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Earl Mitchell – November 14, 2016 Download PDF version

Monday, November 14, 2016

Defensive Tackle Earl Mitchell

(Did you surprise yourself at all with your conditioning and ability to play as many snaps as you did?) – “No. Not really. I was just so excited to be back out there. I’ve been preparing this entire time and just knowing that I had an opportunity to be back out there with my teammates eventually, coming off of IR; so yes, I just pretty much stayed in shape. I made sure I stayed in-tune with all the readings and everything I could do to be ready to come back.”

(By all accounts you played well. Was there any rustiness as far as you could tell?) – “I mean I’m definitely sore today. I knew the scheme. I sat in the meetings. I got a lot of mental reps. I feel like a seven-year veteran now, but it is what it is.”

(Is there anything that was not up to your standards or anything that you’re still hoping kind of comes back this week?) – “Yes, I mean I definitely could have played with a little better technique. We just got through watching the film and there was some … I’ve just got to really get back into things and just being more sound. My technique was …  I’ve got to be (better).”

(What exactly did you do to stay in game shape while you were out for so long?) – “I mean just a lot of core work. I figured out I was having maybe some back issues here and there. I started having chiro problems because of that, so I decided to just kind of take off some weight and just really get in the weight room a little bit more and just conditioning whenever I could. I think that helped me out a bunch.”

(How frustrating was it to continue to try to come back from that calf and before you just decided rest it?) – “Yes, it was. It was frustrating, especially not being able to obviously play and be out there with my teammates; but just having it happen last year and then it happened again. So you know it was just one of those things. I just didn’t want it to happen again.”

(Was the anticipation for your pregame more intense maybe than previous games that you hadn’t played in so long?) – “Maybe. It’s been a long eight weeks. I got an opportunity to talk to my teammates before the game and tell them I pretty much went through every emotion possible throughout the entire time and it all hit me kind of at once, a couple of days ago. I was so excited to be back out there. I’m just glad that I took advantage of that opportunity to be out there.”

(It didn’t look like you were too tentative. Early on you knocked a guy all the way back into the backfield. You weren’t tentative at all.) – “I just kind of went for it right there. I mean we were on the goal line. You know you’ve got to get grimy down there.”

(The technique was good on that play.) – “I just went. I just went for it.”

(Were you a little tentative, knowing that a calf you really don’t know until you get out there and you test it for real?) – “You’re right. Calves are funny like that. You never know. But you never know until you actually go after it. Plus, you’re at the goal line. You don’t want to start taking steps backward right there trying to protect yourself.”

(What was it like watching your defensive line – you guys are still 30th against the run – struggle without you?) – “It was tough sitting at home watching that. Then a lot of plays, it would be crazy, because we’d be so consistent up front and then it would be one play here, one play there that would get out of the gate. I know we have the ability to be much better, but it’s (about) remaining consistent at all times.”

(How do you tighten the screws on this defense?) – “Everybody staying focused and really just doing your job. Sometimes, players can try to take games in their own hands, but I think when we remain consistent and knowing our own job, we do well.”

(What was the message from Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph when he got the whole defense together on the sideline there for a minute?) – “That was it. It’s exactly what I said. He was like, ‘Don’t do you. Do us, and we’re going to be just fine.’ He does a good job of keeping us level-headed and not panicking. He does a good job of keeping us calm and calling the plays.”

(What’s it like to have a coach like that, that can do that to a team and put everybody together on the same page like that?) – “It’s great. You feed off that, and you want to respond well to that when they’re keeping their cool. It shows that they’re calm, and everybody can communicate on the sideline and talk amongst each other.”

(What’s this extended field trip like? I know it’s a business trip, but you guys got, I guess, 36 hours off?) – “It’s good. Me personally, I’m going to be professional about it, but you just won a big game and a lot of guys want to go out and have fun. There are some things that you can do; you just have to be smart. But it’s nice to be out here. It’s an exciting time.”

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