C Daniel Kilgore
(What’s this road back been like for you?) – “It’s been good. I took some time off obviously with a little knee issue and I’m working hand-in-hand with Troy Maurer, the (assistant athletic) trainer. It was good. It allowed my knee to heal and rest my body. It’s good. (I’ve had) a good past couple of weeks of practice getting back in the groove of things. I’m feeling pretty good.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores says you’re close to being ready to go this week. How do you feel about being ready?) – “Yeah, I feel like I’m close. Again, it’s just getting back into the groove of practice and doing the football stuff. You can work out and run as much as you can, but you’re not really in football shape until you go out and play football. I feel pretty good, though.”
(With this offensive line, obviously there has been so much change and mixing and matching and patching. Do you feel like you guys are starting to get some continuity now?) – “Yeah. I think the guys have done a really good job the past couple of weeks. We can get better at everything but we’ve definitely gotten closer. You can see we’re in games, we really are. We’re not perfect by any means, but things are getting better on a weekly base.”
(Why do you think the line has been able to do so well protecting QB Ryan Fitzpatrick despite all of the change that you’ve had?) – “Again, I think it’s the reps and working together. They’re having a lot of changes. Guys are having to step up due to injuries or guys are switching roles. So just during the week, going over what our opponent is doing and what they are trying to accomplish. The guys are dong a really good job preparing throughout the week and preparing, and Ryan is doing a good job of getting the ball out and putting us in the right spot too.”
WR Gary Jennings
(On moving here from Seattle.) – “It’s a long trip, but I wouldn’t say a ‘whirlwind,’ so to speak. I’ve been pretty even-headed, level-headed, and I’m just ready to go here.”
(We talked to Head Coach Brian Flores earlier and he said that you had paid them a visit prior the draft, so you had already worked out for them. To be familiar with the coaching staff again, is that…?) – “Yeah, it’s pretty cool to have built a prior relationship in that pre-draft process. They’re a great staff. I can’t wait to see what they have to come.”
(What’s it like to be an early draft pick and then have a team that selects you waive you and then another team claim you?) – “Honestly to me, everything has a reason. Everything works out in its own way. I’m just happy to be where I am now.”
(What do you remember from that pre-draft meeting? Some of the feedback you got or some of the interactions with the staff.) – “I know they were really high on me and that’s why they took a chance on me again.”
(What do you view as your strengths? What do you bring to the field, to the position?) – “I’m a playmaker. I’m smart and heady. I bring very great camaraderie and I’m a great teammate as well.”
(Anything you feel that you need to work on the most or where you could maybe improve?) – “In all aspects. When you start getting complacent, that’s when you regress so (I am) always looking to get better in all aspects.”
(How long do you think it’s going to take you to learn a playbook?) – “I’m trying to get it down as fast as possible. That’s the key.”
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Can you explain the thinking behind not activating CB Cordrea Tankersley yesterday?) – “We didn’t think he was ready to go. He’s obviously coming off the injury. He’s made a lot of progress; but at the end of the day, we just felt he wasn’t quite ready and it wasn’t in the best interest of him or this team.”
(On game day, how do you handle the different personalities? I saw a funny moment in the last game where LB Jerome Baker was kind of dancing, he got you smiling and he was all “hey, I got Coach smiling.” Other guys have their headphones and are totally focused – how do you handle that or is that…?) – “It’s football. There’s different personalities. I deal with different guys on, really every day. From the coaching staff to the players to the trainers to – I like dealing with different personalities. I like dealing with different people. It’s part of the job. It’s also something I enjoy. ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker) tries to get a smile out of me every once in a while. I faked a smile for him in that situation (laughter) just to kind of keep it going. I do what I’ve got to do to get my guys ready to play.”
(What can you tell us about the new receiver you brought in yesterday – WR Gary Jennings?) – “Gary – we brought him in for a 30-visit in the spring and we really – we liked him. We liked him as a player, we liked him as a person. We thought he had some speed, some size, some athleticism. He’s a young guy we wanted to work with. Obviously we weren’t able to draft him – Seattle took him; but when he was available, we felt like this would be a good young player to bring into the building and try to help develop.”
(Have you had to talk to RB Kalen Ballage about the opportunity that he has now or is that one of those things that it should be obvious so you just kind of let it go?) – “I talk to players pretty much every day. Kalen knows he’s a big part of this team. He’ll have some more opportunities this week. He knows that. It’s not something I’ve got to – I don’t have to get him going or try to – he doesn’t need any extra motivation. He’s a motivated kid. He’s someone who – he’s very eager. He wants this. It’s important to him. I don’t think he needs any extra motivation from me.”
(Where is C Daniel Kilgore on the road back and the same thing with DE Avery Moss?) – “Both guys are working their way back. Both got into practice yesterday and (are) making a lot of progress. We think we’ll be close this week. Hopefully we see both of them.”
(Is that something where you just have to wait for the medical clearance or you just see them practicing at a higher level?) – “(It is) a little bit of both. Obviously we’re constantly watching them. They’re cleared to practice and then you’ve just got to see how much of a hindrance the injury is. Are they back to full speed? Can they go into a game at a higher level in an aggressive and physical game and be productive? There’s a lot that goes into it. From a medically cleared (standpoint) – yeah. Are they all-the-way ready to go? We need to see that in practice.”
(Is there a player on the team that you see some of Boston College Brian Flores in or a player who you strived to be?) – “I hope not. (laughter) I hope not. No, there’s no guys like that. But yeah, there’s a lot of tough guys. I think I was tough and I was smart to get guys lined up. We’ve got a few guys like that, but they’re much more talented than I was. I’m coaching. I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”
