Jermon Bushrod – June 6, 2016
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Monday, June 6, 2016
Guard/Tackle Jermon Bushrod
(On if today is the most he has done) – “Yeah. Every week, every month, we’ve just been steadily going up. Today was the first day I was able to get out there and participate in a little bit of walkthrough (and) do a little bit of individual. It felt good to be out there with the guys and kind of get the pace of how practice is going to go.”
(On where he is at physically right now) – “I don’t know. I’m getting there. I can’t really put a number on it, but I know that I’m feeling a lot better than I did last week. I’m feeling a lot better than I did last month. Every week I’m feeling better. It’s exactly where I want to be. This wasn’t going to be an easy road for me. I’m just fighting to embrace that process.”
(On if he feels comfortable playing guard) – “(I’ll play) however I can get on the field. My first nine years, I played left tackle. At the end of the day, I was open to coming here. I understand the positions that we have and the guys that we have here. Wherever I can make my mark and be comfortable, that’s what I’m fighting to do.”
(On if there will be a bigger adjustment moving to right guard because it’s one the other side of the line) – “It’s going to be an adjustment, regardless, wherever. Last year, when I was coming off the shoulder deal in Chicago, circumstances being what (they were), (Head Coach Adam) Gase had me out there at tight end. That was an adjustment for me. You’re one gap away; you’re one man away from the center. It’s just a little different. That’s kind of what I’ve been grinding towards. I haven’t just been focusing on tackle. I’ve been fighting to do a little bit of guard stuff as well so wherever I’m needed, I’m fighting to be ready.”
(On how exciting he is about the possibility of starting on a line that features four former first-round picks) – “Any time you get a chance to start, it’s exciting. Any time you’re on the team, you’re excited. Being out there and contributing is something I’ve look forward to doing. I’ve started for the last seven years. That’s just something that really drives me. That’s something I’m looking forward to doing, just contributing however I can.”
(On how tough this process has been) – “Mentally is always the hardest part of getting through things. Physically, we’re always beat up, we’re always tired, we’re always not feeling how we are in the offseason. At the end of the day, once you get over that hill in your mind, it’s just a fight every single day. That’s one thing I’ve been working on, especially last year, coming off some things that I wasn’t happy with. Mentally, I had to get over that hump, and when I did it changed the way I looked at things.”
(On what it’s like not to be young and spry anymore) – “You have to put a lot more work in. I tell a couple of young guys and people who ask me, when I was in my first two, three, four years, I could come into the weight room, bang a lift out, leave and go home. I’d be good to go. Now, you have to warm that car up a little bit. You have to get activated. You have to do a little certain things for your body. And once your lift is over, sometimes you have to go get a massage, ice, go in the training room. (You just have to) take a lot more care of your body. You’re just a professional. You have to be ready to go.”
(On if he thought about retiring) – “Yeah, I did. But (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase gave me an opportunity. He helped me out along the way. Like I said, last year, mentally, it was tough for me. But the fact that I was able to contribute … I got hungry again after things didn’t really go my way. Mentally and physically, I had the urge to keep going. Having talks with my wife and my parents this offseason, I felt like I had more in the tank – especially last year, after I got better, (after) I got the shoulder feeling better. It wasn’t 100 percent, but at the end of the day, I felt motivated because of where I was at and the fact that I did do the correct steps this offseason. I feel good. I feel good mentally. I feel good physically. I’m in a good place. Whatever happens, happens. I want to win. That’s the only reason I’m here. I’m going into my 10th year (and) I’m just trying to win again.”
(On if his injury was the labrum) – “Yeah, (it was) a little bit of labrum and a little bit of bicep tendon.”
(On if he played through his injury) – “Yes.”
(On when he had his surgery) – “(The) middle of February.”
(On when he felt like he had a breakthrough during the recovery process) – “(It was) when I got out of the sling. When I got out of the sling, I just felt a lot better about myself. It was still tough. The range wasn’t there, but every week I got a little better. The range got a little better. I got a little bit stronger. The light at the end of the tunnel was a little closer, but it’s not anywhere where I need to be. But we’re close. We’re close.”
(On when he got out of the sling) – “A week after I signed.”
(On if his retirement thoughts were a passing thought) – “It’s a passing thought. When you’re in your ninth year and your starting job is … when they go in a different direction and you’re not feeling good physically and mentally you’re not in a good place, yeah, it runs through your mind. But in the last few months, I haven’t thought about it. The only thing I think about is getting this thing (shoulder) ready and getting around these guys and getting myself ready to play some ball here.”
(On how good the offensive line can be) — “We can be good. In this offense, under the offensive line coach we have, Coach (Chris) Foerster, as long as we can jell together up front, we can get the job done. But we all have to be hitting on all cylinders. It just trickles down — head coach, coordinator, our positions coaches and then to us. They’re going to leave it up to us to get the job done. Our quarterback (Ryan Tannehill) is going to fight to put us in the right position and we have to make sure that we’re on top of our game. We have to get after it. We have to ID who we have to ID and we just have to go. We have to get him a few seconds back there and we have to open these holes.”
(On what the transition is like to go from tackle to guard) – “Last year I was strictly a tackle and I played a little bit of tight end. I never really did any competitive inside work. I really didn’t do too much of that. Like I said, I played strictly left tackle for nine years. It is technique stuff; it is technical stuff. When you’re out there at tackle, you have a little bit more time, as far as footwork and hands, but the guys are a little smaller, but they’re faster. Inside, these dudes are strong and your technique has to be faster, feet have to be faster, hands have to be more precise. It’s a work in progress, but I’m embracing this process.”
(On how often his first name gets mispronounced) – “I’m used to it. Since high school, my name has been butchered so many times, if you say something that sounds like my name, I’m probably going to turn my head.”
(On what people have called him) — “I get German, I get Jeremy. I don’t understand how I get Jeremy because there’s no ‘y’ anywhere in there, but … Most people in the league and since college and high school, they usually just call me by my last name.”
