Terron Armstead – August 16, 2023
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Wednesday, August 16, 2023
T Terron Armstead
(Little nice to get some reps in the joint practices today?) – “For sure. Always good to be out there with the guys running around playing football.”
(Where would you say you’re at right now?) – “Process. I’m still getting ready. I don’t feel like I’m fully ready yet for the regular season, but we don’t have a game yet. Still working through that process. Trying to get more reps to get more game-ready and get my body feeling optimal. Just get it as good as possible to go out and play some ball.”
(What do you think of the operation of the offense as a whole and where it stands right now?) – “I liked today. I liked today. We’ve been having some challenges, some struggles. More so just the timing and just the vibe of the offense, trying to run that operation and make it run like a machine. We haven’t been able to do that the way that we have grown accustomed to when we’re rolling. Today felt normal. It felt more normal. Still had some hiccups, of course, but from an operation standpoint, it felt like a real offense.”
(Is that a pretty natural progression in your career where it kind of comes along as camp goes along?) – “It’s kind of hard to say. I was in a regime that had a lot of consistency with the quarterback and head coach. There weren’t many changes to that offense. So we would kind of jump in and pick up where we left off in a sense. This being a new scheme, still pretty new to everybody, so it’s a lot of details that you just have to practice and get the reps and experience in order to adjust and learn how to operate. New guys on the edges. New guys up front. All that is all about the chemistry and cohesiveness.”
(You acknowledged that sometimes the timing hasn’t been what you guys are accustomed to. Is there any level of experimentation that you think is playing a role in that? Is it the defense? Because again, we’re used to seeing a lot more big plays and consistency. What would you say is maybe the biggest problem, if you want to call it that, with the offense?) – “Yeah, so for us – and this is my perspective – I think the result isn’t necessarily the goal as much as the operation and the flow and the rhythm. How consistently can we be in and out of the huddle, everybody lined up where they’re supposed to be, get the motion, get the play started and did everybody get where they’re supposed to be at the end of the play. So the result, not so much. But as long as we keep doing that, everybody working the details, being exactly where you need to be, doing your job, we will have results and a lot of them.”
(Is there a daily dialogue as to how much you’re going to do? Is that a weekly plan or the plan that was set forth once you got off PUP?) – “Yeah we had an initial plan. But as we go and things kind of pop up or need more work in this area, less work in this area. So just playing it like that. I’ve been around for a long time now, so I know what’s needed to get prepared. I feel like it’s time to ramp up some more.”
(We hear often about the style of offensive line play here, come off the ball, fire off the ball stuff. How does that pair with the quick game when you kind of get the run game going outside of those screens?) – “Yeah, that’s the foundation. We’re flying off the ball, putting that stress on the edges, putting that stress on the linebackers. Then we make it look the same and it’s play action with Tyreek (Hill) or Jaylen (Waddle) or (Robbie) Chosen, River (Cracraft), somebody else coming across the field and you’re more reactive opposed to being in position. Flying off the ball, that’s the foundation of everything we’re trying to do. Nothing else works if we don’t do that.”
(What have you seen from T Isaiah Wynn and OL Lester Cotton?) – “Ballers. Ballers. Those guys can play ball. Lester is extremely strong, road grader, athletic, smart. Isaiah, he’s athletic, strong hands, he’s a finisher, he’s tough. I’m pleased with both of those guys.”
(How do you watch those one-on-ones. I always say, you’re at a disadvantage, but how do you watch them when you’re not participating but you’re watching your guys? How do you decipher them?) – “Your technique. It’s a great opportunity to control what you can control. That’s your stance, your start and getting to your spot. Then you battle. So you always want to see that. I hate to lose any rep. So one-on-one, it doesn’t matter. Walk-through, it doesn’t matter. You want to create that type of mentality when you go into those one-on-ones. Even though it’s a defensive drill, you still want to go out and compete.”
(I heard Head Coach Mike McDaniel say something I’d never heard of coach say. I asked him how does he decide what the left tackle is? And he says, ‘what my locker room says.’ Have you ever heard that before in terms of a coach leaning on what his veteran players say in terms of who, I guess, wants to play next to him?) – “I don’t make decisions, front office decisions or anything like that. None of the players do. But we run the team. It’s a player-driven team. It has to be. We’re the guys out there in the midst of everything. We’re getting a great feel in a sense. The best teams I’ve been a part of were player-led teams. So you’ve got to have a great group of leaders that understand and have a great awareness of the team as a totality and what is best for the team. That can be anything. That can be in any aspect. But those player-led teams are the best teams I’ve been a part of.”
(Is it a leadership council thing or it’s just casual conversations with Head Coach Mike McDaniel?) – “If you have the right leaders, you don’t necessarily need a council or conference table. You know what I mean? It gets handled. Messages get across. Guys handle their room. Guys handle their side of the ball. Me and Christian (Wilkins) might talk about something. Me and Tyreek (Hill) might talk about something we need to focus on, we need more effort and more energy in. If you’ve got the right leaders you don’t really have to sit and have a roundtable.”
(You mentioned DT Christian Wilkins. Head Coach Mike McDaniel said before practice that he hasn’t been participating because of contract issues. As a leader on the team, as a fellow leader, do you say anything to him? Does that change anything with the team or do you just have to kind of go about your business?) – “Christian’s a dawg. We need him. We need him to win. There’s no question. So he knows what he needs to be ready, to be prepared. He practices and plays harder than anybody I’ve ever seen. You never worry about a guy like him. We need him. The organization knows we need him. I’m pretty sure they’ll figure out something whether it’s stock options or whatever to get the job done.” (laughter)
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel mentioned the value of coming out of these joint practices where you guys spend so much time together. How do you kind of take ownership of that and get the most out of having this much time with your teammates off the field?) – “It’s important to get a chance to know some guys. You have some unusual conversations that you just don’t really have time to have in a normal setting. Then you come out and compete against another team. Protect each other, that energy, that us against them, that vibe that you just won’t necessarily get in training camp because we’re all on the same team. So I enjoy it. I enjoy it for sure. I think the joint practices are great.”
