the way that you say his confidence, his vibes, his charisma; I think it’s just that ability to be mentally tough. I think that’s a skill in itself, too, and that’s something that I take from Tyreek now and I’m trying to learn and implement in my game because the speed and everything like that, he’s got that. I can’t add that to the game.”
(How do you handle the pressures and expectations that come with being a part of the top offenses in football?) – “When you talk about pressure or expectations, I think that’s all external. And internally, I feel like we’ve been working so hard before the spotlight was on us to create this positive momentum, to train ourselves to be ready and prepared for all of those high-pressure moments. But at the end of the day, pressure is that privilege and if you put yourself in that preparation phase for so long, for months from OTAs to camp till now; when you are getting the results, you’re so trained and you’re so disciplined that whatever the circumstance is – across the country, across the world – the circumstances really don’t impact you as much as you’d think. I think the momentum and the intentionality of everything we’re doing really has paid off and now it’s like, all right, how can we trust this process? How can we trust each other regardless of outcome? How can we continue to grow within our formula and continue to be the best versions of yourselves? So those internal expectations are so much different than external expectations and pressure really disperses amongst a lot of guys when you’re all kind of collective like that.”
(One question about the jet lag. I think you have a five-hour time difference to Miami. Do you think it’s better for you that the Kansas City Chiefs arrive tomorrow so you have better time of preparation here? How did you feel with it?) – “I’m still tired, man. So we’ve got the meetings over here. You got practice. I know personally I need my sleep so I’m taking as much time and effort into being the best sleeper I can be right now. So I’m sure those guys have their plan whatever that is and really don’t want to take too much energy or brainpower worrying about what other people are doing. I think it’s really diving into this time zone and being where my feet are at and giving myself the best version to my teammates so we’ve got the best chance we have of finding success this weekend.”
(I know that you guys often talk about how you’re process-oriented over results-oriented. Every game, it means the same, but is there any acknowledgement of the magnitude of this game against the Chiefs and what it means for your future ambitions? The fact that you guys are tied for the best record in the AFC, tiebreakers often play a big role. Is there an acknowledgement and understanding of what the ramifications can be of this game?) – “I think there’s some sort of understanding. We’re human beings, right? You can’t be robots that just only focus on the task at hand, but at the same time, the reason why. The goals and the mission are so big for this team and that’s so long-term. This is another really good measuring stick to prove to each other how bought in we are to the process and so I think whenever you talk about results or that it’s such a big game, I think it’s just an amazing opportunity to go against the best in the league. And I think that’s what we’re all here for. We’re all chasing to be in those games and to play meaningful snaps and make an impact. So to see guys succeed this Sunday, to have the plays that you go out and you practice, you go across the world and you travel together, I think it just brings everybody closer to really understand those circumstances and buy in for one another so that you’re sacrificing a little piece of yourself for the greater good of the team so that down the road we can continue to improve and be in these meaningful games week after week after week, December, January, February.”
