Xavien Howard – December 6, 2021
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Monday, December 6, 2021
CB Xavien Howard
(There is a stat that you guys are 6-0 when the defense holds opponents to 17 points or fewer. After the first-half struggles this year, especially with the defense, do you think that this unit is back to playing to the standard of last year? Do you think you guys are back to that level?) – “Yeah. I feel like we’re back to that level. I feel like everybody is confident, everybody is having fun. I really don’t pay attention to the stats, but that’s a good stat though. We’ve just got to keep taking it one week at a time and keep playing good ball.”
(Where do you think this team stands going into this bye before this stretch run and what will you be doing this bye week?) – “Recovering. Getting some rest. This week is Week 14. There is a lot of ball left. Just try to recover and make sure everybody get back to 100 percent and try to win out.”
(I wanted to ask you about the interception in Sunday’s game. What was the key to getting back to the way you executed on the deep ball?) – “We were in Cover 3 and the quarterback hit me with a high, low concept. I guess he was expecting me to jump the out route and the other guy was two seven routes. I ended up seeing the ball in the air and went to attack the ball.”
(I know you said statistics aren’t that key, but aside from just the interceptions the statistics show that you’ve been really locking things down over the last three to five games. How do you feel about where your game is right now?) – “I feel good about it. I’m very confident and everything is clicking together. I feel like I’m back where I ended up leaving it in 2020. I feel like I’m back on a roll.”
(Now that you’re at the end of the bye, do you feel like a break at this point is beneficial or would you still prefer it earlier?) – “I’d prefer it earlier because we’re on a roll right now and I want to keep that going. Even though we got a bye, a lot of guys are probably banged up. We probably need it in Week 14. I definitely wanted it earlier, but we’re on a roll right now. We’ve just got to keep that momentum coming off the bye and got to do a lot of good things.”
(I believe it’s like two touchdowns in the last five games you guys have allowed. I’m not 100 percent sure on that stat but it’s something stingy like that. What is the mentality when you get to the red zone or when the opponent gets to the red zone? how do you clamp that down like that?) – “I feel like everybody just focuses in. We try to give them three points. That’s probably it. That’s what we want in the red zone. Everybody tries to focus and pay more attention to the details and understand what the offense is giving us. We don’t want anybody to get in the end zone. We try to protect the house. We’ve just got to keep doing that week in and week out.”
(I wanted to ask you about your pass rush upfront. You have three guys who are currently ranked in the top 15 in quarterback hits. How does that help you and the secondary’s job in coverage?) – “That’s a blessing. Guys like that getting to the quarterback and putting pressure on the ball, it makes the job easier for the back end. As a defense, it all works together. That’s what you all have been seeing, they’ve been working together and a lot of plays and opportunities are out there that we’ve been taking advantage of.”
(A couple of players since the game ended yesterday have talked about the bye and the pros, and the cons of having it right now. What is the best way to keep this momentum going, to make sure you retain your sharpness of the bye week and that there is no rust when you do come back to play another game?) – “I feel like we’ve got to focus on the main goal. Even though it’s a bye, it’s not a party time or do this or do that. You’ve got to take care of your body, you’ve got to do things right. When we come back, we’ve got to have that same attitude and turn it up a notch. I feel like we’ve got to stay focused. We can’t let that be a distraction as a bye week even though we’re on a roll.”
(How are things different for you in everyday life when you’re in the midst of a five-game win streak as opposed to a long losing streak. How does that change things for you, waking up and just your whole day?) – “We’re taking it one day at a time. In the beginning, it was rough. You’re seeing a lot of good things happening right now and we’re just trying to balance everything out. I’d say just focusing on each day and focus on trying to get better.”
(I think Head Coach Brian Flores said yesterday that he wanted you guys to put your feet up this week and enjoy the time off. LB Elandon Roberts talked about watching some football. I was curious, when you put your feet up, what are you into? Is it Netflix? Do you hop on the sticks? Do you watch football too? What’s your go-to leisure activity?) – “I’m going to watch some football. I have a family so I’ll probably be with my kids most of the time, taking them to school and picking them up from school, which is something we miss out being here at the facility all day. I’m going to make sure my kids are straight and do a good job with that.”
(When you go to the pick-up line, are there some Dolphins fans there to make sure they recognize you?) – “Yes. Especially at American Heritage. Yes (laughter)”
(You just mentioned that you’ll probably watch some games. I know the focus is still on improving yourself and the team, but do you think you’ll find yourself watching game and internally rooting against some teams that may be ahead of you in the standings? There is a chance you guys could bump up a little bit in the standings in a week off.) – “To tell you the truth, I don’t pay attention to who is in front of us or anything like that or if we’re in the hunt. I just play football week in and week out. I just try to focus on the things in front of us and just make sure we execute what we got to do, and everything will take care of itself at the end of the day.”
(I just remembered that Baylor won the Big 12 Championship. Were you by chance watching the guy tackle the other guy just short of the goal line? Did you see it on replay? Tell me about all of that.) – “Me and (Emmanuel) Ogbah, we had a little something going on. I won’t say what we got going on but yeah, I think I was out doing a little bit of Christmas shopping. I think it was 21-6 the last time I saw it, so I was out and I started panicking because I heard somebody say Baylor was about to blow the game. So I ended up FaceTiming Ogbah and he ended up telling me everything that was going on. We got the W at the end of the day. The crazy part – I think it was 2011 – no it was 2013 when we played them in Stillwater and our quarterback Bryce Petty ended up tripping at the 1-yard line. I was like that’s crazy how that came back around.”
