Jerome Baker – November 3, 2021
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Wednesday, November 3, 2021
LB Jerome Baker
(In terms of not playing last week, was it more of a pain issue or a movement issue where you just would’ve been limited? And are you certain you’ll be able to play this Sunday?) – “It’s a little bit of both. But right now, it’s just taking it day-by-day, and just trying to get better and get back out there.”
(So is it iffy for Sunday?) – “Right now it’s just day-by-day. Just trying to take one day at a time and have consistent days.”
(You had mentioned that this is the first time you had missed a game since high school. I don’t know if you traveled with the team, but what was that like watching the game, and what was going through your mind as you were watching it?) – “It’s definitely something I’m not used to, that’s for sure. I just tried to get the guys that are going out there and get them ready the best I can. If that’s saying things that I see or give little tips or whatever it is, I just really try to help the team win as much as I can. Not being out there is definitely hard. It’s definitely challenging mentally. But at the end of the day, I love this team and I want to see this team to do well, so I try to do as much as I can.”
(How did LB Duke Riley play?) – “He did his thing. He definitely did good. We all made some mistakes as a defense, but overall the effort was there. He communicated very well. That’s what we expect in our linebacker room. If one guy goes down, the next guy has to step up and make plays. He definitely did that.”
(If you were trying to define why this season has gone the way it has, what would you say?) – “We’re not consistent with executing. What I mean by that is, in this league it’s hard to win games. But it’s really hard if you’re just beating yourself. For us, it’s the little things that we do that just keep coming up that we’ve got to get done and get fixed. If it’s the penalties, if it’s the lack of communication, letting the guy free, or snapping the ball early. Whatever it is, those little things we keep saying ‘we’re going to get it next time, we’re going to get it next time.’ They keep showing up and we’re still not getting it done. That’s whey we come in every day and we’re harping on the little things. No matter if it’s a small thing everybody knows, we still got to communicate. We still got to lock in on it. I think that’s the main thing. We just got to execute and really be consistent with doing that.”
(Looking at the roster from what you had last year, a lot is similar. So what has changed form last year when there was so much positive?) – “I can’t say it’s an exact thing because if I knew exactly what it was, I’d definitely try to get it fixed. I think the majority of it is just executing. We’re a talented group, we know that. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how talented you are if you beat yourself. We definitely got to execute and I think that’s the main point. We definitely got other problems, but that’s definitely the main point.”
(Do you feel like you’ve got somebody on the team, whether it’s a player or coach, that keeps you guys accountable when those mistakes become consistent?) – “Yeah, we’ve got great leaders on this team. We’ve got great guys as far as holding everybody accountable. I think the one part – it starts at the top and that’s ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores). He definitely holds us all accountable. He doesn’t care who you are or how long you’ve been here or whatever you’ve done in the past. For him, it’s every day you’ve got to show that you are consistent and you go out there and make plays. That’s been his message since he first got here. He’s going to have the guys that are accountable, the guys that do the right thing and help this team win. He’s going to have those guys out there and it doesn’t really matter who it is. It starts with him and at the end of the day, our coaches are on the sideline. Us as players have to execute. That’s why I keep saying it’s definitely us. We’ve got to execute at the end of the day.”
(When mistakes happen in the game, how hard is it not to think ‘here we go again?’ and just move on to the next play?) – “I wouldn’t say it’s hard. When I say that, this is our job. This is what we do for a living. If you’re dwelling on the past play or the past game, it’s going to be a longer day for you. When things happen, you really have to flush it out of your head and go on to the next one. If you let it dwell and you let it keep being on your mind, it’s going to affect you and affect you and affect you. You’re going to look up and one bad play may turn into a bad game for you. At the end of the day, we’re professionals. We’ve got to go out there and do what we do every play. Is it easy? No. But this is what we signed up for, so we’ve got to get it done.”
(From watching film on Houston, what kind of things have you seen from this offense?) – “They are fast. This is a fast team in general. They are a fast team. It’s just easy to tell they play fast. They’ve got high motors. They’re definitely just a fast group. I don’t even know what their record is or whatever, but they’re going to come in here and they are going to try to win a ball game, and we’re going to do the same thing. We’re all desperate for wins here. Sunday is a great opportunity for us.”
(They are pretty fast? That team speed really stood out?) – “That was just the one thing for me is ‘these guys are fast.’ For me, just personally looking at the running back room, it’s like alright, they’ve got some guys that can run. Just going guy to guy, you’re like ‘alright, this is going to be a fast game.’ It’s going to be a great challenge for us. We’re definitely excited and Sunday is a great opportunity for us. We’ve just got to get it done.”
