Jaylen Waddle – August 29, 2023
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Tuesday, August 29, 2023
WR Jaylen Waddle
(We haven’t seen you at practice for about a week or two. Are you all good to go for Week 1?) – “Yeah, I’m feeling good. Me and the medical staff talked, and they’re doing a good job monitoring me and doing stuff like that. But feeling good.”
(The expectation is you’ll be there Week 1?) – “Yeah, it’s always the expectation to go out and play.”
(QB Teddy Bridgewater wore No. 50 in preseason, but now he switched his number to 17. Do you think that’s an ode to you?) – “No, Teddy is OG. (laughter) I liked him rocking that 50, though, it’s pretty funny. Especially the meaning behind it, being in Detroit and stuff like that. But no, I think he just got one of the best available numbers and stuff like that, for real.”
(I know Head Coach Mike McDaniel had mentioned he had to slow you down out in Houston, hometown, you wanted to practice there. Where are you as far as doing stuff on your own, running and whatnot?) – “Pretty solid. I think our training staff and the coaches are doing a good job of monitoring me, really taking a little incident serious and stuff like that. But like I told them, I’m feeling good. They’re doing a good job of communicating with me, letting me know what to do and what not to do and things like that.”
(How do you balance that from a player perspective? You have the coach saying, “Hey, don’t go,” and you’re like, “Man, I can battle through something like this.” How do you mentally turn yourself down when you want to go?) – “I think just trust, trusting that they know what they’re talking about, knowing what’s best for me and my body, knowing I’m one of the guys that likes to go out there and play and compete. So really just trusting them.”
(It was just reported by ESPN that Jonathan Taylor will not be traded today. He’s going to miss the first four weeks of the season on the physically unable to play list. My question is about the backs that are here, maybe up to six of them I saw out there today. What do you think about the running back room?) – “Oh, I love them. They bring a different dynamic to the game. Each and every one of them has a different style of play I think really helps in the running game and ultimately pass game, and ultimately putting points on the board. So I love the backs, man.”
(There’s a report that CB Noah Igbinoghene was traded to Dallas today. I wanted to know from your perspective, is there a heaviness to being a first-round pick? Is there a pressure? Would it be easier if you were a second- or third-round pick from the expectation standpoint?) – “I think being a first-round pick, they really expect you to come in and kind of make something shake ASAP.
It’s definitely some pressure, being a first-round pick just going out there and just learning on the fly kind of, for sure. But it’s fun, though. It’s fun. The pressure, it makes the game a little more fun, and I ain’t going to lie.”
(Fun or stressful?) – “Not really stressful because – not really stressful at all, because at the end of the day, it’s a game that we all love. It just makes it more fun, a lot more at stake.”
(I was curious, I know you’ll play any game but starting the season off against the Chargers, obviously things didn’t go the way you and the team expected on Sunday night last year. How excited are you to kind of start it off that way?) – “Yeah, it’s going to be a good game. They’ve got a great group. We’ve got a great group. Starting off the season, really getting to showcase what we’ve been learning and all of our hard work coming out of training camp and OTAs and all that good stuff. We get to pop it off with a great team, really showcase where our team is at. It’s really going to be a good test for Week 1.”
(Your shirt has me thinking just so many questions I want to ask you. Do you play golf?) – “No, I suck, I ain’t going to lie. Top Golf I’m pretty good at though. Top Golf, I’m pretty good. No, Tua (Tagovailoa) has been trying to get me out there. I don’t know why people go so early in the morning. (laughter) I don’t know why. I don’t know why that’s a thing. I don’t know why that’s a thing, but I’m not getting up at 6 or 7 in the morning to go golfing, I’ll tell y’all that now.”
(What’s the meaning of the shirt?) – “I just mess with it, for real. Just mess with it, for real.”
(Do you know who John Daly is?) – “I know a little bit about him. I know a little bit about him.”
(Pretty sure his philosophy is hit bombs. Is that kind of what you’re trying to go for, just hitting bombs on the football field?) – “I mean, if the shoe fits.”
(You were talking about the pressure a little earlier. Your draft class has incredible receivers. You, Ja’Marr Chase, DeVonta Smith, Amon-Ra St. Brown is coming up. How much do you guys talk about that class and maybe the competition to be maybe at the top of it when it’s all said and done?) – “We really don’t talk that much about it. All of us, I feel like are doing great things. We’ve got a great receiver class, and I think everybody is doing great things for their team and organization. It’s always good being in a competitive draft class. It kind of keeps people competitive and seeing what people have going on and what they’re doing. So it definitely keeps it fun, but like I said, those guys are doing great for their teams.”
(This is your third year, taking that next big step in Year 3. What are some things that WR Tyreek Hill has spoke to you and your Wide Receivers Coach Wes Welker about as far as just staying consistent and things like that?) – “You learn each and every day with a coach like Wes (Welker) and a guy like ‘Reek’ (Tyreek Hill). If it’s not them telling me something, it’s them doing it themselves, going out there. Playing with a guy like ‘Reek,’ you learn so much just from him going out there and doing it for so many years, being consistent and just being a leader on this team. Wes actually did it, too, so it’s kind of easy when you have a coach that’s done it and really can tell you what to expect out there and what to really do.”
(The expectations of this offense are through the roof externally. You’ve got to be so excited about what you’re going to show this year. Just how thrilled are you that the season is finally starting?) – “Yeah, man, it’s here. We finally get to – kind of in preseason go out there and compete against someone else, but it’s going to be a real, real challenge. We’ve got some good games this year to showcase our ability to put points on the board. It’s going to be good. We have a lot of weapons, a lot of people coming back, a lot of people trying to up their game. It’s going to be fun.”
