Wednesday, December 4, 2019
(On where he feels he has improved over the last month) “Just learning how [Nick Foles] operates. Making sure we’re – not getting in the perfect play, but really getting out of bad plays and some of the stuff like that. Anytime I get to see how he leads is a good thing, so I’m very appreciative for him and how he’s taught me so much.”
(On if him being in a backup role helped him see the game in a different way) “Absolutely. A lot of times when you’re playing you have a million different things that you’re having to focus in on and you kind of lose some of the bigger stuff. I guess I should say some of the smaller stuff sometimes, but when you’re out of that role, you can kind of step back and see the little details and it was a really good experience for me.”
(On if what he has learned while in a backup role will help him in the future) “Yeah, absolutely. Being able to watch Nick, and see how he does it, is a great opportunity to learn. And like I said, being able to step back and see it kind of from a different perspective.”
(On his reaction when he learned that he would be the starter this week) “I was excited obviously. I was hurting for Nick. I know every group of QBs says they’re tight, but it’s true. We care about each other. I know every drive he was out there I was praying [and] hoping he’d go score so all that booing and crap would stop. And I know he’s doing the same for me. He wants nothing but the best for me and that’s all we want. We want to win games and whatever we have to do to do that.”
(On how he felt like he played coming off the bench in last week’s game) “It was good, it was bad. Things we need to fix, things we can build on. I think we operated with some good tempo at times, really pushing it and attacking the defense and I think that was very exciting.”
(On if he missed an open target on the intercepted pass intended for WR Dede Westbrook) “Yeah. He was open, could have thrown it to him for a touchdown. Should have. I’ll do it next time.”
(On how extra reps in practice have aided in his development) “Yeah it was big. You don’t get a lot of live reps at your own place when you’re the number two, so it was really cool for them to be able to do that for me and help me continue to get better.”
(On what he wants to accomplish over the next four games) “I just want to win this game. And then we’ll kind of reassess at the end of this game [and] see what we need to do for next week. But right now, all we can do is worry about beating the Chargers.”
(On facing the Chargers edge rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram III) “Yeah, they’re super talented guys. They play hard and they can get after the QB. I have a lot of trust in my tackles. Two young guys that are fighting their tails off every play, so I’m really excited, happy about that. We’re going to do some things schematically, try to get the ball out. Just mix it up on them and not let them just pin their ears back.”
(On his ‘My Cause My Cleats’ initiative) “I partnered with ‘Movember’. They’re kind of leading the way in awareness for men’s health. It’s mental health, cancer awareness, things of that sort and it’s a good partner to have.”
(On how he plans to stay motivated throughout the season) “I don’t think there’s any time in any point of the game where you’re out there and you’re thinking, ‘Oh, we don’t have anything to play for.’ I’m playing to beat the crap out of the guy across from me, and that doesn’t matter whether in practice, whether in games. I don’t need some kind of extra incentive to go out and compete. I think we have a lot of guys that think like that and we’re not going to mail it in just because we don’t have playoff expectations anymore.”
