Austin Jackson – September 15, 2021
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Wednesday, September 15, 2021
T Austin Jackson
(I know different players have had different feelings about how much they want to share on this with the media. Some have been open; some don’t want to talk about it. But are you able to discuss what your COVID experience was like? Was it bad? Did you feel good generally?) – “Yeah, I kind of don’t really want to talk about it. It was an unfortunate situation. There’s a lot involved in the situation. I think coaches and stuff would probably be better to answer that so I’m going to stay away from those questions.”
(Are you strong?) – “Yeah, I’m strong. I’m back to normal now. Yeah, I feel good. I feel great. I’m excited to be back.”
(What were you doing the week away? How did you keep yourself occupied?) – “I’m not really going to talk about that too much just because I don’t really want to talk about the protocols and stuff like that. I would say it was definitely difficult not having the access I have here (in the building). It was tough.”
(When you were cleared to join the team, did you think you might have a chance to play or did you know right away that it would be a reserve role?) – “That’s a tough one. I was out of the building for a while so I missed a lot of crucial moments in practice and stuff like that. Was I sure that I was going to play? Not really. There was like a bunch of stuff I had to go through. I can’t really even explain the specifics of it because it was so much; but I told coach I was ready to go and I’ll go out there and play if you need me. But we had confidence in Liam (Eichenberg). He had been practicing all week and is a great player.”
(Do you look at the protocols different now that you had to go through all of that?) – “Yeah, last year I was pretty much scot-free from all of that COVID mess. Having to deal with it this year, I kind of got to see what a lot of guys throughout the league have to go through. We’re in a pandemic right now pretty much, so it’s tough for everybody.”
(How weird was it to travel to an away game separate from the rest of the team?) – “It was definitely a first. It was interesting.”
(It seemed like, at least on the outside looking in, that it was sudden. “Oh, Austin is coming up” and boom, boom, boom. Was it a race to the airport kind of thing? Was it that sudden? What was that like?) – “No. You have to do tests and stuff like that – COVID tests. I think they let me know Friday, a couple days before, that if this happens we’ll do this and if this happens, we’ll do this. They kept me on standby and let me know what was going on beforehand.”
(You wouldn’t be the first player in NFL history to lose out on a spot for either injury or a situation out of your control. Did Head Coach Brian Flores tell you going into the week that you’re still our guy? How did it feel when he comes out and says it on Monday that “Austin Jackson is still our left tackle?”) – “That’s good. It feels good. Just throughout training camp and all the work we’ve put in, all the work I’ve put in, it’s good to hear that; but I don’t know. I didn’t think too much about it.”
(From a timing standpoint, how do you think today went for you? Just from not being around for whatever it was.) – “I forgot how hot it is in South Florida (laughter), especially during football practice with pads on. But it felt great to be back out there with the team, doing my job. I’m looking forward to getting after Buffalo.”
(I know the players don’t like to reflect on the past but going into Sunday, considering what the Bills did last year to this team in Week 2 and the season finale, is some type of payback in store for the Buffalo Bills?) – “The past is the past. I was there for that game. Obviously, no one enjoyed that on our team. It’s a new year. They have a new roster. They have a lot of guys coming back but it’s a new team. We are going to do everything on our end to make sure that we’re ready to do what we have to do to execute and win the game. That’s always our goal is to win the game. I remember that game last year. I speak for me.”
(You mean the regular season finale? You remember that?) – “Yeah.”
(What did you take away form that game personally that you can carry into this year and maybe learn from and bring into this week with a different approach?) – “I could say no game like that is ever fun. I think everyone has a game like that and they look back to see what they can correct. I know for me, there were certain instances with communication that I could have done a better job talking to other people, letting the line know what was going on in terms of adjustments and movements. That’s one thing I would say I remember.”
(How do you feel having been through COVID about your choice to choose the vaccination?) – “For me, I think the vaccine definitely helped. There’s a lot of – I’ve had family members heavily affected by COVID but everybody is different. I think people have the right to hold their own opinions about the vaccine. If you don’t want to get it, that’s fine; but for me, I know that it helped me.”
