Jerome Baker – December 5, 2021 (Postgame)
Download PDF version
Sunday, December 5, 2021
Postgame – N.Y. Giants
LB Jerome Baker
Q: Five in a row. Feel pretty good?
JEROME BAKER: Yeah, five in a row going into the bye week.
Q: To keep a team out of the end zone – you guys have only given up four touchdowns in this five-week winning streak – how have you been able to buckle down and set the record like that?
JEROME BAKER: It’s a credit to the coaches. They put us in position to excel so credit to them. We just go out there and execute and get it done. We have the mentality now that don’t let anybody score and we believe that and it’s showing.
Q. You look forward to a week off. This is kind of a weird thing. Do you guys prefer to keep going here and winning or is a week off welcome here?
JEROME BAKER: It’s a love and hate. We’re winning, but we definitely need that week off, yeah. Me personally, I would rather just keep going because we’re hot right now, so at the end of the day we’re professionals, so you have to take the week off and come back and get ready to work.
Q. How do you keep building on this, Jerome?
JEROME BAKER: This isn’t individual We come in and go to work. We come in every week, and we sit down and go over things and our coach has a great game plan, and we go out there and execute. We just got to continue that. It’s been working for us, and we try to keep it going.
Q. One thing that Jaelan has something like seven sacks since week nine. What have you seen playing alongside him for the past month or so?
JEROME BAKER: I’ve seen it since he walked in the door. He is hungry, and he goes hard every play. Even going all the way back to just the OTAs and all that stuff, he didn’t run with the D-line. He didn’t run with outside linebackers. He run with us. And he really took that to heart. Just to see a young guy do that, it meant a lot. It’s just paying off for him now, and we’re all happy for him.
Q. This was always a situation where you knew that the explosion was coming? That production.
JEROME BAKER: We definitely knew that. Just the work he put in every week. Even if he was banged up, he was still trying to get better, helping us get better. Just a credit to him, just getting it done.
Q. What’s the evolution of this defense from September to now? What are you guys doing differently?
JEROME BAKER: We’re just executing better. It’s not like we’re calling different plays that we never ran before. We’re doing the same thing. We’re just executing a little better. If it’s knowing your leverage, knowing your leverage. If it’s playing with your hands, it’s playing with your hands. We’re just finally believing and executing. Just a credit to our coaches and our players just getting it done.
Q. Jerome, it seems like it was another season almost where you guys were 1-7, and it seemed so long ago. Can you reflect on how far this team has come in this winning streak and how you’re positioned once you get past the bye?
JEROME BAKER: I think the one thing that just ‘Flo’ always echoes is just take it one day at a time and get better every day. We really took that approach, and just to see this team finally turn things around, we just have to keep that going. It’s been working for us, and we just have to continue that.
Brian Flores – December 5, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, December 5, 2021
Postgame – N.Y. Giants
Head Coach Brian Flores
Q: (Opening statement)
BRIAN FLORES: First I wanted to pay homage to Carl Madsen. He is a replay official — was the replay official on the staff. He passed away last month. I think there’s a lot of people in this league who help us play the game that we love. He was part of that, so I just wanted to send my condolences to his family because, obviously, the official is a part of the NFL family. Just wanted to start off with that.
Q. When you have a defense that’s playing as stingy – I don’t know if that’s the right word – in terms of limiting opponents when scoring touchdowns, how much does it ease the load that the rest of the team has?
BRIAN FLORES: I think it’s always — you always want to play a complementary game and play well in all phases: Offensively, defensively, and the kicking game. You know, when you can obviously keep the score down, it gives you more opportunities to stay in the game, keep a lead. I thought the Giants had a very good game plan. I thought they moved it on us. They played a tough, physical game. We knew it was going to be 60 minutes. I know they were down a bunch of guys, but they are well-coached, and I thought Joe (Judge) did a great job getting his team ready. I thought Pat (Graham) does what he does. He kept the score down and made it hard for us. So credit to them. Our guys played hard, and they just made a few more plays than they made offensively, defensively, and in the kicking game.
Q. It seems like regardless of – especially during the winning streak, regardless of how the offense might play for the first 50 or so minutes, it seems like a late win when you need to make a stop or when you need to stay on the field, Tua is able to kind of generate some completions or you get a big play. What do you attribute to that? It seems like the past couple of weeks you’ve always seen late game execution really thrive.
BRIAN FLORES: I think it’s obviously led by Tua, and making throws, making catches, doing a good job of protection, taking care of the football. We talk a lot about those late game situations, how important they are and finishing the game off the right way offensively, defensively, and the kicking game. I thought we did that really across the board. We moved it offensively. We stopped them, and we moved it offensively. We kicked and missed a field goal, and then turned around and kicked another one. That was great by Jason (Sanders) to turn right around and make it for us, put us up two scores. And then go out there defensively to finish the game there. It was a good team effort, complementary, and we get to take a little break right now which is good. Guys are obviously banged up obviously after 13 games. Take a little break, and we’ll obviously self-scout and reassess and try to take a little break. I think we need that.
Q. To add off that, while the late game execution has been good, Tua seemed like he had a measured tone saying the offense left plays out there. Is that a similar feeling you got where you are happy you won the game, but you just need a little more from the offense? Do you feel that?
BRIAN FLORES: I think that’s going be to the case every week. There are always plays that you wish you had back, throws, catches, protections, calls. That’s really across the board: Offensively, defensively, and the kicking game. I thought they made some plays. I thought Golladay made some catches, Engram made some catches, Cooper made some catches against tight coverage. Glennon made some tight-window throws. I think Joe had them ready. We just made a few more plays than they did.
Q. You spoke a little bit Monday about this being the time of year for rookies where the season is longer than they’re used to. What kind of response did you see from Jaylen, Jaelan, and Jevon, in particular, and Liam this week as they hit that and try to punch through that wall?
BRIAN FLORES: I don’t really talk about it too much. We need those guys to play for us and play well, so I think thankfully they get this week to rest up, heal up. I think all four of those guys — really five of those guys, including Hunter and Trill as well. These guys work hard. It’s important to them. They are all sponges. We’ve said this really the entire year. It’s a long season. It’s hard to gauge that and to know how their bodies are feeling, but it looks like they got energy, they got juice. They got the right approach, which leads me to believe that they’re ready to go, and we’re going to need them to be ready to go.
Q. To follow up on that with Jaelan Phillips in particular, does he seem to be getting kind of that peak or hitting that stride at the right time, or what have you seen from him that’s led to this uptick in production over the past six weeks?
BRIAN FLORES: I’m seeing the same things that we saw earlier in the year. I continue to say this. There’s a process there, and then I think a lot of people look at the production and think that that’s the kind of final analysis of a player, but I think he’s — I haven’t watched the film, but I know there are some other games that based on some things that I saw already that he did better in some instances in some other games. We had some production today. We need that. He is doing a good job. He is doing a very good job. We have a lot of guys that are doing a good job that aren’t getting the stats, the flash stats, but I think we got a lot of guys playing well, and he is certainly one of them.
Q. A lot was made when you guys didn’t have the post-London bye. Now is this… You played the last seven weeks in a row, and now you guys are rested for this final stretch run.
BRIAN FLORES: A lot was made of that and, I think maybe opinions are different now. I don’t know. But like I said then, this is the schedule we have, and we’re just going to play it out and it’s good to have some time right now for us to reassess, re-evaluate and for the players to get some rest.
Q. Obviously a seven-game losing streak is tough to handle mentally, but now a five-game winning streak, how much does that build on the things that you guys are coaching and reinforcing in terms of the message?
BRIAN FLORES: I think we’re just kind of focused on today. Today is a game against a good opponent. A tough victory in a 60-minute ball game, and we just try to take it one day at a time and not think about what’s happened in the past or talk about the future too much. We’re just trying to get better every day.
Q. What is your schedule for this week? Do the guys have to be in at all?
BRIAN FLORES: Yeah, they’ll be in tomorrow.
Q. Is there like an unwritten rule, written rule on bye weeks, sticking around, leaving town, coming to the facility?
BRIAN FLORES: Our guys got to be smart. They’ll have some time off, but my big message to them is be safe, spend some time with your family, go, enjoy yourself, relax, but be safe. That’s the big thing. Enjoy yourselves. They’ve earned it, but be safe. Hopefully you guys write about that and they read about that because that’s really the message I want them to hear. We’ll come in and do a little work this week. It’s been 13 games, so I don’t see us getting out there and putting pads on and banging on each other, but we’ll meet, try to make some corrections, try to look through some things that we can do better, but they’ll certainly have some time off to relax, get off their feet, and enjoy themselves a little, but be safe, please. Thank you.
Tua Tagovailoa – December 5, 2021 (Postgame)
Download PDF version
Sunday, December 5, 2021
Postgame – N.Y. Giants
QB Tua Tagovailoa
Q. Tua, it seems like lately you guys have been able to really milk the clock when it matters most. We saw that in the Baltimore game. We saw that in the Jets game. We saw that today. What’s been the key, maybe the offense wasn’t so good early in the game, but when it matters most, you guys are able to make the plays come.
TUA TAGOVAILOA: We emphasize a lot of our situational deals throughout practice. Whether it’s four-minute, two-minute situations, but there’s a lot of situations that go on in the game having to do with trying to manage the clock whether it’s an end of game or end of half situation.
Q. How do you feel about the way this team is now positioned in the big picture? You got the bye coming up, and you’re one game away from .500. How do you feel about where this team is positioned?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I’m glad we won, but I think there’s a lot of things that we left out there on the field. A lot of plays that we wish we could have back, but then again, it falls down to the execution of us. It starts with me in the center, and then it being communicated out there. I think we did a pretty good job protecting the ball today though.
Q. Considering the injuries you’ve had this year, how much are you looking forward to getting a week off?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I think it’s going to be really good. I think it’s going to be good for a lot of the guys in there. I mean, it’s been, what, 13 games, 14 games with contact nonstop, a lot of preparation, so being able to get this little bye for our guys I think it’s going to be really helpful for us in the back end of the season.
Q. Jaylen Waddle had nine catches for 90 yards. What are your thoughts on how Jaylen is playing right now?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I think Jaylen Waddle is doing good. I think just for all of us we just got to continue to keep working.
Q. How do you feel like you played today?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I don’t think of myself; I just think of the overall offense. I think we can get better, continue to get better, find ways to get better, and that’s what this bye gives us. A chance to self-scout, look at the things that we can clean up, work on, and then implement it when we play the Jets.
Q. What’s it like to have DeVante Parker back? You were able to throw some balls up to him and he made some nice catches on the side.
TUA TAGOVAILOA: It was really good to have DeVante back. DeVante adds another vertical stretch for us offensively, and he makes tough catches when you need him to, so really glad to have him back.
Q. We heard Jerome Baker say part of him almost wants to keep playing to keep the win streak going. You don’t want that lull. Is there any bit of that? Do you feel any bit of that, or do you really need this week to, kind of like you said, self-scout and take a breather after a long season?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I understand what ‘Bake’ is saying. I think it goes both ways. You take some time off, but then you’re also not really taking time off. It’s more so mental preparation, whereas it’s physical.
Q. What’s it like as a leader on this offense knowing your defense isn’t even giving up — barely giving up double digit points during this winning streak? What’s that like?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: It feels good. They keep the pressure off of us, if you will, offensively, but we want to go down and punch the ball in to the end zone, and we got to find better ways to do that. Can’t go three-and-outs to start the second half.
Roll Tide. Roll Tide.
Brian Flores – December 3, 2021
Download PDF version
Friday, December 3, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I wanted to ask you on three guys – RB Phillip Lindsay, LB Jaelan Phillips, G/T Robert Hunt. Phillips, Lindsay, Hunt – their availability for this weekend?) – “Phillip (Lindsay) – we’ll see how today goes. Today will tell us a lot about Phillip. Who are the other guys?”
(Jaelan Phillips and Rob Hunt popped up on the injury report as limited this week – back and hip.) – “Yeah, I think both guys will be okay. Yeah, I think both guys will be okay. Anybody else?”
(And with RB Phillip Lindsay, he wasn’t at practice yesterday the injury report said. But he’s back today?) – ”Yeah, today will tell us a lot about whether or not we’ll get him.”
(I wanted to ask you on RB Malcolm Brown this week, was he able to do much? Is he close to coming off IR?) – “He’s working hard to get back as soon as he can. Definitely making a lot of progress. Right now, we’re kind of – we won’t have him this week so we’ll talk about that next week.”
(Your program focuses on consistency, day to day, what’s ahead of you. And as you kind of preach that message to your team, how do you think they respond to the success they’ve enjoyed the last four or five weeks here compared to what they were doing off the losing streak? How do you think they’ve kind of handled the approach to success?) – “I think the focus is on the Giants, their team, which is a good team offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. A well-coached team coming off a win with a lot of good players. They’re good schematically and I think that’s kind of where their focus is. I think that’s where it should be.”
(Do you have a feel yet for WR DeVante Parker and C/G Michael Deiter’s availability for the game?) – “Today will tell us a lot about both guys. I think they’re moving in the right direction but just want to see how today goes. They both practiced at a decent clip. There’s some soreness and things like that after that, so we’ve got to see how today goes.”
(No setbacks? So everything is going smoothly?) – “It was a padded practice so it’s been a while for both guys in pads. Certainly some soreness. So again, today is going to be an important day for us.”
(Are you optimistic that you’ll possibly get one of the two centers back or is – you don’t have that many roster spots obviously, so is one ahead of the other?) – “Yeah, we’ll make that decision after practice today.”
(I know you’ve been asked a lot about WR Will Fuller and you told us that a lot of broken bones. I don’t even know whether we should ask anymore in terms of this – do you expect him to play again this year?) – “He’s not going to play this week. The focus right now is on the Giants. He won’t be there for the Giants game. We’ll kind of talk about that next week, but he won’t be there for the Giants. That’s who really the focus is on. Again, they’ve got a good team, good players, good coaches. That’s the challenge. Will (Fuller) won’t be there for that.”
(Did preparation this week for QB Daniel Jones and QB Mike Glennon – did that add to the workload in terms of needing to prepare for both with Jones’ injuries?) – “We’re preparing for the Giants offense so that’s – like we talked about the other day – this is a good skill group, good back, good tight ends, good receivers. The o-line works well together. So if (Mike) Glennon is in there – this is a veteran quarterback who has seen a lot of defenses, can throw the football. If (Daniel) Jones is in there, he’s a younger guy. Talented. Both talented. I think we’ve got to get ready for all of them.”
(You had DB Logan Ryan when you were back in New England. I think he’s coming back this week. What does he add to that Giants defense?) – “Smart, experienced, communication, versatile. He’s been a corner, he’s been a Star, nickel. He’s playing safety now, but he kind of plays all those positions still. Good tackler. Instinctive. This is a good player.”
(With Joe Judge having a background in special teams, are there ways in which you see his characteristics as a head coach come through in the special teams unit?) – “Yeah, it’s a good unit. They’ve got a lot of good players. They have a good scheme. It’s going to be a big challenge in the kicking game. They play tough, they play aggressively and they do a good job in the kicking game. I think they do a good job across the board.”
(We saw WR Preston Williams back there as kind of an H-back against – I forget the opponent, I’m onto the next week. What does he do that made his skillset fit that and is that just a one time matchup situation? Or is that something that he can kind of evolve into?) – “Preston, he just wants to help the team any way he can, whether that’s catching the football, blocking or in the kicking game. Every week the gameplan is a little bit different. Carolina played a little bit more safety in the box and we had to get that player, so Preston was in the backfield to block that particular player. Every week is a little bit different. He may be back there, he may not be. We’ll see.”
(How did TE Hunter Long do in his 24 offensive snaps last week if TE Adam Shaheen can’t play again on Sunday? I guess we might see him again.) – “I thought he did some nice things. He was excited to get out there and there were definitely some things that he can improve on, which we made those corrections. He was ready when his number was called. We’ll see how Adam feels today. Again, I know we mentioned those other guys but it’s a big day for him too and we’ll see how it goes.”
(Last week you had a chance to get some guys some snaps that haven’t played a whole lot. CB Javaris Davis for instance, made his NFL debut. How valuable is it for those young guys to have game snaps compared to what you have on practice tape?) – “I think game snaps are very important. I think when you’re teaching off of game snaps, it’s different for a number of reasons. But to go in there, I know he made a play at the end of the game, I thought he did a nice job. I think it’s a good experience for him to see and feel the experience of the game. It’s different in practice. Those plays that are made are not made in the game. That’s where I think there are some real opportunities to teach and get a lot of attention to get those right or ‘Hey, I did something right and I had some success doing that. I’m going to do that again.’ When you get that in a game, I think those corrections are, especially for young guys, important.”
(How would you describe TE Durham Smythe’s development as a receiver?) – “I think Durham is a team-first guy. I think whatever we ask him to do, he just wants to help the team win. Whether that’s catching the ball or blocking or on the punt team or sneaking the ball on fourth-and-1 or third-and-1. I think he brings a lot to this team and we’re going to need that this week against the Giants.”
(Have the last couple of weeks left you encouraged about the process of the left side and the offensive line with T Liam Eichenberg and G/T Austin Jackson?) – “I think we’ve got a big challenge this week against a good defensive line led by Leonard Williams and Austin Johnson and Dexter Lawrence and (Azeez) Ojulari. They’ve got a good group there. The last few weeks don’t really – we’re just trying to prepare for this group this week and try to string good plays together.”
(LB Jerome Baker talked about how his role has changed, varied and obviously it’s gameplan-specific stuff. How important is it to have a piece like that, who can do as many things that Jerome does? And how difficult is that to find in a linebacker?) – “I think it gives us versatility. His versatility gives us flexibility to move him around so we talk about that every week. (We want) the best spot to play really every player but specifically with Jerome. It’s not different this week. I would say the Giants, they create a number of potential issues with the amount of skill players they have. So when you have somebody like Jerome who can play a few different spots, you have some choices that you can make defensively. That’s a conversation we have every week.”
Brandon Jones – December 2, 2021
Download PDF version
Thursday, December 2, 2021
S Brandon Jones
(Do you feel like you’re going to be able to play Sunday?) – “Yeah. I’m preparing to play Sunday. I’ve been going through practice, preparing and keeping my same routine that I’ve always had each week.”
(Was it more of the elbow or the ankle that kept you sidelined last week?) – “More of the elbow.”
(Is it feeling better?) – “Yeah. Feeling better for sure.”
(Was it tough watching that game last week seeing everyone making big plays and you probably wanting to be out there?) – “Yeah, it was eating me alive. The way the defense played it was awesome to see and fun to be a part of. It was killing me on the inside when people got picks or sacks. My first instinct is to try to run on the field and celebrate with them but I had to keep my composure in that aspect. It hurt but I was really happy for just how the team played overall as a whole.”
(Was it fun to see from the outside the complementary way that offense, defense and special teams all kind of worked together? I’m assuming when you’re not playing, you kind of see the game differently.) – “Yeah, it’s always super interesting because when you don’t play, you realize a lot more. You can actually take the time to digest and pay attention to small details and stuff that you usually don’t really focus on during the game because there is so much going on from a play-call standpoint and stuff like that. It was really awesome to be able to play complementary football, play fast, start with the blocked punt and go from there.”
(Prior to you missing last Sunday’s game, there were a couple of games where you and S Jevon Holland started alongside each other, which would be on of the youngest safety combos in the league. I know both of you guys are really studious – you study a lot. Is there anything that the two of you decided collectively you needed to do to prepare outside the building together, quiz each other just because there is so many communication responsibilities?) – “We do a really good job to just talk before the play. Especially if we have time to huddle, if the offense isn’t going fast tempo, we’re always in the back looking at the formations and literally talking and deciding what we’re going to do and stuff like that. Off the field, being able to get together, we’ve been able to get together a lot, watch film, stay after meetings and talk over and go over everything that we’ve learned, and take a dive into the stuff that we’re going to practice the next day, and get a head start from that standpoint.”
(Is that usually in the building or do you ever go out to eat and discuss it then?) – “Nah, I’m not going to eat with him. (laughter) No. I’m playing. (laughter) We never go out to eat. It’s mostly just here. Jevon is a goofball. I think it’ll be a dangerous dynamic if we ended up hanging out outside of the facility, in a good way obviously. But mostly yeah, it stays in the facility.”
(I’m curious about goofball. Why is he a goofball?) – “He’s super intelligent, obviously. I don’t know. Just the stuff he says. He’s a funny dude. Like a real funny dude. He’s different in a good way is the best way I could put it. Just from the stuff that I see him post on Instagram, which is hilarious to the TikTok videos that he sends me. He literally always has me crying laughing. He’s definitely a goofball. I can’t believe I just used that word to describe him but it is what it is. (laughter)”
(If you had a veteran third safety who – if it wasn’t a good guy, it would be difficult – but S Eric Rowe seems to be one of the best people you’ll meet. How easy has he made the transition and avoided any potential awkwardness. The fact that he is such a good guy, our snaps increasing, S Jevon Holland’s increasing, maybe his have gone down some.) – “Eric is one of the nicest people I know. He’s done an awesome job, even since I got here of just helping me better myself as a player. Even with just small-detailed stuff, whether it’s man coverage, a better way of using my feet, using my hands, and just talking through scheme stuff. Like I’ve told you all before, I struggled a little bit with the playbook and stuff in my role last year. He was a really big part of helping me feel comfortable on the field. He just continues, no matter the situation, he always continues to help me grow and strive for greatness. He’s been a really big part of my success.”
(I know you guys get caught up in the moment week to week because that’s what you have to do, but do you ever think about the possibility that you and S Jevon Holland could be a tandem for a while given your young age right now?) – “That would obviously be awesome and really cool to keep building. I think it’s really interesting how much we’ve been able to grow and we haven’t even played with each other that long. With that and how everything flows so easily for us, it’s definitely exciting to be able to see that and see our growth and continue to build on what we’ve already established, and just kind of grow from there.”
(You’re going to be wearing the Dell Children’s Hospital cleats for My Cause My Cleats. What does that mean to you and an update on Jayden, how is he doing?) – “Jayden is doing good. He’s actually about to start driving, which is pretty cool. I’ve stayed in contact with him. I talk to him pretty frequently. He actually sent me a video that his friend made. It was basically a highlight video that his friend made of my highlights and stuff this year. Him and his friend put a lot of work into it, so it was cool to see. He keeps wanting to challenge me – I don’t know why – in some type of raceor a seven-on-seven, like a celebrity seven-on-seven game. So when I get back to Austin, I’m going to have to try to put something together, obviously. I’m not going to take it easy on him. I’m going to try to win, obviously. But it’s been really cool, and obviously with my cleats dedicating them to Osteosarcoma, and just being a part of everything that he’s been through with having to get his leg amputated and going through that whole cancer process. It’s been truly a special part of my heart to be a part of that with him and his mom. I’m really happy with where our relationship has been and obviously just going to keep continuing to grow in that aspect.”
(When you look at your individual season thus far, the good and maybe if there’s not so good, I don’t know. What do you see when you put it all together? How do you assess your season?) – “I think it’s definitely – I’m really hard on myself when it comes to growth and you never play a perfect game. But in my mind, I still strive to have a perfect game. When I don’t, my first thing is to figure out what I did wrong and critique it and go from there. I think I’ve played decent. I think there is obviously a lot of growth in a lot of areas that I can attack this offseason, which I’m excited about, just to continue to grow my game. I think I’ve played ok.”
Mack Hollins – December 2, 2021
Download PDF version
Thursday, December 2, 2021
WR Mack Hollins
(Just wanted your perspective on team things since you have a good feel for the roster. When S Bobby McCain was let go last May, was there concerned about the qualities you were losing as far as reliability, communication skills, what he did in coverage. And has S Jevon Holland totally – and not saying anything negative about Bobby – but has Jevon totally relieved those concerns because of how well he’s played?) – “I think in this business, there’s always a risk in getting rid of somebody who has been here who has a role – whether that’s he is a leader in the locker room, a dude that produces on offense or defense or in the kicking game. There’s always a risk in doing that. I think the only way to mediate that risk is by getting a player who can fill a lot of those roles. Obviously Bobby was doing a lot of things. He was producing, he was a leader, he brought energy. He did a lot of things. I think Jevon has done a great job at filling a lot of those roles. He’s a young player. It’s hard to just immediately become a leader. But I think the one thing about this league is if you become a good player, it’s easier to transition into becoming a leader. I think he’s on that path. I think a lot of that risk was mitigated by getting ‘Snowman.’ (Holland)”
(One other big picture thing I was going to ask you. Fans sometimes go over the line. They get angry when a player is not able to play for whatever reason. So WR Will Fuller has taken a lot of criticism even though his injury is not his fault, for not playing. Do you ever, as a teammate, do you see him or do you see WR DeVante Parker or do you see guys personally impacted in terms of being upset they can’t play and how they deal with it from an emotional standpoint?) – “I think everybody is a little different on how they deal with stuff. I think what’s unfortunate about this league is you have to be a tough guy all of the time, even around your teammates. It’s hard to be in the locker room and be like, ‘I’m so upset I’m not playing.’ It’s got to be like ‘I’m putting in this work to get back.’ I know personally I had an injury and I was out and I tried to be the tough guy and that eats away at you. But I think every guy wants to play. Nobody that’s in this league is like ‘I just want to get paid to not play.’ If I’m going to get paid either way, I might as well play and have fun. Nobody wants to come in at 7 a.m. and do treatment and then the one time that all of your friends and family are watching, you’re not out there. I would say every guy wants to get back. Every guy is trying their hardest to get back. But I guess for the fans that say ‘Oh, he’s not doing this and that.’ If there is a fan out there that can come to me with their perfect attendance at work and not missing a single day, then maybe we can have a discussion. But I think everybody has times where they want to be somewhere and they’re not able to.”
(I want to make sure I heard something. S Jevon Holland’s nickname, did you say ‘Snowman?’) – “Yeah. That’s the eight on his chest. And he’s Canadian. There’s a little bit of stuff.”
(Did you come up with that?) – “I did not come up with that. That’s just the locker room.”
(Is it more fun to lead when you’re winning?) – “Yeah, I mean everything is more fun when you’re winning. But it’s easy to lead when you’re winning. Five weeks ago when we were in here talking, it wasn’t as fun to have a conversation about how we’re going to keep doing the same things. We’re doing the same things but now the results are better. Kind of like what we said six, seven, eight weeks ago when we were on that down streak. It was we were going to keep doing the same things and the result’s are going to turn. And now the results are turning. It’s easy to think we’re doing something magical and we’ve got the secret. All of a sudden somebody found out the secret four weeks ago. We’re doing the same thing. We’re putting in the work and now that result is paying off. Those seeds we planted are finally growing.”
(I know you really love special teams. Is it harder to build momentum on that side of the ball just because the frequency of plays isn’t the same? Do you maybe see you guys getting better in that area?) – “I think it all goes back to confidence. Like any aspect of life, if you’re confident in it, you’ll do well or you’ll do it well. I think offensively, defensively and in the kicking game, we’re starting to build confidence. We’re seeing the results, we’re seeing the stuff that we’re doing is working and now it’s like, ‘Ok, let’s do it again. I know I’ve already done it once, I can do it again. I can do it again. I can do it again.’ With the kicking game, Duke (Riley) comes and blocks a kick early and everybody’s mindset on the kicking game is ‘Oh, we’re about to dominate these guys the whole game.’ Sometimes it can be tough when it’s a stalemate. ‘Ok, he punts it, fair catch.’ Nobody really gets a vibe for the game. It might be two quarters into the game, three quarters into the game when it comes to the kicking game. So you just always, when you go out there, this play has to be the best play because this may change the momentum of the entire game in the kicking phase. And if we can dominate a team in the kicking phase, it makes it easier for the offense and defense to build confidence.”
(With WR Jaylen Waddle catching passes at such a high volume, what makes him so good at getting open and now recently we’ve also seen him add the downfield.) – “He’s been coming to my camp for a little while. Just in and out of the breaks and stuff like that. I’ve been coaching him up. (laughter) Nah, he’s just a really good player. You all were about to sign up for the camp. (laughter) You’ve got Mack Fitness. You’ve got Mack Routes. (laughter) No, he’s a really good player. He comes to work every day. He put in the work all camp. Usually the guys that you see in training camp doing pretty well are going to do pretty well in the season. There’s usually not some severe drop-off like he’s a fast player. He knows how to get in and out of cuts. He knows how to attack a ball when it’s in the air. He understands offenses. He understands defenses. That stuff is critical in being successful and now as the season goes, he’s getting better and better because it’s coming quicker, it’s coming quicker, it’s coming quicker, and now he’s able to play loose. He’s able to hit higher speeds. He’s able to get in and out of breaks quicker.”
(WR Jaylen Waddle is on pace right now to break WR Anquan Boldin’s rookie record for receptions. How big would that be for not just him but the team?) – “If we’re losing, it’s worthless. If we’re winning, it’s great. It’s added accolades. But at least in my opinion – I don’t know how he is but I’m sure he’s on that similar page – winning will make it all better. Like if he breaks this record and we lose out, it’s cool you got a record but you’re also watching other guys play from your couch. I think that would be a great added accolade on top of if we can continue to win ballgames.”
(Last time I talked to you was before the Jets game and I asked you if you like celebrating downing balls at the 1-yard line or scoring touchdowns more. Did a 65-yard touchdown change that answer?) – “No, that’ll never (change). Downing punts – special teams is a little different. That gang of guys is different. Yeah, it was great to score a touchdown and a long one at that. But Duke (Riley)’s blocked punt, I don’t know it’s a different vibe. It’s hard to describe but like I kind of said earlier, you only get one chance at it. On offense, you get a couple of opportunities.”
(Did you and LB Duke Riley overlap in Philly?) – “Yeah. So I’ve known Duke for a few years. We actually went on a visit to Philly before the draft. That’s when we met. Then he and I were in Philly together for a year.”
(Have you guys been friends since?) – “Yeah. He’s followed me everywhere. The dude wants to be me. (laughter)”
(Doing the same things, grinding away and eventually the results come. But if you are doing the same things, why do you think they weren’t coming before?) – “Honestly, I don’t think we were doing the same things. I think we talked about it more than we did it. We said we practiced hard but we weren’t really practicing hard. We said we were studying extra film and we weren’t studying extra film. We said we were coming in and meeting and we weren’t. I think when guys realized we can win if we do it, we started doing it more. Now it’s like second nature. This is what we do. We come in and get extra work in. We come in and we lift hard. We come in and we practice hard. Now we’re getting the results.”
Albert Wilson – December 2, 2021
Download PDF version
Thursday, December 2, 2021
WR Albert Wilson
(I remember after the Ravens game when you had a breakout, Head Coach Brian Flores said that the coaching staff told you to be ready to make plays. Earlier in the season, your name wasn’t really called and you were healthy, but what do you think changed over the past couple weeks or months?) – “I would say just scheme really. We have a ton of weapons in the room. The coaches do their job every week to get the ball in their hands but when Mike (Gesicki) and Jaylen (Waddle) are doing so well, it started bringing attention to them. I feel like that week he just knew that other guys would have to step up for us to get the win. That’s how our offense has been. Any week, any guy can be that guy. That’s what kind of makes this offense kind of special and still unknown.”
(I feel like it’s a three-way tie between you, WR Mack Hollins and WR Phillip Lindsay now on the best hair. Let’s break this down here, how would you rank you, Hollins and Lindsay?) – “I’m going to have to go me first. I think I’ve been growing mine the least. Then I’m going to have to put Mack (Hollins) last. It’s going to have to go me, Phillip (Lindsay) then Mack. No reason, that’s just the way it goes. Sorry.”
(WR Mack Hollins will go to the cornrows, but you just kind of keep it out.) – “Right, yeah. I think I’m about to cut mine again though. I like to switch it up, keep it moving. Mack (Hollins) has good hair. He does a lot of fun things with it. I’ll probably switch back up there.”
(Who has the worst hair? There are some bald guys.) – “(laughter) There are a lot of people with some mattes up there man, I ain’t trying to throw nobody under the bus or nothing like that. There’s a couple of them. They know who they are.”
(On a serious note, WR Mack Hollins’ comment was interesting about maybe everyone though they were practicing hard.) – “Yeah, I wanted to – to a certain extent. We’re a young team. I think guys kind of figured out what they needed out of those meetings and out of that practice and out of those film studies instead of just being in there for an hour-and-a-half wasting time. Guys are actually putting in the work in those sessions. I don’t think we weren’t actually doing anything. I think we just didn’t know what to get out of those meetings and out of those film sessions and out of those practices. I guess guys are kind of coming into their own and figuring out when I’m in a meeting room, I need to look at this. When I’m at practice, I need to work at this. I think that’s pretty much where we’re headed. I don’t think we weren’t doing anything because we wouldn’t be around, I don’t think.”
(So it was more about efficient work as opposed to putting in more hours?) – “Right, like with everything. Just showing up, that’s half of the job. But actually putting in the work is everything. I think guys were kind of just showing up and that’s what you’ve got to do. That’s half of it. In the beginning, you’ve got to show up but I think guys are starting to see just showing up wasn’t enough, so they started actually putting in work and guys actually knowing what they need to get done out of the things we are doing.”
(How do you think they came to the realization? Is that an individual thing or do you think coaches opened eyes?) – “I definitely think it comes with the leaders. Our coaches, just continue to hammer it on us. Being in the meeting room for three or four months, sooner or later I think any human being would be like, ‘Okay, I’m here for a reason. Let me start doing something with this opportunity.’ I think it was kind of just not knowing what you were supposed to do, guys kind of finding and learning what to do and guys looking at others to figure out what to do. I think it was a mix of a bunch of things.”
(Becoming a professional it sounds like?) – “Right. Correct.”
(Do you, I don’t want to say blame, but do you put responsibility on the fact that it was such a young team? I don’t really know if you all are that much younger than you were last year.) – “Nah, not so. I think that’s just the mindset. Not really saying we’re just so young we don’t know what to do. I just think guys were just kind of coming in. Like you said last year, you win 10 games and we got a lot of talk behind us. We were kind of thinking we are going to come in and win 10 more when that’s not the situation. You got to come in and put the work in and that’s how you get results. I think guys finally realized that we’ve got to put in as much work as possible to get the results that we want. That’s kind of what we turn to.”
(What has impressed you about WR Jaylen Waddle and his game?) – “The way he gets open, the speed, the toughness, the want to. He wants to go out there and be the best guy on the field every time. To be so young, to want to take that role and put it on himself is awesome to see. It’s just exciting. We know he can get the ball and he can do whatever he wants with it. That’s the biggest thing, just seeing what he can do with the ball.”
(I wanted to ask you about what I asked WR Mack Hollins as well. Fans can be unrelenting in criticism of guys who are injured, complaining about WR DeVante Parker, complaining about WR Will Fuller. Do players notice it? Do players in your room notice it? Your friends with both of them and have missed time before with something really serious.) – “So are you asking do they players know that the fans are…”
(Do the players notice this? Does this upset them that on social media people would get on them for missing games?) – “I think you just kind of look at those things, even if you don’t want to look at them. If you tell yourself it don’t matter, you’re going to see it. Especially if you’re a guy that spends his time on social media, it is going to pop up. I think some guys, they take it with a grain of salt and they know what they’re doing to put the work in to get back on the field and some guys it might rub them the wrong way and put them in a mood that’s not really healthy for them. It’s tough. It’s tough because it’s like Mack (Hollins) said, you don’t want to be hurt. You don’t want to not play. For you to come in every morning at 7 o’clock and do treatment for eight hours then have to go home and wake back up and do the same thing while, like he said, your teammates are going out there battling every week. Now we got this win streak going and you’re a part of it but you’re not out there sacrificing things to be a part of it. It’s not like you want to be at home sitting on the coach. Forget what everybody else is saying if they’re not really lining up with you.”
(You’re big on doing stuff in the community so your My Cause My Cleats is your foundation. Can you tell us about it?) – “The Albert Wilson Foundation. We work with a lot of foster kids and a lot of foster parents on making their everyday life okay or better than what it was. Whatever it is, the situation can be mentoring, it can be a food drive, it can be an outing. However we can make the foster kids in the system’s life better or make it more exciting, that’s what the foundation is offering. We offer scholarships for kids to go to school out of state. This year I did a collaboration with the Kenya Project when me and one of my mentors went to Africa a few years ago, maybe in like 2016, and did Samaritans Feet. We were able to give kids shoes and stuff like that, so it was awesome. I kind of want to do a collab with them to shed some light on both of the foundations.”
Jesse Davis – December 2, 2021
Thursday, December 2, 2021
G/T Jesse Davis
(I know you’ve been a big advocate for the run game for quite a while – many, many years. This year you guys are not having numbers but are having the success in terms of recently staying balanced. How much does that help an offensive line in particular?) – “It opens up the offense for us and keeps us out of passing situations where they have to play both sides of the ball and not just think about pass rush. For the o-line, it’s huge on us and it’s more of a pride thing too. We want to run the ball, we want to get first downs, we want to convert our short yardages. But running the ball is our biggest focus.”
(How encouraging is the progress that you’re seeing to a unit like yourself?) – “I think we’re starting out, trying to get our double teams working again. I think that’s going to go a long way for us, especially with our technique and fundamentals. Like I said, that’s our No. 1 thing right now or at least mine is, is to get the run game going.”
(With C/G Michael Deiter’s possible return, how much do you think that could help the offensive line and how has Deiter looked on his road back?) – “Whenever you get your first center back that you had in camp, that knows the playbook, that knows the ins and outs of this offense, I think that’s huge. Deiter is a good player. Everybody wanted him back too. ‘Deets’ (Deiter) is doing really well. He’s doing some good things. He’s busted his butt to get back here, that’s for sure.”
(I noticed that you were granted a veteran’s rest day. I would have to go through all the injury reports to notice if this is a little bit of a new thing that coach is trying out. Is it a little bit of a new thing where guys get a little rest if they need it and what do you think about that?) – “Yeah, I came in on Monday and it was brought up. I was granted one and I said, ‘Okay, that’s fine with me.’ (laughter) I don’t know previously how many guys (had a) vet rest day. Is it the age, is it the play count, who knows? I think getting this late in the season, I think a couple guys probably need it.”
(Are you looking for a few more of those on the bye week following the game?) – “Yeah, we’ll get there when we get there. Right now, we’re focused on the Giants.”
(What was the feeling on the line when you guys were getting bashed from the outside as much as you were? You’re not in a bubble. You have to be aware of it.) – “Those blows are going to come. It’s part of the game. You just focus on the guys in the room and you focus on yourself. You don’t really listen too much to the criticism. It’s going to come and go.”
(Playing all over the line at this point in your career, do you have a feeling if someone were to ask you, a random fan on the street, what position do you think you’re best at? You would say what?) – “I don’t know. It’s a good question. (laughter) I always say a jack of all trades, master of none.”
