Eric Rowe – December 4, 2019
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Wednesday, December 4, 2019
CB Eric Rowe
(What was it like to get a new deal?) – “It’s great. I’m excited to be here, add some more years, to keep playing football, keep playing football somewhere that you like. There are some guys playing at some places they don’t really like; but I was blessed to get a place I like, teammates and coaches I like. Getting that deal is amazing.”
(A lot of times deals happen in the offseason. Why do you think this one went down right in the middle of the year or during the year?) – “I have no idea. No idea. I just kept playing week to week and then my agent was like, ‘They want to extend you.’ I was like, ‘Oh. Shoot, that’s great.’ I don’t have to worry about free agency, where am I going to be next year, me and my wife have got to move. You know how all that goes. Stability, everything is great.”
(No one has been around Head Coach Brian Flores more than you have. How excited are you about the possibilities here. Obviously, more of the roster will change, but how excited are you about what can happen eventually with this franchise?) – “Definitely it’s tough to say with the record on the outside, but everyone here is getting better as a team – offense, defense special teams. We’re all getting better as a team. Obviously, with new coaches and new guys, things rebuild; but I already see in the future it’s going to be a lot better.”
(How much do you think your willingness to embrace the position change when they moved you to safety played a role in them wanting to lock you up long term?) – “At the time, I think Reshad (Jones) was down. Shoot, that was it. He was the last strong safety, so when they moved me there, it’s what the team needs. Anything we have to do to win. They threw me in that role and I was like, ‘Alright. I’m going to do the best I can do,’ and obviously it turned out great.”
(There was never any hesitation on your part, any resistance to the position switch was there?) – “Me? No. They were like, ‘Hey, we need you at safety. Reshad (Jones) is dealing with some injuries. We really don’t have anybody left.’ I’m like, ‘Alright. I’ll go back there.’ As long as I can still go out there and cover, that’s all that mattered.”
(I know we’ve talked about this, but it’s seemingly becoming more and more clear just logically that because you’ve done so well at safety, you might ultimately be that into next year. I know no one said that to you you’ve mentioned, but are you growing into that belief where maybe this will be my permanent spot going forward into 2020?) – “Yeah. Yeah, I do, especially now. They signed me, they like me at strong safety, covering tight ends, fitting the run when I need to. They see me there. That’s not a bad thing for me.”
(When you singed the contract, did they ask you to sign it ‘Eric Rowe, safety?’) – “No. That would be wild. (laughter)”
(You did it on college, right?) – “Yeah, I played safety in college. I was more free (safety) than strong and being in the box if that counts for anything; but yeah, I was a safety.”
(When you originally signed here in the offseason, the one-year deal, did you kind of look at is maybe an audition that could lead to something big or something longer or were you just strictly focused on this year?) – “I was strictly focused on this year. The past couple years I had been injured, dealing with surgery, so it was my first year being healthy in that part. So I was like we need to focus on just playing good ball out there. Everything will fall into place after that.”
(WR DeVante Parker said that he’s been able to stay healthy in part by doing acupuncture and massage, more acupuncture and more massage. The coaches complimented you for how you have done injury prevention. Is there anything that has worked for you that you think?) – “Yeah. Every Monday I have someone come to my house and she does acupuncture, dry needling. Even if I’m not tight, even if I’m feeling good, feeling super sore, just every Monday she just comes and (she) works on my legs. And then Tuesdays, I do a massage. Just my weekly routine. If I’m feeling good, it doesn’t matter. If I don’t feel like I don’t need it, I’m going to get it any way. Just keep that routine to prevent injuries because it’s a long season.”
(What’s harder: covering WR A.J. Green or WR Julio Jones or covering a monster tight end like TE Zach Ertz or TE Rob Gronkowski?) – “It’s still harder to cover receivers. Who did you say like Julio? It’s still tougher to cover receivers to me, personally. They generally have more routes in a route tree. I wouldn’t say game-plan routes. Not taking anything away from tight ends; but to me, it’s still tougher to cover receivers.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores mentioned that one of the things you’re going to continue to work on is angles against the run. How is it different supporting the run from corner versus safety?) – “There’s gaps. Now you’ve got linemen coming in your face. Things are moving fast down there. Usually my eyes are on tight ends became I’m usually manned on him, then he blocks and I’m looking and I just see ‘boom, boom, boom,’ and I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ve got to fit somewhere.’ As a corner, you’re kind of outside in. Your really only fit is if the receiver comes down and blocks the safety, you stay outside. That’s about it.”
(Should Utah make the College Football Playoff?) – “Yes.”
(That guy on TV said, “No one wants to see Utah in the College Football Playoff.”) – “I know.”
(What did you think when you heard that?) – “They’re just hating. (laughter). They’re hating.”
(They’re ahead of Oklahoma right now. The worry would be if Oklahoma jumps them if one of those spots opens in the top four. That would be the concern.) – “I’d be so mad. If we lose and it’s like, ‘dang, alright.’ But if we win, it’s Friday, 8 o’clock, I’ll be on the couch watching that game.”
