Stephone Anthony – June 11, 2018
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Monday, June 11, 2018
LB Stephone Anthony
(How big of a difference for you is it making for you the fact that you’re coming in from the very beginning this year as opposed to last year when you came in during September?) – “I think the biggest difference is the amount of time I have and the time I’ve spent trying to learn the system and getting myself comfortable with it. That’s the biggest difference, just the amount of time I’ve had.”
(What’s your mindset as far this offseason is concerned. This is your second team and you’re fighting for a starting spot here. What’s the big picture for you?) – “I think it’s the same every year. It’s my job to come in, put my best foot forward and try to be the best me every day. I’m just trying to get better get good with the guys, and keep this camaraderie going the right way.”
(Anything different about you this offseason? Any change in you physically or the way you’re approaching things?) – “No. I wouldn’t say there’s a big change physically. I’m weighing 235-240 (pounds), so maybe you could say my weight is down; but I think I’ve just been one step ahead.”
(Have you been with the first team throughout when you guys are in base?) – “I’ve been a little bit of everywhere. I’ve been with the first team, second team. It’s kind of all over the place right now.”
(Who else has gotten reps at your spot on first team when you’re not with the first group?) – “A number of guys. You can say (Terence) Garvin, ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker). There are plenty of guys. There’s a bunch of guys that play the same position and right now, they just have us rotating.”
(Is starting a goal for you? Being an NFL starter again, as you were early in your career.) – “I think so. I think that should be one of my first goals. Before I can do anything else, I have to become a starter and put my best foot forward.”
(You’ve got some familiarity with the system now. You know there’s a need at your position. Is this the best opportunity that you’ve had here, or did you have a better opportunity last year, do you think?) – “I think that whenever that opportunity comes, whatever opportunity is presented to me, it’s my job to take advantage of it. Whatever it is, whether the coach needs me to play 100 plays or 15 plays, my job is to get it done.”
(Not to dwell on this or stay stuck in the past, but is there a point you can look at where you feel like things went a little off track for you, that you learned something that you can correct now?) – “I think it’s just growth, honestly. I think it’s just being in the league, going into my fourth year, understanding the game, how this game is played from the college game and just hounding in and packing that information in.”
(Do you get more of the business side of the league now?) – “I think that’s something we need to learn when we first get into the league. The business side really hits you in the face once you get traded or you get cut or something like that. I guess I could say you get the business side full force once that happens.”
(What would you say to all of the rookies? You’ve kind of got one of those careers where you’ve been put through the grinder, or you started through the grinder. What do you say to rookies?) – “I think the best thing you can teach a rookie, or tell a rookie is that his job is to come in and learn as much as he can as fast as he can. I think that’s going to help them tremendously as far as getting on the field or just getting on the field some. You’ve got to learn the information and you’ve got to learn what to do.”
(I’m doing something on first-round picks and how you deal with that being a first-round pick. What’s different when you come in as a first-round pick?) – “What’s that three years ago now? I just treat it as a thing of the past. Once you get into camp and you have your first camp under your belt, we are all equal. Everybody is big and everybody can run.”
(Did you find that there was more attention to you from outside forces, whether it’s media or coaches? Did you put more pressure on yourself because you were a first-round pick?) – “I wouldn’t say so. I think my pride and because of who I am, that was enough for me.”
(How much more of an impact do you think you can make on defense because you’ll have more familiarity and more knowledge of the defense?) – “I guess time with tell. Like I said, when the opportunity and the plays present itself, I’ve got to make them. I’ll have a chance to make some plays and it’s my job to make them.”
(When you left the Saints, what was you thinking – I don’t know if you talked to Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke about this or not – where can you get better as a player? What areas and have you gotten better in those areas?) – “I think it’s the same tune every year. You want to be in shape. You want to get a little bit bigger. You want to stay in tune with your reflexes and getting off the spot. It’s all of the little things as a linebacker – your first step, your reads. Just going through that daily and getting that information down, that should be an everyday checklist for a linebacker.”
(Are you fully settled here now?) – “Yes.”
(How much of last season did you live in a hotel or how unsettled were you?) – “What were we looking at – Week 3 or Week 4 (I was traded)? I was probably in a hotel for about three or four weeks and then finally got settled after that somewhere, towards the end of the season. It just came together for me.”
(Is it easier now?) – “Of course, yes. I know where home is, I know where the bathroom is around the corner. (laughter) It’s a lot better.”
(Have you been here all offseason so far?) – “Yes.”
(Your plans for the upcoming month off?) – “I’m going to be back home. I’ve got a four-year-old that will be five in July. That’s where I’m going to be.”
(How do you describe your career to people who might know or be familiar with you?) “I’m not sure. It’s a business. It’s an NFL game. It comes with it. It’s never going to be pretty enough; it’s never going to be ugly enough. You kind of just go with it.”
(Was there a conversation you had with Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum or General Manager Chris Grier after they made the decision on your fifth-year option in the last month? Have they told you what their thinking was?) – “I didn’t have any … I didn’t talk to anybody about that. Like I said, it was kind of what I expected. I needed more snaps and there’s a lot that goes into it; but, that’s not my job to worry about. My job is going to be to put my best foot forward.”
(When you look at your pass rushers – DE Cameron Wake, DE Robert Quinn, DE Andre Branch, DE Charles Harris – what do you think about them as a group?) – “(Opposing quarterbacks) better get the ball out. I’ll tell you that. They have a short amount of time. I think the first thing is (they are) fast, athletic strong guys. (They’re) a bunch of guys that can pass rush. We’re going to need those guys to be big for us this year and get after the quarterback.”
(Outside of WR Jarvis Landry not being here, what stands out to you about the offense, having to go against them three-plus weeks now?) – “I guess No. 17 – (Ryan) Tannehill. Him being back under center, this is really my first chance getting to see him. He can sling it.”
(What, if anything, is different Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke’s system this year and the way the defense is set up? What’s different about that, if anything, and what, if anything, is different about the culture in the locker room?) – “As far as system-wise, I think every year the coordinator finds tweaks on one or two things that we need to work on. I think I can’t pinpoint anything exactly as far as with the system. I know I’m more comfortable with it; but as far the system, every year there is something different. As far as the team, I think we’ve got a good group going. (We’ve got) guys that love each other and want to be around each other. We’ve got one goal and we are working towards that every day.”
(Having said that, what do you think is going to be the biggest difference to the eye to this defense as opposed to last season?) – “To the eye?”
(Like for the fans. What are they going to notice about this defense as opposed to last year?) – “I would say energy. I think this group is going to come with a lot more energy, a lot more to their step. A lot more of just guys having fun, being energetic, being happy about what they do.”
(A couple of guys have talked about that so far this summer. What was missing out on that last year? Why did the energy level take maybe a dip as the season went on?) – “That’s why it was last year. We tend not to worry about it. (laughter)”
(How devastating is it for you to walk in there and you don’t have K Cody Parkey sitting in the locker next to you? Would you describe it as crushing, are you distraught?) – “(laughter) Probably crushing. Cody’s a good kid and he was right next to me. Cody is going to be fine. He was a good kicker for us and he got the job done.”
(What’s your kid’s name?) – “Skylar Anthony.”
(Where is home for you?) – “Charlotte, North Carolina.”
