Lawrence Timmons – August 24, 2017 (Postgame)
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Thursday, August 24, 2017
Postgame – Philadelphia
Miami Dolphins LB Lawrence Timmons (transcribed by the Philadelphia Eagles)
On how his interception went from his perspective:
“It went pretty well. I just saw the [Eagles] QB [Carson Wentz] and a tight end tried to grab me. I pushed off and saw the ball, and maintained the ball.”
On if he feels like he’s grasping what the Dolphins need him to do here:
“I feel like it’s coming along. I’m taking baby steps now. It’s my first year here, but it’s coming along really well.”
On if he’s worried about communication issues or if he thinks they can get it cleaned up quickly:
“I feel like we can work on it right now. We have a big week of practice next week and we’re going to establish our identity, but we’re going to be pretty good.”
On what he thinks will be a point of emphasis from now until the start of the regular season:
“Just camaraderie. We just have to play together and get our energy. I feel like our energy could be better. Just finishing strong and things of that nature I think we can work on.”
Ndamukong Suh – August 24, 2017 (Postgame)
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Thursday, August 24, 2017
Postgame – Philadelphia
Miami Dolphins DT Ndamukong Suh (transcribed by the Philadelphia Eagles)
On whether seeing the turnovers the defense produces entices him that they’re picking up where they left off last year:
“I think it’s good. Obviously, we want to create as many turnovers as we can. It’s something that we pride ourselves on – being aggressive at all three levels. The defense where that’s coming from is up front. The linebackers on secondary want to be aggressive and create turnovers and get the ball back to the offense.”
On how close to ready he is for the regular season:
“I think personally I’m in good shape. I think I’m prepared to play a full game. At the end of the day it’s just going to come down to being ready for Tampa [Bay]. I think there’s no real way to tell until you actually get into it. I think mentally and physically I’m there, but at the end of the day you’re not going to really find out until you get into a true game because you never know how it’s going to play out for you.”
On how he fixes the issues of the breakdowns on defense and third down struggles:
“I think it’s a lineman assignment. Being in the right places and then obviously being able to tackle like some of them had to do at that point. But I think it’s a little bit of schematics of us not being in the right places, but I have to go back and look at the film to be able to confirm that for you.”
On whether he’s comfortable where the defense is right now:
“I’m not comfortable at all. I think we have a big week of practice ahead of us and, to me, in my personal opinion being comfortable and being complacent – I don’t want this defense to be complacent by any means. I think there were a lot of good things that we did this particular week in practice as well as in this game from my memory, but like I said, I‘m going to go back and watch the film and be able to build off of that and be prepared for the fourth preseason game that’s more important than Tampa.”
On whether he feels they are on track or behind this time of year:
“I think we’re in a good place, but I think at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter where we think we’re at. It’s about being able to go out there and perform in week one. As much as you think you’re in a good place or not, you can’t be comfortable and can’t be complacent. We have to go back to work on Sunday when we get back and be prepared for what we need to get done.”
Cameron Wake – August 24, 2017 (Postgame)
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Thursday, August 24, 2017
Postgame – Philadelphia
Miami Dolphins DE Cameron Wake (transcribed by the Philadelphia Eagles)
On how he would assess the team’s readiness for the regular season with about two weeks to go:
“Well, we obviously have some things to work on. A little rusty, little rough around the edges, but I think tonight was a good test and I think it was a good indication. Like I said, we kind of have to buckle down Monday, or whenever we get back to work, and get to work on things that showed up in the game that we have to fix.”
On one specific thing that he knows the defensive unit can do better than what occurred tonight:
“Big plays, obviously. Communication, probably on a couple things. I know there was some communication issues with a couple things. But I don’t think anything dramatic. The effort was there, I think guys were playing hard. But like I said, the little details. I mean on defense, one play can kind of turn the whole tide. So it’s the little things we have to work on and make sure that we iron out to make sure when the regular season does come, we are ready to go.”
On if there was an adjustment period getting used to new Dolphins Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke or if it wasn’t an issue:
“I don’t think so. I mean, it would be different if he was a guy who came from Mars and we had never met him and, you know, he had a whole new plan and a whole new scheme and all that. But he was here with us last year [as Linebackers coach]. We are running pretty much the same defense that we were running last year. So I don’t think there is much of an adjustment. It’s getting on the same page and making sure that guys are working well together. Because like I said, defense is different than offense. Offense, you can play three quarters and have one good quarter and score four touchdowns, you win the game. Defense, you play 90 percent of the game great, have three bad plays, you lose. So you know, it’s all game long, every play, no matter what series it is. You can’t be up and down or back and forth.”
Byron Maxwell – August 24, 2017 (Postgame)
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Thursday, August 24, 2017
Postgame – Philadelphia
Miami Dolphins CB Byron Maxwell (transcribed by the Philadelphia Eagles)
On covering the Eagles offense:
“I had him covered. I should’ve just stayed on the post but your eyes play tricks on you. You think you see a little, you see a lot and sometimes it just doesn’t work out.”
On [Eagles WR] Torrey Smith throughout practices this week and his potential bounce back year:
“I don’t know. I don’t know if he has a bounce back year or if it’s a good year I couldn’t really tell you nothing about him.”
On how prepared he feels about his second year in Miami:
“This game right here helped a lot. I’m going to go back and study this game and it should help a lot.”
On what he thinks helped the Eagles do so well in this game:
“They got some key first downs. We had them backed up and we just couldn’t get up the field. They got a good feel for us and they made a couple plays.”
Adam Gase – August 24, 2017 (Postgame)
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Thursday, August 24, 2017
Postgame – Philadelphia
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase (transcribed by the Philadelphia Eagles)
On QB Jay Cutler’s feel for the game and the offense:
“It seems like his pocket presence is coming back pretty quick. He made some nice step ups and sliding in the pocket to find some lanes; there were some broken plays where he hooked up with some guys. I thought that was a step in the right direction. Last week, he was kind of still feeling his way out and tonight he looked more comfortable.”
On his timing with receivers and if it’s normal for this time of the year or is it because Cutler came into camp late:
“The one play that we got a 50 yard pass interference call to Kenny [Stills]I think I was a little surprised that he got down the field that fast. It’s hard to outrun him, I mean Kenny got down the field pretty fast. He’s a 4.3 guy and he didn’t think he’d be down the field that fast.”
On what QB Jay Cutler’s next step is in order to progress in this offense:
“Just keep working. This week we have to focus on third downs, which were terrible right now on both sides of the ball. We have to reemphasize that I guess.”
On what he saw from his defense in regards to overall execution:
“The turnovers, but we have to figure out what’s going on during third down. Maybe we’re just that bad on offense to where our defense would feel better about it. In practice, they just beat the crap out of us. So maybe we’re just that bad on offense.”
On how C Mike Pouncey looked to him:
“Good, he looked real good. I know he was excited going in, he went in there and did exactly what we thought he would do where he just gets everybody covered up, up front with the calls everything worked out real well. It’s what we’ve been talking about going into this season. You have a guy who doesn’t practice much and then just jumps right in and is as smooth as can be.”
On the decision to start C/G Anthony Steen instead of T Jesse Davis:
“That’s just kind of what we wanted to go with for this game. We knew that both of them were going to get reps. It seems like we either go three and out too much on offense when that first group comes out and then can’t get off the field on defense when that first group comes out. Less plays and we just have to keep working in practice and keep evaluating guys.”
On how much he’s holding back against teams during the pre-season:
“I think we’ve been pretty basic scheme wise. Each game is going to take on a life of its own; we’re trying to get good at certain things. We’ll run some of it in practice and some of it in pre-season games where we aren’t afraid to show it. There are certain things are still a work in progress where we feel good about it leading into the season where maybe we don’t want to show it in the pre-season.”
On Jay’s ability to take and make tough throws and if he has the freedom to continue doing so:
“I think if you notice, it’s usually if a guy is on #11 [WR DeVante Parker], he’ll throw it up in the air to let him go get it. He’s kind of always had that big guy usually at every stop he’s been to where it’s [Giants WR] Brandon Marshall or [Eagles WR] Alshon Jeffery and he had [Panthers TE Greg Olsen] I mean there are certain guys that he knows are big targets that can go up there and get it. Some of the times when it’s between the numbers, he’ll kind of see a big enough hole to where him and the receiver are on the same page.”
On taking the blame for the sack on the first drive:
“That was my fault, we went silent count and we just couldn’t get organized very well and the clock ran down on us and we hadn’t worked on it enough. We have to be way better than that and that’s on me. I put [T] Laremy Tunsil in a bad position.”
On what he learned about his team practicing against Philadelphia these past four days:
“I think it was good for us to go through a different practice schedule, you know go against somebody different. We thought we were getting a little bit out of the heat but it was pretty hot on Tuesday which was good. We saw a lot of different looks whether it was on offense or defense. There were a lot of different things in the run game that they did in practice that wasn’t run tonight, but we got to see during practice which was good. Because we were so exclusive running games wise with our offense and for our guys to see a whole bunch of different schemes that was good.”
On what his plan is for LB Rey Maualuga going back to Miami:
“Just keep working on getting in shape and getting his body ready and start getting him out at practice to see where he’s at. Try to figure out will he be ready for the first game or do we have to wait another week after that. We won’t know until we kind of get going in practice, we’ll find out this week.”
Adam Gase – August 24, 2017 (Halftime)
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Thursday, August 24, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Three giveaways – two interceptions and a fumble. Not what you want to see.) – “We had a lot of good, but that’s the bad. That’s what we can’t do. We can’t have mistakes made.”
(QB Jay Cutler – 5-of-8, 105 and a touchdown. He moved the offense good.) – “I feel like he’s in a pretty good rhythm right now. We just got to stay consistent. We don’t want the turnover. It was mine; it was a bad call on my part. It puts him in a bad spot.”
(Defensively, good run defense; but they were had some success throwing the football in the secondary.) – “They caught us in a … We had a bust and they scored a touchdown. We kind of mis-executed on some things and we’ve just got to tighten it up.”
(C Mike Pouncey, he got work in there. Are you happy with what you saw?) – “Yes, he was good. It was good to get him out there.”
(On the defensive side, it looked like LB Lawrence Timmons really was making his presence known out there.) – “We want to keep getting him in a good rhythm and get a feel for what’s going on. I feel like that’s what he does, he attacks the ball. We’re just trying to get him comfortable in the defense.”
(What are you looking to see in the second half?) – “We’ve got to clean it up, no more turnovers, get some stops, get some three-and-outs and keep moving the ball.”
Adam Gase – August 22, 2017
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Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Now that the two days of practice with the Eagles are done, what do you feel was accomplished?) – “I thought today was good. It was toasty. I thought we got good work in, guys had to battle through. (It was) good competition on both sides. We’ll be able to take a look at the defensive side tonight, but on the offensive side of the field, we were able to see some good looks. It’s good for our guys to go against different DBs and linebackers and our front guys going against their d-line, it felt like home going against our guys. Those guys are getting off the ball and do a great job.”
(In terms of the C Mike Pouncey plan, what thoughts do you have going into this Thursday night’s game?) – “We’ll play it by ear a little bit. It’s going to be a lot of communication between me and him. Right now, we’re going to start the game with him and see how it goes. I just wanted to make sure I got my last confirmation from him that he’s ready to go and wanted to play in a preseason game. We’ll play it by ear. I’ll go by gut a little bit.”
(With T Jesse Davis, what has he done to sort of elevate himself from the practice squad to a potential starter?) – “I think he has just put his head down and kept working. We were actually talking about it probably about two weeks ago about how he has really improved in the weight room. His knowledge of the offense is as good as anybody else. It doesn’t seem too big for him. He gets in there and competes. I like the way he has been handling himself with a lot of the injuries that we’ve had and he has had to move around quite a bit. Last week he practiced at right tackle the whole week and we thought we were going to go with (Anthony) Steen at left guard and (Jake) Brendel at center, and then we kind of made a switch when (Kraig) Urbik went out. We didn’t want to have both our centers there playing together in that first group, so Jesse got thrown in there at left guard. He battled and knew what to do. It was very short notice for him.”
(Not today, because obviously you were with the offense, but through yesterday, what kind of camp has DE Charles Harris had?) – “I think it’s one of those situations when we get in the preseason, and we’re actually in games, he’s creating a lot of pressure. You just can’t get frustrated because you don’t have sacks. We’ve been talking about it as you can’t focus so much on sacks. We’ve got to think about pass disruption. Are we getting hurries? Are we getting hits? Are we getting sacks? Altogether, that’s what’s really the most important thing. If the quarterback has to get rid of the ball sooner than he wants to, that’s what we’re looking for. We might not always get home; but he’s feeling you rush. He’s doing that right now. It’s just we haven’t had the sack numbers, which for me, I really don’t care about. I want pressure on the quarterback, and I think he’s doing that. There are some things that are going to be a little bit of a learning curve. You see some of the run games that you see at this level, it’s different. You start seeing traps and whams and guys are starting to pop runs up the middle and you’re not really involved in the play, and then all of sudden you get the power run schemes. It’s going to take time. We’re going to have to keep developing him. We’re going to have to keep learning. When you’re in college, you see a lot of zone reads. You don’t really see the two-back offenses. You’ll see it more at this level.”
(To my untrained eye, S T.J. McDonald looks like an intimidating guy in the backfield. Would you say that’s one of the things he would bring once he comes back?) – “That’s a big man roaming around at free safety. When you’re 6’3 and 220 – I might be being nice there – but he’ll come downhill and reacts fast and he has no regard for his body. He has got good ball skills. He knows what to do. (He’s a) smart football player. With him back there, guys know that he’s roaming around. It’s a little different for him, because last year he was doing completely different … He was almost playing linebacker last year. To see him back there and the way he moves around is really impressive for a guy his size.”
(I know, obviously, training camp is advantageous for everyone, but there’s someone who might not need the work it’s DE Cam Wake, and yet, he says he loves it. What do you see out there from him?) – “That’s why you see a guy coming back year after year. When that stuff becomes … (When) you don’t want to do it anymore, that’s probably when most guys are … They don’t do it anymore. They retire. I don’t see that from him. I see a guy that comes out every day, he works hard. He goes as hard as anybody that’s on the defense and on offense. He’s always trying to get better. He’s trying to get in a rhythm with the d-tackles and when we do some things where him and other ends are together. He has a special knack to be able to keep coming back. He looks like a 25-year old kid out there running around full of energy and looking to get better every day.”
(Do you anticipate T Ja’Wuan James playing on Thursday?) – “I think so unless we have any kind of setback. I think we’ve got a shot to have closer to having our first unit out there. But I just don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. I’ve still got to talk to him, make sure that he feels good, and then we’ll get through tomorrow, which is only a walkthrough. But I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself after some of my experiences last year.”
(How would you describe sort of any internal conflict or discussions that you go through about the preseason, how many games there are, how long starters should go in each game, the risk of injury? How much do you think about that?) – “Zero. You’ve got to play. That’s how you get better. It is what it is. If they tell us to play four games, we play four games. When it comes to playing time and things like that, we kind of have our routine. Sometimes the flow of the game can change that, whether it be more or less. I know last year we were playing Dallas and we came off the field and I thought we were coming off a good drive and all those guys were like, ‘We’re not coming out. We want to go another round,’ so that’s what we did. When those guys communicate like that and they want to stay in there when we thought we were going to take them out, that was good to see from our guys. This last game, it was really the same thing. What we got was really what we were looking to get and Matt (Moore) went in and those guys stayed in another series. That was good work for us. It’s the same thing for this game. You always plan, ‘Alright, the third preseason game, we’re going to go into the half, we’re going to come back out, kind of get in that rhythm.’ It has been like that every year since I’ve been calling plays. I don’t even know how many times I’ve actually done it, because something good has happened at the end of the half or we’ve gotten enough plays. (You) just kind of have to be flexible.”
(In your opinion, would three preseason games be enough to prepare an NFL team?) – “I have no idea. Whatever they tell us to play, that’s what we’re going to do.”
(The defensive tackle job not manned by DT Ndamukong Suh, is it far to say that DT Davon Godchaux has passed DT Jordan Phillips and is there a chance that that could be turned around before the season?) – “I don’t want to say that he’s passed him; but I would say right now, we’re going day to day, and whoever plays better that day, that’s going to be the guy that’s going to be in the starting lineup. I know (Defensive Line Coach) Terrell (Williams) is making that competition live. Godchaux has played well and Jordan has had good days too, but maybe Godchaux has had a little bit of a better day. I think everything’s open. I know this, we’re going to play more than two d-tackles. We’re going to get those guys rotating in there and if we get less plays, that’s great. If we do a better job on offense this year to where we hold onto the ball a little longer to where those guys don’t play 75-80 plays a game, that’s ideal. But we’re going to need four guys rolling in and out of there to be effective.”
(So DT Davon Godchaux has been the starter for weeks, so he’s got a good string of day to day?) – “He’s done a good job day to day. (He’s) been consistent.”
(Talking about S T.J. McDonald. When he signed, he said that he knew there was going to be no leeway in any regard with you guys as far as going forward. What type of stipulations did you put for him and how has he done holding up his end of the deal on that?) – “The biggest conversation we had was I just told him to do right. Just do what you’re supposed to do, be where you’re supposed to be and you’ll be in good shape. When you get on the field, that’s the easy part for you – just play hard. He’s done everything that we’ve needed him to do. He’s been a guy that’s come in here and has fit in well with our locker room. I’ve really enjoyed being around him. He’s a guy that has a lot of football knowledge. We’ve talked … actually I’ve called plays against him quite a bit over the last few years – probably four years in a row, three years in a row, something like that. He’s been an impactful player for (former L.A. Rams Head) Coach (Jeff) Fisher for his entire career. Getting him here and being able to do whatever we can to help him get better, it’s been a good experience for us.”
(With S Nate Allen, this has been his second week working with S Reshad Jones. How concerned are you with their chemistry or communication?) – “When you have two guys that are veterans like that … All three of those guys really do a good job because they talk a lot. When they’re having film sessions, those guys are always together. They’re always figuring out ways ‘How do we work off of each other? How do we work off the linebackers?’ Plus having those two guys at linebacker too helps. When you have ‘L.T.’ (Lawrence Timmons) and you’ve got Kiko (Alonso), they know what they’re doing too. We’ve got some veteran guys back there kind of in that middle back half, that they are not afraid to talk to each other. Nobody’s going to be shy about helping the other guy out or correcting the other guy, or ‘Hey, I thought we were doing this.’ There’s not a lot of conversations that aren’t being had by those guys.”
(I felt like I saw some good stuff between QB Jay Cutler and WR Kenny Stills out here. What was your perspective on that relationship?) – “I think that whole group … Whether it be the tight ends, wide receivers, running backs, all of those skill guys, they are working a lot together. Their communication has been outstanding. Everybody understands that we were a little bit behind. I don’t know how many days it has been for Jay now. He’s just trying to figure everybody out, body language, what have we changed since we’ve been apart in Chicago. Our guys have really done a great job of going to him and talking to him. He’s done vice versa with him, of what he’s thinking and how he does certain things that are a little bit different. That’s really the biggest thing for us, they have to speed it up, which they are trying to do by having constant communication. Everything that happens that we are not sure on at practice, they are having conversations in our meetings and film sessions. They are talking everything out. Those guys have taken it upon themselves. They’re not waiting for me to say something, they’re not waiting for (Offensive Coordinator) Clyde (Christensen), they’re not waiting for any of the other coaches. They’re taking it on their own and they’re trying to make sure everything’s tied up pretty tight before we hit this next game. They’ll be doing the same thing leading into the first regular season game.”
(CB Cordrea Tankersley came out.) – “Yes, he was sick.
(How much would you say, obviously losing a quarterback is going to cause a little bit of a change. How much would you say it was a set back to where you were before QB Ryan’s Tannehill injury, for the offense?) – “I think the biggest thing for us was just there’s a few things that we have to move some pieces around with what we do schematically. It’s not a lot. I think really most of the things we had to get caught up was just Jay (Cutler) getting more comfortable in the pocket and then kind of understanding how our guys will play sometimes. When there’s a broken play, just getting used to everybody in that aspect as well. It’s really just trying to get used to the guys you’re playing with. I think that’s really the thing we were trying to speed up as fast as possible.”
(When you say CB Cordrea Tankersley is sick, do you mean illness or hydration?) – “It was just illness, as far as I was told.”
(With QB Jay Cutler, he sort of has a pocket presence to him or an ability to extend plays. Is that something you game plan for or you talk to the playmakers about?) – “it’s really a feel. That’s what I’m talking about with broken plays and guys getting used to playing off of each other. That’s something that (Bears Quarterbacks Coach) Dowell Loggains worked really hard on when we went to Chicago, just not staying back there. He came up with a lot of really good drills to really get (Jay Cutler) used to not just standing back there. Let’s keep moving around, let’s find the open lanes. If protection breaks down, let’s get outside the pocket, let’s not just take a sack and just stand back there thinking we have to hold onto the ball until somebody comes open. I really felt like that helped us a lot in 2015, especially on third downs. He would find ways to get out of a lot of things that are not great play calls and he would make it right.”
Cameron Wake – August 22, 2017
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Tuesday, August 22, 2017
DE Cameron Wake
(How do you guys feel like you measured up against the Eagles after two practices?) – “I liked today better than I did yesterday. I don’t know if it was getting into the flow or whatever it was but it felt good. We went out there, seeing a different color instead of beating up on our own offense the whole time, we got to beat up on other guys. I enjoyed it. It was good work and I think that will help us later on in the season obviously.”
(Are you excited about playing them in the stadium next door after having a couple of practices against them?) – “Well, I’m excited any time I get to get on the field and throw some guys around. So on Thursday night again, (it will be) a game atmosphere, more live action and being able to play the situations out, is that getting into the flow of things and kind of get a dress rehearsal obviously for later on. I think this is a good start and Thursday will be a good finish.”
(What do you hope to see out of the defense in the dress rehearsal?) — “Consistency. Get on the field, get off the field. That’s our job. Get the ball back to the offense and pick up where we left off from today. (We want to) get into a flow, get into a rhythm and the guys go out there and just run around and play and you do what got you here. So I’m looking for big plays from a lot of guys and obviously some of the young guys getting out there too, mixing it up as well.”
(Is there anything you saw from DT Davon Godchaux when you first got up close with him that told you like maybe he’s got the right mentality for this or anything like that, that tipped you off early on him?) – “Yes. It’s a mindset and this league, this position, it’s not always going to be about combine numbers, how far you can jump and how fast you run and all of that stuff that people see on TV. It’s a mentality that you’re going to get your job done at all costs, no matter what – no matter the situation, no matter the time, no matter if there’s two guys on you or not. In order to play this game and obviously play down there in the trenches where he plays, you’ve got to have that mindset every single play. It’s not a part-time thing. It’s an all-time thing. He definitely has that mindset and if you add some tools and some wisdom and some football knowledge into that, I think it would be a good mix.”
(Is there a little extra pep in the step when you’re going against another team?) – “Not really. My step’s always pepped.”
(You looked like you were bouncing around out there?) – “I bounce around all the time.”
(Are you a guy who needs training camp anymore? Do you think it’s something that advantageous to you or is it just something to get through?) – “I enjoy it. I like stress. I like fight. I like to grind. I feel like it separates people. Everybody is going to be great in shorts and shoulder pads, playing two plays, coming off of the field and going through the bags. That’s great; but what happens if you’ve got 10 plays in a row, it’s hot and you’re a little beat up. That’s going to separate the men from the boys. That’s going to show your true nature and again, I’ve spoken about it before, that’s what’s going to make guys want to line up next to you in the regular season or not. We all know. Everybody strapping up the pads knows if this guy’s going to be a wolf or he’s a sheep. Those are the kind of guys you want. There’s only one way to see it and it’s to add a little bit of fire. That obstacle is going to show you character. So to me, I enjoy it. Every day, I love stepping through the challenge, challenging myself and I guess re-establishing my nature with my brothers.”
(Did you learn something about yourselves this week?) – “I learn something about myself every week. I’ve never been a guy to shy away from an obstacle. I’ve never been a guy to step down from any challenge. I don’t look at myself like that. I’m not built that way. I always take things head on. So again, it’s just another one of those things that if I line them up, I’ll knock them down.”
(You seem to really enjoy training camp and have more energy. Do you think part of that is because of your long path to the NFL?) – “Well I think, that again, that was my nature from the beginning. I don’t know. Obviously hindsight’s 20/20; but if I hadn’t gone that way, would I be this guy? Other guys who kind of sashayed their way in, first round pick, all the bells and whistles, I didn’t have that. I had to grind and scratch and claw. I feel like this is a parallel to training camp. It’s not easy. I’m probably one of the oldest guys out here. I’m out here just doing what I feel inside, and if you put somebody in front me I’m going to get my job done. I don’t care how old – 15 years old, 25, eight Pro Bowls, two guys – it doesn’t matter. I’m going to get to my destination and that’s the same way I felt back before I got into the league. I’m going to do whatever I can, whatever I have to, to make it in this door. If you’re going to close it, I’m going to break through it. If you’re going to shut another one, I’ll open it. And that’s kind of like football. There are going to be guys in your way and you’ve got to get there. In camp, it’s hard and you quit. Or it’s hot and you quit. Or your ankle hurts and you quit. Those aren’t the guys that are going to make it through the things like today and make it onto a team. You’ve got to fight and you’ve got to continue.”
(There are some players in the NFL that have said I can play until I’m 45. You play against one of those every year. Have you ever thought I can do this for a long time still?) – “I don’t think too far ahead. I’m a next play kind of guy, so I look at the next game and how I feel today and address that. When I’m 36, I’ll think about 37. When I’m 37, I’ll think 38. I’m not thinking (about) 10 years from now. I’m just thinking about the next obstacle and defeating that and moving on.”
(Do you feel any different now than you did 10 years ago?) – “You know, it’s kind of like when you see your nephew or your grandma or whoever for the first time in a few years. You notice the changes in them much greater than you would notice in yourself. I see myself every day, so it’s hard to measure those things; but when I get on the field, I feel productive, I feel explosive, I still feel good. Like I said, if you’re looking at the obstacle down there, you’re going to miss the one that’s going to trip right here in front of you. So I just focus on the task at hand and take it day by day and year by year.”
