Jerome Baker – December 2, 2021
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Thursday, December 2, 2021
LB Jerome Baker
(You’ve been playing really well. The same could be said frankly for most guys on your defense and your linebacker group. Was there a point this season where you were not personally totally happy with how you were playing and do you feel like you’ve elevated your play the last few weeks?) – “Yeah, just earlier in the year, we weren’t winning. So if we’re not winning, I don’t care how good I play or how many plays I make. If we’re not winning, it doesn’t matter, so it was definitely just a rough few games I had earlier in the year, but now that we’re winning, we’re back on track, everybody’s happy, everybody’s jolly. We’ve just got to keep that going and stick to what we’ve been doing.”
(You’re good at evaluating your own game. Where do you think you needed to be better than you were personally early on? What’s been the focus for you personally? Was it coverage? Was it against the run? Was it something else because I know you’re asked a lot to do?) – “Yeah, it was a little bit of everything. When it was the run fits, I was doing it, but I wasn’t being too physical. If it was covering, I was covering, but I wasn’t finishing well. I was dropping into coverage, but my breaks weren’t good. Those little things that you take for granted, those little things I was noticing, I wasn’t doing well and just recently they’ve been having me do a lot of different things and it’s been cool. It’s definitely been cool and to see we’ve been winning, that’s even better, so I’m definitely happy.”
(You have kind of been a coverage specialist most of your career even though you’re a pretty good blitzer. I always feel like they never blitz you enough. But do you think that they’re adding more, they’ve added more to your plate now recently than they’ve been in your career?) – “You’re talking about coverage?”
(No, everything. Are they asking for more?) – “I wouldn’t say that. It’s a little bit different. I wouldn’t say it’s more. I’ve been playing on the line a little bit more. I’ve been rushing the passer in different ways. But I wouldn’t say it’s anything more. That’s why I’m here. I can do a lot of different things so as far as adding anything on my plate, I’ve been part of teams where you’re asked to do everything and you’re getting killed every week, so I wouldn’t say it’s anything more or anything less. It’s the same thing. They expect me to – wherever they put me, they expect good things out of it so that’s the approach I take.”
(With the edge work, which is new for you, what are the challenges that come with it?) – “That’s funny because it’s different. It’s truly different. Like linebacker, you have a little time to think and react to things. On the edge when you’re down on the d-line, you have about a second – maybe a second – before 300 pounds is on you real fast. But at the end of the day, it’s a little easier because you’re not thinking as much. If you’re asked to rush, it’s either you’re rushing because it’s a pass or you’re setting the edge. It has its pros and its cons, but I think the cool thing is I can pretty much do – I can be on the edge one play and the next play I’m playing inside linebacker. So I really take that to heart and I really appreciate that so I’m out there having fun and just to see the guys faces that I line up against them inside, they’re like, ‘oh, you’re here.’ Then the next play I’m literally outside of you. Then the next play, I’m blitzing. Just that whole of what I can do and the things they ask me here, it’s just fun to play in this defense.”
(So what’s like to not have quarterbacks not identify you as the Mike?) – “It is very fun. I think for me it’s like ,I love to hear that ‘Mike 55.’ But now that it’s somebody else, I have a better idea of like, all right they’re kind of ‘he’s out there,’ but they’re really not paying attention. It’s definitely fun. I truly love our guys. Outside linebackers – ‘Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel) – he always gets me right. All those guys. (Vince) Biegel – just to see him back and him bring that energy, I definitely just love being out there.”
(Did you and Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer over the last few weeks or you, Josh and Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile ever get together and have a discussion about ways to utilize you more or differently? Were you part of those discussions or did Boyer and Campanile just say “here’s how it’s going to be this week?”) – “Yeah, so me and ‘Camp’ (Anthony Campanile) – we had a conversation earlier this year and he pretty much asked me what could we do better, how can we practice better, how can we do anything better. And I just gave him my input on it. And Josh (Boyer) – he’s one of those guys that if he says, ’55, do this,’ he expects it to be this way and be right on point. Just to have that trust from your coordinator, it definitely means a lot to me. So we definitely have conversations, but the main conversation is just to get better. And that’s why I truly appreciate – we went through our bumps and bruises and we never put our heads down. It was always just come back to work and let’s get it fixed and let’s keep going at it. And now that we’re winning, it’s definitely paying off for us.”
(What was your reaction when they first said to you that week of the Ravens practice that “hey, we want you to be the edge?”) – “’Why?’ That was the first thing. ‘Why?’ And it wasn’t why in a sense of I was upset that they were changing my position. It was like, ‘what exactly are you asking me, so I can play it how you want me to play it?’ And ‘Flo,’ he pulled me aside and he explained it to me. ‘You’re athletic and you can do things that other guys can’t do. You can do the zone read. You can stop them from getting the ball but also get back on the play. Just to hear that, it meant a lot. And when I ask ‘why,’ it’s never just because I want to play this position or I want to play that position. It’s just what exactly do you need me to do so I can do it to my best ability and that was definitely my first question. ‘Why am I out here?’ But it definitely worked out.”
(So they said it to you in a meeting or they said it to you on the field?) – “It wasn’t in a meeting. It was kind of like after a meeting. I looked and I’m looking at him like ‘all right, I’m not inside at all.’ I remember I asked ‘E. Rob,’ (Elandon Roberts) like ‘damn, I’m on the edge a lot, ain’t I?’ And he was like, ‘yeah, you are.’ So I said something to ‘Flo’ or something and he just explained it to me. ‘This is why we need you here,’ and it definitely worked out for us.”
(It seems like since Head Coach Brian Flores got here, you guys have a tendency to just really start hit your stride in November and December and that’s kind of the hallmark of a good team. What do you think – is there something that’s said? What clicks during the middle of the season where you guys are able to kind of put it all together and be on the winning streak that we’re seeing you guys be on now?) – “I wouldn’t say it was one thing or the other. I wouldn’t say it was a moment. It was more of a we understood how to win. And for that, we kept hearing what we were doing wrong and we really took that and learned as far as penalties were going to set us back. We do certain things well and we do certain things not as well and we saw that and we tried to avoid those things we did wrong. It sounds simple. Football is simple, but it’s a complex game. So as far as penalties, those mistakes that you can really avoid, we truly locked in on those and we try to eliminate those. And guys have been stepping up and making plays and things are going our way. But at the end of the day, we just learned how to win. That was the main thing. We finally learned how to win. We weren’t focused on trying to beat ourselves. It was actually playing our game and doing what we do best and that’s just lining up and being physical and fast and playing together. So it’s definitely working.”
(As a player or as a team, is it kind of tougher to trust the process when it’s like you think you might have that incremental process but the end result was still the same? You’re losing, you might be losing games, but you see that you’re improving in other ways. Is it kind of tough to follow, trust the process, I guess?) – “Yeah, that’s human nature. If you keep losing, it’s hard to say we’re going to just turn it around. We just keep losing and losing. But that’s what you have leaders for. Guys that have been here when we were – I don’t know, whatever record we were – 0-7 at the beginning or 0-6, whatever the 2019 year. We just kept losing and we were close. We kept saying it. ‘We’re close, we’re close, we’re close’ and just because we lost a few games, it could be worse. That was the main thing. It could be worse when we knew that we were a good team. We knew we could turn it around. We just had to fix a few things and just stop beating ourselves and just to see now that we’re a young team and guys see that if you keep putting in the work, things are going to change. That’s not just going to help us for this year, but it’s going to help us for years to come. So I’m definitely glad that we turned things around, but we still have a long way to go.”
(You had Brian Flores and Patrick Graham here at one point, right?) – “Yeah.”
(So now for the last two years, it’s been Flores-Boyer. Is it virtually identical or is there anything a little different?) – “As far as on the field, it’s nothing major. Personality-wise, they have a different personality but I think the main core thing is they’re all aggressive. They want to play aggressive games. They want to blitz on our terms. They want to do things on our terms and as a defensive player, it definitely helps and you really appreciate that. So all three of them – they’re just aggressive coaches. They want to blitz. They want to call coverages on their terms. They want to get you in situations where it favors the defense and just for you to understand as a player, you can see why stopping the run on first down is so important or why getting off the field on third down is so important. They do a great job of understanding why we want to do things and like I said earlier, when I ask why I’m on the edge, they explain it and everything they explain, why we need to drop at the sticks, why we need to work on our leverage – whatever it is, I think that’s just a credit to them. They’re great coaches and now I guess you could say it’s paying off for us in these past few weeks so we’ve just got to keep it going.”
(I was going to ask in the meeting that you had with Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile, besides asking for your input on things like ‘How could we practice better?’ Did he ask you how you felt you could best be used? Was that something that came up in terms of where you line up?) – “So he asked what do I like to do as far as coverages and rushing the passer. I told him I like doing it all. I don’t want to be limited to just being a coverage linebacker or every time I’m in this gap, I’m blitzing or things like that. I love the place I’m in where every play you never know where I could be at. You never know what I could do but you know that I can do it all. He definitely asked me and it’s definitely working out for us.”
(What’s funny is I think there’s a perception that it’s like a dictatorship, probably with most teams, but also with teams that have Patriots people in their coaching hierarchy. And obviously what the coaches say goes, but it’s interesting that they do ask for feedback. Do you think that happens with others or do you think you’re the only one?) – “Honestly, if you don’t listen to your players, it’s going to be pretty hard to play well in this league because at the end of the day, we’re the guys on the field. We’re doing it. You can draw up different plays, you can draw up different schemes, but if your players don’t respond well to it, those plays and schemes are useless. This organization does a great job of taking care of us physically and making sure that we understand why we’re doing certain things. They’re just a great coaching staff as far as they truly make sure you’re in the right position and you’re in the best position that you can play. It’s just a credit to them. They do a great job of doing that. It was rough early in the year but it turned around. Now we just have to keep going and just keep stacking wins, honestly. Just a credit to them.”
Elandon Roberts – December 2, 2021
Thursday, December 2, 2021
LB Elandon Roberts
(With the four-game win streak that you guys put together, obviously everybody is about staying the course and being committed to the program. How encouraging is it to see that it could help you turn around?) – “Each week, when you’re getting wins, of course they are better than losses. Everybody’s energy is up and is loving it. But every week we got a job to do, and that’s to just focus on what’s in front of us. This week it is the Giants. You’ve got Sunday to be excited about it and just feel good about the victory, but at the end of the day, you’ve got another opponent each week so you just get started on them. And this week it’s the Giants.”
(They seem to be going back and forth on which quarterback you’re going to face. What do you see out of each of those two guys? What differences do you see in their games?) – “I feel like anybody you put on the field is going to be kind of different from another guy. But one thing I can say is that they’ll be ready to go from an offensive standpoint. They are a very well-coached team. I know Joe Judge from being in New England with him and I know for a fact that he will have those guys ready to go. So whatever quarterback it is, we have to be ready to go defensively.”
(What stood out to you about N.Y. Giants Head Coach Joe Judge when you were with him?) – “He’s a very detailed guy, a hard-nosed coach. He wants it done right. He’s all about fundamentals, execution and not beating themselves. It’s going to be a 60-minute game.”
(Facing RB Saquon Barkley, obviously he’s had to come back from a couple of injuries, but obviously still a guy that is very respected in this league.) – “Oh, yeah. Most definitely. He’s one of the best backs in this league. He brings a lot to that offense, just like a lot of their other players. He’s the core of that offense. I’m not taking nothing from him. He’s a big part of their offense and we’ve got to be ready to go.”
(You all played seven linebackers last week. It seems like all of you are doing some of your best work. We see how LB Jaelan Phillips has improved, LB Andrew Van Ginkel is playing well, you’re playing well – LB Jerome Baker. What do you like about what your linebacker group offers? What skills do you have? What makes you feel good about your group?) – “I think each week we just all come in and see what we’re asked for that week, and then we go out there and make sure we’re doing it the best possible way we can for our guys next to us. I feel like that’s all you can ask for.”
(You’ve watched LB Jaelan Phillips and his development. How good could this guy be, do you think?) – “Jaelan is doing a real good job and I like everything about Jaelan on and off the field and stuff like that. I’m not trying to speak for Jaelan, but I think each week he comes in and tries to do his best to make sure that when it’s his time to make plays, he makes them. He’s doing a great job at it.”
Jaylen Waddle – December 1, 2021
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Wednesday, December 1, 2021
WR Jaylen Waddle
(I wanted to ask you about the touchdown pass that you caught from QB Tua Tagovailoa. The one that you jumped up, it was up by your facemask. I think it was on third down. What impressed you about what Tua did on that particular play?) – “He just put the ball in a great place. It was a timing route, so he just put there, where only I could get it really.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa is second in the NFL in completion percentage. How would you describe Tua’s accuracy?) – “It’s always been a talent of his since in college. He’s pretty accurate and that just show the stats just show it.”
(What was the reaction you got from the waddle celebration?) – “I got a whole bunch of messages and mentions on Twitter and stuff. It’s been crazy.”
(I know LB Jaelan Phillips and DT Christian Wilkins said they have been trying to get you to do it for a while. What led you to finally say you’ll pull it out?) – “I actually did it last week because Christian always runs on for field goal. He’ll be the first one and we just started doing it.”
(Against the Jets, you spun the ball. Against the Panthers you spiked it. Which one do you prefer? Or the waddle?) – “It doesn’t even matter. It’s just how I’m feeling at that moment.”
(Have you thought about working on the different variations of the waddle?) – “No, not at all.”
(Have you studied any penguin film?) – “(laughter) People have been sending me videos of me doing it next to a penguin. I got some work to do for sure. (laughter)”
(How are you going to monetize this? Do you have merchandise? What’s going on?) – “Nah. It’s really just a me, Christian (Wilkins) and ‘JP’ (Jaelan Phillips) thing. We just do it. We just have fun.”
(I know the team comes first for you but is there a statistical goal out there for you whether it’s 100 catches, 1,000 yards or something that would be meaningful for you from a personal standpoint?) – “Not necessarily, to be honest. I’m just going to go out there and really try to handle business the best I can honestly. Not try to do too much, just do what I’m asked and just play the game.”
(Any nice texts from any other receivers from this draft class? Your buddy WR Devonta Smith or WR Ja’Marr Chase? Did anyone from your draft class send you a text after your big game Sunday?) – “No. Me and ‘Smitty’ (Devonta Smith) talk regularly. But it’s never just about football, to be honest.”
(WR DeVante Parker was back at practice. What would it do if he’s back in the lineup this weekend?) – “Everybody knows that DeVante is a great player, so it’s just another weapon. It makes our offense that much better and just bring his vet style to the game.”
(What does QB Tua Tagovailoa do to make yards after the catch possible for you and your teammates?) – “I think he hits you while you’re in stride so that your run after catch ability is on display. I think just where he puts the ball allows you to make a move and things like that. His ball placement is very key.”
(Yesterday, Cornerbacks Coach Charles Burks talked about you help his defensive backs. Practicing against you helps them. Today, CB Nik Needham said the same thing. What’s the reverse of that? How have those guys helped you polish your game as a pro?) – “They help me a lot, to be honest with you, because they all have different styles and that comes with it throughout the week. The style change of corners and matchups and things like that. ‘X’ (Xavien Howard), Byron (Jones), Nik (Needham) all of them guys help me a lot.”
(I saw a statistic from Travis Wingfield the other day. He said that when you were running, they timed your miles per hour on the 50-plus yarder and it was the fifth fastest ball-carrier of the year. Does that surprise you? How fast did you feel while you were running that play?) – “To be honest, I didn’t feel like I was just scooting like that. When they told me, I was like ‘pretty good, pretty good.’”
(You chose Be The Match for My Cause My Cleats this week. Can you talk a little bit about that?) – “Yeah, I chose Be The Match earlier because of sickle cell and what they do with that and the awareness they bring to sickle cell, which I have the sickle cell trait. So it was something I felt like I should do. I found out late that I had it. I think I was in college when I had it. I think it’s something that everybody needs to be aware of and get knowledge on that.”
Andrew Van Ginkel – December 1, 2021
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Wednesday, December 1, 2021
LB Andrew Van Ginkel
(You’ve had a good season, but it seems like you’ve certainly raised your game like a lot of guys on the team have over the last couple of weeks. Do you feel like you’re playing better, that you’re taking your game to another level?) – “Yeah. I think as long as I can keep improving as the season goes along, and take it day-by-day, and week-by-week, and try to help this team win, that just starts with me getting better and doing my job.”
(Where do you think you’re making more of an impact over these last few weeks? Is it in the run game? Is it in the pass rush? What area, do you think?) – “I think just overall in my whole game, I feel like I’m just getting my confidence up and being in the right spot and doing what the coaches ask of me and feeding off of the players around me and having fun. I think that has really helped me grow as a player and build my confidence.”
(The stats have you with 17 quarterback hits and two sacks. How do you look at that? Is that a sense of pride that you are getting to the quarterback almost as much as anybody on the team? Or is it sort of ‘I’m that close to getting a sack?’) – “I always try to nitpick my game. You always want those sacks, so when you’re not getting there, you try to figure out a way how you can get there a split second faster. Maybe it’s going for the ball or different ways to disrupt and try to get those sacks. When you’re short like that, you always try to find something that you can – maybe a better get off or something that can help you improve that.”
(Have you worked on any one particular thing?) – “Just all of it together. That’s just what I pride myself on, trying to get better each and every game, and each day.”
(How much did your responsibilities change this year with LB Kyle Van Noy departing, with DE Shaq Lawson departing? Were there new responsibilities you took on and what can you say about what type of responsibilities there were?) – “There are a lot of different moving pieces that go into this defense. We have a lot of versatile guys that can play different positions. It’s just accepting the role that I’m put in and being able to excel at all of those spots.”
(Was more put on your plate in terms of were some of LB Kyle Van Noy’s responsibilities given to you where you had to learn new things in July and August?) – “Honestly, no. they do a good job here in making every spot interchangeable and making sure a lot of guys know a lot of positions. If there are injuries or if something happens, you have guys that can fill different voids.”
(What have you seen in LB Jaelan Phillips development and the success he’s having?) – “I think it’s all of the little things that not everybody sees. He’s in here early, he’s getting extra treatment, extra strength (training), meeting with them. He’s coming in on Tuesdays and getting work in on off days, which I think is phenomenal of him. You don’t see a lot of rookies coming in and taking care of their body. It starts with that and even in the film study. He’s got a good base so he can build off of that foundation.”
(Can you talk about the unison that this pass rush has come with where it could be one guy coming on the initial pressure and somebody else is getting the sack because of it? Just the way you guys are complementing each other?) – “I think we have a lot of different guys that can move inside, outside, that we can give different looks and it puts a lot of pressure on the o-line and the quarterback. I think that helps a lot.”
(How would you describe the improvement of this defense over the past month?) – “I think it’s everybody buying in and setting that high standard, and everybody coming in and buying in and doing their job to the best of their ability. Trusting that the guy behind you and the guy beside you that they are going to do their job.”
(I got to ask you about fatherhood. How is that treating you?) – “It’s awesome. There’s nothing like it. I feel like he’s learning something new every day. He just continues to grow and he’s growing like a weed. There is nothing better.”
(Can you tell us about your My Cause My Cleats initiative this year?) – “I’m supporting the Susan B. Komen Foundation because my cousin was just diagnosed with breast cancer. Just bringing awareness to that and to her, to know that I‘m supporting her all the way down in Miami. She’s back home. If there’s any way I can support her and support anybody that has been through that struggle.”
Christian Wilkins – December 1, 2021
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Wednesday, December 1, 2021
DT Christian Wilkins
(How many conversations with QB Tua Tagovailoa have you had about your last college game?) – “There’s really not much conversation to be had. We all know what happened. What is there to even say? Here and there I might poke a little fun or say something here or there.”
Tua Tagovailoa: “Oh don’t ask Christian! (laughter)”
Christian Wilkins: “See. See he clearly is still hurt and upset by it but it is what it is. It was just business. Doing what I had to do.”
(I wanted to ask you an introspective question as a thoughtful guy. You’ve always been a good player but as Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark said this week when I talked to him about you, you’ve taken your game to another level this year and you’ve been really good. Was there a conversation you had with yourself or thought process after last season where you said to yourself, ‘I’m okay but I want to be a lot better. I need to make changes in any way to make me an even better player?’) – “Really, it’s just staying the course and that’s something I would say to a lot of young guys coming into this league whether you have success, whether you struggle or whether you’re good or great. Just staying the course and constantly finding ways to improve. You’re never a complete product no matter if you have the best season of all possible seasons, you still can be better. That’s something I just try to do. I’ve always had confidence within myself. I know I can be a good player in this league and continue to be a good teammate. I always just try to find ways to stay the course, stay humble and stay motivated.”
(You guys obviously are not afraid to have fun in the building, at games and everything, but how do you balance having fun with when it’s time to lock in and really get on to …?) – “It’s all business. It’s always all business. It’s always time to work but at the same time, I like to have fun when I work so I try to keep a good spirit, keep good energy around here and a lot of the guys have that same mindset too. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing, just try to find some fun in it. We’re playing a kids game and we get to call it work. I’m always going to have fun playing this game. Meetings, whatever else – lock in, be a little bit more serious but when you’re out there, when it’s time to celebrate, when it’s time to hip check somebody, chest bump, you do those things and you have a good time with it.”
(Speaking of celebrating, how do you critique WR Jaylen Waddle’s waddle?) – “He did alright. He did pretty good. He gave me some credit. He gave me the founder, I guess, credit. He did pretty good. I’m glad. It’s a perfect celebration too. I wish I had a cool ass name like Waddle or something. (laughter) I’ve been trying to get him to do it all year and he’s finally found the courage to do it. We’ve been working on it all year but when he brought it out, it was pretty solid.”
(What did you do to convince WR Jaylen Waddle to finally do it?) – “I’ve always, after he makes a play or whenever I see him walking around, I’ll just kind of do it or just mess with him. I’ll be like, ‘Waddle, waddle, waddle,’ or like whatever it is. Just putting it in his head and he finally broke it out so it was cool. Now he put the league on notice. Now he’s got a celebration that everyone can get behind.”
(You caught some speed when you were going to the field from the sideline. When you see that they’re getting close to the end zone do you start to monitor? You start zooming down there.) – “Yeah, I’m on field goal anyways so I always got to get ready to be able to go onto the field for the next play. Honestly, I got a little competition with the other d-linemen because we track our top speed throughout the game so that’s my opportunity to get an edge.”
(DT Zach Sieler was mic’d up, you got the sack and he was mad because he felt like he should have been on the field for that play. Can you describe to us what happened?) – “Zach knew what he was doing, so he was mic’d up. He was doing it for the cameras. Nah, I’m just joking. That’s the kind of guy that Zach is and that’s the kind of rapport and energy we’ve been able to create for the guys on the d-line specifically. We don’t care who gets it, we’re just happy. We’re happy for each other and like I said, that’s the kind of guy Zach is. When guys are in or if guys are hot, we have not enough pride to be like, ‘keep going.’ If it’s for the betterment of the team, whatever it is, we’re genuinely happy to see each other succeed. That was just another prime example and there’s a lot of love in the d-line room. We got some characters in the d-line room, golly. It’s just all love in there for sure.”
(One of the metric sites has this category called run stops which is impactful stops against the run. Tou’re very high in that category. Are you pleased with how you’ve done against the run personally?) – “I don’t really pay attention to all that. I don’t get into all the metrics and the analytics and all that other stuff. I just try to play my game and be the best that I can be for the team. It doesn’t really matter. Sometimes hey, I could have the best run game of my life and not make a single tackle but just taking double teams or being in the right spot or making the ball fall back to a linebacker or whatever it is. Sometimes numbers can be misleading or whatever, so I don’t try to pay attention to it regardless. I just do my job and whatever happens, happens.”
(I asked you one question a few months ago on QB Tyler Van Dyke. Just had a final one now that the season is done. It’s been pretty remarkable what he’s done. Have you observed what he’s done, have you had any contact with him since that initial text?) – “I’ve been paying attention and stuff obviously. He’s been putting on for the proud Suffield Academy. Proud alum. He’s been doing his thing and I’ve been happy to see him grow and do some good things out there so that’s awesome. I’m sure I’ll reach out to him at some point in the offseason. Just hang out, grab a bite to eat or something. But like I said, I’m happy to see him have success.”
(Two part question; any friendly banter this week before the game with DL Dexter Lawrence? And do you keep tabs with the other members of the Clemson defensive line where you all went in the first round?) – “Friendly banter? I told him not to talk to me all week. I told him we ain’t friends this week, we ain’t boys, none of that – it’s business. (laughter) Nah, it’s always all love. We talk to each other pretty often, at least once a week if it’s nothing but a text message. We got a little group message or if it’s nothing but a silly message here or there or just like, ‘Love you guys.’ We always keep in contact with each other, keep each other motivated and just updated on each other’s lives. We keep in pretty good contact but yeah, I probably won’t talk to him as much this week until maybe after the game.”
(Swap jerseys after the game?) – “I already have one of his jerseys, so yeah. I’ll definitely chop it up, give him a big bear hug after the game but for those 60 minutes, it’s all business.”
(Obviously there’s going to be some questions for who’s going to be at quarterback on Sunday but regardless, what stands out to you about how the Giants play on offense?) – “They’re really talented. They got a lot of great skill guys. They got a good, strong, tough o-line. We’re definitely going to have to be prepared and have a great week of practice. I feel like we’re going in the right direction with that today but just a lot of work to do. We can’t take these guys lightly. We can’t focus on anything else but the task at hand because they’re a really good team and they got a lot of weapons. They’ve competed with some really good teams so we’re going to have to play our best game this season this week.”
(It wasn’t too long ago when you were a rookie. How would you assess how LB Jaelan Phillips and S Jevon Holland are handling this season with all the success they’ve had?) – “It’s definitely good to see those young guys step up and grow up in front of your eyes. They were just little babies when they came in here and they didn’t know what they were doing, whether they were coming or going, nothing. Jaelan didn’t even know how to get in a three-point stance. I had to teach him all that, teach him how to walk and – (laughter) nah, I’m joking. But it’s good to see those guys definitely be impactful for us but just continue to try to keep them humble. They have good spirits, they have some want to, they care about the game, they love the game and it’s good to have a lot of those young guys around because they’re just excited to be here. They have the right mindset and the right energy. It’s just good. I’m just happy to see them have some success.”
(We had LB Andrew Van Ginkel out here a few minutes ago. What does he bring into this defense especially the last several weeks?) – “’Gink’ is one of the smartest guys I’ve played with. He gets schemes and gets how to play well within our scheme. He sees things and whenever ‘Gink’ tells me to do something on the field, I’m like ‘yup, I’m all ears.’ A lot of the times it leads to a play or it leads to us making a stop on defense or whatever. He’s a great teammate, he can rush, he does a good job in coverage, he’s just a tough guy, does a good job on special teams and I got a lot of respect for a guy like ‘Gink.’”
Mike Gesicki – December 1, 2021
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Wednesday, December 1, 2021
TE Mike Gesicki
(For all of the good-natured kidding with your buddy TE Durham Smythe, he really has become a more significant part of the passing game than ever before in these last couple of weeks. What do you think has led to that, knowing him as well as you do and knowing how Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends George Godsey thinks? Is it strictly matchups? Is it an evolution of his skills?) – “I’d love to say he has me to thank for that but I played zero role in that. Durham is just a hell of a football player. If you want him to block, he’s going to do it. If you want him to escape out in the flat and break a tackle, he’ll do it. If you want him on special teams on punt, he’ll do it. If you want him to lead, he’ll do it. Whatever you ask him to do, he’s going to do it and do it to the best of his ability, and that’s a pretty good ability.”
(Did he talk any trash for getting the nod for the QB sneak, that he was the one that got to do it?) – “No. That was an interesting package. We’ve had that in for about three weeks now, actually. Initially I was like, ‘Listen man, you don’t want to call that. You want to save that for prime time when we play on Thursday night.’ It didn’t make it out for the Thursday night game. It didn’t make it out for last week. Then we finally got it called and dialed up this week twice within like three plays. So good for him. I’m happy for him. Any time he makes a play, I’m his number one fan.”
(But you better get the next one right?) – “(laughter) I’m not lobbying for snaps under center. Although Durham now, unfortunately I tried to warn (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and everybody last week to get this man his money. Because now he can start demanding quarterback money. (laughter) So that’s now an issue in this organization – there’s not going to be enough money to go around. (laughter)”
(Regarding QB Tua Tagovailoa’s ball placement, he’s number two in the league in completion percentage. How would you describe his accuracy?) – “I mean his accuracy is great. I specifically, I don’t know why this just flashed back to me, but I remember after the Chicago preseason game, I remember talking about his accuracy back then before a lot of people were talking about it now. I remember he hit me on a third down in a preseason game and he put it low and away where only I could go get it. It’s just those kind of throws that he makes. Now you see it. I think the other day he was like 28-of-31 or something. He’s going to throw a very catchable ball and he’s going to make the job easy for his receivers. I love playing with hm and a lot of guys are making plays because of where he’s putting the ball.”
(That seems like a very situational throw. Can you work on that or is that just kind of a feel of the game in the moment?) – “It’s really in the moment because you don’t know – you assume you know how they’re going to play things and stuff but at the end of the day, once you get out there, all of that film study and all of the preparation and everything that goes into it just puts you in that position to kind of have a better understanding of what’s going to happen. But they’re allowed to do whatever they want out there. He has a great feel of where defenders are and how to throw people open and get a ball in a tight space. That’s just a credit to him and his arm.”
(You guys have been clicking very well even without WR DeVante Parker. What kind of a … [inaudible]) – “DeVante is obviously an elite receiver in this league. He can make plays downfield, can make contested catches. So to add another guy like that into the mix, I think you guys all know what DeVante is capable of so we’d love to have him back out there.”
(You’ll be reunited Sunday with your former college teammate. What was it like playing with Giants RB Saquon Barkley?) – “A great player. Unbelievable teammate. I can’t say enough good things about him on and off the field. Obviously he’s had a ton of success but he’s also fought through some injuries and things like that. I’m happy for him personally that he’s healthy and that he’s able to go. But on Sunday, we’re not college teammates anymore.”
(You chose THON for My Cause My Cleats. Can you talk about it?) – “Yeah, so it’s an organization called THON. At Penn State, they do a 46-hour dance marathon for pediatric cancer. So the kids, their families, everybody gets out there and fundraise a ton of money every year. I mean in the tens of millions of dollars to help raise awareness and help research for these kids and their families. It’s an unbelievable organization. It’s a great cause and I’m just happy to – this Sunday – raise a little bit more awareness for it.”
(What stands out to you about the Giants defense?) – “A lot of playmakers. Up front, they’re big. Really big. Then the ‘backers are good players. Then in the secondary, they’ve got (James) Bradberry, who plays very physical. I went back and watched a couple of games that he played this season. He’s made a lot of plays playing physical. (Xavier) McKinney in the back at safety. He’s made a ton of plays back there. Then one of their other DBs – Julian Love – he’s made a ton of plays as well. They’ve got guys across the board that can make plays. And also with (Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator) Patrick Graham being over there, he was here in 2019 so we know overall his philosophy and how he wants to play. They’re going to be ready to play so we have to continue to prepare and be ready on Sunday.”
(Does that help at all, the fact that you do know what kind of defense Patrick Graham likes to play?) – “To an extent. But at the end of the day, there’s game-planning that goes into it. There’s a lot of stuff that can change on Sunday. You think you know what to expect but that’s what this league – a lot of guys get paid a lot of money to be creative and disguise things and he’s obviously a great coach and has made a ton of good play calls and good games that he’s had in his career. I think they’re also going to be prepared and we’ll see.”
Nik Needham – December 1, 2021
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Wednesday, December 1, 2021
CB Nik Needham
(Is the blitzing aspect of what you guys have accomplished the last four weeks, is it so fun that you will ever playfully lobby Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer to get you more blitz opportunities?) – “I wouldn’t necessarily say that, but I think it’s something that has been working for us and we’ve had a little success on that and made some explosive plays defensively on that. I don’t think there’s a problem with it. We’ve just got to do whatever Coach Boyer says in the gameplan. At the end of the day, if it’s more blitzing, we’ll do it. If not, there’s a reason for that.”
(It seems like fun to blitz.) – “Oh no, it’s definitely fun.”
(Has there ever been a time this season where you’ve gone up to Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander or Cornerbacks Coach Charles Burks or Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer and said, ‘Hey! Get me in on some of those blitzes?’) – “Nah, nothing like that but when it’s my turn to blitz, I’ll just tell them make sure y’all do y’all jobs so I can try to come free. I know that never happens but you always just joke around like that, yeah. I said I’m trying to get sacks like y’all. (laughter)”
(I know you’ve gone against WR Jaylen Waddle in practice and certainly in the summer, a lot in the summer. What do you think is unique about his skill?) – “Just how explosive of an athlete he is and then his catch and run. As soon as he catches the ball, you see it. He like instantly hits top speed. I think that creates a big issue for a lot of defenders and he can also go up and reach the high point and get the ball too, as you saw last week on the touchdown. I think that’s just what’s a big key on him. He can make all the catches, he can run all the routes and he’s fast. He’s one of the fastest guys. I think that’s what makes it kind of difficult for other people to guard him and that’s what’s making him have success.”
(The Giants have their version of WR Jaylen Waddle in WR Kadarius Toney, I think. I don’t know his health status. How similar are their skillsets?) – “Both are really explosive athletes. I think you can kind of say generational explosiveness or quick twitch. Toney definitely has a lot of that, you see it on film. He makes a lot of guys miss so if he is playing, we have to make sure we all rally to the ball and wrap up.”
(Can you tell us about your My Cause My Cleats initiative? Is that WR Allen Hurns’ foundation?) – “Yeah, I’ve been doing that since I’ve been here. This is my third year I think doing that. It’s just about single parents and praising them, helping and trying to give back to them for all the hard work they give to their children. I grew up with two single parents so just watching how hard they work and all the sacrifice they gave for me just to eventually get to this point I am right now means the world. I want to give back as much as possible to them and all the other single parents out there doing stuff for their kids so they can be successful.”
Byron Jones – December 1, 2021
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Wednesday, December 1, 2021
CB Byron Jones
(I know everything is one week at a time here, but in a quiet moment, have you allowed yourself to think about the possibility of competing maybe for postseason? And knowing that it is realistic, which no one would’ve envisioned at 1-7.) – “No. We are just focused on the Giants. This league is too hard, everyone is too good to put your mind too far forward. We have a long way before we can start thinking about that stuff.”
(With that said, does it feel like a different purpose now? Just a few weeks ago, the purpose was just ‘oh my goodness, we are better than this.’ Now there is something more of a season that could be made out of this.) – “The goal – any week you go in, whether you’re 1-7 or 1-10, is to win the next game. Our mentality was just that and to the credit of the players, we all stayed in a foxhole and we understood there was a lot of football to play and that the season could turnaround in an instant. Credit to the coaches, the staff, the players for believing in the message all the way through. Again, there is still a lot of football to be played, and that’s the exciting part for us. There is a lot of opportunity out there.”
(How has it felt playing defense over the past four weeks for you guys?) – “It’s been fun. Guys are making plays, we are putting pressure on offenses, we’re forcing them to respond to our calls. It’s been fun. We’ve been causing havoc and of course there are plays here and there that we want to get back, but guys are stepping up and guys are making plays. That’s exciting. It’s fun for us.”
(What are your thoughts on QB Daniel Jones and if he can’t go, QB Mike Glennon?) – “They are both good quarterbacks. They’ve both played in this league for a good amount of time. No matter who is out there, I think we’re going to get the Giants’ best. We’re preparing for both.”
(For a rookie, has S Jevon Holland’s handling of calls been everything you could possibly expect for a first-year player in terms of quick recognition, comprehension and relaying it to other members of the secondary?) – “His growth has been impressive – his leadership, his ability to understand plays and get us into the right calls. For a young guy to come in and play like that at this level is really impressive. The goal for him is to continue to push in that direction and continue to be the leader that he is. He’s been playing well. I wouldn’t tell him to his face. I want him to keep playing as hard as he can, but he’s a guy that I have no doubt that he’s going to continue being a better player. It’s fun to see that growth.”
(What do you think changed that enabled this defense to put that kind of pressure on offenses, like you just mentioned, and force them to respond to you rather than the other way around?) – ‘I think everyone took it upon themselves. I think everybody from the coaches to the players looked themselves in the mirror and said, what can I do better? That’s one thing I love about defensive guys. I think we’re a little bit different than any other person on the field. We take that personal responsibility to the heart. I think a lot of guys took the time to look themselves in the mirror and ask ‘what can I be doing better?’ and to their credit, everyone collectively came together and kind of got it done. The exciting part is how much we have to go and some of the plays that we left on the field the last couple of games. That’s the fun part. It’s a continual journey.”
(It’s interesting that players were talking about plays you left on the field when you’re coming off a game where you gave up 10 points and a 5.8 passer rating.) – “I know everyone looks at the final score, but we understand that every single game you go into, you need as many plays as you can to push the tide and win the game for you. You never know what it’s going to come down to. We don’t take those plays for granted. Obviously the score was one thing, but we look personally on the defense and say we left some things out there and we gave some up when we really shouldn’t have. We understand that this is the NFL and the offense will make plays, but when it’s on us, I think take that to the heart.”
(This is My Cause My Cleats week. Can you talk a little bit about the foundation you chose to support?) – “I can’t even pronounce the name, so we call I CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease). It’s a rare brain disease. It pretty much puts you in a late stage of Alzheimer’s. You could be a perfectly healthy functioning person and I guess these prion proteins just de-nature the proteins in your brain and you just die within the next year. It’s very hard to determine exactly what the issue is until you pass away, unfortunately. It’s a rare disease, but there are enough people who have experienced it. Every time I post the shoes, I get a lot of messages from families across America thanking me for putting that cause at the forefront. I had a very close friend pass away from that – her name was Diana Hunter. She was in her 30s. She was vibrant, she had her own job and she was doing her thing. She passed away suddenly from that disease. I try to uplift that family anyway I can by having cleats and by putting it on the forefront. I try to do my best.”
