Terron Armstead – June 5, 2024
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Wednesday, June 5, 2024
T Terron Armstead
(What has this offseason been like for you?) – “It’s been great. It’s been great. Spent a lot of time with the family, training, getting fully healthy. Feeling well.”
(Where are you body-wise?) – “Feel great. Ready to go.”
(Last time we spoke with you was when you were in Orlando when you were wavering on what your future would hold. Can you take us through that process? What you considered and how you came to the decision you did?) – “Yeah, just a ton of self-reflection. Analyzing the season as a whole, looking through the film, all those good things. I sat with some family, made some decisions, but ultimately this is where I belong. This is where I’m supposed to be. I love where we are as a team. I love our opportunity we have in front of us. We left a lot on the table last year, and it’s time to finish.”
(Are you entering this season feeling like it is your last?) – “No idea. I enter every season with full commitment, locked in. I don’t try to look past that at all.”
(Why is Year 12 going to be your best?) – “It’s my approach, my mindset. It’s definitely going to be my best season. I’m looking forward to having an All-Pro year. Locked in, throwing people out the stadium, going crazy. That’s our mindset up front.”
(Can you give us an idea of what the process is getting ready for a season? From end of year to September?) – “Yeah, end of season you take some time off, of course. You reflect the season. You look through, watch film, see things you could’ve done better, see things you could’ve done better as a whole. Then you get into the training part of it, more so rehab to start early on. At this time now, you get into training. My training routine may be a little different than it was five years ago. A lot more Pilates, yoga, body work than years prior running sprints and gassers and stuff like that, so it changes.”
(What are you doing to ensure you play a full, healthy season?) – “The only thing I can do is control what I can control. All the things that I’ve mentioned and nutrition, mobility, flexibility, strengthening. Everything science tells you and putting my best foot forward. I go out there and play with physicality and violence, we’re going to let it roll like that.”
(With T Patrick Paul here, obviously most guys know that they have to mentor their replacement. I know you don’t have an issue with that. What do you want to pour into him to help him be the player he has the potential to be?) – “Any and everything. Every tool that exists for him to be successful and successful for a long time is what I’m going to give him and everybody else in that room. I’ve had a short time with Patrick (Paul) so far. I’ve seen some great things on the field, impressive for sure. Got a lot to learn, a lot of areas to improve in, but you see it – for sure you see the potential. You see why he’s here. Smart young man, but any and everything that I can possibly give, show, say, see is going to be offered to him.”
(When you got into the league, who poured into you?) – “Yeah, I had some great vets. Jahri Evans, Ben Grubbs, Zach Strief, Drew (Brees), I had some great vets. Those guys – I really leaned on my OGs, and they showed me the way.”
(Quite the offensive line you guys had over there in New Orleans.) – “Oh yeah, wasn’t bad.”
(When you talk about T Patrick Paul and learn new techniques and learn this new offense, it’s different than most offenses in the league. What can you give him from your experience of trying to learn new techniques and of playing on the offensive line?) – “Take your time. That’s probably the biggest thing I’m going to have to emphasize to the young man. We’re not going to try to learn the whole thing, read the whole dictionary in one day. We’re going to take small wins. I gave him a couple of things to focus on every day. As we start getting into hands and knocking hands down and hand placement, things to do with the hat, your feet, all that, that takes time – it’s a progression. But I told him I consistently want to see him win a set every day. Every play he controls where he gets in his set with his base, with his foundation ready to go. So just small wins, he’s eager to learn everything. Just kind of make sure it’s a process.”
(How far out do you forecast that? Because obviously he wants to have an impact on the team this year, but ideally he’s around for the long haul at left tackle. How do you kind of forecast getting that stuff down for this season versus the benefit of his entire career?) – “It’s a progression. It’s a progression. But once you consistently can do certain things over and over and over where it’s subconscious, you don’t have to think about certain steps in certain positions, then you move on to the next. But until then, you don’t. And that can happen sooner or later depending on the movement and the player. So he’s doing a lot of good things really well for a young guy. Some things you’d like to see more, but it’s coming because he’s willing to. He’s going to put the work in.”
(Sometimes players get injured because they haven’t done things to prevent injuries. When you were describing some of the things you’ve gone through, it sounds from this point of view that you have covered as many bases as you can. Do you feel like you have? Is there anything more you could’ve done other than have better luck sometimes?) – “You know something you let me know. (laughter) The durability has been my Achilles heel, it’s been my issue. But me as a professional and as I pour everything into my game, that’s just what I do for a living. I try to check all boxes, for sure. But you get landed on from behind while you’re pass blocking, there’s no yoga class that’s going to prevent that. You know what I mean? Do everything that I can to be ready and I will for sure, and then we play football.”
(Is there kind of a eureka moment when it came to making your decision to come back? Like “Alright, yeah, I’m going to miss this too much. I have to come back.” Was there something that was kind of the tipping factor to come back versus not?) – “Just that burning desire. That burning desire, the love for it. Watching the film, watching the things that I did to finish the season. Had a strong six, seven weeks to finish the season into the playoffs. And it’s just – man, there’s a lot we can do as a team that we left on the table. It’s time – we got to clean the plates this time.”
