Transcripts

Search Transcripts
Nik Needham – June 16, 2021 Download PDF version

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

CB Nik Needham

(I wanted to ask you about a comment that QB Tua Tagavailoa may yesterday about being aggressive on offense and testing the waters in practice, and then Head Coach Brian Flores talked about it this morning with every position group doing that. I wanted to get your perspective on the defensive side of that in terms of how you gauge how aggressive to be in practice and the value of testing the waters at practice to see where you’ll be on game day?) – “Sometimes, like you said, coach gives us a lot of tools we can use. So in practice, that’s the perfect time to use them tools and just see how they work in different situations. Sometimes you try to test different things and it may not work, or it may work, it may not. So you see it on film, then you adjust, and that’s when you make the corrections.”

(Last year I know you had the competition of scooping up footballs and picks and batted passes, and stuff. Anything like that going on this year?) – “Oh, yeah. It’s going on again. We’ve already chosen the teams and everything. The hood versus the ‘burbs.”

(I’m assuming you’re still in the hood right Nik?) – “Oh, yeah. Still in the hood.”

(One thing that I admire about you is that you’ve earned everything that you’ve been given. What’s it like to see the team bring in two guys to possibly play the nickel spot, especially after having a productive year like you did last year?) – “Just stick by the same motto I said. I’m happy to have those guys here. ‘J Coleman’ (Justin Coleman) is a real cool dude. I’m trying to just focus on myself, put in time into my craft and then just whatever happens, happens. I’m just here to help the team. I’m not worried about playing any position or a certain position. I’m just here to help and do whatever they need me to do to win, for sure.”

(What is a trait you have, either physical or mental, that you think has allowed you to succeed at this level? Is there anything in particular you can point to?) – “I think just having an understanding of the game a lot – just growing up with my dad. He’s a big football guy, so just being around it at a young age. He’s a quarterbacks coach, so I just get in the mind of an offensive player and he’s always breaking down film with offensive guys, so I’d just always look at that. I think throughout the years, I’ve developed more and more and become more instinctive, I guess, you can say that.”

(I wanted to know, how is your dad a quarterback coach and you end up a cornerback?) – “(laughter) See, that’s the thing. We tried it out one time but you know how that goes sometimes. It just didn’t really work out. And I wasn’t tall. At quarterback, you kind of have to be a tall dude and have a good arm. I didn’t really have that. (laughter) He just switched me to receiver and he trained receivers too, so I started to do that. I think that’s what helped with my feet a little bit.”

(You had the interception yesterday. If you could walk us through that, and also you’re getting the opportunity because CB Xavien Howard is not around. Do you guys miss him? Do you talk about him? Is he on your minds at all?) – “X’ (Xavien Howard) is my dude, but I haven’t talked to him recently. I’m not sure. But just getting out there, trying to compete and make plays out there whenever the opportunity is present. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

(What did you learn or gain from that season finale against Buffalo?) – “I would say I gained from that mental toughness. I guess that’s the best word to use for that. Stick to the script, because when stuff gets hard, you have to keep pushing because the rest of the 10 guys.. – the whole team really, but the 10 guys on defense are relying on you. You’ve got to go out there and put your best game on every time.”

(I wanted to ask you about Charles Burks, who got the promotion this year to cornerbacks coach. I’m just curious how he’s benefited your game so far as a pro?) – “’Chuck’ (Charles Burks) has definitely helped me out a lot. I think we came in here at the same time. My rookie year was his first year here as well. We were always getting together extra time and putting in a little extra work. He’s always hard on me, but it’s helped improve my game. I’m really realizing it now, from my rookie year to Year 3, how much everything that he’s said has applied and how I’ve applied it and how it came out beneficial. ‘Chuck’ is a great coach and I love being around him. Great dude. Always brings that energy. He’s always going to be the loudest guy, so that’s a great guy to have around.”

Search Transcripts

Weekly Archives