Jeff Wilson Jr. – July 28, 2024
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Sunday, July 28, 2024
RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
(Congratulations on the orange jersey – looked like you wanted another one out there today with the way you were moving out there. How are you feeling?) – “I’m feeling blessed, feeling blessed. Coming back out here, fully healthy, body is feeling good. It’s just a blessing to be out here with the guys and put in some work.”
(So much speed in the backfield and you want some snaps, is that what you’re playing for out there? Extra snaps?) – “Yes sir, you’d kind of be naïve not to. If you see where this is going and you know where this team is headed, of course you want to be a part of it, because it’s special. So obviously to get some snaps and be able to help the team, that would be an absolute blessing for me.”
(Did you change anything for yourself this offseason? You look a little bit slimmer.) – “Yeah, definitely that. I wanted to make sure I was more nimble so I’d be able to move, sustain – basically, I was working on my ligaments, the joints, the smaller things. Instead of going in big, I was hitting the areas that you don’t normally pay attention to. So far, it feels like it’s working out for me.”
(Does that help you in the outside zone specifically?) – “Oh yes sir, definitely. I was getting my press, I’m more explosive off of my first step so I’m in sync with everybody. Everything flows so it always gives me a chance to be in the right spot.”
(What’s QB Tua Tagovailoa getting everybody? What kind of presents is he getting everyone?) – “Man, I don’t know, I’m waiting to find out. (laughter) Even if he don’t, I’m just proud of him and his family. He deserves it and I’m so happy for him.”
(Could you tell us maybe did the team have any kind of little minor celebration with him at all yesterday or today?) – “Everybody congratulated him, hugged. I’d seen his son when he came up here, I’d seen baby boy, so I dapped him up. He looked happy, he don’t even know what’s going on. You can feel the energy from your parents, so he could tell his dad was happy and it was running through him as soon as I’d seen him, he’s smiling, laughing. So like I said, I’m so happy for Tua (Tagovailoa) and his family – it was well deserved.”
(Seemed like a pretty run heavy session, how much do you like a practice like that?) – “Oh, I love it. I feel like this is our day. I feel like this is what we come for and this is our time to keep the practice and put the practice on our shoulders and keep things rolling. I felt like we did that today.”
(How different was the vibe at practice today just with QB Tua Tagovailoa locked in and everyone knows it? Was it noticeably just a different energy today?) – “Most definitely. You could tell when he first walked up and got the microphone and was getting the crowd involved. Shoot, that had us turnt from the jump, because to see him do that, to see him in his skin, to see him happy, man, it rubs off on everyone else because that’s how much he means to us. So to see him do that it got us extra hyped, and it just went on through the rest of practice.”
(In terms of how QB Tua Tagovailoa is built for this, how do you think having the increased expectations that come along with an increased salary – how do you think he’ll approach that?) – “Nothing different. He’s always approached everything with everything he’s got. Even paid or not paid. I’m pretty sure it’s going to add a little extra – it will for anybody, you know what I mean? But the person he is, he’s always going to be that guy. He’s always going to focus, he’s always going to be prepared and he’s always going to be a team guy. That’s never changed, it’s just going to be amplified now.
(I want to ask you about Head Coach Mike McDaniel’s role in all of this. He has said, we’ve heard him say many times before, that he tells players that “My job is to get you guys paid.” And now, QB Tua Tagovailoa is getting big time, what’s sort of message does that reinforce the players? How do you react to that – from Mike’s point of view?) – “That he’s on our side. You have a lot of coaches – maybe, I haven’t been around – But it’s a league where you feel like everybody don’t want to pay you, don’t want to get you paid or prolong you, but to see him fight and know that he was fighting for that and know how bad he wanted that for him. It just put a fire in everybody else because Mike (McDaniel) is for us. We know he’s going to fight for us, he’s going to push for us. Anything we deserve, he’s going to be right there behind us. To know that, to feel that it’s a wonderful feeling. It makes it easier to play for him.”
(How does it feel to have the first orange jersey for the fans practice? This surrounding, just having the fans there today and just everything, after a long layover of the offseason.) – “It’s a blessing. This time last year I was in the training room. I wasn’t even able to be out here with the guys and have that camaraderie and feel that atmosphere. To have that jersey, that was one of my goals this offseason was to get that orange jersey and everything, so just another check off the goal list. Like I said, it was an absolute blessing. My teammates were happy for me – glad I got the music to come back out on a Sunday, the first week of practice, get everybody going. Had to get my gospel, everybody told me they loved it. So man, it was an honor and a blessing. Honor and a blessing.”
(You have about as much experience as anybody in this offense in this next year. Are there any other evolutions of it with Head Coach Mike McDaniel or is it all just executing it smoother?) – “He’s always working. He’s always trying to improve and he’s always trying to expand. Every day you learn something new and every day you add something, so you never know what he’s going to give you. That’s why we always get in here and study and prepare and be ready for whatever he throws at us because Mike is not a simple-minded person. His mind always moves. He’s always trying to find new ways to do things and invent things and be different. Everybody on this team wants to be different, that’s why we’re trying to chase this championship. It all just merges together, and all collides. It fits and it works.”
