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Jakeem Grant – September 7, 2018

Friday, September 7, 2018

Wide Receiver Jakeem Grant

(Where have you improved the most in the last year moving outside?) – “I would say just all areas – route running, understanding coverages, hands, just everything. Just understanding the concept and just knowing the playbook inside and out and knowing what each guy has, so I can go out there and not think about what I’m doing and just be fast, run fast and play fast.”

(What was your reaction last year when they approached you about moving outside?) – “Me? I was just like ‘let’s do it coach. Whatever, let’s do it.’ It was something new for me. It was the first time that I was going to be a predominantly outside receiver. In our offense, one guy can easily be in the slot, but whenever he (Head Coach Adam Gase) said ‘Jakeem, I’m going to try you out at the X,’ I was like ‘Okay, let’s do it.’ It was something new and I just learned it and the rest was history. I actually love it. It’s actually night and day, and I can see the bigger picture from the outside now. I loved the move, I just love it. So, I appreciate him for moving me outside.”

(What is it about being outside? Do you kind of lick your chops a little bit knowing you can burn those guys?) – “Definitely. You can easily come across a one-on-one matchup at any time. Like I said previously, just seeing the bigger picture. In the inside, you have to look through linebackers and all kind of things like that; but outside, you can see where the safety is at clearer and you can understand what coverage it is. With that, there’s a lot of film studying that took place and also going out there, (Wide Receivers Coach Ben) Johnson harped on it, (Assistant Head Coach/Offense Shawn) Jefferson harped on it – find out where those safeties are and they will tell you what coverage it is. So, the first thing I do when I get outside and get lined up, I find out where those safeties are and they tell me what coverage it is and what coverage it isn’t.”

(How much outside did you play at Texas Tech?) – “Slim. Very minimal. Like I said, this is my first time playing outside and it’s night and day. I love it.”

(The first time they came to you with this idea, what was your reaction?) – “My reaction was ‘let’s do it coach.’ I was like ‘it’s something new. I’ve never played outside before,’ and I was like ‘I could easily get a one-on-one matchup at any time.’ I was like ‘with my speed, that’s a home-run ball.’ I like scoring touchdowns, so I was like ‘you know what? It’s whatever. I’m down for it.’ I was up for it, and I appreciate him (Head Coach Adam Gase) for moving me because I’ve been doing a good job at it and I’ll continue to do a good job.”

(You could use your speed for end-around’s as well, right?) ­– “Definitely. I definitely use the speed. I always harp on ‘don’t let them get their hands on you.’ The thing is, with my size, guys want to get their hands on me quick because they know they can’t run with me, so all I have to do is just continue to practice on my Mr. Miyagi technique – wax on, wax off. (laughter) That’s what I’m going to continue to do.”

(You deserve a ton of credit, obviously, for your improvement; but guys you would also credit for also helping you reach this point over the last year, who comes to mind?) – “I would say just the whole coaching staff, just for them to even have faith in me. Just saying ‘Hey Jakeem, we’re going to try you at the X position and see how you fit in there.’ Obviously, they knew that that was going to be a good role for me, and as time passes, they would expand my role and I continued to make plays and plays. So, just with them harping on ‘Hey Jakeem, you’re already fast. You don’t need to be 100 miles in a brake area. Your 75 is people’s 100, so just get it down and just understand the playbook and all of this and that.’ With them doing that, just having that trust in me and just wanting me to be better, it makes me want to grind harder and not let those guys down. So, that’s what I continue to do is just go out there each and every day and show them that I don’t want to let them down and I want them to be able to trust me.”

(The last couple weeks, how have you dealt with being in the concussion protocol and did you have any doubts that you probably wouldn’t play?) – “No, I had no doubts. I knew I was ready to go. Being in the protocol, it definitely stinks. I just hated it and I couldn’t be out there with my brothers and teammates out there having fun and making plays, blocking, going out there joking around. That’s like being at a family event. Once I got back, I just picked up where I left off and having fun when I got out there, because I was out there with my brothers, my family. We’re here every day with each other, so it’s a brotherhood and one big family. So I was glad to be back in there and they welcomed me back with open arms, just like I was here before.”

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