DT Christian Wilkins
(You missed two games on the COVID list. Are you willing to share with us if you had any symptoms and how you felt through the process?) – “The only symptom I got was ‘lack of football-itis.’ That was tough missing two games. I’ve never had to miss a game for anything in my football career. That was unfortunate for me, but now I’m more excited to be back than ever. I’m just happy to be back with the guys.”
(We’re in this pandemic and everybody is dealing with it. How was your mindset during that time when you were away? Obviously you wanted to get back on the field, but you’re dealing with some health stuff as well?) – “I was just getting a little antsy because I wanted to be back out there with my guys. Missing ball is not something I’m used to. I was able to just shift my mindset a little bit, think a lot about just life, more about football and how blessed I am to play this game. I just took time to do that and pick up a few more extra hobbies to keep me busy in my lots of free time.”
(We spoke to CB Byron Jones in the past and he talked about the same thing you did, not missing any games. But he said that was a chance for him to learn how to prepare more mentally for the game. Did you have a chance to step back and look at more film side of things and get yourself more mentally prepared?) – “Yeah, even though I knew I wasn’t going to play or anything, or with the potential of not being able to play, I still studied and tried to prepare each week like I was playing, just to stay sharp. Then just like I said, I just had more time to think about the game, and about the great opportunity I have to play the game every day.”
(Earlier at practice during stretch, what did QB Ryan Fitzpatrick tell you when the soundtrack came on?) – “That was our thing. I’ll keep that between me and ‘Fitz.’ That’s a little bit of an inside joke but ‘Fitz’ also, he’s not quite as an intense Hamilton fan as me. He knows the songs a little bit, we’ll talk about it a little bit; but I’ll keep that between me and ‘Fitz.’”
(Earlier you mentioned hobbies. Can you elaborate on what they might be? And secondly, social media was speculating whether your celebration had anything to do with WR Preston Williams’ injury. What can you tell us about that? Are we maybe going to see you dial back your celebrations or are you still going to be the same electric guy you’ve always been?) – “To answer your first question, I’m not going to share exactly what those hobbies are. Just stay tuned because when I share it with the world, I’m sure you’ll – I’ve got to perfect my craft. But when I share it with the world, that’s when you guys will all see it. I’ll keep that kind of to myself for a little bit. But it’s good. It’s good. It’s definitely a good hobby – a way to challenge my mind. But I’ll share that maybe at a later date once I get a little better. Then also, to answer your second question, I’m still going to bring the same energy each and every day on the field, play with the same excitement, play with the same joy and get as excited as I do for my teammates because I love this game. Maybe I can be a little smarter about it. It’s just the speculation. I don’t know. I’m probably going to be even more energetic because I’ve got to make up for two weeks of energy and excitement. We’ll see how it goes.”
(Last year you developed and grew in your own way. What’s it like working alongside and seeing DT Raekwon Davis? He’s popped up here on film the past couple of weeks. He’s had some good performances.) – “It’s been definitely good to kind of see him grow and develop. I feel like every rookie goes through those growing pains. It’s an adjustment from college to the pros, regardless of how good you are or how highly drafted you are. It’s an adjustment for everybody. Luckily for him, he’s been able to improve each day in practice and each week. He’s learning how to become more of a pro, so that’s good to see and it’s good to play – now that I’m getting back, it’s going to be fun to play around him. Just seeing him improve, hopefully I’ll keep being a leader and a mentor for him.”
S Eric Rowe
(Obviously we saw DT Christian Wilkins back at practice. What kind of energy does he bring being back there for the defense?) – “He brings a lot of energy. He’s obviously a key piece of our defense and on the d-line. So kind of without him, it hurts because you don’t want to lose your good players; but we’re always glad now that we got him back.”
(We heard a report today that the Jets will start Sam Darnold on Sunday at quarterback. I’m curious how that changes the way you guys go about things going from possibly Jets QB Joe Flacco to Jets QB Sam Darnold on Sunday?) – “We were preparing for both because obviously it doesn’t really change our mindset because both QBs are – they’re talented. They’re good. Obviously we all know Flacco – even though it’s been a while – he didn’t win the Super Bowl MVP for no reason, and (Sam) Darnold, we all know his potential. The fact that now that we kind of know who’s playing, it does give us a better game plan of some sort; but we were ready for both of them.”
S Brandon Jones
(In the earlier meeting this season, WR Denzel Mims was not available for the Jets. You played against him in the Big 12 at Texas and Baylor. I’m curious to get your thoughts on what Denzel Mims brings to that Jets offense?) – “I think (Denzel) Mims is just an overall playmaker. Obviously playing him in college, he has a lot of speed, he has very good body control and he just at the end of the day makes plays. Playing with him throughout college, he’s the same player. He’s definitely gotten a lot better, just more comfortable just making plays in the league, just making that transition from college to the NFL.”
(I’m asking about DT Christian Wilkins. What’s it been like having him back at practice? Is it a little louder now that he’s back there and just the energy that he’s bringing?) – “Oh yeah, Christian’s going to bring the juice no matter what every single day, and it’s always good just to have him on the field. Obviously not only the type of player he is, but just the type of guy he is off the field as well. Just his personality and just the juice that he brings really carries the team a long way.”
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Will QB Tua Tagovailoa be playing on Sunday and will two of your running backs – RB Salvon Ahmed and RB Myles Gaskin be playing Sunday?) – ”(Salvon) Ahmed will be out. We’ll list him as out. Myles – we’ll watch the film and make a decision. He was out there today. Same thing with Tua (Tagovailoa). We’ve got to watch the film, see what it looks like and then we’ll make a decision.”
(Last year, your team made significant improvement later in the year as opposed to earlier. Do you think this group can make a similar jump and have you seen signs that that could be coming?) – “Last year was last year. I think we just take things one day at a time and try to just make improvements. I think we’ve seen some of that over the course of the year; but again even what happened last week or two weeks ago or the first 10 games of the season, that doesn’t matter either. We’ve just got to try to get better on a daily basis. That’s the message every day for everyone here – players, coaches, support staff. And I think if we just try to do that and we focus on that, then the results hopefully take care of themselves.”
(What’s it been like having DT Christian Wilkins back and if he’s ready to go Sunday, what type of impact do you think he’ll have on the line?) – “It’s good to have him back. It’s always good to get anyone back from injury … we’re excited to have him back. He’s full of energy. He brings juice and energy every day, so we’re excited to have him back and everyone’s excited to have him back. It’s always good to have guys back in the lineup.”
(G Solomon Kindley – what’s his status for? You did not give an update for him.) – “Solomon (Kindley) will be out this week. So before you guys get – (Salvon) Ahmed is out, Solomon Kindley is out. Jakeem (Grant) and Tua (Tagovailoa) are questionable.”
(You mentioned QB Tua Tagovailoa being questionable and having to watch the film. Has anything changed or is there any chance he doesn’t play? You kind of mentioned that you weren’t worried earlier this week about that thumb.) – “Any time there’s anything, you’ve got to make a declaration. So we have to watch the film and see what it looks like, but we just figured ‘questionable’ was the best declaration for him as well as Jakeem.”
(Sometimes when quarterbacks have an issue with their thumb, you hear about them having difficulty gripping the ball. I’m wondering is it more on that level or is it just his ability to deliver a pass where he wants it to go that might be a concern, if any concern is there?) – “Any time you have an injury to any body part – whether it’s foot, hand, shoulder – any hindrance is a hindrance is a hindrance. I think we just try to work through it, treat it. And that’s what Tua’s doing like any other player. As far as – and everyone’s a little bit different – so some guys, it’s their legs that if they don’t have any legs under them, then that’s what’s a hindrance. Some other guys, it’s a shoulder. So I can’t say specifically for Tua or really any other player as far as what exactly what they can play through or not play through. I know he’s a tough, tough kid. He wants to play and we’ll see how this goes.”
