Malik Washington – December 24, 2024
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Tuesday, December 24, 2024
WR Malik Washington
(QB Tua Tagovailoa spoke a little bit about all the routes on air and the time you guys put in together as quarterback and receiver as far as getting the timing of this offense down. I’m curious from your perspective if you could describe how that’s been for you, going way back to when you got drafted up until Week 17 here?) – “Yeah, I mean I think that’s huge. It’s really important for, one, especially us guys, our development with Tua (Tagovailoa) and getting on the same page. Just talking through some of the things, like whether the timing is off or maybe he needs us to turn our head a little bit faster or get through – run through this or something like that. So I think it’s been huge for us, especially with the guys that just got here.”
(If it’s a play that he doesn’t like or isn’t satisfied with, does he usually pull you aside and be like, “I need this, this and this from you,” or how do those conversations start?) – “Yeah, I mean just about every time if something happens where he feels like maybe we were a little off or he was a little off, something happened, he’ll do a good job of communicating with us and letting us know, ‘hey, maybe I need you to come a little bit flatter here,’ or something like that. He’ll give us a little encouragement and we’ll get it fixed.”
(I’m writing something on you as a tough guy, because I think you’re a tough guy and I’ve seen you take these big hits. I saw you blocking in goal line against Green Bay. Correct me if I’m wrong, didn’t I see you get a pancake block on Haason Reddick from the slot, didn’t you knock him down?) – “I got to think back. I’ve done a couple, put some guys on the ground and stuff like that. I’ve tried my best to show up in the run game.”
(Exactly, exactly. So tell me, do you consider yourself a tough player and if so, why? Give me evidence like that of why you consider yourself a tough player.) – “I think toughness for me is more of a mindset than anything. That’s just my style of play since I was a young player – just kind of playing through anything, being able to go out there and not see size, not see speed, not see any of those things, just play the game of football as physical as you can. And so I think for me, when you’re in moments where maybe I’m matched up against a linebacker and I got to go make that block, or maybe I’m on the edge and I need spring something for one of my guys, I think that shows true toughness when you’re able to do the things that maybe you don’t have the advantage there, and you’re still willing to go do it.”
(Do you consider yourself a good run blocker? Because I do see you making plays in the run game.) – “I think that was, especially coming out of college, that was one of my weaknesses, just in the blocking game and that’s just something I’ve really honed on this offseason. That’s something I’ve put at the forefront because I knew that’s how you make an NFL roster, especially when you’re coming in – especially as a late draft pick, that’s how you make an NFL roster. So trying to get better and better as those things, and I think there’s been some growth and I’m proud of the growth that’s taking place.”
(One thing I meant to ask you when a few of us spoke to you at your locker on Friday was as the ACC’s best receiver last year, a guy with 110 catches, to go sixth-round, 184th overall, is there something in the draft process that you heard was a concern about you from NFL teams? Be it size, be it blocking as you said – was there one thing that has driven you this year to show people, “I can do this well, I should not have been a late third day pick with my resume?”) – “I think a lot of guys ended up unhappy on draft day, whether their name was called late or not called at all. I tried not to think of it that way, I tried to understand that whenever I was picked is when I was picked and what I do from there is my response and that’s how I’m going to carry myself. Obviously, would have loved to be picked earlier. That would have been great, but I wasn’t and so I’ve just tried to take in that and use that as kind of fuel to keep pushing and show others it doesn’t matter when you’re picked, it matters when you get there and what you do when you get there.”
(Just was curious about your maturity. Everybody says how mature you are, and even that answer that you just gave – like I asked Draymond Green a question about his draft stock, and he gave the same exact answer when he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year. I say that because you obviously have a very mature approach, and so I’m just curious, have you always been that way from a kid? Or is this just something that you’ve just developed over time?) – “I think early on, especially when I was first starting out way back in high school, I was too busy dwelling on things that didn’t go my way and different things like that and I’ve kind of shifted my mindset. I had gotten hurt in high school and through that I had shifted my mindset a little bit with the process, my outlook on football, my outlook on everything that was going on. From there, I feel like I’ve kind of understood like, man like, it might not always be your moment, things might not always go your way, but the response that you have, who you are when things don’t go your way and how you take care of business afterwards shows your true character.”
(Just a quick follow up, you said you got hurt in high school. What was the injury?) – “I tore my ACL.”
(Oh wow. And how long were you out for?) – “I missed the remainder of the season, but I played my senior season.”
