Vincent Taylor – June 6, 2018
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Wednesday, June 6, 2018
DT Vincent Taylor
(How different is it for you this year compared to last year?) – “It’s a lot different. I don’t see myself thinking as much as I did coming in. Last year I kind of didn’t know what to expect, me going from college to the NFL; but now, I’m familiar. I got my feet wet last year so I know what it’s like.”
(When you heard the Dolphins were going to move on from DT Ndamukong Suh, what was your reaction?) – “I mean it’s hard losing a guy like Suh just knowing what he’s capable of doing; but at the end of the day, it’s a business decision. I know all of the things when I was coming in, what he taught me, so I learned some of the things that he taught me. Like I said, it is hard losing a guy like him and trying to replace a guy like Suh.”
(Did you see opportunity?) – “Yes. Me, I was learning from him. Last year I played some snaps when he came out, so this year hopefully I can bring those numbers up and us as a defense, replacing him will be hard.”
(DT Ndamukong Suh has an interesting reputation. You actually worked directly with him. What was that year like?) – “It was good coming in my first year to be able to learn from a guy like Ndamukong Suh. What more could you ask for?”
(How did DT Ndamukong Suh treat you?) – “Good. People always ask me how was Suh in the locker room. Suh was a great teammate (and) a great guy. I think he’s like a big kid. He likes to joke. Suh is a great guy.”
(What kind of goals do you have for yourself this year?) – “Really just go out there and improve from last year. Last year I think I had two blocked kicks. If I could increase that, try to get some sacks under my belt and get more tackles. Any way that I can help the team.”
(Do you think it bothers the defensive tackles primarily that DT Ndamukong Suh’s name constantly keeps getting brought up?) – “Again, it’s hard to replace a guy like Suh, so that’s going to come up a lot. But I think with the guys we’ve got and with (Defensive Line) Coach Kris (Kocurek) here, he’ll help us get to that level we need to be at to play.”
(Is there going to be a different kind of feel this year to the defensive line? A lot more rotation and a lot more keeping guys fresh? What does that mean for you as far as conditioning is concerned? When you hear this are you like, “Man I’ve got to get on it?”) – “Yes. You should always be on it no matter what the circumstances are; but just knowing that, that allows guys to play faster and give it all they’ve got since we’ll be rotating a lot. I think guys can go out there and (Defensive Line) Coach Kris (Kocurek) has us running to the ball. If you do that every play, you just know another guy is coming in to pick up where you left off at, so it’ll only help us out as a unit.”
(What do you see different about this defense so far this year?) – “We’re attacking more. That’s one of the things (Defensive Line) Coach Kris (Kocurek) is big on. We’re attacking more. I think that’ll help us out. We’ve got ends that are setting the edge and will help us guys in the middle.”
(Does it provide extra motivation for you, DT Davon Godchaux, DT Akeem Spence and DT Jordan Phillips to show that even though DT Ndamukong Suh isn’t there, the d-tackle group can be just as good last year, if not better?) – “Yes. With (Defensive Line) Coach Kris (Kocurek), that’s what he’s there for. He’s helping us out and telling us that a lot of people outside this building don’t believe in us. But with Coach Kris, he’s motivating us and I think we’ll be just fine.”
(From an outsider’s point of view, I wanted to ask you about WR Jakeem Grant and what you see in him. We know he came on late last year but on the field, off the field, personality-wise, are you seeing a difference in him this year?) – “I’m very familiar with him. He played at Texas Tech and I played at Oklahoma State, so I remember playing him my last year. We played up there. The opening kickoff, he took a kickoff right to the crib, so that just goes to show you what kind of player he is. (He’s) very fast. I guess they’re having a debate right now who’s the fastest out of him, Kenny (Stills) and (Kenyan) Drake; but he’s a special player.”
(So who do you think is the fastest?) – “Me? Playing against Jakeem (Grant) and seeing what he did to us in the Big 12, he’s a pretty fast guy, so I’d probably say him.”
(So who is the locker room debate between? WR Kenny Stills and RB Kenyan Drake and WR Jakeem Grant? Is that the three finalists?) – “And Albert (Wilson). He’s a pretty fast guy. I’ve seen him run, so he’s pretty fast also.”
(When you’re a defensive player and you’re playing for a team with a bunch of speed like that, how much more difficult does it make when they can open you up that much?) – “It’s hard. I know when we played K.C. last year, they’ve got a guy named Tyreek Hill. Practicing against Jakeem Grant, that helped us out as a defense. (Defensive Coordinator) Matt Burke came up with a great game plan. It’s pretty hard.”
(When you watch DE Robert Quinn, you think what?) – “Flexibility. (He’s) very flexible. Just the way I see him bend the corner and how low he gets, and just getting around all of those tackles, he’s a very special player. He’s very flexible.”
