DeShon Elliott – August 29, 2023
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Tuesday, August 29, 2023
S DeShon Elliott
(What’s this camp been like for you? I mean obviously camp is over, but what’s this journey been like for you, now on your third team and learning a new defensive scheme?) – “Football is football no matter where you go. I can say being here is different because of the energy that we have. We have a lot of young guys, we have a lot of very talented young guys who want to be great. I think that’s a big thing. We’re very hard on each other and ourselves. And I think that can push us to be the best version of ourselves, so I think that’s one of the biggest things for me.”
(What goals do you have this season?) – “I want to win. I want to win. Not just 10-plus games, I want to win and go deep into the playoffs and get my teammates paid who deserve to get paid. And what’s the saying – rising tide raises all ships. So I think that’s the biggest thing for me.”
(You weren’t here last year, but I’m sure you’ve gotten to know DT Zach Sieler a little bit. You’ve obviously been able to watch him do his thing. What’s your sense about the reaction in the locker room with that deal getting done? And also, he’s kind of a cool story that he has been cut and was a seventh rounder and that sort of thing.) – “What you don’t know is me and Zach (Sieler) started together in Baltimore. Same year, everything, so I’ve seen Zach’s growth. He was raw around the edges our rookie year, but he worked hard. And I think the best thing for him was getting cut. With that being said, today’s the grim reaper day, so to all those guys around the league who’s getting cut, don’t make that be the end of it. The way Zach handled it, he’s a very strong-minded guy so he was able to make that into a positive. Came here, dude has worked his butt off. Him and Bradley Bozeman were living in a trailer when they were in Baltimore. Just how humble that guy is and everyone knows how humble he is and how hard he works. It was well deserved and I’m proud of him to see where he’s came for sure.”
(We saw you play a lot in the preseason. How valuable were those reps to get familiar with the new defense here?) – “I think it was great. Just to knock the rust off before the first game. I haven’t played that much in a third preseason games since like, my rookie year, but I think I really needed it just to get out there and get the calls out there and also just, I need to run the show for the younger guys, so I think that’s going to help us in the long run. I felt good honestly. It’s time to play some ball.”
(We know obviously you have a relationship with S Brandon Jones. How has that kind of progressed now that you guys have had so much time together here in Miami?) – “Nothing’s changed. That’s been my boy since we were dang near kids. I think it’s great. I’m happy to see Brandon (Jones) back. I texted him the other day, told him how proud I was of his recovery and whatnot. With more reps, the more comfortable he’ll get with the defense. I think he’ll be fine. I think what me, him, and Jevon (Holland) will be a great trio of safeties for sure.”
(What’s one thing that you’ve learned, maybe that you didn’t know, about the Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio’s scheme since your arrival to know?) – “You have a set of tools that he gives you and it’s up to you to use them. You can’t be a robot in this defense. It’s about what you think is the best for our defense. I think he’s done a great job of making sure we understand that you can’t be a robot, that you’ve got to go out there and be thinking and set everybody else up to make their plays so that’s one of the biggest things for me.”
(Is this the day where there’s kind of a tangible shift to the season from training camp to let’s get going to the regular season? Or when does that shift happen?) – “I wouldn’t say the shift, I would just say, it’s more finetuning. Because we’ve been working since OTAs to try to be the best team we can be. So then this week is just more of just going back to the basics and making sure everybody understands our basic game plans and then once we come back from this little break, it’s time to get back to it. It’s time to get back to it and really lock in on L.A.”
(How do you feel your experience coming from Baltimore helped you to this point? I mean, you played under what Eric Weddle and Earl Thomas, so what are some things that you learned from those two?) – “Just taught me how to be a pro and handle each day the right way and understand it’s one play at a time. You can’t let the last play affect the next one and honestly, it just helped me grow up because I came into the NFL like 20 years old. So with that being said, it’s like hanging around with Weddle and Tony (Jefferson), they really helped me. They weren’t my fathers, but they definitely felt like a mentor for me, just helping me how to be a man in his league, understand the business side because it’s not just about ball no more, it’s about business. It’s different.”
(When did you get that realization that this is business?) – “I would say after my rookie year because I had broken my arm, so I didn’t even get the chance to play that much ball. So just being around a building and just walking in and out, just seeing how the ins and outs of the NFL works. I’m going to rehab and I’m just me, just vibing. So, just seeing how ball was and when I was in Baltimore, it was a lot of very savvy vets on the team, like everybody was above 27 (years old), so just talking to them and bouncing ideas off them. It just kind of helped me develop.”
(Those times when you’re lined up back there with S Jevon Holland, how do you feel the chemistry coming along?) – “I think it’s going great now. I think when I first got here, I was kind of too flustered because I can get a little all over the place, but he helped me just calm down and just play ball. So I think with that our situation is just gelling even more. I think we’re going to be great.”
(You mentioned S Jevon Holland there and you mentioned the trio with you and S Brandon Jones earlier. What has the battle been like? We’ve seen a lot of different safeties in and out of the lineup throughout camp and now it seems you might be the guy there.) – “Battle? Shoot, we are all just working. I’m not even worried about any battles. I’m just doing my thing. God is going to do everything. God is going to do everything that needs to be done and whatever happens, happens. So I never really thought about it as a battle, I was just playing ball.”
