Myles Gaskin – September 23, 2021
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Thursday, September 23, 2021
RB Myles Gaskin
(There hasn’t been a huge volume of carries for the running backs the first two games. Part of that a function of not having a lot of plays, three-and outs and etc. Has there been a renewed sense from Co-Offensive Coordinator/TEs George Godsey and Co-Offensive Coordinator Eric Studesville this week of wanting to get the running game going?) – “I guess. I think we are more focused on whatever the play call is. We just kind of leave that to the coaches. As an offensive unit, I think we are just focused on whatever the play call is and being able to perform to our best abilities. We don’t make those types of decisions.”
(You never want to leave a game scoring zero points. When you looked back at the film, did you feel a little more confident and optimistic given that you were able to advance to Buffalo’s side of the field and you just weren’t able to finish drives?) – “I guess. We’re not into small victories. I’m not really worried about Buffalo; I’m worried about Las Vegas. I guess when you look at it, there were some takeaways but we just didn’t play up to what we wanted to.”
(From the running back’s perspective, is a point of emphasis for you in the Las Vegas game, relative to helping the blocking, the overall offense blocking situation?) – “When we get our opportunities to run the ball, just making the most out of them, making those guys right. Try to focus on making those 10-yard carries maybe 20-yard carries or 30-yard carries. Just kind of move the ball as best as we can. As a running back, as the running back unit, we always just focus on what we can do. If it’s blocking, if it’s running the ball, if it’s catching the ball, just keep on working on those things.”
(Going back to Las Vegas, nice memories after the game last year and how much fun was that fourth quarter from your vantage point?) – “Yeah, it was a lot of fun. But I’m not really focused on that. We have a new team, they have a new team. It’s not the same at all. But yeah, that was a fun game and I’m just excited to get back there.”
(What has QB Jacoby Brissett been like this week in practice knowing fairly early in the week that he would be the starter?) – “He’s been great. Just a leader. Obviously he’s been around the league for a while now. He’s always been a leader, even when Tua (Tagovailoa) was the guy. He was always trying to help him, help other guys talking to receivers and talking to the backs when Tua might be talking to somebody else, and telling everybody how he sees it. Like I said, he’s been around in the league and he’s seen what works. For him to step up into the role that he’s in right now, I don’t think that he’s worried about it at all. He’s been a leader on this team for a while.”
(How much time, prior to this week, did you and QB Jacoby Brissett have to get on the same page and how much time have you spent in that backfield with him under center?) – “Not a lot, I guess. Like I said, he’s been around the league for a long time. It’s not like you’re putting in a young guy, stepping in. He’s made a lot of good decisions and he’s played a lot of good ball. I’m always listening to him. Whatever he says, he’s the quarterback and everybody knows he’s a real smart quarterback.”
(I assume the focus tape-wise has been watching Las Vegas against Pittsburgh and what their defense did. You had such a big game in Week 16, do you go back this week and look at that tape at all even though there have been personnel changes on the Raiders defense?) – “No. New DC (defensive coordinator). New team. A few new pieces, not a totally new team. Just different. It’s not going to be the same type of game, it’s not going to be played the same, they’re not going to have the same calls, we’re not going to have the same calls, we’ve got new OCs (offensive coordinators).”
(What sticks out from the new Raiders defense?) – “Those guys just fly around to the ball. They play hard. I don’t know much about defense but when I did play defense in high school, I feel like that’s the biggest thing is just fly around to the ball, run to the ball. You hear it from our defensive coaches so I think that’s No. 1 and they always do that. That’s just kind of high alert, like these are guys want to play ball.”
(What position did you play in high school?) – “I played corner and safety. I was never that good (laughter).”
Eric Rowe – September 23, 2021
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Thursday, September 23, 2021
S Eric Rowe
(So last year was pretty much you and S Bobby McCain getting the safety snaps. S Brandon Jones was weaved in some and occasionally we’d see a little of S Clayton Fejedelem. This year is new for this team with four safeties all getting significant workload. Is that an adjustment for you at all? What’s the strengths of having four guys rotating in and out of that spot?) – “Yeah, just like Jason (McCourty) said, our safety room, everybody has different strengths and different weaknesses. Combine it all and we’re a pretty talented group. I think just early on in the season, everyone was just trying to figure out – even coaches – what role people were going to play. It was what, the second game? We’ve got 15 or however many games (left) this year. We still have a long season so with us four kind of weaving in and out, we’re just trying to find the strengths that we all have.”
(What makes Raiders TE Darren Waller so difficult to cover and what do you remember from facing him last year?) – “Darren is a big guy. Huge, like 6-6. And he’s fast. When you’re that big and fast – and he’s strong too – he’s a tough cover, especially with a quarterback like Derek Carr. He’s always played at a high level but this year, at least the past two games, he’s stepped it up a lot. Just having a quarterback like him, he can put it where only he can get it and the DB can’t. It just makes it super tough.”
(Last year, you guys had a very interesting matchup. I could say you covered him quite well. He still had 115 yards. How forward have you been looking to this matchup – a rematch?) – “Yeah, since I came off the field after that game. I know we came out with the win but just personally, I know that I was there in position and just needed to take that extra step and either knock it down or catch the ball – it was right there. Obviously you have to put it in the past because that’s the past. Different teams each year. We’ve got a different team and they’ve got a different team. Maybe (some of) the same players. This week coming up will be something new.”
(Was QB Jacoby Brissett a teammate in New England for one year?) – “Yeah.”
(So you know QB Jacoby Brissett a little bit on and off the field. What do you think are his strengths as a player and his characteristics in general?) – “As a player, when I was with him I’ve seen him grow from – I remember he was running kind of on the look team quarterback and he had trouble making some reads or whatever but he was a rookie. Then when he left, I was watching him on the Colts and he got immensely better. Now out here, kind of what he brings is toughness because he’s tough. He’ll stand in the pocket. He’ll take the hits. And obviously his accuracy and his throwing. Yeah, him and Tua (Tagovailoa), they had him as No. 2 but he can easily be a starter somewhere else. Obviously we have full confidence in him going out this week.”
(I’m sure you go into any game wanting to not give up a single completion, but do you agree with what was said a minute ago that even though Raiders TE Darren Waller put up some numbers last year, that you played a pretty good game? Do you agree with that?) – “For me or really any of the DBs, it’s really only a good game if you’re in position – I still didn’t get the job done. He made some great catches but at the end of the day, I didn’t get the job done. I didn’t break up the pass or intercept it. They still got the yards on however long those balls were. I was in position, I can say that, but to be a corner or a safety in this league to cover, you’ve got to make a play on the ball.”
(So what do you do? You mentioned what Raiders TE Darren Waller’s strengths are and how he’s a weird combination of size and speed, so what do you do? How do you combat that?) – “I don’t know. You’ve just got to play hard. (laughter) You’ve got to play hard. You’ve got to trust your abilities, have confidence and just go out there. If you go out there with no confidence then it’ll be a lot worse. You have to go out there with full confidence, trust your abilities and get the job done.”
Liam Eichenberg – September 23, 2021
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Thursday, September 23, 2021
T Liam Eichenberg
(So what’s your week been like?) – “It’s been great. Obviously we lost to the Bills. That wasn’t awesome. That stung, for sure. We made the corrections and we’re looking forward to this weekend. We have a great team coming up in the Raiders. They’re very experienced, a great coaching staff. We’re excited for the opportunity to play again.”
(You played significant snaps in both games. What have you taken and learned from those opportunities?) – “I think I would say it just kind of goes back to your technique and fundamentals. Coach ‘Lem’ (Offensive Line Coach Lemuel Jeanpierre) coaches to me and communicates to me. Being out there, there’s different players. There’s a lot of different guys that end up rotating throughout the game so it’s kind of not specifically thinking about one person’s move but kind of going back to your basics – having good balance, mixing up your hands and staying in front of guys.”
(Having had about a month at right tackle, can you be as comfortable there – are you as comfortable there now as you are at left tackle after spending a college career at left tackle?) – “Yeah, you know I remember when you guys asked me that last time about playing at left. It’s all – I don’t know how to say this. It’s all different now. Even going back to left, it felt different. I’ve been playing a lot of different positions – been playing guard, tackle, flipping sides of the line. It just kind of takes a couple of days to re-adjust to wherever I’m at.”
(Have you had the opportunity to focus on one thing this week?) – “No. I’ve been playing guard and tackle again. They kind of flip me around. We’ve been rotating in. It’s been hot out so we’re kind of rotating guys in and giving guys a blow. It’s just day-by-day, I just kind of do my best to improve at wherever I’m at.”
(You played left tackle against New England and you played right tackle against the Bills. Even if it was one or two snaps, is there any kind of adjustment period that you have to go through when moving from side to side?) – “Yeah, definitely. I would just say it just kind of goes back to balance – flipping sides. Normally when you’re on the left, you want to have more weight on your inside leg and then it’s the same at right. Just those adjustments.”
(C/G Michael Deiter described the O-line room as first a little bit down but then motivated to get better. How can you describe what that room has been like this week?) – “Yeah, I would say this offensive line has a very high care factor. We’re very committed to improving every single day. Coming off that loss to Buffalo, it kind of was one of those instances where you have to look yourself in the mirror and realize that we need to improve. This offense, like it goes how we go. For us, it was a good wake up call. Obviously we didn’t want that to happen but it just exposed what we need to work on. We’ve worked hard this whole week so I’m looking forward to it. But there’s a lot of time left and the Raiders are a great defense.”
(How hard is it – as you flip back and forth – not to keep beating the same horse over again but how hard is it to not let your thinking about your mechanics on each side overcome your responsibility on that play?) – “I think most importantly it just goes back to what I’m doing. You’re kind of flipping the playbook. Depending on if I’m at guard or tackle, it’s different assignments. At first it was difficult but now that I’ve been in this offense for a while and kind of understand everything, it’s a lot easier. But at first when I got flipped to guard, I was like – I’m talking to Jesse Davis and he was like, ‘you’ve got to do this. This is how it works.’ Because he’s played like every position. (laughter) It’s great having those guys who are older and understand everything.”
(What’s your comfort level at left guard now?) – “It’s good. I practiced at it up in the Chicago week and then a couple of weeks before. I’ve played left guard before. It’s just kind of wherever they want me. They’ve been flipping me around the whole week. It’s just kind of how it is.”
(I’m sure you’ve had various ups and downs throughout various levels of playing football – high school, college and so forth – but can you compare what you guys are facing now to anything in your past in terms of that look yourself in the mirror moment?) – “Probably last season when we lost to Clemson. We got blown out. Then every time I’ve been in the playoffs, we got whooped – in college. So it’s just difficult. When we played Clemson when I was in college, it kind of gave me more motivation. I don’t know. For me, the losses hurt worse more than winning, obviously. But at the same time, I’m a guy that understands I need to improve every single day. I think everybody in our offensive line room understands that it’s not about what happened yesterday, it’s about how we can improve today. We try to take the right foot forward. But yeah, I’ve been blown out in college. It happens. Obviously it isn’t something that we want to happen but you have to kind of look at what went wrong and fix it.”
(So the pain of a loss is stronger than the joy from a win?) – “Yeah. I would say it definitely bothers me more. I’m a guy that every single practice, I go in there and I look at what I did wrong. It bothers me because you want to strive for perfection at the end of the day.”
(You went to Notre Dame so I’m sure you’re a fairly smart guy. What are some of the ways in which you can master, as you were saying earlier, all of the guard assignments and the tackle assignments? Do you have a dry erase board in your apartment? How do you – what do you do more to try to master that stuff?) – “I have flash cards kind of broken up for tackle and guard. Then also, I’m not saying this – for me, it’s happened where when I was in college, I played left tackle for the whole time so my brain kind of shut off when the coach is talking to the right guard. But now you have to listen to when he’s talking to tackles and guards. I listen to when he’s talking to the center too because you just never know. It’s a lot of information but if you can kind of understand it from everybody’s perspective, it makes it a lot easier.”
(Do you have a roommate or something? Someone that can…) – “No. No roommate but Rob Jones and I, during camp and stuff, we’d stay here extra and kind of go through all of the information and stuff.”
(Do the flash cards go with you everywhere you go?) – “Yeah, I had them in my backpack. Now they’re just at home, because I was in the hotel then.”
(How many cards are you having to memorize?) – “I mean when we did installs, I would make cards for every install, so it was a good amount. The offense – the playbook – is pretty large. It’s good stuff. It’s got everything in there.”
(Are we talking 20, 50, 100?) – “It just depends. Obviously there are different plays, there are different codenames depending on certain blitzes and stuff like that.”
(Did you utilize the same method for like finance exams in college and things like that?) – “Yeah, I did the same thing. When you have a lot of information, you need to break it down. I don’t think people really understand how much goes into running an offense and understanding everything.”
DeVante Parker – September 22, 2021
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
WR DeVante Parker
(We haven’t seen you since Sunday’s game. I just wanted to ask you about the play in the end zone. What was your perspective on what happened on that play?) – “I just feel like I should have came down with that. That’s what I do best. I don’t know what happened. I just didn’t make the play that we needed, really.”
(When you look back at that game, although you weren’t able to put any points and that’s what you guys set out to do, do you feel like kind of a glass half full just knowing that you were able to at least drive the ball and get to Buffalo’s side of the field? Just wasn’t able to turn it into points.) – “We were moving the ball. We just have to punch it in. That’s the biggest thing that we needed really. Even if it’s a field goal or anything. We just have to do better and we’ll do that.”
(What was practice like with QB Jacoby Brissett leading you?) – “I’d say practice to me is the same as it always is. The same. In and out of the huddle, the same things we’ve been doing. Nothing different.”
(QB Jacoby Brissett has played in 50 or more NFL games. How would you describe his leadership approach?) – “I would say just like any other leader. They’ll tell us if we’re not doing something right, let us know or ‘come on guys, we need to get this’ or something like that. Just little things in the huddle. Small things like that.”
(How different is the ball coming from a right-handed quarterback to a left-handed quarterback?) – “I see it the same both ways. Doesn’t affect me really, but the same way.”
(Do QB Tua Tagovailoa and QB Jacoby Brissett throw the ball similar or does one throw it harder than the other?) – “To me, I think it’s the same really.”
(So obviously you guys didn’t score in the last game, but you did move the ball up and down the field. You did get first downs. Can you take some encouragement from that – the fact that you guys moved the ball pretty well at times?) – “Yeah, for sure, but it can’t be at times. It has to be all the time especially just help out the defense. They’re doing a good job and we just want to be all as one.”
(What do you remember most about the game at the Raiders last year?) – “I remember that one big play. I didn’t play in that game, but I was there. I remember that one big play that we had and it helped us win.”
(Were you watching WR Mack Hollins on the sideline or were you watching Ryan Fitzpatrick’s helmet get wrapped around his head?) – “I was watching ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and him getting it wrapped around his head so I didn’t know what was going on down there until I heard everybody cheering. So I looked down there and I’m like, ‘oh, made a catch.’”
(Just quick question about Raiders CB Trayvon Mullen. I’m not sure if he’s going to follow you around or not come Sunday, but what kind of challenges do a longer cornerback like that present?) – “Corners like him, they’ve got the long arms. They have to grab on you and we just got to do a good job getting their hands off of you.”
(Is that more from your perspective to try go up for a 50/50 ball against a guy who can look you in the eye rather than a 5’10, 5’11 type dude?) – “It’ll be tough. It’ll be a tough matchup. Good player over there so you’ve got to stick to what you know.”
(Think you’ll finally get WR Will Fuller V in the offense this week. What do you think his addition will do you for you and WR Jaylen Waddle and TE Mike Gesicki and the rest of the guys?) – “I think having Will (Fuller) out there will help open things up a little bit more. Looking forward to just have him out there with us.”
Jesse Davis – September 22, 2021
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
G/T Jesse Davis
(How concerned were you about the knee and how do you feel today?) – “It is something that happened and I took care of it. I’m starting to feel better.”
(Obviously with QB Tua Tagovailoa injured, what was your thought process when you saw him down and struggling?) – “I felt pretty bad. Every time you see the quarterback go down and it’s your fault, it’s a bad deal.”
(As a leader on the offensive line, what can you say to these guys to elevate their game this week?) – “You just got to stay positive. Put one foot in front of the other and get better each day. How can I get better and how can I make the people around me better? One day at a time.”
(QB Jacoby Brissett said after the game that he did not view himself as a backup and that he has the mentality of a starter. Do you see that in practice from a guy that you have been around virtually every day in training camp a few weeks since?) – “Yeah, Jacoby brings a lot to the team. He’s a vocal guy, he’s a good leader and he’s been a quarterback in this league for a while. I think he should view himself as a candidate and I think he does a good job.”
(There’s obviously been a lot of focus on the offensive line after Sunday. Where is this line, how do you fix it and how far are you from fixing it?) – “Like I said, one day at a time. Just trying to make myself better and make the people around me better. We’ll see how we do.”
(I know you guys are probably trying to ignore that but does it ever set in when it gets heavy as far as the criticism of the group or individuals?) – “We try to leave all that stuff outside these doors. We focus on each other and what’s being said in our rooms between coaches and whatnot. We kind of pick each other up in that aspect. But no, we don’t really pay too much attention to the media.”
(As the guy in the rom that everybody looks up to, as the veteran, the leader do you have to lift the spirits of the young offensive linemen at all this week after some of the toughest moments that they’ve had as pros?) – “It obviously wasn’t a good outing. We all kind of preach the same thing. One play at a time let’s get better, let’s make the corrections, let’s watch the film and let’s fix our technique issues. Everybody has their issues and day by day let’s fix them.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores mentioned that there is going to be competition and maybe some shuffling going on. How do you approach that as an offensive linemen maybe not knowing for sure where you’ll be on Sunday?) – “It’s the same old thing; wherever the club needs me, that’s where I’ll be.”
(What’s one thing you’d like to see the offense keep in mind to help limit the number of free rushers?) – “I don’t know, I think our scheme was good, I just don’t think we executed. That’s the only reason. I think these coaches do a really good job of putting a plan in place for us and it’s our job to execute. That’s how it trades off. It’s up to us.”
(We heard that the Bills brought the type of pressure that you guys expected last week with a couple new wrinkles in there. What did they do differently that maybe you didn’t see on film prior to the game?) – “I don’t know. I didn’t hear that. That’s a good football team. They’re a good defense. We didn’t play nowhere near where we should have and we just have to do better.”
(I don’t want to pretend that we know everything about o-line play but as far as the communication, what is typically the process you go about when someone has to slide protection left or right based on someone coming?) – “That depends on the structure of the protection, where our point would be and where that play is going. It depends on the structure. It’s nothing crazy.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores said the biggest difference going from QB Tua Tagovailoa to QB Jacoby Brissett was going from left-handed to right-handed. For a receiver, that’s spinning the ball and stuff like that. As an offensive lineman, the adjustment left-handed to right-handed is what?) – “It’s just football. It’s another thing to the game and you don’t even really think about that too much. There’s different players but you still got to block them. That’s the key.”
(With the possible shuffling, how does the experience that you have at multiple positions help for situations like that?) – “It depends on how I play, too. I can’t really speak too much on that.”
Brandon Jones – September 22, 2021
(How do you feel your comfort level with the defense and your assignment and play is now compared to this time last year?) – “Last year I would say I was trying to keep my head above water especially with how complex our defense can be at times. I was kind of all over the place. Really focused on my position and my role versus getting an overall – my knowledge of the whole defense and the schemes that we run. I think now I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with that – my coaches obviously giving me the opportunity to play multiple positions has been super beneficial to me. Just being able to know the safety, the star, anything like that. So I think being able to do that has definitely increased my knowledge, my football IQ.”
(I think of you as one of the top four safeties, but help me understand. When you’re on the field, literally explain it to me if you can. Are you also sometimes doing the slot nickel assignment, a linebacker assignment, both of them? What are the accurate descriptions of your various assignments?) – “I’m still a safety at the end of the day so I line up in multiple different spots whether it’s in the box, kind of in that star role, some of the strong safety, the dime world, stuff like that. So yeah, I definitely have to consider myself a safety. I’m only 195 pounds so I can – definitely in the box I can’t say I’m a linebacker when everybody else is like 250 and stuff like that.”
(I was hearing LB Jaelan Phillips just talk about the prospect of thinking, having to think when you want to rush. Have you transitioned from college – now you’re two years in – how do you get that grasp of thinking and not making mental mistakes but still playing fast?) – “Yeah, it’s definitely that I’ve put a big emphasis on – I think last year, especially being young you get caught up in trying to do everything perfect an do everything right that you get too focused on the mental side of the game which causes you not to be able to play fast. So I think that’s my biggest jump, is just being comfortable out there and I’m a guy that I have to see whenever we install a new defense or something like that; I have to go through it three or four times before practice with my coach – meet with my coach in the morning and seeing it the first time at practice, if that’s the first time I’ve seen it I know that I’m already behind so that’s just how I go about it. And I think that Jaelan (Phillips) obviously has a really good head on his shoulders and he’s a really smart guy, but yeah, biggest advice would be to just stay in your book and once you’re able to know it inside and out and when you can actually teach it to somebody else that’s when you know you know your material.”
(Your impressions of the Raiders passing game? It’s been pretty prolific in the first two weeks.) – “They do a really good job obviously with passing the football, multiple personnels, and it comes from 11, 12, 13, 21, 20 (personnel). Everything in the book. They run a lot of empty. Obviously they like to spread the ball out and take shots, deep shots down the field. They have a lot of playmakers to be able to do that so they’re definitely going to keep us on our toes. It’s going to be a really good matchup, but yeah, they do a really good job of doing the good things.”
(When you played in Vegas last year obviously there was the crazy finish, but how would you describe what it was like to be on the Dolphins sideline in that last minute of the game?) – “Yeah, it was crazy and I think it was kind of weird, too, just because there was literally nobody in the stands so it kind of felt like a scrimmage in a way, but yeah, that last play was unreal and then obviously we had the onside kick or whatever so I’d start on kickoff and I’m just praying back there as a safety like, ‘please don’t let it break, don’t let it break.’ But everything worked out good.”
(What makes a guy like Raiders TE Darren Waller so hard to cover?) – “Biggest thing – you really just can’t identify him as a certain position because he’s listed as a tight end, but he has the ball skills and the route running of a receiver so I think a lot of teams get caught up in the matchup situations with do you put a corner on him, do you put a safety on him. How do you treat him as a player. He’s one of the best tight ends in the league in my opinion if you want to label him as a tight end, but he really does everything really well.”
(How hard is it to balance wanting to be ultra aggressive on the field and then just kind of holding in the reins and not committing a penalty like you did with Bills QB Josh Allen just near the sideline? How hard is that?) – “It’s especially just how competitive I am and how passionate I am with playing football and winning. Obviously no disrespect to Josh Allen with the penalty. I have the utmost respect for him and what he does for his team. I just kind of got to realize the situation especially if somebody is going close towards out of bounds; I know we preach so much about attacking the football and stuff like that. I just have to be smarter about situations like that.”
Jaelan Phillips – September 22, 2021
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Wednesday, September 22, 2021
LB Jaelen Phillips
(I know it’s not a ton of defensive snaps – I think 40 for you so far. What’s your feeling on how you played on those snaps?) – “Honestly, regarding the snaps, I can only control two things and that’s my attitude and my effort. When I get out there, regardless of how many snaps I play, I’ve felt that I’m still kind of settling in. I don’t think I’m completely comfortable yet. I’m definitely working on being able to let loose and have fun. At the end of the day, I think that’s the most important thing – when you’re talking about success, being able to free flow and let loose. I’m just grateful for the plays that I’ve been able to play – the couple of half tackles and stuff that I was able to make. It’s definitely good to get my feet wet.”
(What are your impressions after getting in a little bit in two games?) – “That doesn’t change. At the end of the day, I was a guy at UM and even before, basically at every level you go in and you’re the best on your team and you play every single down, and when you get to the NFL it’s a whole bunch of guys who were the best on their team. That’s doesn’t change. Every day is a competition, every day is humbling. I feel like I’m starting to kind of find my ground. I definitely feel like I’m settling in.”
(It’s never automatic, but you don’t just step on a team and become the guy from Day 1. You know that. Is that tough to keep in the back of your mind, that it’s not supposed to be that way. There is a learning progression, there’s a learning curve?) – “Yeah. Funny enough it’s actually not tough, it’s actually, if anything, more comforting, just understanding that you have to be patient with yourself. Like at UM, I remember that last year I got frustrated because after four games, I had some TFLs and stuff but I didn’t have a sack and I really didn’t have too much production. But as the season went on, basically three weeks after that happened, I had like six. Everything happens at the pace it’s supposed to happen at. For me, to take comfort in knowing that I have to be patient with myself and understand that good things will come as long as I’m doing what I’m supposed to do.”
(You mentioned the comfort level. How much of that are the added responsibilities of coverage versus if they just turned you loose and said go get the quarterback and that was it?) – “I don’t think it’s so much a schematic thing as it’s just the NFL. There is a lot going on. The schemes are more complexed. When I was at UM playing d-end, I didn’t really have to worry about coverages or know what’s going on with the defense. It was more just line up and go. The more I’m having to know, obviously when you start thinking a lot it kind of slows you down. I think it’s going to be key for me to be able to prepare well enough and to feel comfortable with the defense and what my responsibilities are, so that when I step out on the field I don’t have to think at all, I can just go.”
(The time missed during training camp, is that still a factor? Are you in catch up mode from there?) – “Like I said, I’m starting to get settled. I think at first, definitely from a conditioning standpoint, and from having … in your body, I hadn’t played football in almost a year. It definitely took me a second to kind of get back into things, but I feel like I’m starting to get there, for sure.”
(As far as pass rush moves in college, where are you now in the learning process that every NFL edge rusher or rookie goes through in determining which work in the NFL, and which don’t?) – “I think the biggest difference between the league and college is just the technique of everything and how disciplined you have to be. There are not a ton of guys in the league where you’re just going to run around or you’re not going to bully them. You have to be really tactical with what you are doing and very precise with your hands. I think that’s the biggest thing really is hand work. Being able to be active. Guys aren’t just going to let you slap their hand down and give up. They are going to try to get hands on you again. It’s just being tenacious when it comes to rushing, and that’s in all facets of the game honestly. That’s setting the edge, that’s pass coverage, that’s everything.”
(How can you describe how much smarter you are today than you were a year ago? Just all the things you’ve had to learn at this level. Is there a way to quantify the difference between what you knew then and what you know now?) – “My football knowledge has definitely increased. I didn’t know what Cover 3 was last year. I’ve definitely learned some more. Just being able to know other people’s responsibilities as well as my responsibilities, and kind of how it fits in the schematics of the defense. I definitely think that a year ago today, I definitely wasn’t as smart as I am now, and a year from today, I’m going to be 10 times smarter. It’s all about growth. It’s about persevering and being able to take the criticism and really just build upon what you want to do.”
Emmanuel Ogbah – September 22, 2021
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Wednesday, September 22, 2021
DE Emmanuel Ogbah
(QB Derek Carr, it’s two games into the season, but he’s leading the league in passing yards by a pretty wide amount. What is he doing differently this year compared to, he’s been typecast as a conservative passer in years past?) – “He’s making a lot of good plays for them, which we’ve seen on film. This is probably the best year he’s had going into the season. But yeah, he’s making a lot of big plays for them. He’s playing well for them and we have to be prepared for that.”
(What’s the key with stopping a guy like TE Darren Waller? Is it bumping him off the beginning of his route, is it rotating coverages? Obviously as a defensive end, you might not be covering him that much but what do you think is a key?) – “Just affecting him, whatever way you can. If you got put your hands on him, you got to put your hands on him. You can’t let him get out. Just do a good job containing him. A guy like that is kind of hard to contain. He’s going to get his eventually but you’ve got to do a good job containing him.”
(LB Jerome Baker was talking about how excited he was to play in that stadium with fans because it was so amazing to be there last year even without fans. What are you looking forward to going back to that – obviously it was a crazy game too but just being back in that building?) – “It’s going to feel good. We are going to have fans this time. I can’t wait to get out there and just ball out. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be exciting. They’re going to have a good game plan and we are too. I’ve just got to go out there and do the best I can to help this team win games.”
(They gave half a sack to LB Andrew Van Ginkel?) – “(Laughter). Oh yeah, he made him not move around. I appreciate Ginkel for that.”
(Do you plan to appeal?) – “It is what it is, it’s a team sport.”
(The last game I thought S Jevon Holland had a forced fumble when he made the guy flip – sometimes it’s hard to tell – but it was really CB Byron Jones.) – “Yeah, yeah you know you’ve got to go back and watch film to see what really happened on the play.”
(It does say something about the defense doesn’t it, in terms of when game-changing plays happen, it’s usually more than one guy.) – “Yeah. Like I said, we all want the ball and we all go for the ball so we all attack the ball. If one guy makes a play, another guy’s got to be there to scoop it up.”
(Going back to that game last year in Las Vegas, what was it like on the sideline in that crazy final minute?) – “So much emotion. It was exciting getting that win. Las Vegas is a different team this year and we’ve got to be prepared for them. They have different schemes than last year. They have different people out there, different offensive linemen. We just have to be prepared for them this year.”
(On most of the rushes in the last game, the defense did a good job but there’s always that one or two like the 46-yarder. When a long run happens, what usually do you notice about that play?) – “When a long run happens, everybody is down because they gave up that big run. But that’s what we go to do is move on to the next play. It’s a new down so we’ve got to do our best to stop them from making that same mistake.”
(I didn’t phrase that the right way, what usually went wrong?) – “We will watch film and see what normally goes wrong. Either somebody missed their gap or something happens. Like I said, we all got to run to the ball, regardless.”
