Jermon Bushrod – May 23, 2017
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Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Guard/Tackle Jermon Bushrod
(When you left last January after the playoff game, was your gut telling you that you would be back? Wouldn’t be back? Did you have a feel one way or the other?) – “I just knew going into this offseason, I felt a lot better than I did the last two or three (offseasons). So physically I was in a better place, mentally I was in a better place, and I wasn’t ready to hang it up. I was inspired. I was excited about some of the things we did last year. So let’s give it another ride. When you get older, in your 30s, and after your 10th year, you start evaluating yourself year by year, and I felt good. I felt like it was the right thing to do. My family felt like it was the right thing to do. So we’re here now.”
(How much excitement was there coming into today since you said you were inspired?) – “A lot of excitement because there are a lot of things that we felt like we left on the table last year, a lot of situations that we put ourselves in last year; but we feel like we can start out better, have a better understanding as an offense and just be better as a team. We’re going to fight to start faster this year and finish strong.”
(If I remember correctly, this time last year you were still dealing with a shoulder. Is that correct?) – “Yes.”
(Can you talk about the difference obviously with your physical well-being and going into the second year as a right guard, having the entire offseason?) – “Last year, I had to get surgery on the right shoulder so my focus was getting that back; but this year compared to last year, I can focus on my strength and getting my conditioning. I came in last year with a bad shoulder and I had to learn a new position. That’s not easy physically or mentally, but everything kind of got sped up last year. So this year, it’s like ‘Okay, I can focus on my strength, focus on my conditioning,’ and focus on some of the things that I can get better from last year and just focus on going ahead, focus on this right guard spot or wherever I’m needed.”
(It sounds like C Mike Pouncey, with his hip issues, is going to be on a bit of a maintenance plan. Are you as well? You don’t need the reps at age 30, whatever you are, that you may have in the past.) – “If I can go, we’re going to go. If coaches say otherwise, then I’m going to listen to them; but I do have to listen to my body and I want to be fresh come game day – Sunday or whatever day they have us slated to play.”
(Some of the things you mentioned that you were feeling at the end of the season, is there still kind of an argument inside your head of trying to convince yourself to go through all of this physically for however many months it’s going to be?) – “Well you know what you get yourself into. When you’re at my age and you play the position you play, you’re always going to fight through something. My first year starting – God knows how long ago that was, eight, nine years ago, my first year starting – there’s things you’re going to have to deal with. When you get older, I have a better understanding of how to take care of my body. My health is better. The way I eat is better. The way I take care of my body is, it’s a routine every single day. It’s not like when I was younger I could just hop up and go hit the weight room or go to practice and get there 20-30 minutes before practice and go do that. I can’t do that anymore. I’ve got to be here an hour and a half, two hours before, warming the car up I guess you could say.”
(Some of the things you mentioned about last year as far as transitioning to a new position and things like that. If you put that aside, just the actual production from last year for you, is that … how did you feel about that as far as meeting your standards?) – “I think it was tough, in the beginning, just learning how to get my body to play that position because I’ve been – since college, you’re looking at somebody who played left tackle for 14 years – and you want me to switch, go to the other side. So my muscle memory was different. Sometimes I’d pop out of my right-hand stance and my feet would be staggered like I’m on the left side because that’s just what I was used to doing. But the more reps I took, the more reps I took, I felt better. I could see a drastic change in how I played from the first game, second game, to the end of the season into the playoffs.”
(Do you feel like it’s instinctive for you now? Do you think like a right guard thinks or are you still…?) – “I’m strictly … my whole mindset is inside. I think you have to change your mindset when you play inside because there are different type of players that you’re going to play. When you’re playing guys on the end, you’re getting … they’re strong but they’re faster. They’re quicker twitch. Inside, everything happens like that [snaps fingers] and these guys are tough. You have to change your mindset. That’s for sure.”
(What’s the significance of the shirt you’re wearing and what does it mean for you guys?) – “All five of us working together. If one gear is not working right, then we’re not going where we need to go. That’s just what it is. All of us working in sync.”
(Did you have a chance to keep up with C Mike Pouncey over the offseason as far as how his injury goes and how is he looking?) – “He looks good. He’s very positive right now. Everything’s going … headed in the right direction. He’s doing whatever he has to do to make sure that he can go for us when needed. That’s what we want. I want to see him out there. I know he’s dying to get out there with us right now because that’s just the type of competitor he is. That’s how I am. He has to take the necessary steps for him to make sure that we’re good to go when it’s the time, when it’s really time to go.”
(LB Lawrence Timmons said you guys haven’t given him any crap about throwing up in the end zone against you guys.) – “No. No. He got the best of … They got the best of us come that playoff game. So if you crack on him about that, he’d throw that in your face and you don’t want to be feeling worse about the whole situation. (Laughter)”
(How’s QB Ryan Tannehill been to just be around lately?) – “Good. He’s good. He has a better understanding of the offense. I think we’re going to … Each individual, I think we’re going to make the correct strides in going forward and we’re all ready to just work, work, work and get to that next level where we need to go. Just understand the offense, understand how all of us need to play to get to where we need to be.”
(When you say that about QB Ryan Tannehill as far as a better understanding of the offense. How does that…?) – “I’m talking everybody. Just everybody knowing … because last year we put in so much stuff. We put in everything, so it’s like we’re all trying to better. We’re all trying to figure out our way to help out, to be in the right place at the right time.”
(How is that materializing on the field right now?) – “It’s the first day. We haven’t even watched the film (of today’s OTA) together yet. So every day we’re going to build on that. The coaches are doing a great job of emphasizing the things that we need to do as an individual and as a unit, so that this team can go to where they’re visualizing.”
(In the moment, you obviously don’t want to focus too much on QB Ryan Tannehill being hurt because you have a goal to make the playoffs and go deep in the playoffs. But now thinking back on it, how tough was that on him and was there kind of a poignant moment that you had, an interaction with him, that kind of sticks with you?) – “You don’t have to say anything to a competitor. You know how they feel. When I wasn’t able to be out there my last year in Chicago, it kills you inside. When you see us on TV on the sideline when the camera is on us, everything looks like it’s all great, but it’s not; because inside we’re struggling. We’re struggling hard. As hard as practice is, as tough as it is – some days you’re dying in this heat and you’d rather just be in the shade or in that cool tent they have all the way at the other end – I’d rather be out there sweating and getting it in. As long as I’m signed up to play, that’s where I want to be.”
(How is the offensive line going to be different you think with G/T Laremy Tunsil at left tackle and T Branden Albert not here any more?) – “I just think we just have to have a better understanding in what we’re trying to do. We have some different guys, so we’re going to have a new identity this year. We have to find out what that is. We have to tap into it and we have to make the best of it.”
(Do you feel like G/T Laremy Tunsil is ready to be a leader on that side of the line?) – “I think so. I think so. I know the kid is strong. He’s tough. He wants to learn. He loves to be successful. I’m excited about his future. I’m excited to see him grow at that position. Last year he was definitely playing out of position, but he did a great job. So if he can get better at a position that he’s not used to playing, and you go back and you stick him in his natural position every single day, every single week, every rep, he’s going to get a little bit better – find a way to get better. I’m excited to see Laremy at left tackle.”
(RB Jay Ajayi says he wants to take the next step for himself this year. Running behind you guys, what do you think that can be?) – “Like I said earlier, everyone having an understanding of the offense. It’s him playing off of us and us playing off of him. We have to know … we kind of have to know where each other is going to be without telling each other. On certain plays, we have to do things a different way so we know our running back will make the correct cut. So we all have to be on the same page and if we’re on the same page, then we have a better understanding of each other – of each other as a whole – then he’s going to get better, we’re going to get better and hopefully we can win some games out here.”
