Jesse Davis – October 14, 2020
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Wednesday, October 14, 2020
G/T Jesse Davis
(How much did you enjoy playing left tackle again and how do you feel you did?) – “It wasn’t my best outing. I still have work to do over there and using every day to try to get better.”
(On the opposite end of that, what do you think of G/T Rob Hunt to step in there and not having the benefit like T Austin Jackson or G Solomon Kindley did of playing in games before, to take your spot on the other side?) – “I think Rob did a good job. I think he prepared very well for a rookie coming in, not having any starts, not having any playing time at that position. I think he did a good job along with Solomon on the right side. I’m proud of those guys.”
(We talked to you before about QB Ryan Fitzpatrick; but he had a really good game this past game. We’d like to get a view of what it’s like to play with him.) – “He just brings energy. I think everybody always comments on it, on how electric he can be and how he uplifts the whole squad, and even coaches. It’s refreshing to play with him. He’s out there getting us on correct assignments and watching him have fun throwing the ball and scoring touchdowns, it’s just great.”
(We spoke to Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey yesterday and he gave a lot praise to Offensive Line Coach Steve Marshall. I was curious how the balance in that room works between he and Assistant Offensive Line Coach Lemuel Jeanpierre, and how it is to have a perspective from a guy that’s been around for so long and a former player, and how they balance each other in that offensive line room?) – “It’s a great combination to have a guy who played in the league for a while to a guy that’s coached in the league for a long time, especially with a young group. There is a lot of coaching happening and everybody has to adjust to it week by week. ‘Marsh’ (Steve Marshall) has done a good job. ‘Lem’ (Lemuel Jeanpierre) has done a good job with everybody as well with their techniques to the competition that we’re playing that week. Overall, it’s been really good.”
(I wanted to ask you about the run game. Do you feel like you’ve established a run game identity yet in terms of who you are and how you’d like to run the ball?) – “Yeah. I mean it varies week to week. We have our core runs that we get in and I think Myles Gaskin has done a good job contributing to that, along with the other running backs as well. Matt Breida had a really good game. I think for us each week, it’s how do we establish the run game early and often to open up our pass game? And not sit there and drop back 45 plays, and trying to figure that out. I think we’ve done a good job. I think we have a long way to go with it; but so far, I think it’s better than it’s been.”
(It’s still early in the season, but we’re starting to get a faint idea of what the standings look like and what the playoffs might look like down the road. How important was last week to kind of keeping you guys in this and do you feel like this is a team that’s about to go on a run?) – “Yeah. It was an important, especially with that opponent and who it was, that was a good measure of where we were, I guess. I know they are beat up as well; but actually every phase of the game, I think everybody played really well. I think instead of having one or three quarters of pretty good ball, we had a full four quarter game that was actually pretty good ball. We haven’t really played – I wouldn’t say the best opponents this year – but we kind of know who we are and moving forward, we have a long season left. I think it’s a good benchmark there to set a tone for us.”
(How do you balance in using the confidence in the way you guys played on Sunday and then coming in today and saying ‘hey guys, we’ve still got a lot of areas to get better. It’s a division opponent,’ and just not getting complacent?’) – “You approach each week the same way. You don’t get too high on what you did and you don’t get too low on what you didn’t do right. It’s just make the corrections, move on, put it behind you. We have the Jets. They are still a good ball club. They’ve got really good defensive guys. For us, let’s feed off of this win, but stringing it together, that’s how good teams become great. They keep stringing them together.”
(You were obviously here for the past 21 games under Head Coach Brian Flores. After Sunday’s win, does it give you a different outlook into where the direction of this team is going?) – “Yeah, I think this organization has done a really good job of bringing in the guys that they need, what they want, who is going to fill roles. It’s fun to see our defense get the ball. It just feels like a practice out there where there is a sudden change and you go back out. With that happening and with us moving the ball and contributing as well, all of that from the time that I’ve been here with ‘Flo,’ it’s kind of fun to see that come together. His ideas, his philosophies are actually working, and it’s really exciting to see.”
(I heard the P-word earlier – playoffs. We didn’t hear that much at all last year. It’s making me wonder if that is something that you guys start talking about at this point? Discussing that maybe being a goal or possibility for you guys?) – “No. We don’t. No one has said playoffs anywhere. We’re always focusing on the next week. If that’s in the cards, it will work itself out. For us, it’s to see if we can get one more win, each week, the next win. That’s for us. That’s what we’ve been doing.”
