Charles Harris – July 31, 2019
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Wednesday, July 31, 2019
DE Charles Harris
(How good has it been to be back out here doing everything after being limited in the offseason?) – “It feels good. It feels good being out there with the d-line again, just being in the rotation and whatnot, so it feels real good.”
(How this defense fits your skills – any feelings to that? How does it make you a better player, this particular scheme?) – “Yeah, I mean we’re just going through camp, just entering new stuff and just doing different things. We’ve still got camp, so we have a long way to go, so we’ve got a little more to learn. We’re just trying to get the basics down right now and the fundamentals and everything, so we’re going to see as the season unfolds and everything going into the preseason, how it all works.”
(You have a good chance to be a starter here. Is that important to you in Year 3 of your career?) – “Oh yeah, for sure. It definitely is.”
(With the scrimmage on Saturday, what are you looking for from yourself and from the defensive line as a whole?) – “Really just our technique, our fundamentals – getting down the basics. It will be our first time actually going live, so just seeing the whole d-line go out there and actually work everything we’ve been practicing these last two weeks, that’s what I’m going to be looking forward to.”
(When it comes to pass rushing, how much of your success do you tie into actual sacks out here and how much is tied into, ‘Well, I did the right thing. I applied some pressure and maybe helped a teammate a little bit?’) – “Shoot, we go every day. We go every day in practice and try to get better every day. When we go one-on-one pass rushing stuff, we just try to do everything we can to get to the quarterback. I don’t know how it all correlates, just every single day, every single down, we’re trying to win.”
(In this system, how is what’s expected of edge rushers different from your experience in your first two years? Are there more responsibilities for edge rushers in this system?) – “Shoot, right now, it’s just every edge rusher’s got the edge, so it’s just edge technique. I think it’s pretty general across all defenses really because you have somebody setting the edge and whatnot, so that’s what we’re trying to do.”
(Are you the same weight as you were last year or are you a little bit heavier?) – “Right now, I’m probably a little heavier. A little heavier than last year.”
(By how many pounds do you think you’ve put on?) – “I can’t remember. (laughter) I really can’t. I weighed in today – shoot, I think I am heavier than last year. I can’t remember what I was last camp, but I think I am heavier than last year.”
(Is that something you consciously tried to do – put on some weight?) – “Yeah, pretty much.”
(Have you had a specific moment with Head Coach Brian Flores over the past week that stands out for you?) – “A moment? So we had a team meeting the other day that was pretty cool. We had rookies doing some stuff. It’s insider stuff, but we had some moments right there in the team meeting so far as a team.”
(The impressions just of the learning moments and how intense are they and all that type of stuff?) – “It’s great. He gives us quotes, gives us video – not that many quotes but a lot of videos. It’s a lot of great people, great leaders – him and ‘P.G.’ (Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham) give us a lot of quotes and whatnot to live by all throughout the building. I’m pretty sure you’ve all seen it, but all throughout the building, we’ve got a lot of quotes up. I think it’s really dope to walk in and see something that – like one of the first things we see when we go in is, ‘Get over yourself.’ So stuff like is pretty cool to humble yourself.”
(Do you sense how much experience Head Coach Brian Flores has had with a winning organization?) – “Yeah, for sure. I think anybody that’s been around him can tell that he loves to win as an individual, and that mentality goes a long way.”
(It seems like you’re more upbeat and happy right now. What do you attribute that to? Am I reading that right?) – “Yeah, I mean, shoot, just (being) back out here. Really (being) back out here playing, that’s the greatest thing about it.”
(Where would you say I guess your confidence level is compared to where it was, maybe last year?) – “I can’t remember last year; but yeah, right now, I’m on a high right now. I’m just ready for the scrimmage. I think like I said, I think that’s the biggest thing is being able to get out there live, and that’s the biggest thing is the scrimmage coming up. (I’m) taking every single day, of course, one day at a time; but (I’m) really looking forward to the scrimmage.”
(In our lives on a day-to-day basis and also at our jobs, we all try to balance a sense of urgency versus patience, so how have you processed that? Where are you in your life – your stage of your career – in balancing sense of urgency versus patience?) – “Right now, I’m at a point where I’m trying to balance (anything). I’m just trying to harmonize. When I’m on the field, I’m on the field. When I’m in the weight room, I’m in the weight room. When I’m at home, I’m at home. When I’m with my nephews, I’m an uncle. I’m just trying to really harmonize – wearing different kinds of caps every single day. I might wear 10 or 15 different caps every day. One day I’m a player, the next minute I’m husband. So I’m not trying to be balanced anything. I’m trying to be harmonious with everything.”
(Is where you are with your feet, is that a big message from the staff?) – “Yeah, wherever your feet are, that’s where you are.”
(With this defense, so many guys have different roles, so many different schemes. How comfortable is it for you guys to get adjusted to the fact that, ‘oh, when I’m in this scheme, I’m in the scheme, but I might not play’ if that scheme is used?) – “Wait, what’s the question?”
(In terms of just getting accustomed to being used in different roles with the different schemes and everybody having a role in terms of the amount of players that you guys are playing?) — “It’s all about discipline. The biggest thing is everybody’s got – I mean, the coaches are going to put you in the best position to make plays, and I think that’s the biggest thing I keep in mind. The number count isn’t the most important thing. When that game ends and you’re winning, that’s all that really matters. Like I’ve said before, one of the biggest things that we’ve got, one of the quotes that we’ve got coming is ‘get over yourselves.’ If I’m not getting that many plays, it might not be a week. We might have different schemes for different teams and stuff like that. You really don’t know.”
(Who told you, ‘get over yourselves?’) – “It’s just a quote we’ve got in the building.”
(Is there a guy on the team who’s been in this scheme before and thus, has actually been able to help you learn?) – “We’re all learning. I think that’s the biggest thing. We’re all learning. I don’t think anybody’s really ever played this kind of defense before, but (it’s) pretty much everybody’s first time, and everybody’s trying to get used to it.”
(I saw you get around G/T Jesse Davis out there for, I think, what would have been a sack. Do you take those plays – what can you take out them and continue to build on them?) – “Just going to the film room and seeing how did it work, how did it not work and how to do it better. I’m pretty sure someone didn’t do it right, whether that’s turn the corner all the way, whether that’s finishing with a rip. There’s always something you can critique. Of course, you always chalk it up, but at the same time you always try to get better at it.”
(How much better does your wrist feel these days?) – “It feels good. It feels real good.”
(‘Get over it’ – is it written on the building, or is it just something that’s said in the building?) – “It’s actually said. It’s said and written.”
(It’s written inside the building on the wall?) – “It’s written, too, yeah.”
