Raheem Mostert – September 11, 2023
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Monday, September 11, 2023
RB Raheem Mostert
(I wanted to ask you about the resilience that the team showed yesterday. Obviously CB Jalen Ramsey isn’t there, T Terron Armstead isn’t there, back and forth game. You guys showed this resilience last year, this fighting spirit. What does that do for a team? How do you acquire it, how do you use it and what does it do for you?”) – “It’s apparent, just to see the guys that can go out there and step up and make the plays. Even in a shootout game with the Chargers, it was a little bit of – not revenge, but we were still thinking about last year and how that game turned out with some key guys that we missed at the time. To be able to go out there in Week 1 and get the win that we did, that team was really good in all aspects of the game, especially with how their offense was rolling on all cylinders and it just seemed like we had to come back and fight even more so on our side. The resilience by all the guys is second to none. You could just see how it all played out, especially with the win that we got. Fairly happy, I know it’s Week 1 and we still have some wrinkles that we need to iron out but all in all, you can’t be more impressed.”
(What was it like in the huddle there on that final game-winning drive? What were you guys talking about and just going through mentally in that last drive?) – “Just act like you’ve been there before. It was one of those things where we knew we were down by however many points and then all of a sudden, just got to go down the field and make the plays happen and connect. Obviously you see what Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill were able to do on that last play. That’s something that we’ve been working on this offseason and even into training camp. It paid off fairly well I could say and it’s just awesome that we were in that position. No team wants to be in that position in the last few minutes of the game, but for us, it was one of those things where you just have to get the job done so we were able to do that.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said a month ago that he thinks that QB Tua Tagovailoa looks like the best version of himself the explosiveness off the top of the drop, different clubs in his bag on different types of throws. Have you noticed that in a second year with Tua?) – “I even mentioned during training camp when I was being interviewed. He definitely has that mindset of going out there and getting it and being dominant. He’s a guy that puts a lot on his shoulders, but at the same time he can handle it. You see what he’s doing out there and it’s just amazing. I mean, to go from Year 1 to Year 2 in the way that he’s doing it, he had a good start at the beginning of the year, last year, but yesterday was an even better start. You can only grow from there. Whether that be in the pass game, in the run game, he’s going to do what he has to do, and he’s going to make the right calls and we believe him.”
(There was obviously a lot more attention national attention on Tua after his performance yesterday, but it seems like in talking to Head Coach Mike McDaniel and teammates, this is what you got to expect from Tua. I was curious, as somebody who came in as a new player to the team last year, at what point did you realize like, “Okay, we’re going to be alright,” because obviously you didn’t know to up from afar, but at what point did you know?) – “Being a player in this league, and for me, I’ve been fortunate enough to go into year nine and just watching the surrounding league and just witnessing different quarterbacks and of course, offenses and stuff like that. But when I first got the impression of Tua, I knew that he was a sharp young man that was ready to take on any challenge. I know that prior to me coming here that he had some setbacks of his own and I don’t know necessarily what that entailed in regards to the other coaching staff, but at some point it does have to kick in for yourself as a player. It doesn’t matter what offense that you’re put in, you just got to go out there and try to put your best foot forward and he’s been able to do that. I watched tape with him at Alabama. He stepped into a role when a quarterback got hurt and he took that role on with nothing but conviction and full confidence. And that’s what’s happening right now. You see the confidence that he has, and the ability that he’s able to – alone, just the simple fact that he threw a ball in a tight window to Braxton (Berrios) and the way Braxton caught the ball, it was just, you don’t really see that on a day-to-day basis, let alone in the NFL. So for him to make that type of throws just yeah, you want to you want to believe he can do it. We all believe that he can make those throws and we all believe that he has that capability. Tyreek even mentioned it when he first got here that he can throw the ball with precision. It’s no shock to us, but at the same time, he’s really taking that step forward and you could just tell the confidence in the in the build that he has.”
(The offensive line, as you guys watch the tape or discuss it today how admirable of a job against that front T Kendall Lamm at left tackle and OL Isaiah Wynn first start at guard for this team?) – “Oh yeah, look at what happened yesterday. We put up a stat just a few minutes ago, Frank (Smith) did, about between two players on that defensive line, there were seven Pro Bowls. And a guy that’s won – has been a sack leader in the league and stuff like that. And we didn’t give up one sack. That just tells you the growth that this line has. To be able to go out there and just to dominate and move the line of scrimmage and to be able to protect and then it just reflects on what Tua can do in the pocket. It just – everything is clicking, but still there’s is always going to be some work to be done to improve and man, I’m excited. That’s very compelling that that happened yesterday and more so, you’re just ready to roll for the rest of the season.”
(I’m not going to ask you to compare what the system Head Coach Mike McDaniel runs compared to 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan ran when you were there, but how has it evolved? It seems like guys just get open, obviously talented people, but the scheme is tailor-made for guys getting open.) – “The scheme is tailor-made for guys to get open and you see what happened with Tyreek yesterday, he had a 200-yard game. And then also Jaylen Waddle and then even getting River (Cracraft) and Braxton involved as well. It just shows you that this team is very dynamic. We got a lot of playmakers on this side of the ball and we’re going to try our best to expose the defense one way or the other and just try to make plays when the plays need to be made. It’s nice to be out there, I’m not going to lie. The speed is crazy. You got a lot of guys out there.”
(At the risk of sounding crazy, why is WR Tyreek Hill so difficult to defend?) – “This man, he’s literally like a little jitterbug out there just running around just going crazy. You just see the separation that he’s able to have against these DBs and to be able to get in these windows. Then like I said and I alluded to Tua (Tagovailoa), to be able to make those throws, they’re rolling right now. They’re on these high ceilings, man, that can’t be stopped. Once everybody else gets involved, man, you see what we were able to do yesterday. It’s just going to carry over and hopefully it carries over in a plentiful way.”
(Two areas you guys worked on in the offseason – penalties and getting the play down to the huddle – seemed to be great yesterday. Six penalties for 38 yards, which is good. I don’t recall any issues, delay of game or anything like that. In your point of view, how did those two areas go yesterday?) – “Yeah, we improved in those areas, but I will say, we still have to understand the game of ball. At the end of the day, that’s what you have to do as this job, to understand the situation, understand clock management. I know the time of possession wasn’t in our favor, but obviously that’s what you want as well, is to win the time of possession ratio. There’s still a lot of work to be done and we’re just going to go back to the drawing boards and get those things corrected, too.”
