Tyler Huntley – January 1, 2025
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Wednesday, January 1, 2025
QB Tyler Huntley
(Are you going into Sunday’s game in your mind as starting again?) – “Man, just like every week, I’m just preparing to be starting or preparing to just get in whenever my number is called and just being ready when it’s time to be ready.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel told us you were going to get the bulk of those first-team reps with QB Tua Tagovailoa still dealing with the injury. How much does it help you getting more of those reps knowing in the beginning of the week knowing you could probably start?) – “Definitely, just being able to get the reps of the plays that’s going to be called in the game, you’re able to get a feel of things and know what you like and what you don’t like. Just being able to step in and already feeling comfortable that you’ve ran these plays before.”
(I asked Head Coach Mike McDaniel about your demeanor, and I said to him, “It doesn’t seem like he ever getting rattled. Is he the best guy to have in this position right now?” And he complimented you and said you never waver, you’re always steadfast. Where does that come from?) – “I’ve been playing football since I was like 4 years old, 3 years old when I first picked up a football – you could fact check that one with my mom. I don’t know, she tells me all the time. (laughter) But I’ve been playing football for a long time, and at the end of the day, it’s football. Being able to just know what you’re doing, it gives you the confidence that you need.”
(Last week when you guys won, you gave the team confidence heading into this week. Obviously we don’t know the situation going down on Sunday, but how important is it to keep that momentum going knowing that you guys still have a chance to make it to the postseason?) – “Just being in the position that we’re in, if we just continue to win, we’re making that where we’re going. We’ve just got to continue to play how we’ve been playing the last couple of weeks, clean up the mistakes. I feel like a team can’t step on the field with us when we’re doing the right thing.”
(You’re a local guy. The Jets-Dolphins rivalry means a lot to a lot of people down here, so for you to potentially lead a Dolphins team into the playoffs by beating the Jets, are people hitting you up? How much does that mean to you?) – “I don’t know how much on the hitting up side, because I’m not too much of a phone guy. I don’t got too many social medias on my phone. I think I’ve only got Facebook on my phone. (laughter) Just to get our team in the playoffs man, that would mean everything to this organization – just the type of season that we’ve had and where we came from and just where we need to go, we just continue to just grind and win and then it’s going to take care of itself.”
(I asked Head Coach Mike McDaniel about how the threat to run helps quarterbacks, and I asked him whose the best threat to run quarterback that he’s ever had – do you know who he mentioned?) – “Who?”
(Robert Griffin III in 2012. How do you think your running skills compare to vintage RG3?) – “Oh, I ain’t got it, I ain’t got it. Compared to him, he’s got it. He came out running a 4.38 or something like that. (laughter) ‘RGIII’ was different coming out. I just try to use my legs whenever I really, really need to. I try to sit in there and just complement our receivers. They’re some fast guys, so I just want to try to spread the field a little bit for them.”
(I thought you were maybe going to pull a spin move in the fourth quarter on that third down run. It looked like you were about to pop a spin move, do you remember that one?) – “And I went down? I was a little winded, I’m not going to lie to you. (laughter) Calling those plays and just trying to operate all game, I was a little winded. I was trying to give ‘Brew’ (Aaron Brewer) a little time to get a block, but at that moment I was tired, so I just went down.”
(WR Tyreek Hill said “slide.” Did you play baseball? You got that slide down?) – “I didn’t play baseball, but I think I’ve got a little slide in me.”
(What’s the biggest game that you’ve started in the NFL? Obviously this is Week 18, chance to go to the playoffs, anything close to this?) – “It’s so crazy, my second start was against Aaron Rodgers at Ravens – Green Bay. Came down to the last few points, last drive. We lost by one point, but I felt like that was a big game. At the time, I think they only had lost four games that year. I can’t remember, but they were a great team. Yeah, that was a pretty good game right there.”
(What has QB Tua Tagovailoa been like? Is he in your ear? I see him like working with your footwork and stuff when you guys are beginning of practice. What’s he been like?) – “He’s been amazing. Just being that he doesn’t know if he’s going or not, just being able to just be out there with us, just give us the tools that he has just being in the offense for so long. His footwork is flawless and being able to see him do it just makes me finetune mine.”
(Obviously you know how big QB Aaron Rodgers is. What would it mean, especially considering you lost that first game, what would it mean to go out there on Sunday and get a victory against him?) – “I think he didn’t give me the jersey the first time because we had lost to him, but I think after this game, I hope that he gives me that jersey. (laughter)”
(Would you give him yours?) – “Yeah, I definitely will. I definitely will.”
(Do you have any good friends on the Chiefs?) – “Yeah, Marquise Brown, I got a couple people over there.”
(Send Marquise a little text?) – “I know he’s going to do his thing. Everything is going to play out, we’ve just got to do our part.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel complimented you by saying that not knowing if you were going start let alone play, you’re always prepared. The way the guys rallied around you in Cleveland, what does that do for your confidence?) – “It definitely helps with my confidence, and I know it plays even more for our team just knowing without the first guy, me being able to step in and just be able to do what I was able to do, I know it gave this team enough confidence to be able to go out there this weekend and go handle the game.”
