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Duke Riley – December 7, 2023 Download PDF version

Thursday, December 7, 2023

LB Duke Riley

(Obviously you’ve had starting experience before. You’ve held down starting roles for the Dolphins. What this experience going to be like holding it down for LB Jerome Baker?) – “It’s just going to be another day for me. I’m not really worried about the game right now. Just worried about today, Thursday. I’m just focused on that. We’ve got a couple more meetings left and then I’ll worry about tomorrow when that comes and then the next day. Game time is like a relief. It’s like the best time of my life. Those moments, everything’s already been put in. Now you’ve just got to go have fun.”

(Have you spoken to LB Jerome Baker and is there anything you guys have shared back and forth?) – “I’m kind of giving him the space right now while he’s dealing with stuff. You obviously encourage him and give him your blessings and stuff like that. Just let him take care of himself and just focus. It’s kind of hard to be going back and forth so we just focus on what we’ve got to right now.”

(What strengths of yours do you think are maximized in Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense?) – “Just my ability to play fast, knowing that everybody’s going to do their job. My speed, my energy and my communication skills and stuff like that. Everything like that, Just my game, not just for me but for everybody. As long as everybody’s on the same page and I get everybody lined up and I make the right call and we’re all on the same page.”

(On playing on Monday Night Football and if that amps him up) – “I wouldn’t say we get extra amped up. We obviously know it’s a prime time game and everybody is going to be watching. Those moments are like the best moments. You want those moments. You want to be the only team that people are watching. You want to showcase your talents to the world. Like I said, if we do everything that we’re supposed to do during the wee then everything’s going to take care of itself.”

(Played a lot more last year than this year and have been total pros, you and DE Emmanuel Ogbah and S Brandon Jones. Now with injuries you guys are getting a chance. How important is that for guys in general?) – “At the end of the day, in this league and every phase of life, you’ve just got to control what you can control. If you’re not up even though you want to be, whatever it may be, you’ve just got to control what you can control and make the most out of the opportunity that you do have. In that case, I was getting a lot of special teams reps, so I had to make sure I was being the best leader I can be in that phase, knowingly that I’m preparing as a starter on defense regardless. Even if I was a fourth-string guy, I would prepare like I’m a starter. It’s just like who I am. Every single day I come to work, my main focus is to be better than I was yesterday and bring somebody along with me every single day. So that’s my goal.”

(I want to ask you about the green dot. When was the last time outside of the last game that you had the green dot?) – “Well, practice every single day, it’s obviously in our helmet. I had it in the Bills game. ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker) didn’t play one game and I had it. I think it was like two years ago. But I communicate regardless. Even when I don’t have the green dot and I get the call, I relay the call like I have it. So it’s kind of like something that I do naturally. I talk a lot anyway so everybody already knows that’s what I do. (laughter) I’m a communicator regardless. It’s like practice to me because I get the call in my helmet every day anyway and get the signal.”

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