Austin Jackson – November 20, 2023
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Monday, November 20, 2023
OL Austin Jackson
(As you guys look at the tape with regard to run blocking as a group, you all were averaging record yards per carry for the first six weeks, well over six yards per carry, and it has gone way down over the last four. As you guys watch tape, you and Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith and Offensive Line Coach Butch Barry, have you pinpointed anything for why that might be happening?) – “It all starts with our standard, I think. Just being really intentional about what concepts we are running as a group. Are you speaking in terms of this last game?”
(Over the past four games, it’s been under four yards per carry as a team.) – “It’s a combination of our intentionality on understanding what different concepts we run versus the defenses that we play.”
(We talk to you a lot about how well you’ve been playing and kind of the groove that you’re in. I was curious, a lot of guys have talked a lot about how the game isn’t so much physical as it is mental. Is there a point whether it was back in training camp or some point this season where you felt things really clicking for you and you were like, “Alright, I got it now. I’m in the groove?”) – “Yeah, I feel like going into my second year in this system, I definitely feel a lot more comfortable, just mentally being sharper on concepts that I had already learned in the NFL and had those blocks before, so I could have an extra intent on being better at them versus taking in a whole new playbook and being younger already.”
(LB Jaelan Phillips had some injuries and stuff earlier this season and he said he had a little bit of a confidence dip, but going up again Eagles T Lane Johnson and getting a sack against him really boosted his confidence. Did you have a moment like that during the season so far where you’re like, “I can do this, for sure?”) – “Yeah, I had some pretty good rushers the first week of the season. I go against pretty – I think everyone in the NFL is capable of being good and being great if you let them. So my focus is making sure my technique and my stuff is on point, and maybe I could have a little style of play myself.”
(How did you think OL Liam Eichenberg did playing right next to you in his first game at a new position?) – “Yeah, he’s a beast. It’s like his fifth or sixth position, I think, and he’s been productive at all of them.”
(What is the sixth? Hold on.) – “Exactly – tight end. (laughter) But I think he (Liam Eichenberg) did a great job. He’s very professional. It’s easy to play next to him. He’s been around, pays attention, gets better, and he went in there and he did his job well.”
(It seems like you just got off the field, but I’ve got to ask you anyway with the short turnaround, have you had a chance to look at the Jets defense and what stands out?) – “Yeah, what stands out the most is their style of play. They’re very much a read-and-react defense. They’re very fast on their keys, meaning they want to play with speed as well at the second level, and then their defensive line is pretty good. All of them across the board are pretty good rushers. So we’ll definitely have to get into our routine of studying sooner than later, because they’re definitely a good team.”
(I just looked this up, they’re bringing pressure on, I guess, 27 percent of dropbacks. So as an offensive lineman – I think that is second in the league – what does that say to you?) – “It means we have to study tendencies as best we can to see if we can maybe get some tells on some of those blitzes as best we can. I’m sure our coaches will do that to the best of their ability.”
(What was your first thought when you saw that you guys were playing on Black Friday? I guess now that it’s here, the day after Thanksgiving, it kind of messes up the normal schedule. What’s your thoughts about that?) – “It’s interesting. It’s kind of cool to think about it though, because of Friday night football in high school. It’s Friday night, and that’s instantly what I think about. It’ll be my first high school football kind of Friday night game in a minute. Under the big lights, I think it’ll be fun, honestly. I think it’ll be cool. I like fun environments.”
(How aware have you been, if aware at all, of Hard Knocks cameras being in the building over the last week?) – “Very aware. There’s a lot more cameras in the building than usual, so that’s easy. They don’t interrupt stuff. They came to our o-line dinner, which was different. It was kind of weird, but it was cool. It was a cool experience. It’s not often you get to be on television, HBO, so it’s cool.”
(Do you have to change what you’re saying or how you guys interact at all because the cameras are there? Do you keep it consistent?) – “Oh, definitely keep it consistent. Definitely just keep it consistent.”
(And that offensive line dinner was where in town?) – “We were in Fort Lauderdale, somewhere in the Fort Lauderdale. It was by the water though, it was nice.”
(That was last week?) – “Yeah.”
(Is it like a weekly thing you guys do? Or just kind of whenever it pops up?) – “It’s a weekly thing. We definitely try to get together whether it’s at someone’s house or a restaurant. Terron (Armstead) really organized it when he got here last year, and we just kind of stuck to it as a line.”
(Did you talk to RB De’Von Achane on the sideline after he got injured? And if so, what was his mentality? Or did you talk to him after the game at all?) – “I didn’t get to talk to him. I wasn’t really aware of his situation until later in the game. Otherwise, I probably would have said something, but it’s tough. I’ve battled injuries. I had a big battle with injuries last year. His mentality will put him in place to be great.”
(What happens, because I was going to ask you about that, when you return, like you and RB De’Von Achane, and then you’re out again? What does that do to you mentally?) – “Shoot, makes you a monster. (laughter) No, it makes you have to refocus and get your body back into shape. But that’s what being a professional is. Terron Armstead has done it a bunch. If you look at all the vets throughout the league, injuries happen to everybody. It’s just part of the game.”
(On another note, when you have CB Jalen Ramsey on one side of the ball and WR Tyreek Hill on the other, what is that like? I mean, are you amazed?) – “You’ve got Jalen (Ramsey) and Xavien Howard on the same side, and then you’ve got Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Yeah, it’s crazy. I agree. All across the board it’s crazy. I think it’s definitely exciting to be a part of, and our team feeds into it. We love the style of play we get to have.”
(I’m curious, as you kind of enjoy what I think most of us would consider a breakout year here, as you think back to what you came into the league to now, what do you think is one physical trait that you have really honed-in on and just improved from then to now?) – “I think, kind of back to the question earlier, I think my mentals have been the biggest thing to improve since I’ve been in the league. Physically, I would say – I don’t know. I can’t really say any big physical thing has taken my play to a different level. Just understanding concepts has really helped my level of play a lot. Understanding situations in football has been huge for me. I definitely had to get in a different shape, I think, for durability in the NFL. Just a lot of training, a lot of people getting rolled up, a lot of situations that occur, so I would say I lost a little bit of weight. But not too much.”
