Sam Eguavoen – October 6, 2021
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Wednesday, October 6, 2021
LB Sam Eguavoen
(The biggest challenge to a QB Tom Brady-led offense you would point to? What is the biggest concern this week outside of what Tom does?) – “The biggest thing is just not focusing on what’s happened these first four games or whatever and just focusing on the next game. At the end of the day, it’s the NFL. Any given Sunday, anything can happen. But we can’t come into the game already beating ourselves for what our record is showing because going against a good team, if we’re not at the utmost confidence going into that game, it isn’t going to look good for us.”
(I know every year is different, different players and a different team, but you guys did start 1-3 last year and were able to win five-straight games and turn it around. Is there anything that you personally think that you can take away or the team can take away from last year’s turnaround?) – “Honestly, we’re not even looking at last year because every year is so different. You may still have the same core guys from last year but anything can happen. Divisions change, play-calling changes, there are a lot of changes. Just as a team, player-wise, we just can’t get rattled and what we did last year, this is what we did because it may not work with this team’s chemistry. Everything is different. Like ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) says, we just have to take it one day at a time, one meeting at a time and just keep working. That’s really the only answer to this. As long as we just keep working.”
(You’ve played against QB Tom Brady twice already your first year here, what goes into preparing for the best quarterback of all time? How excited are you as a player to get to defend against somebody like that?) – “It’s like a game of chess, you just can’t beat yourself. He’s been playing for two decades or whatever and he’s seen every single defense known to mankind. If we’re in a Cover 3 or whatever you’re in, everybody has to do their job. At the end of the day, when the ball is up in the air, it is me versus you. Tom Brady can’t control me versus this running back in coverage or whatever, or this defensive end versus that tackle. All he’s going to do is get the ball where he thinks it’s supposed to go. We just can’t beat ourselves and I feel like that’s what we’ve been doing these first four games. We’ve been pretty much beating ourselves and giving the other team opportunities.”
(Does a tackle after a QB Tom Brady completion, a tipped pass from Brady or anything coming against him, does it mean a little bit more because it’s who he is?) – “Not really. Unless they say, ‘Hey, if you get a sack on Tom Brady, I’m going to give you three million dollars.’ (laughter) A tackle is a tackle in the stat book. It doesn’t have an asterisk on Tom Brady. (laughter)”
(You don’t want that picture? You’re not going to post that picture on Instagram?) – (laughter) “Yeah, I’m going to post it and tag him. Nah man, a tackle is a tackle and a sack is a sack.”
(Three million would be nice too.) – “Oh yeah, for sure. (laughter)”
(How much are you enjoying what seems to be carved as a niche for you relative to attacking the quarterback? It seems like you’re really aggressively embracing that. What’s it like?) – “It’s fun. You just get to zero in on this one, specific job and do it to the best of your ability. The best of your ability is always to, after this play, it should be a sack. Not by me but somebody on this front four or front five, we’re sacking that quarterback or getting the sack, fumble or touchdown. Being able to feel that you can control the game up front, right there. I like the position I’m in with this team. I appreciate all the coaches for giving me a chance.”
(Did you feel like going back to practice today there was a renewed sense of, ‘Hey let’s bounce back.’ Kind of an urgency to the vibe in the locker room?) – “Yeah, we knew going into the week something was going to have to change. Our mindset was going to have to change but our work ethic was always still whatever the standard is ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) set and even higher than what the standard is that he sets. I think it was just each player looking at themselves in the mirror and asking themselves, ‘Why do I want to be here? Am I going hard? Am I doing the most that I can to my full ability? Am I watching enough film?’ From our record, I’m guessing a lot of us weren’t going as hard as we should. This week, we just have to turn it around. No matter what the outcome of the game is, I want to make sure I put my best foot forward and then we just go from there.”
(You said change your mindset, what does that mean? What was the mindset before and what do you want it to be this week? I know you say look in the mirror but as a group, as a collective what does that mean to change the mindset?) – “The beginning mindset of the football season is you don’t know. Everybody’s record is 0-0. You work your tail off all training camp, going to the game and then you win. You really don’t know anything until adversity hits. Everybody changes when adversity hits. You just got to up your game and go harder. Maybe you skipped a rep in the weight room last week, maybe that’s the reason why you didn’t stop him on third-and-1. You never know. The eye in the sky never lies. My thing is, I know the man upstairs is always watching me. If he was down here watching me, I’d be going hard every single play so I can’t ever forget somebody is always watching so don’t ever cheat nothing. Don’t cheat the grind.”
