Jerome Baker – July 31, 2023
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Sunday, July 30, 2023
LB Jerome Baker
(We saw LB David Long Jr. flying around today. Just what’s it been like kind of working with him in the middle of the defense?) – “Super fun. He’s fast, strong, super smart, kind of feed off each other. He’s a similar personality to me, so we definitely connect and we’re just around having fun.”
(When you say similar personalities, what do you mean by that?) – “Laid back. We have our moments when we’ve got a lot of energy, but for the most part we’re just laid back, do our job, come in. We just go to work. Every day we just come in, go to work. We’re still football players, we’re still regular people, so some days you don’t feel like going and that’s when me and him jump in. It’s definitely been fun.”
(Do you feel like you guys complement each other athletically, too, in this system?) – “Oh yeah. We’re kind of super similar. He’s fast, I’m fast. He’s strong, I’m strong. We kind of just feed off each other. When I’m feeling sluggish, he’s up and ready. When he’s feeling sluggish, I got his back. It’s one of those things we kind of mesh real well.”
(How about the whole back seven? We’ve heard some of the DBs talk about the amount of communication in this system and how you guys feel like you’ve been picking it up so far in the first week?) – “It’s only the second week of camp so it’s still a work in progress, but for the most part, we’re starting to see how fun this defense can be once we’re getting rolling and we’re taking advantage of it. We’re just getting as many reps as we can and just getting ready.”
(What’s the most out-there thing you’ve heard DT Christian Wilkins chirp at the offense?) – “That I can say on camera? (laughter) I mean, this guy is a character. I have one that’s always going to stick with me, but I know I can’t say it. It’s funny. (laughter) He’s a character. He doesn’t care if it’s first down, second down, third down. He’s always going to talk. I always tell the stories of there have been times in games where he’s talking so much and I get tired of him. (laughter) This guy is just a character. I’m glad he’s on my team. I’ll say that.”
(I was just wondering are you still wearing the green dot for communication because I know in years past maybe we asked if S Jevon Holland was doing it. Are you still …?) – “Yeah, I mean pretty much all the linebackers have it right now. I think Vic (Fangio) is one of those old-school guys of ‘it’s a privilege’ so he’s going to wait and see who deserves it. Right now all the linebackers got it and we’ll see later on.”
(Does Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio slow down in the heat?) – “No, he’s got the old-school hat, the bucket hat. You would think he’s just fine, but I know this heat is getting to him. (laughter)”
(How do you handle it? Do you feel has this summer been any worse?) – “I mean, hot is hot. It doesn’t matter if it’s 100 degrees or 120. It’s still hot no matter what. For me, I’ve been here for a few years so I kind of got used to it. I know how to prepare myself. Hydration. Young guys don’t understand how much that really helps, so for me it’s just hydration. I walk around with a two-liter jug of water and hydrate the whole day. I come out here, it’s going to be hot regardless, but my body is – it helps recovery.”
(What have you noticed about this team – offense and defense – the first day in pads today?) – “We’ve got the potential to be good. I think right now, the first day, everybody’s got energy. Everybody’s ready to go. It’s easy on Day 1, but when you get to Day 6, 7, 8; that’s when you really see how good you can be. Today was a good day. It’s always going to be a good day on Day 1, but we’ve got some potential. We’ve just got to keep going.”
(What did you think of LB David Long Jr. today? I really noticed him today, but maybe that’s just me.) – “No, everybody noticed him. He was flying around. I don’t know who’s going to have the orange jersey next, but my guess is it’s going to be him. He was flying around. He was just having fun flying around and it was definitely fun to watch.”
(TE Durham Smythe said he thinks this is the best front seven in the NFL. What do you think of the potential of this year’s team up front especially having been here for a while?) – “We’ve got some special guys. We’ve got a good mixture of older guys that have been here. We’ve got young guys that are ready to prove themselves. It’s just a good mix of guys wanting to be better and we’ve got the potential, but potential only gets you so far. You’ve got to actually execute and put the work in, so it’s going to be a good one this year.”
(What are some things that have surprised you about Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio during your time working under him?) – “To be that old, he’s actually pretty funny. (laughter) He’s an older guy, but you would never tell. He’s truly like – when he goes out on the practice field, he’s just watching, having fun, seeing what guys do, coaching up as much as he can. But once you get in that classroom, that meeting room, you can tell he’s an older coach. He’s going over everything, every step and it’s just a great balance. He’s definitely a great balanced coach. He understands that we’re young and we like things a certain wait, but man, it’s definitely great playing on (his team).”
(Is Fangio’s humor kind of different from Head Coach Mike McDaniel? Does it kind of sneak up on you? Because I’ve heard that, too…?) – “Yeah, it’s that old like, ‘oh, that was a good one.’ He’s one of those. Just an older guy and his jokes are – it’ll hit. You’ve got to process it, but it’ll hit.”
(They hit you when you leave the meeting room?) – “No, you would notice. It’ll be like, ‘Oh, that’s what you meant. Okay. I got you.’ A lot of his jokes are like old players, sometimes – his soul, you don’t really understand, but if you know football you’ll catch onto his jokes.”
(We’ve seen Fangio throw a couple penalty flags. Have you noticed that? Do you pay attention to that? Like what’s the deal with that?) – “I don’t know because sometimes he just throws it just to throw it. Like the one he threw it on – it was like an incomplete pass. I’m like, what did you throw it on? Like who was it? You could just tell he was just like smiling, just laughing. But he’s like one of those guys of he just truly wants you to get better. Even if you make a good play, it can be better. That’s just a credit to him. He truly just wants us to get better.”
(Does Fangio make a conscious effort to keep it loose, do you think?) – “I think once we get on the field, he kind of just lets us do our thing. He has expectations. Any time we’re in the meeting room, he holds us to that, but for the most part, when we’re on the field, it’s players just playing. But he’s one of those coaches where he kind of fits. He goes with the flow, but he’s got his certain ways and we just live up to it.”
