T.J. McDonald – September 16, 2018 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 16 2018
Postgame – New York Jets
S T.J. McDonald (transcribed by New York Jets)
(On what this win says about the team) – “We can play with anybody, we can be physical. We can go on the road and be physical, that’s one thing. On the road, you have to be able to run the ball, you have to be able to play defense and we were able to do both today.”
(On Miami’s offensive effort today) – “That’s all you can ask, when you get turnovers, for them to put it in the end zone and that’s what they did.”
(On the defense being opportunistic) – “I think we’re able to stand up when we need to. We’re able to make big plays when we needed to and the offense was able to do the same, as far as the third and 19, being able to stand up and being able to make the play that needed to be made. That’s something that in the past, we kind of struggled with a little bit. I think that just being able to stick to it, being able to handle the adversity throughout the game and being able to keep our foot on the throttle was big.”
(On stopping the Jets on the last play of the first half) – “That was big. We knew that they were getting the ball coming out of the second half, we didn’t want to give them too much momentum. They didn’t have much going on on offense before that, so that was a big drive for them. For us to stop them, we were able to refocus, come back out and do what we had to do.”
(On Frank Gore) – “Hall of Famer. He’s big. He’s a guy that at the end of the game, you want the ball in his hands. He’s going to do what he has to do. He’s been doing this a long time. He’s going to protect the ball and get those tough yards.”
Xavien Howard – September 16, 2018 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 16 2018
Postgame – New York Jets
CB Xavien Howard (transcribed by New York Jets)
(On his interception) – “I knew I had both feet in bounds. It’s just about making plays.”
(On the defense forcing turnovers..) – “We are hungry. We just want to make plays and get the ball back to the offense so they can put points on the board.”
(On Sam Darnold) – “We had to contain him. He’s good and can get out the pocket so we had to stay in tight coverage.”
(On playing as a team) – “That’s football. We have to help the offense. They have our backs, we have their backs.”
Frank Gore – September 16, 2018 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 16 2018
Postgame – New York Jets
RB Frank Gore (transcribed by New York Jets)
(On moving into fourth place on the all-time rushing yards list) – “It means a lot. I’ve been doubted my whole life, especially coming out of college with the injuries I had. People said I would be in the league for two to three years and then I would be done. I’ve been blessed to keep going and also have success. To be able to be mentioned with guys like Emmitt (Smith), Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Curtis Martin and my man LaDainian Tomlinson. That’s a guy I looked up to once I got in the league, I loved LaDanian Tomlinson’s style. It’s a blessing.”
(On if he knew right away that he broke the record) – “No, we were trying to win a game. The record, that’s going to happen. I’m here to try to win games, whatever it takes to help this team to be successful. That’s why I try my best when I get an opportunity and my number gets called. I just try to be successful out there for my teammates.”
(On how he likes this group in this locker room) – “I like how tight we are. We’re all together. No one thinks they’re better than the next man. We just keep working. I saw that when I first got here. In the offseason workouts, (I) saw how tight the group was. I said, ‘As long as we believe and we believe in our coaches and work together the way we do, we should be alright this season.’ I like how the locker room is.”
Ryan Tannehill – September 16, 2018 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 16 2018
Postgame – New York Jets
QB Ryan Tannehill (transcribed by New York Jets)
(On the difference between the second half and the first half) – “We just didn’t string enough together offensively. We had plenty of opportunities. We had good play calls and we had too many mistakes all the way around. I think every group had their mistakes and it starts with me. We have to clean those things up. We can’t come out and play like that in the second half. We have too much talent and to much opportunity to leave that much out there on the field. We have to give credit to the defense. They did a good job, but offensively we didn’t take advantage of the looks and opportunities that we had. I’m proud of our guys. I’m proud of the way we played when it came down to it at the end when we needed to get something going, it seemed like they were chipping away and chipping away and they got it within eight with about six minutes left. We needed to do something. We needed to move the ball, run the timeout, and get points whatever it may be. We were able to do that. Guys really hung in there, stuck together and got it done.”
(On the 3rd-and- 19 play) – “Frank Gore did a good job of buying time and getting open there. He was actually in protection there at first. If he goes out free, then he’s supposed to be on the other side. But he went across, possibly in protection and they brought up pressure there. Kenny [Stills] was primary. I didn’t feel like he was getting open due to the contact near the line of scrimmage, had a decent pocket there and was able to move around there a little bit. Frank made one heck of a catch there down low. I was off balance and the ball really just went straight down on me. Frank did an amazing job of scooping that thing. It was really an amazing catch and getting that first down.”
(On the impact of that play) – “That play was huge. We needed to make a play on 3rd-and-18. I think the ball was on the 44 yard line. We needed to get 10 yards at a minimum to have a shot at the field goal. Frank really came up big for us right there.”
(On the options he has with his wide receivers) – “We have a lot of speed with our wide receivers. We have Albert Wilson and Jakeem [Grant]: the versatility they have, to be able to run the reverses, to put Albert in the backfield, to go four wide receivers and a tight end, and then bring him back and use him as a running back. He has great vision. He’s great with the ball in his hands. It really opens up a big package for us and helps us keep that pressure on the defense.”
(On his concern about his knee after falling awkwardly) – “I tweaked my right ankle a little bit. It’s not a big deal. It’s part of game. I just had to walk it off.”
(On what went right during the first half) – “The defense played really well for us. They got those turnovers for us and gave us great field position. We played complementary football. Its something we talked about a lot – to take advantage of those situations. When they give us good field position, we have to get that thing in the end zone. We were able to do that early, and I think it was a big factor in the game. We felt great coming into halftime and had a good plan going into the second half. But we had too many mistakes all the way around. We had tons of opportunities and its nothing drastic, but little mistakes here and there will kill drives. We have to be able to eliminate those and string drives together.”
(On his decision to run the football during a zone read toward the end of the game) – “It was just a zone read. I’m reading the defensive end. They weren’t covering zero and loaded up the box and were trying to stop me. So felt the defense close a little big, thought I could get the edge and get it.”
(On if the first play of the game was a called run) – “No, that was actually a bootleg pass. They just did a good job of holding on to Danny Amendola on the back side there. He was supposed to keep coming across there. I don’t know exactly what happened. He got hung up, came around and there was no one there. So I just ran.”
(On his emotion on the final play of the game) – “I was fired up. At that point we had he game in hand. I was proud of our guys and the way we battled through. Things were going well for us up until that point in the second half. But we knew we needed it and found a way to string that drive together to keep the chains moving and run the clock out. It’s an emotional game. You get a divisional win on the road. There’s a lot of emotion there. It’s a lot of fun.”
(On losing Josh Sitton and the impact of his replacement Ted Larsen) – “Losing Sitton was tough. He’s a veteran guy and I have so much respect for him. He’s such a good player, who plays at extremely high level. He elevates the play of the guys up front and its tough to replace a guy like that. Ted Larsen came in. He’s another guy who played a lot of football for us. He played for us last year and really did a good job. He stepped in and did a great job for us.”
(On the creativity during the last two games) – “We have a variety of personnel we can use. We have a lot of talent in a lot of different areas. If we can switch things up and keep the pressure on the defense and keep them guessing. We can use Albert as a running back, go five wide and keep them guessing as a defense. That way they can’t just run out there and play how they want. They kinda have to adjust to you. That’s something we’re going to look to do for the rest of the year.”
(On being 2-0 and having not played their best football yet) – “There’s a long road in front of us and a big opportunity. We’re able to fight through it and get wins. That’s what you’re here for: to get those wins. When we finally get this thing going and get clicking, the onus is on us to find a way, as an offense, to put drives together. I think the defense is doing a good job. They’re getting turnovers and getting the ball in our hands. You can’t ask for anything more from the defense. I’m really happy with the way they’re playing. I’m proud of those guys. But as an offense, we have to turn our level of play up.”
Adam Gase – September 16, 2018 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 16, 2018
Postgame – New York Jets
Head Coach Adam Gase (transcribed by New York Jets)
(On if he felt good about the team’s performance going into halftime) – “Yeah, we felt things were going good momentum wise. We were hoping for a stop when we started the second half, and we didn’t do a very good job there. We have a fumble on the first play, and then really, getting the turnover, that kind of helped at least stop things for a second, but we just have to do a better job of being consistent and putting drives together.”
(On the defense playing aggressive in the second half) – “I thought the guys did a good job of executing the game plan. We wanted to stop the run, try to make it a one-dimensional game. Forty two rushing yards, that’s a good start for us. We got the turnovers we needed when we needed them, and then we had opportunities where they were kind of creeping into the red zone, and at least holding them to long field goals, which is important for those guys, giving them an opportunity to possibly miss it.”
(On Frank Gore moving up to fourth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list as well as converting on a crucial third down late in the game) – “It was a good job. Our guys did a good job running off the ball. We had a shot called there. We were going to try to end it right there, and Ryan (Tannehill) got a little bit of pressure, stepped up, found a way to get the ball out. Frank made a great catch and had the awareness to not only get the first down but then to get down to finish the game.”
(On Matt Haack giving the Dolphins great field position throughout the game) – “Yeah, we were trying to make them drive the length of the field, and that was one thing — if we had to flip field position, that was going to be a success. We’d like to finish a couple of those drives differently on offense, but I think if our defense keeps playing like that, we are going to get more opportunities and we’ll find a way to get in the end zone.”
(On evaluating Ryan Tannehill’s performance today) – “I thought he did a lot of good things. There’s a lot of things we have to clean up. Having him back, it’s nice to be able to do some of the things we do where he runs the ball and has big plays in critical situations.”
(On if the Dolphins performance today reflected what he envisioned this team would look like) – “Yeah. What we’re doing out there is close to what we’re looking to do, and we just have to do a few things better. We have to be a little cleaner in practice, which will carry over to Sunday, and next week we have to have a better week.”
(On if today’s performance was encouraging and feels like a start toward becoming the team he envisions) – “It started for us in April, it’s just nobody else realized that, so we’ll just keep getting better and keep surprising people.”
(On what he saw in his team during the last offensive drive to close out the game) – “They had the attitude of they were not going to let them get the ball back. We felt good about what we had ready to go for that series. It was good chatter on the sideline. Guys were ready to go and knew what to do to execute. They knew what was coming. It’s tough when you play that team, because it’s hard to run the ball, and Todd (Bowles’) defenses are always like that. We seem to stick with it and find a way to get some yards when we need them.”
(On what he saw from the Dolphins defensive backs) – “I thought those guys did a good job. They were aggressive, they were trying to contact receivers at the line of scrimmage, they were trying to make windows tight. I thought the safeties were moving all over the place. That’s what we want them to do. We want those guys to be active, and when they get an opportunity to make plays — as long as we make those plays, then that’s going to be game changing for us.”
(On Albert Wilson doing a bit of everything today and if it will be a challenge for defenses moving forward to figure out Wilson’s role) – “Yeah, we are going to try to make it hard. It could just be a regular (play), lining up. That’s what happens when you have a plan for a guy when you sign him as a free agent.”
(On how it feels to be 2-0) – “On to the next one.”
(On his thoughts about the offensive line today) – “I thought they did a good job. They were tight. That’s a tight room and those guys figured out a way to get it done. I thought they did a good job, especially on that touchdown pass before the end of the half. They had great protection there, and then Ryan did a good job of finding (TE A.J. Derby) in basically a scramble drill almost, even though he stayed in the pocket. Those guys got guys covered up for the most part. A couple things didn’t go the way that we needed them to go, but we’ll get better from here.”
(On the blocking looking perfect on Kenyan Drake’s touchdown run) – “Yeah, that’s what that play is. There’s going to be nine, 10 guys almost in the box, and he did a great job, (Mike) Gesicki did a great job of staying on his guy and Kenyan got skinny and found a way to get in there.”
(On how the offensive line reacted to Josh Sitton being placed on injured reserve) – “I think they were probably down early. He was kind of letting them know that it was a little worse than what we originally thought. He’s been good about it. He’s been around, he’s been making sure that he’s staying with those guys, talking to them. He’s kind of that old school guy that those guys look up to and they look to when they have questions on what’s going on with the defense. Even today on the sideline, he just brings a good energy to that group and those guys like him. I’m glad he’s sticking around.”
(On if the offensive line had full support for Ted Larsen entering today’s game) – “Oh yeah. That whole group, there’s three or four guys that are just old school — they don’t say much, and they grind every day. They complain, but you never hear them say it, but you kind of hear about it, but it’s a good room.”
(On how he would classify Tannehill’s runs at the end of the game and if Tannehill is thought of as an athletic QB that can make those runs) – “Yeah, that’s just zone read. That’s all it is. He does a good job, he knows how to read it. He’s a pretty good athlete — he played wide receiver in college for a little bit, so he’s not afraid to get out there and mix it up. It’s not really something ideal, sometimes we wanted him to get down probably a little sooner, but in the critical parts of the game where that’s an option, you can see what can be the result.”
(On if he held his breath at all when Tannehill went down a bit awkwardly and limped) – “Yeah, that was weird. I think it was on one of the sacks where his knee kind of hit the turf. I’ve seen that go the other way a couple of times where it’s not good, and I was just trying to figure out what was going on, but he was alright.”
(On if Gore deserves today’s game ball because he is now fourth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list or due to his key third down conversion) – “You can take your pick, either one. I’m happy about both of them.”
Adam Gase – September 14, 2018
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Friday, September 14, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(We found out the news on G Josh Sitton. How does that impact what you guys had planned?) – “We’ve had a decent idea all week that he wasn’t going to be ready for this game. Then after lots of discussions with him, with everybody in our organization, we realized that the best option was for him to have surgery and not try to risk anything to where it could prevent him from ever playing again.”
(C/G Ted Larsen has had kind of an interesting ride here. Things didn’t work out the way you wanted, with him getting injured coming into last season and then I think he said last year that he preferred to play on the right side versus the left or something like that. How has he handled all of the tumult throughout his year and a half here?) – “Ted doesn’t say much. He handles everything like a pro. I had a good conversation with him before we started the spring as far as how I saw his role and why we were giving Jesse (Davis) the right guard job, without him being able to compete for it. He’s a competitor. He wanted to compete for the spot and that’s fair. I understand that, especially going into your ninth season. He did a great job of stepping in with that second group, playing multiple positions, both sides and center. Now, it’s kind of come about to where he has to step in and be a starter for us. It feels good to be able to at least have a guy that’s started 76 games including the playoffs over his career. That’s a positive for us.”
(So you sat him down and basically told him that you were giving this job to G/T Jesse Davis, a much younger guy. And he was good with it?) – “He wanted to compete for it. But Ted’s is a pro. Not everybody is going to throw a temper tantrum. A lot of guys understand what this business is and if they go about it right, things work out.”
(C Travis Swanson has played guard before in Detroit. What’s your comfort level with him at guard if he has to play guard at some point?) – “I’m going to trust (Offensive Line Coach) Jeremiah (Washburn) on anything that has to do with moving the line around. That’s where he’s the expert at. I don’t try to act like I know more than I do. He has a good plan going into this game and we’ve had all week to prepare for it.”
(Do you feel good about C/G Ted Larsen playing left guard for the long haul, or do you anticipate looking outside?) – “No, we’re not going to be looking anywhere. I like our group.”
(Is QB Brock Osweiler going to be the backup quarterback again this week?) – “I don’t know. We’ll find out.”
(G Josh Sitton, I know that he had developed a good relationship with T Laremy Tunsil. What happens with Laremy as far as … do you break in a new guard? I know he played with C/G Ted Larsen a little bit.) – “That’s kind of the benefit of Ted’s been here. Those guys have played next to each other and they’ve practiced together. I think Josh was a very positive influence on Laremy. Those two guys worked well together and I think this will be a good transition for us, a smooth transition, because Ted is a good communicator. He can pick up kind of where Josh left off. Josh is going to be around. He’s going try to help our guys as much as possible when he’s available to do so. I know he’s going to have a procedure at some point, so we’ll probably lose him for a few days; but he’s not going to go far. We still have him under contract for another year and we anticipate him coming back next year, so we like the fact that he’s going to be around.”
(It’s obviously tough to lose any player. Is it especially tough to lose G Josh Sitton? There were such great plans for him and he was such a key part of what you were doing.) – “I think any time you lose a guy that’s been all-in, it’s tough for not only the coaching staff, but players and everybody involved in the organization. Really, at the end of the day, you look at it for that guy. All of us might be doing our jobs for a long time until we’re 50, 60, 70 years old, where these guys have a very short window. When they lose a season, that’s a lot of years for a normal job. He’s put so much into this year and he’s put so much into what we’re doing as a team that I probably feel worse for him than I do for us.”
(Has G Josh Sitton made a contribution already? Do you feel like you’ve seen what you’ve added as far as the benefit maybe to T Laremy Tunsil?) – “Yes. I see just his attitude and the way that his presence kind of helps that o-line room. I think him and (Daniel) Kilgore have done a great job of coming in there and being two new faces and becoming leaders. Josh is a leader in his own way. He’s not much of a talker but when he speaks, guys listen. I think he and Laremy have developed a really good relationship. I think he’s a positive influence on him and I think he will be moving forward. There’s something about him. You’re around him long enough where you notice he has a little quiet swagger about him.”
(How did WR DeVante Parker get through the week in practice and is he still on track to play Sunday?) – “I thought he did a good job with what we asked him to do. He got in some live team reps. He’s running well, he’s catching the ball well. It seems like he’s not having any issues catching the ball, so we’ll have our discussions here in the next two days and figure out how we really go about it from here.”
(You were kind enough to tell us last week that it was Director of Football and Player Development Clyde Christensen who came up with the idea of moving WR Jakeem Grant outside. The decision to have RB Kenyan Drake and RB Frank Gore open Sunday, was that your idea, something you had planned? Or how did that come about?) – “I think that was one of those things we’d really been planning for since we signed Frank. That’s nothing revolutionary. It’s just getting good players on the field. That’s all we’re trying to do.”
(And then one other thing on that general topic. The decision you made in mid-August to move CB Bobby McCain outside. It was obviously something that had been done before – it was done in the spring, it was done last year – was that something Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke suggested? Do you recall?) – “I didn’t really have anything to do with that. Those guys, I don’t mess with them too much on what they want to do as far as personnel goes, who’s playing where. If I have a suggestion, I’ll make it; but I rarely say anything, because I trust those guys. That’s why they’re there. Those guys came up with the idea that this might be the best for us right now, and moving forward maybe it changes, we don’t know; but I was comfortable with it. Since it was Bobby, I was comfortable with it, because I trust him with wherever we put him.”
(Listening to some of your comments earlier this week about using a rotation of tight ends, it seems like you haven’t really done that much in your past. What’s kind of new about that for you?) – “Because when you play on the ball and you’re rotating guys in and out, it makes it tough, because now they’re slowing you down. The officials stop it. We’ve got to let them sub and all of that stuff. Even if it’s just one-for-one, it doesn’t matter. The officials aren’t going to look and be like, ‘It was tight end for tight end. You guys are good.’ It’s easier when one guy just stays in, because now you keep a better rhythm. We’ll kind of have a good idea of what we want to do. I feel good about what we’ve got this week.”
(I was talking to your backup deep snapper, LS Lucas Gravelle, about last week and everything. It turns out he’s an interesting story, but he said at TCU, I think they only punted eight times and he had four solo tackles. Is there such a thing as an athletic deep snapper? What else do you do? How else do you make an impression aside from being accurate with your snaps?) – “It starts with that. After that, whatever … Really those guys, as long as they’re doing a good job of staying in their lane and they’re giving that effort, and they can be disruptive to the returner on any kind of return, that’s valuable. I think over my career, I don’t know how many guys I’ve actually been around that’ve been dynamic athletes or been involved in the tackle a whole bunch. I think it’s rare. I think the last guy I can think of was Brian Jennings may have been the one guy, in San Francisco, that I remember was an actual … He would play tight end and long snap. I’m sure there’s been other guys that I didn’t know about, but that’s the last one I remember.”
(Is there an optimum body type for that, because LS Lucas Gravelle doesn’t seem to fit it?) – “I think when you’re a long snapper, if you’re accurate and you have velocity and can get it back there quick and you’re good with the protections, I think most special teams coaches, that’s an ideal starting point for them.”
(Part of the progression for young players is playing through injuries, learning how to play when you’re not 100 percent. What do you feel like WR DeVante Parker is at?) – “That doesn’t bother me. This was not a pain … This was not his fault by any means.”
(Right, but WR DeVante Parker has to go out on the field and try to be himself as much as he can.) – “I’m not worried about it with this injury. I feel good with where he’s at right now. He’s got it strong and the way they have his hand kind of taped up, he’s able to have movement and he’s able to snag the ball. This is not a pain thing for him at this point. It was more of a stability thing for us. I think he’s in a good place. He proved to me two years ago when he played with his back kind of jacked up against Baltimore that he’s tough. He can handle the pain. It is hard sometimes when you’re not 100 percent, when you’re a big guy that goes to get the ball, like how physical can you play? That’s the toughest thing to try to figure out.”
(Having five receivers you trust, will this be the toughest decisions for you and Wide Receivers Coach Ben Johnson since you’ve been here as far as allocation of receiver snaps?) – “No, because if we play the right way and guys are exerting max effort, then when we have different guys in there, it’s not a big deal. When you keep a guy in too long and he starts slowing down and he’s not playing fast, that’s when you have issues.”
(Not trying to get you to look past this week, but you’re going to have Jets QB Sam Darnold two games this year, Bills QB Josh Allen two games this year, Texans QB Deshaun Watson and Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky later this year. Is there a challenge or an advantage to playing against guys in their first, second season?) – “You’re right, I’m not looking … I’m focused on this week. That’s a tough question to really answer. A couple of those guys, I haven’t seen play in our league yet. You might catch a game on TV or something, but that doesn’t mean anything. That’s why this week we’ll focus on the snaps we have of Darnold. Past that, we’ll worry about those other games when we get there.”
(What would keep WR DeVante Parker out Sunday?) – “I don’t know. We just have to go look at how we’re going to do the inactives and special teams and defense and offense, kind of how to put it all together. That’s the puzzle you’re always trying to figure out.”
Cameron Wake – September 14, 2018
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Friday, September 14, 2018
DE Cameron Wake
(What is it that we didn’t see that led to not having a sack in the first game?) – “I think they got the ball out of his hands quick. Other than that, I don’t think there was much else. You got me wracking my brain, that seems like ancient history now. I’ve kind of moved on.”
(What have you seen from the Jets offense so far?) – “They had a lot of success against Detroit obviously. They ran the ball for 160-something. So obviously, we have to get out there and put an emphasis on stopping the run. That will obviously help getting off the field, third-and-long, getting after the quarterback and all of those things. I don’t think that’s a secret, that they probably want to run the ball and we want to stop the run. I think that’s probably one of the top priorities.”
(What did you see from Jets RB Isaiah Crowell. It looks like he’s pretty excited with his opportunity there?) – “Yes, why not? It seems like a great opportunity.”
(It seems like Jets RB Isaiah Crowell was running really hard and he had that one long run too. Is that something that probably opened up for him?) – “That would be a great question for him. To be honest, because of that situation, there’s a lot of new for them. We don’t have a long history of tendencies of what’s going to happen and who’s going to play, do what and whatnot. At the end of the day, we’re focusing on what we’re going to do. I’m not too concerned about him specifically or anybody else (because) it’s all about making sure we’re going to do the things we’re supposed to do, be where we’re supposed to be, play your keys, read your keys and put the ball on the ground. It’s pretty simple but not easy. We’ve got to go out there and execute.”
(What did you think about Jets QB Sam Darnold?) – “Again, I think he did well (for) the first game out. But again, if they can run the ball, that can open up a lot of different things that control the game. That’s going to make it an easier day for any quarterback, I don’t care who you are – a rookie or a Hall of Famer. Again, (we have to) make sure we do what we’re supposed to do and then it won’t matter who’s playing running back, quarterback, offensive coordinator and so on down the line.”
(I know you don’t want to look past this game, but you might face Jets QB Sam Darnold twice this year, Bills QB Josh Allen is another rookie you could face twice this year, Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky is in his second year. You’re going to face a lot of quarterbacks that might not have a lot of NFL experience. What’s the challenge and I guess the advantage for experienced players on defense, like you guys have?) – “Well, it’s the NFL. Kind of like you said, I don’t really look forward. I don’t even know who we’re playing next week, so you just said a whole bunch of people I don’t have any focus on. It’s all about this week and this is the NFL. There are no bad players in this league. Everybody’s the top of the top – quarterback, running back, offensive line, it doesn’t matter. Again, every week, you have to do your job to the best of your ability play in and play out. Defense is different than offense where you can probably have a bad quarter and go out there and have a good quarter, and you score two touchdowns or three touchdowns and everybody’s patting you on the back – 21 points, blah, blah, blah. Defense is completely opposite. You can’t have a bad quarter or a bad series because it leads to points on the board. Three touchdowns is probably a bad deal for the defense. It’s probably great for the offense. Again, I don’t necessarily focus on the player. I focus on us, doing what we’re supposed to do, being where we’re supposed to be, where the games are lost or won. We have to do what we can to make all the chips in our favor and make sure we win.”
Ted Larsen – September 14, 2018
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Friday, September 14, 2018
C/G Ted Larsen
(What are your thoughts on being a full-time starter again in wake of the news about G Josh Sitton?) – “It’s what you prepare for. It’s not a shock to anybody or to me. I was ready to go all training camp. It is what it is.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase said he talked to you at the beginning of the offseason and he said we’re going to put G/T Jesse Davis in that right guard spot and he didn’t think you’d like hearing that but that you were a good soldier about it. How did you deal with that?) – “I just tried to play well in the preseason and practice well and see what shook out after training camp. They did what they wanted to do and all I can do is just practice and play hard.”
(What was the first year and a half like for you here? I mean, it couldn’t have been the way you imagined it would be, being hurt and missing a bunch of time and then left side vs. right side.) – “No, I mean, I came in and I’d never been on IR. So I was on short-term IR, but I was able to come back and play half the year and then I thought I’d come back this year; but things changed. It’s an opportunity for me right now to play a bunch of games.”
(How does your mind-set or approach change knowing you’re going to be the starter for the rest of the season?) – “It really doesn’t. I prepared to be a starter at three positions. So now I’m just able to focus on really one position. If anything, it just helps me focus in a little more.”
(What is the comfort level for you on the left side?) – “Same as anywhere else.”
(They’ve emphasized so much the continuity of the five starters, so how much chemistry do you have playing with C Daniel Kilgore and T Laremy Tunsil?) – “I mean, every time Josh (Sitton) didn’t practice in training camp, which was like every other day, (I took reps). I think the continuity, maybe that’s a little overblown. Guys get hurt all the time. On any offensive line, there’s going to be backups playing. I think you kind of have to go into the year with six or seven or eight guys that are all tight, that can play together and interchange with each other.”
