Brandon Jones – November 8, 2021
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Monday, November 8, 2021
S Brandon Jones
(It seems like in the past couple of games, month or so, you and S Jevon Holland have really settled into those starting roles in the defensive secondary. And it seems like you guys have a really good relationship. He said to us that he was talking to you about what he was going to do after he got his first interception. How has that relationship been like with Jevon and how have you guys grown on and off the field?) – “I think our relationship – we have such a good relationship off the field. I think that definitely correlates with how we play on the field. We have a lot of trust for each other. I think it’s really cool to see once we get on the field, there are a lot of instances where we don’t even communicate and we’re still on the same page. I think that’s very rare and just shows you what type of relationship that we have. That has been just because of the relationship that we’ve been able to establish off the field. We have a lot of trust with each other. Yeah, communication has always been on point with us so it’s for sure been really fun just to be out there with him.”
(I apologize if we’ve asked you this before in recent weeks but a series of questions regarding blitzing. First of all, how much of it did you do at Texas? What makes you successful at it? And how much do you enjoy it as opposed to just covering?) – “It was crazy. I was actually thinking about this a couple of days ago because I really didn’t blitz too much at Texas. Most of my blitzes came my senior year when I was playing kind of more of a Star role. It’s cool. I love it, obviously. It kind of really goes with my play style of playing with a high motor, always going 100 percent. I think it definitely benefits me. I really enjoy it, just being able to get a chance to get after the quarterback. Obviously I need to get with some of the d-linemen and work on my swim move, spin and whatever I can to help free me up a little bit more, but it’s been awesome. I’m very thankful and grateful for the opportunity the coaches have given me to be able to blitz and make plays and cause havoc. It’s for sure been a lot of fun.”
(A quick follow up. If you’re called upon to blitz on Thursday, it’s a whole different ballgame and different challenge with a guy as fast and quick as QB Lamar Jackson back there in the pocket. So what’s the biggest challenge there in terms of blitzing but not letting him get outside and go crazy on you guys?) – “The biggest thing is just going to be to keep contain. A guy like that, he’s a playmaker obviously with his feet. It’s going to be hard. He’s fast. He puts people on skates 24/7. Hopefully I’m not in that position where he puts me on skates and I’m on ESPN Top 10 for getting shook. I think the biggest thing is to just keep contain and play our brand of football.”
(It appeared from our vantage point that you guys had QB Tyrod Taylor completely rattled with all of the blitzing yesterday. Could you sense it in looking at him and maybe his mannerisms that you guys were having a major effect on him with all of the blitzing?) – “Not really. Obviously we had a lot of people that were able to hit home on blitzes. I think we had seven or eight people that at least got a hit or caused some type of pressure on him. It’s just the style of our defense. It didn’t surprise me that we were able to execute that because like I said, that’s a big part of our defense. It’s always fun being able to bring pressure from a lot of different places. It’s cool to see for sure.”
(I was hearing you talking about defending QB Lamar Jackson. It seems like there’s maybe a few guys in the league that can make you think about their ability to put you on the bad highlight reel. Maybe RB Derrick Henry is another guy for a different reason. I’m curious how you go about defending a guy like that knowing you have to be aggressive but he can make you look silly even if you’re at your best?) – “That boy is filthy with it. It’s going to be tough obviously. We’re for sure going to have our hands full, like I said, just with his playmaking ability. The biggest – I guess the best way to be able to handle somebody like that is to just trust your training and your technique. You really can’t do too much thinking. I think that’s where he gets a lot of people is he gets them in these one-on-one situations in open field and people are thinking and trying to anticipate what’s going to happen, and that’s kind of where he thrives. I think once we get the opportunity to keep him in the pocket, if we ever get into a situation where we have him one-on-one, you just have to trust your technique, trust your abilities and shoot your shot.”
(I was asking Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer about this a little earlier and he said that QB Michael Vick was the guy that came to mind when he was trying to think of guys that may have a similar running ability. Is there anybody you’ve seen or played against that has anything close to what QB Lamar Jackson has got in open field?) – “Oh yeah, Kyler Murray for sure. Playing him in college and playing him last year when we went out to Arizona. They’re very similar, I think, in just playmaking ability, speed obviously and being able to get in and out of cuts quick. It’s super rare to see somebody that’s quick and also has top end speed. I think that’s something that both of them have and do a really good job, and it’s a part of their game. Like I said, it’s for sure going to be tough but I think it’s going to be fun. I’m really looking forward to it.”
