LB Jaelan Phillips
(I was talking to Outside Linebackers Coach Robbie Leonard this week about your growth and he said the one thing that has changed a little is that you’re playing with more violence in terms of hand chops and motions. Is that something that you made a conscious decision to do? What’s lead to that evolution?) – “Robbie and I are always talking about marrying the violence in my feet with the violence of my hands. That’s something where at the beginning of the year – I’m good at running and I’m fast so I’ve always been violent with my feet, but now I’m learning how to really use my hands. At this level, you really need to be elite and precise with your hands. Just continuously trying to improve. Him and I work a lot together.”
(There was a third-down play in the Ravens game where you dropped back into coverage and QB Lamar Jackson took off to the right and you chased him down. Tell me about that play. Did you know the whole time that you were going to get him?) – “I told you guys last week that I was going to be running a lot, so I guess that was true. (laughter) I popped out and I was reading, waiting for him to throw a check down. Once I saw him start scrambling, I was on my horse. I knew I had him in my line of sight.”
(I know you call it something different than the amoeba package – most of the people it the amoeba package where the rushers and the edges and safeties are all up at the line of scrimmage. Is your assignment based on what the offensive lineman in front of you does?) – “I can’t give that away. That’s the secrets of the trade right there. (laughter) What I can say is having a six-up look like that kind of lets us dictate how we want to play the game. It lets us put a lot of pressure on the quarterbacks. I’m not going to give away the secrets to what I’m doing, but it’s a great scheme.”
(You guys have incorporated the safety blitz. How has that changed things for an edge rusher where maybe guys on the offensive line or blockers have more guys to look out for than what might be coming in and opening things up possibly?) – “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who is getting the sack or who is getting the pressure. It just matters that we’re getting it as a defense. I think having different looks, having different schemes, keeps the opposing offense on their toes. It allows us to do a lot more.”
(I think you’re second in the NFL in rookie pressures. There has been an increase in pressures. What do you think has led to the increase in pressures for you?) – “Just being tenacious. Just getting after the quarterback. At the end of the day, sacks are flashy stats. I think what is more important to have an impact on the game and put pressure on the quarterback. That’s just what I try to do. I try to execute the best that I can within our scheme and I think that everything is coming together. All of the hard work that we’ve been putting in, in terms of getting more comfortable as a team and with each other, and just with the gameplan and everything.”
(It seems that over the last couple of weeks you guys have made so many plays where guys are chasing after the football, and just following the ball and making a big play. You had the one against the Texans with QB Tyrod Taylor’s interception to LB Jerome Baker. Is there a mantra in the defensive room about flying to the ball?) – “Absolutely. That’s the first thing is you have to get phenomenal effort. It’s a life decision is what the coaches always say. There are a lot of things you can’t control in this game, but one thing you can control is your effort. For me, I’ve always hung my hat ever since high school really, on being a guy who is going to give my all, going to give 100 percent effort and going to be chasing after the ball. It’s important to get 11 guys to the ball. You never want to have guys out of the picture at the end of the snap. It’s definitely something that is important to us and we’re going to keep doing.”
(RB Michael Carter, you played against him in college. What have you seen on tape from him?) – “He’s a raw running back. He’s really powerful and he does not like to get tackled. He runs through a lot of tackles and keeps his legs churning. I obviously played him last year, the last game of the regular season. He’s a good back.”
(Speaking of UM, obviously you played for Manny Diaz and you’ve been around that organization. I don’t know if you’re on this special UM alum chain of people – you were only there for one year, so I don’t know if you apply. Are you concerned about the direction things are headed there?) – “I will always, until the day I die, be a huge proponent to Manny Diaz, and really the whole entire staff at Miami. Really everybody there. Obviously we haven’t had – for the last couple of season or really the last decade – the results haven’t been exactly what the fans, the school, or the program really wants. But I think more importantly, Manny has developed a culture at ‘The U.’ Even this year, you can see a lot of the young guys coming in and making an impact and having excitement and love for the game. I think that is something that you really can’t take for granted. I love Manny and I think he’s a great coach. I think he’s really talented and really smart and cares a lot about what he does and about his players. Wherever the chips may fall, it’s going to be what it is. But regardless, Manny is going to stay steadfast and keep doing his thing.”
(What were your interactions with Blake James, the athletic director, that won’t be there anymore?) – “He’s not there anymore. Blake was good to me when I came in. I think he’s a great guy as well. I don’t think football success or success on or off the field really determines how good of a man you are. Blake James is a great person. I think they are just looking to uphold the standard of what ‘The U’ is. I’m all for making changes and doing what they think they need to do to improve.”
(I wanted to ask you about CB Xavien Howard who was in here a few minutes ago. He was the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. When you have a player with his coverage skills at the cornerback position, how does that help you and the other rushers?) – “If the corners and safeties are covering, then we have more time to get after the quarterback. It’s really a symbiotic relationship. If we don’t rush well enough, then they’re in coverage for too long and eventually somebody is going to get open. And vice versa, if they don’t cover well enough, then we might not be able to get to the quarterback. I think we’ve done a good job of working together. But yeah, Xavien and really our whole entire secondary have been doing an amazing job covering for us, putting pressure on the quarterbacks when they rush and doing everything like that.”
TE Durham Smythe
(I told TE Mike Gesicki that I had never seen you run so fast. You know the play I’m talking about. He claims it was a 4.9 and I do not believe that’s accurate. How fast was it?) – “That’s a good question. We’ll have to check the numbers on that one but yeah, really since the Combine back in 2018 or whatever that was, he’s given me a bunch of crap about top-end speed and stuff. I can guarantee you it was better than a 4.9. (laughter)”
(I’m trying to remember the play. Did you have a lot of grass there?) – “Yeah, a ton of space. It’s always fun when you catch a ball in the flat and you turn and there’s nobody there and you can kind of just take off and you don’t have to worry about really anyone around you. That was nice.”
(The Jets have a couple of really strong interior defensive linemen with DL John Franklin-Myers and DL Quinnen Williams. Without giving away your gameplan or anything, I know a lot of times it will be incumbent on a tight end to either wham those guys or line up in the backfield. What kind of challenges to those guys present you and your approach to this game?) – “I think their entire front four and really their front seven is one of the strengths of their entire team. They are pretty talented across the board – good players really in every position. I think when you face a front like that, it’s going to be a total offensive effort. You’ve got to keep those guys guessing. What are we going to do on this play? What are we going to on that play? It’ll be a nice challenge and I think like I said, with that being a strength of their team in general, it’ll be kind of up to us to set the tone from that perspective.”
(Going back up to Jersey, isn’t that where TE Mike Gesicki is from?) – “It is, yeah.”
(Does he have a little bit of a community that comes together when you guys go back up there or is it all ball?) – “Yeah, no it is all ball. But Mike is a homebody to begin with. Any time that we get anywhere in that area, I hear a lot about it, we all hear a lot about it. So he’s excited to be around family, friends and his whole thing.”
(Are you a fan of the popular MTV show Jersey Shore?) – “No. Myself? No, personally. I can’t speak for Mike (Gesicki) either, but I don’t know if that is an accurate representation of the area. If it is, then that’s fitting for him. (laughter) It’s on brand.”
(More of a Sopranos guy?) – “Oh yeah, love The Sopranos.”
(Have you been to the Jersey Shore?) – “I have actually. I say that all about Mike (Gesicki) but I was actually born in Philadelphia before I moved to Texas early on and we used to spend summers out in the south Jersey Shore. A week here, a week there. I was almost too young to remember it, but I do have a little bit of background there.”
(I’m wondering about young TE Hunter Long, who we haven’t seen a lot during the games. What have you noticed, if anything, about how he’s doing in practice and how he’s handling not playing?) – “Hunter is a good football player. I know with him not being exposed to the general public yet, people don’t really know that about him yet. But he’s a good football player. He’s a smart guy. It’s always tough as a rookie in a position like that. I was in a similar situation when I first got here back in 2018, but there were some injuries and then I had to play. It’s always about the situation but he’s done a great job in terms of staying involved in the gameplan, involved in the game-planning. He’s, like I said, a good player. He will be a good player in this league, I think he’ll play in this league for a long time as long as he continues on this track. It’s cool to see that obviously without getting as many reps in games, he’s still staying so involved, so that’s kudos to him.”
(Have you and TE Mike Gesicki had to have chats with TE Hunter Long to keep his spirits up because he came in as a third-round pick and he’s inactive most weeks?) – “Like I said, he’s a smart kid, so he almost doesn’t even require that. He knows what happens in this league in terms of specific situations and things of that nature. He’s one of those guys that I think is self-motivated enough that he doesn’t really need us to pick him up here and there. I will say he’s ready every week so if there’s ever something that happens, he’ll be ready and he’ll be able to fill in.”
(I’ve heard that tight end is the second-hardest position to learn to get to the point of contributing in the NFL because of the many different facets that you have to learn to do your job. Do you think that that’s accurate?) – “Yeah, I mean obviously I can’t speak for other positions but in terms of at least the path that myself and even Mike (Gesicki) being in the same draft class have gone through, I think there could be some accuracy to that. I, in terms of what I was thinking and how comfortable I was in 2018 versus now, is a huge differential. And I think Mike is probably the same way. I don’t want to speak for him, but in terms of his production, it seems like he probably is the same way. I think it is, kind of like you mentioned, it’s a culmination of we have to do so many things within the offense. Maybe one day you’re focused on being a receiver, the next day you’re focused on whatever. It does take some time to be able to feel comfortable from a holistic standpoint. I think there’s definitely some accuracy to that.”
T Liam Eichenberg
(Thoughts on how things are going for you? Are you starting to feel more comfortable? Obviously you played on the left side your whole college career. Where things are for you at this point?) – “Yeah, I think for me, something I work on every single week is just carrying those fundamentals and techniques to gameday. I think run blocking is going well. Pass pro, it needs to improve and that’s what I’ve been focusing on this past week and what I’m going to continue to focus on. Like what I said before, it’s kind of just carrying those techniques and fundamentals to gameday.”
(Does anybody on the Jets defensive line or front seven catch your eye in terms of pass-rushing ability?) – “I think they’re all great pass rushers. It’s a great defensive line, great linebackers. We’re definitely focused on that and then at the end of the day, we want to win. You have to scout the guys that you are going up against and also the backups and everyone. It’s a very good defensive line – a veteran defensive line – so it’ll be a good game. I’m looking forward to it.”
(What’s the biggest difference you’ve noticed from the college game to the pro game?) – “I would say probably things happen a little faster. For us, we’re throwing the ball a good amount so just kind of that idea of you’ve got to protect a little bit longer I guess you could say. That’s probably the biggest difference.”
S Brandon Jones
(You’ve started a significant amount of games this season. Where is your comfort level now in this defense compared to where it was last year? – “I think my comfort level has grown a lot. I think early on I really struggled with my role on the team, which was to kind of multi-task and do as much as I can. I think that was the biggest place that I struggled because coming fresh out of college, it was a lot for me, especially with just how I learn. I have to see stuff multiple times, kind of walkthrough it, go through it and once the season starts, stuff can change every single week. That’s probably the biggest thing that I struggled with. And now having that and learning everything I learned my rookie year, it has really helped me grow to where I am today just when it comes to being confident and being able to trust all of my teammates and play fast.”
(Was it them carving out a role for you and you feeling that comfort level with that role, or was it ‘I have five different things last year and I learned from those five things, and now I incorporate them in my game?’) – “I would say I was able to learn those things and incorporate them in my game. It was hard to realize at first because I think rookie year, I was more so, ‘This is what I’m playing this week. This is what I’ve got to do.’ Then it can change any week. Now I look at it as where I’m playing this position but I also know what’s going on at all the other positions. With that, it helps me know where my help is in certain situations and makes me play fast and communicate. I can be confident when I’m trying to relay a message to somebody and tell them all types of stuff when it comes to communication.”
(When did you realize that you were a good blitzer?) – “I don’t know. I didn’t blitz that much in college. I blitzed most of my time was in my senior year when I played the nickel/Star role. I don’t know. I blitzed a lot last year too. I just never really got home. I think now, when it comes to timing, working on my swim move or whatever I got to do, I’m not able to spin. I tried to do that last year and I got chewed out by the coaches saying I can’t spin, this isn’t Madden and all that stuff. (laughter) I think being able to do it a lot in the games has also helped me build my confidence in that aspect too.”
(You mentioned how challenging it is as a rookie safety last year. How impressed are you with what S Jevon Holland has been able to do?) – “Jevon has been able to do some great things obviously, and it’s really cool to see just how young he is, especially with me being my second year, just how different we are from when I came in versus how he is now and his overall understanding of the game. It’s hard to tell, if you don’t know him, that he is a rookie even by the way he plays, by the way he talks about the game of football and his overall knowledge. We’ve been able to build a really good relationship, which is growing each week with each other, and just getting everybody ready to go every Sunday. It’s been cool to see him grow and the sky is the limit for him.”
(Going back to last year when they were throwing all of this stuff at you, what was it like for you inside? Was it a feeling of being overwhelmed or was it a feeling of being challenged where ‘I’ve got to master all of this stuff?’) – “It was a really good challenge for me because it’s an honor to be in that position and have the coach’s trust to give you the realm to be able to do multiple things. I kind of cherished it in a way, but there were points where I was kind of overwhelmed, from just not understanding when it came to certain gameplan situation stuff and just not having a good feel of the overall defense. So much isolating my job and not necessarily knowing the overall picture of why we call things or why we’re doing this. I think that’s the part that has grown the most in my game.”
(Is it a net gain now? Even though there were growing pains last year, is there a net gain to go through that for this year?) – “I definitely think so. I wouldn’t be able to say that last year going through it, but I’m glad I went through it and got that out of the way early because it did teach me a lot of lessons good and bad.”
(How excited are you about the future in terms of what you and S Jevon Holland can do as a tandem? Because you’re both young, you could be here a while as a starting combination.) – “I’m really excited. Mainly just being a part of this overall defense and how we do things on and off the field. It’s really good to be a part of. I genuinely love being around the players and being in the locker room, being in the facility. I enjoy being here. I think it will be really special overall as a team just to see where we grow with how young we are.”
(You’re going back to MetLife stadium, which is where last year you got your first career sack against the Jets. What do you remember from that moment and did you think it was going to be the starting point of your sack ways?) – “It was really weird just because there was nobody in the stands. When I got the sack, I started off and I felt really hyped. Then I heard literally nobody making any noise or anything, so I was a little confused. It was cool just to be able to get my first sack. I wish it was in front of a crowd. It would have been cool if it was a home crowd. It would’ve been lit. I probably would’ve tried to do some type of dance move or something like that. It was cool. I liked it.”
(The guys on the sideline had to be excited for you.) – “They were lit. And Christian (Wilkins) is always going to find you anytime you make a play. You always got to watch out for him. (laughter)”
(When you think about the general approach the defense has taken in the last two games, how would you describe the identity of the defense in those two games?) – “I would say physical, fast and keeps the offense on their toes. I think being able to blitz multiple people and not knowing where it’s coming from and having to make in-game adjustments has been really beneficial for us. Just the type of athletes and players we have on the team, to be able to do a lot of those things where we bring in certain packages with multiple DBs or being able to bring in big guys when we need a third-and-short, and to know and have the confidence that they’ll be able to do so, like stop them on fourth down and stuff like that. It’s been really fun. It’s been really special.”
(What does having an All-Pro caliber corner like CB Xavien Howard and CB Byron Jones as well allow a defense to do that maybe not all defenses have the luxury to do?) – “It’s a great position to be in, obviously. It’s a lot of pressure when you don’t catch balls in practice and stuff and ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) and Byron make you do about 100 pushups a day, which is always fun. It gets you right. And for me, it helps me blitz. It gets me stronger and stuff like that. It’s really cool seeing them and having them, being able to pick their ears. They’ve been in the league for a while, so they know how to approach things on and off the field when it comes to a routine and how to take that next step in being a pro.”
CB Xavien Howard
(After last Thursday’s game, CB Marlon Humphrey put out a tweet saying WR Jaylen Waddle is going to be a top 10 receiver year. As someone who practices with him, watches him up close, what do you think makes him stand apart from other receivers?) – “I would just say how we use him. I feel like he’ll be a threat and I feel he’s just got to grow and overall, just understand the game. A top 10 receiver, that’s big. So you know them guys coming a lot. I feel like he definitely has that in him.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores mentioned a couple days ago that they announced in the meeting that you were the AFC Defensive Player of the Week and guys clapped. It sounds kind of hokey or cheesy but how does that make you feel when everybody is recognizing an accomplishment that you had?) – “It’s cool. I just want to win at the end of the day. The accomplishment is cool to have but I really just want to win.”
(What, if anything, changes for you when the defense goes blitz crazy like it did against Baltimore the other night?) – “We’re on an island so we’re out there on an island and there’s a lot that goes on. My whole mindset is just make a play. I feel like there will be more opportunities when the ball is coming out quick or the quarterback is holding the ball for the whole defense. I feel like great things happen when we make that call.”
(So you enjoy that, right?) – “Hell, yeah.”
(Seeing S Jevon Holland and S Brandon Jones blitz, do you go to Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer and say let me get a crack at it?) – “That ain’t my game, man. (laughter) I just want to pick the ball off really and have the ball in my hands. If they call me to do that, I’m definitely going to do that.”
(The Jets are making the decision apparently of starting QB Joe Flacco. What are your thoughts on facing him?) – “We faced him last year. He’s a veteran quarterback and I feel like he’s been in the league a long time so he knows what’s coming to him and stuff like that. I’m sure he’s seen what we did Thursday night so I’m sure they’re preparing for that. He’s a veteran quarterback so he’s seen a lot of football. There’s nothing that I think will surprise him that we come at him with.”
(The team has won three games and in two of those games, you forced a turnover that led to a win. In general, in thinking about all 10 games, how do you feel that you’ve played this season?) – “Ok.”
(Why do you say that?) – “I feel like I haven’t played up to my standard a couple games. I’m just worried about getting better each week and getting back, having fun and doing the things I used to. And that’s making plays.”
(Is being healthy…) – “I’m healthy, yeah.”
(What role does that play in your ability to be as good as you’ve always been?) – “I feel like – I wouldn’t say not being healthy. It’s just growing pain. Just understanding what teams are doing to me now and just knowing that things I did last year are not going to be that easy. Everything I’m going to have to do, I’m going to work for it. Just understanding that and knowing how teams are attacking me now. Just getting that down pat, I should be good.”
(How are teams attacking you? What’s changed?) – “They’re running away from me. (laughter) They’re running away from me so it’s not going to be like you’re on the outside, one-on-one and (you get) a fade ball or this and that or something that happens close to the ball. It’s something that I have to understand that what I put on film that they see, I’m going to have to get better at.”
(If you were them, you would do that too, wouldn’t you?) – “For sure. For sure.”
(Are there any quarterbacks or receivers or offensive players from other teams that you’re friendly with who have made a comment to you after the game like, ‘We didn’t want to throw to your side?’ Have you gotten anything like that from any friends in the league?) – “No. I’m not friends – I really don’t talk. It’ll be good game or this and that and then it’s over with.”
(You don’t talk to receivers at all?) – “No, not really. No. I probably talk to the other cornerback. That’s all I really worry about, the cornerback position. If I see a cornerback doing a good job or somebody I’m competing with overall, that’s who I talk to the most.”
(The strategy that has been utilized in the last two games where, like you said, you and CB Byron Jones are on islands and you have eight, nine guys blitzing the heck out of the opponent, do you think that’s a sustainable strategy? That’s something that you guys can embrace as your identity the rest of the way?) – “Hell no. It’s football man. If somebody is going to gameplan that, we’re going to have to get out of that. We are going to have to get back to doing what we have to do. It’s football right now and people are going to get to know what’s going on, how to do this or how to protect that. At the end of the day, coach is going to make better calls or calls that can put us in position to make plays and we just got to do it.”
(Ten picks in a year is just so incredible and rare.) – “Man, that is old. That is old.”
(Has that spoiled you in the sense that now even if you are playing well, you’ll be unhappy if you don’t have an INT total approaching what you had last year?) – “Ten picks is old. It’s a new year. I’m tired of the 10 picks, like damn.”
(How do you feel? You made game-changing plays like we mentioned. Your two fumble recoveries that essentially iced or won a game for this team.) – “That’s all I worry about is winning. The individual stuff that I’m doing, it helps the team win so that’s what I’m really worried about. Not just getting an interception or trying to chase goals out there right now. I just want to win football (games).”
(The best players who ever played in their sport – for example in hockey, Wayne Gretzky, scored more goals than everybody, more assists in everybody. What he used to say is, ‘The hardest comparison is the comparison to myself.’ What is that like to know that you’re always going to be compared to your best season, your best game?) – “Right. I feel like what you put out there, people see that. By me doing what I did that year, they’re expecting that next year. At the end of the day, you’re not going to get that each year. I haven’t seen somebody do that in I don’t know how long. It’s just knowing what you did and knowing that even though the goals are more than what I did that year, it’s like each year you can have that attitude but it’s not going to be the same. That’s what you’ve got to understand. At the end of the day, you’ve got to look at the man in the mirror and be like, ‘I’m doing what is best for the team and what I can do.’”
(Punching the ball out, have you ever watched someone like Peanut Tillman or anyone? Does that just come naturally to you when the play comes to you?) – “The crazy part is I think when we were playing Chicago, he came and talked to the team. That was one thing he was talking about. I tried to add that to my game because I wasn’t punching the ball out and forcing fumbles. Every time the ball is in front of me or the ball carrier has the ball, I try to punch it out. That’s what I tried to add to my game.”
(That was in Chicago this year?) – “Yeah.”
(When you did the joint practices?) – “Yeah, when we did the joint practices. He came and talked to us.”
WR Mack Hollins
(Was there any thought – obviously I’m from Maryland and lacrosse is really big up there. Was there any thought that maybe you’d be a lacrosse player instead of a football player?) – “Honestly, if lacrosse was as big as football, I probably would have played lacrosse. It’s just more fun to me. You just have to be part of everything. You have to play defense, you have to play offense. I was a midfielder so I did a little bit of both. You’re running. You’ve got little elements of basketball. You’ve got elements of football in it with the physicality. It was a lot of fun. But I just felt after college, I knew I wanted to play sports professionally and the professional realm of lacrosse isn’t that big. I think it’s growing and I think it will be big. In 15 years, it will be one of the biggest I think. But I think I did all right.”
(Did you grow up in Montgomery County?) – “Yeah, Montgomery County. So lacrosse was like – if you didn’t play lacrosse, as you know, you were kind of the weirdo. It’s like down south, if you didn’t play football. That’s how it is in Maryland. You better play lacrosse.”
(How good were you?) – “I was pretty good. I played long-stick middie. We were a pretty good team. Almost made it to states. We were pretty good.”
(Is there anything in lacrosse that helped you in football any ways, that you could incorporate?) – “I’m a big fan of playing a lot of sports. I think it’s tough now because kids are funneled to playing this sport and just play it. Like play football and that’s all you do all year round. But there are so many elements of other sports that you could bring into your game. So lacrosse for example, the quickness of seeing things like who is open, who is not, me being able to recognize what defense a defense is in while they’re shifting, while I’m running around. It’s those types of things that you don’t really get from just playing football. I think lacrosse, yes. But every sport I’ve ever played helped me become the player I am today.”
(This is an important question so give it some thought. What does it take to be a gunner?) – “(laughter)”
(I only ask that question to people who are actually good gunners.) – “Well, I appreciate the compliment. Sometimes in the locker room, we’ll be comparing. It’s imagine going on the treadmill and turning it to the fastest speed and you’ve got to make it for five or six seconds. Then imagine two of your buddies trying to knock you off the treadmill the entire time and you’ve got to stay on there. Then once you get to the end, you have to stop somebody from running the opposite direction, who is at a standstill, who can make a cut any direction and still make the tackle. It’s rough but it’s the stuff I love. Gunner reps are probably my favorite rep of any play in the game of football because it’s a lot of action. There’s a lot of responsibility too but to be a good one, it takes a mindset.”
(There are people like me who actually watch it. That’s one of my favorite things to watch in football, as well. What’s your most embarrassing moment as a gunner?) – “(laughter) You all probably don’t know this because it was so bad I was off the screen. You all can go back – we’ve got Pro Bowl votes coming out so I probably shouldn’t even say this. (laughter) So last year we were playing the Jaguars. It was a plus-50 situation. I’m on the right side. We punt the ball. You can’t go out of bounds and touch the ball first. I get pushed out of bounds. I continue to get sent out of bounds until my back touches not the bench but the stadium wall. It was COVID so there were no fans, so I couldn’t dap anybody up. I got saved though. The ball checks up on the one and we down it on the one. But yeah, ever since then, I’ve switched some things around. That was definitely my most embarrassing gunner moment by far.”
(It seems like you maybe celebrate when you pin a ball at the 1-yard line more than you do a touchdown. Is it more enjoyable for you?) – “Yeah. I think touchdowns are great. Everybody loves a touchdown because it helps the team win. But I think special teams guys don’t get a chance to have fun and celebrate. That’s a big play to down the ball on the one. You don’t know any defensive player in the history of the game that’s upset about going out there and playing (against the) offense on the 1-yard line. There’s not too much the offense can do. I think special teams guys – if I could be the guy that gets other guys celebrating, I’ll do it because I think it’s a big play in the game and it changes the momentum of the game.”
(Who was the guy that ran you out?) – “I don’t even remember honestly. You all will find it. You might not see me in the screen but you will find it. I’m telling you.”
(What’s the flip side here? Best moment as a gunner.) – “There’s been like some forced fumbles. Like the one this year where I pushed a guy into the returner and Blake (Ferguson) recovered it. Anything that’s a turnover I think is great. I think punt return I have more fun in terms of like great plays. At gunner, my job is to stop him from returning. So every play that I stop them is great. But on punt return, going at it, being able to get like two blocks or something – knock a guy down and then the returner is going up the sideline and go get another block. That’s where you really have fun and have great moments, in my opinion. Gunners it’s like just do your job. You either have (expletive) moments or you have regular moments.”
(Somebody tweeted out, is DT Christian Wilkins on punt return?) – “Oh, yeah. We have some different packages where those guys will go in. We’ll get some big guys. (laughter)”
(Did you see the replay of… destroying a dude?) – “Yeah, that’s really why we do it. To line up, like there’s guys my size that have to line up on punt and I see Christian Wilkins across from me and your center was just struggling with him, you’re probably going to struggle with him. It’s a good package for us to change stuff up.”
(What does it take to convince young players to take special teams serious? Or do you think they get it?) – “Honestly, if they don’t get it, the best way to convince them is to tell them to bring their playbook upstairs. And from that moment on, they’ll realize how important special teams is. Like if you’re not the guy and you think somehow you can go undrafted or low draft pick and just not play special teams, more power to you. But I know from the years that I’ve played in this league and the other guys I’ve played with, special teams is a way that you can become the guy for sure – you can definitely become the guy – but you need to be in those special teams meetings and be a monster there before you can go.”
(I ask this question because I’ve battled with this question, like why don’t you play offense more? I’ve even asked the coaches. Is it because you play so many different roles on special teams? And they say no and they say you practice well. Why don’t you play offense more?) – “For me, it’s just whatever opportunities come my way. As you all see, I’m going to have high energy no matter what I’m doing, whether it’s offense or special teams. When I get my opportunities on offense, I take advantage of them, and I’ll continue to do that. But since I was a little kid, my dad would never let me be the guy that’s like, ‘hey, why am I not playing?’ We’re winning games now and that’s really – I’ll take zero snaps and a win 100 times out of 100 versus all of the snaps and a loss. That may sound weird or different than most, but the point of the game is to win. Everything is better when you’re winning. I’m sure everybody that came here is all cheery. Everybody is in a better mood. That’s how it works when you win. So if we can continue to win, the special teams reps, if it came down to it – if they said, ‘Mack, you’re not playing,’ and we’re winning? So be it.”
(I just tweeted something about your positive energy. I’m dead serious, just being around you, I feel better about things. I feel better about my life. I wanted to ask you a dead serious question. So if someone is having a hard day out there – someone who is watching this on YouTube or some kid in school that is getting bullied or some reporter who is having a hard time at home – what do you say to people in those situations?) – “I have a pretty straightforward look at life. People in the locker room will say, ‘You’re weird for thinking that.’ But soon enough I will be in a box covered in dirt. So if I live my life like ‘Oh, this (expletive) sucks,’ well then go in the dirt earlier. You might as well live your life and enjoy it to the most you can. Yeah you’re going to have (expletive) times. Everybody has (expletive) times. But there’s some that have (expletive) times and then those times end and then they have no times. So would you rather have no time or find a way to have a good time? I’d rather find a way to have a good time. That may sound so weird. Like why is your outlook on life that you could be dead? Because I have so much time left. Why not enjoy it? I don’t know when my moment is going to be. I’m going to have fun, I’m going to enjoy it, I’m going to try to have other people enjoy it. I don’t like seeing other people in bad moods. If I can change your mood for the better, so be it. Because the day is still going to go on. Why do it in a bad mood? I guess the saying is about duct tape. Can you fix it with duct tape, yes or no? If the answer is yes, fix it with duct tape. If the answer is no, then you can’t fix it and so be it. That’s life. If you can fix the problem, fix it. If you can’t, then stop worrying about it. That’s just kind of how I look at life.”
(Where does that come from? Duct tape?) – “(laughter) That’s just memes and stuff. But if you look at life, can you fix the problem, yes or no? Yes, I can fix the problem, ok go about it to fix it. Now the problem is done. If I can’t fix the problem, then why are you stressed about something you can’t fix? Now you don’t have to worry about it. Either way, I’m getting out of the problem.”
(Can you fix it with duct tape.) – “Can you fix it with duct tape? Yes, fix it with duct tape. No, then it can’t be fixed. Because if you can’t fix it with duct tape, then it can’t be fixed.”
