RB Raheem Mostert
(There are “Raheem The Dream” signs now at Hard Rock Stadium. How cool is it to see the fans kind of have fun with it and really support you?) – “It’s pretty cool. I even, if you take a look at this – this is ‘Radio Raheem.’ (laughter) One of the video guys put that in my locker, laminated and all. I was like, ‘Yeah, let me go ahead and cherish these moments.’ It’s fun man, honestly.”
(It’s about to get a lot of fun, obviously, Sunday Night Football. Does it get any bigger than that at this point in the season? How much do you look forward to a matchup like this where really all eyes in the NFL really want to see the Eagles and the Dolphins, two of the top teams in the league?) – “It’s two teams that are 5-1. An unbelievable matchup. I know the stadium is going to be rocking. Sunday night, they’re coming out with the mean green unis (uniforms), and I think those are cold. It’s going to be fun, man. The atmosphere is going to be great. I know that – me personally, I was with Philly my rookie year, and I know what the fans bring, the energy and the boost that they’re going to have for their team. We just have to be able to control the exterior of everything and handle it well.”
(What do you see from Philadelphia’s defensive front?) – “Man, their defense is stout, especially up front. They’ve got a plethora of guys on the d-line that they can just rotate any time and make unbelievable plays. I know ‘BG,’ Brandon Graham, he’s one of my guys, and I know that he’s going to be amped up and ready to go. He’s probably going to talk a little trash, because I know how he is. (laughter) But it’s going to be fun. I can’t wait. They’re a good defense, especially with the linebackers and the backend too. They’re all complementary. They play good ball.”
(Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio was a consultant for that team last year. Has he popped into any offensive meetings this week to discuss maybe things they like to do?) – “No, he hasn’t, but I’m sure he’ll give us some nuggets here and there that are just going to help us improve our scheme and our abilities to go out there and execute at a high level.”
(You mentioned the fans, sorry to go back to this, but playing there, what’s maybe the craziest thing you’ve seen the Philly fans, who are known for being pretty nuts, do?) – “Craziest thing that I’ve seen is just throwing things at players, of course. That’s like routine, but they dig a little bit deeper, too. They try to get into your personal life as well. Fortunately, I’m not the victim of that, but it’s just fans being fans. They have a lot of pride over there, and like I said, I know them very well.”
(You said earlier this season that you feel great physically, especially compared to last year. Is that physical part what points you the most as what has lent itself to your production?) – “When you’re able to stay healthy and do – I’ve put in a lot of work this offseason and even in-season, I’m trying my best to maintain my body. I get vet days here and there, and I like them and all, but you do have to have some giddy up to your game, and I’ve been able to find that rhythm and that pattern and routine. So you just have to stick with that routine, and I’ve been able to do that. As you can tell, it’s been working out for me. So I just have to stick to the script of course and keep things pushing.”
(How about just winning AFC Offensive Player of the Week this week? What was your reaction to finding that out?) – “I found out during the team meeting when Mike (McDaniel) opened up the team meeting with that announcement. Honestly, I didn’t think it was me. I thought it was going to be Tua (Tagovailoa), because he’s been playing so well, and he’s been doing unbelievable things. I believe he was (AFC Offensive) Player of the Month, so I thought he would get that. I’m sitting next to Cedrick Wilson Jr., and he was like, ‘Heem, it might be you.’ I’m like, ‘Nah, it’s Tua. It’s got to be Tua. He’s playing unbelievable ball right now,’ and then it turned out to be me, so I was excited about that.”
(Have you heard on social media from people who are absolutely thrilled to have you on their fantasy team?) – “(laughter) Yeah, quite a bit of people. Fantasy – honestly, I wish I was into it. I’m just so dialed in on perfecting my own craft, as a lot of players are, that I missed the opportunity to be with a bunch of folks to join a league. I should’ve joined Austin Ekeler’s. Austin Ekeler has – I think he’s in fantasy football, and I should’ve asked him.”
(Pick yourself first overall?) – “Ah, I probably would, I’m not going to like. (laughter) I would, I would, I would. You’ve got to. You’ve got to, right? I know Austin (Ekeler) would.”
(Just the idea of 11 touchdowns in six games, when you hear that number, can you get your head around it even?) – “Honestly, I just feel like I’m just going with the flow of things. Eleven touchdowns is actually a lot of touchdowns, now that you think about it, but I just go with the flow of everything. Right now, we’re doing unbelievable things, especially on the offense and it’s fun to be a part of.”
(Does that put stress on you to come up with 11 different touchdown dances?) – “(laughter) No, no, no, because I still have to go back to my celebration, my surf celebration. But I try to coordinate with the rest of the guys in regards to the touchdown celebrations. I asked the group today in walkthrough what’s going to be our celebration this week, so we’ve got a little bit of time. Friday is our cutoff day.”
(Who is the leader of the pack in that? Does Head Coach Mike McDaniel ever jump in with ideas?) – “No, Mike (McDaniel) doesn’t jump in, but I think it’s me, (Jaylen) Waddle, Tyreek (Hill), Tua (Tagovailoa). Tua actually came up with the Remember The Titans (celebration). He didn’t do it, I was like, ‘Bro, what are you doing? Come on, you’re supposed to be a part of that.’ It’s a collective group. Rob Hunt, he comes up with them too, and then Terron (Armstead), Terron pitches some ideas out there as well.”
(Do you have any idea what the single season touchdown record is among all players? Do you know what it is? What is it?) – “I’ve got my eye on it. I know. It’s my number, ‘LT,’ (LaDainian Tomlinson) he did that in 2006. I’m fairly familiar with that record, and it would be an honor to even get close to that. I know I’m in a little hot streak right now, but LT’s record, man, that’s unbelievable. I remember that was his MVP year, and growing up watching his tape and that highlight, man, it’s just remarkable. I mean, I still do to this day. He’s a legend, and I was fortunate enough to meet him when I was in San Fran, and we had at least a 20- or 30-minute chat on the field. Man, it just was remarkable. He’s a special guy. He’s a special cat.”
LB Jerome Baker
(That Philly fanbase is a little different, isn’t it?) – “Oh yeah, I can’t wait. It’s going to be exciting just to go up there and see their fan base and see how they treat the opposing team. The energy is going to be there, so it’s just about performing now.”
(What is it about that Eagles’ fanbase because they’re pretty passionate?) – “They don’t care. They don’t care what you do, what you say. They don’t like you because you’re not an Eagle. That’s how it should be. They ride and die by their Eagles. It’s going to be a good one Sunday.”
(What do you make of the ‘Tush Push’ that the Eagles are doing?) – “I mean, I think it’s one of the toughest plays to stop. It’s not one of those things where anybody can run it. You really have to have a quarterback who can really do it, have an o-line that’s strong and get low. It works for them. It’s one of those things as a defender you just have to find ways to stop it and you have to have the manpower and will to stop it. All the talk about us getting rid of it, I’m not for that. If we can’t stop it, that’s our job. We have to find ways to stop it.”
(Not to disclose the gameplan, but you guys are aware of it, right?) – “I think everybody that’s a football fan is aware of that play. You have to look at it as if we don’t get them to get 1-yard, we have to hold them back. We just have to play football, play together. We’ll be alright.”
(I know it’s a common term, a measuring stick. Is this one when you face a team like that is leading the NFC East and they’re 5-1 as well like you guys?) – “I mean, at the end of the day, it’s our next game. But let’s be real here. We’re 5-1. They’re 5-1. This is a great test for us to see where we stack up against other great teams in this league. If we want to accomplish the things we want to accomplish, we’re going to have to face some good teams. Is it a measuring stick game? Yeah, I guess you could say that. Is it a game that we must win? Yeah, you can say that only because it’s the next game we have. It’s going to be a good one Sunday.”
(We saw CB Jalen Ramsey out there for the first time today. What was your feeling seeing No. 5 out there?) – “I think the main thing for me was he really cut his hair. Seeing that was kind of crazy to me. But it’s definitely good to see him out there. The passion and love he has for the game, even when he was out, he was still in meetings. He was still coaching guys up. That’s all you can ask for. He was still leading. Just to see him back out there is a testament to the work he put in. He came back pretty fast, so hopefully he can get back right, and you’ll see him out there with us.”
(How did CB Jalen Ramsey look to you? When we saw him out there, he seemed to be moving around.) – “He was moving to me. He went in with the scout team to get some reps in. Looked like he was getting back to it. Of course, there’s going to be some rust. He’s been out a few weeks. But he’s one of the great players to play this game, so he’s going to be alright.”
(Is it surprising in a way? Because meniscus surgery, that timetable is long.) – “That’s just a testament to who he is. He truly put his head down, has God in his life first. He was in that training room non-stop. He got back to it, so that’s just a testament to the player we have.”
(You said CB Jalen Ramsey was on scout team?) – “Yeah, just to get back to it and play some football. He looked good to me.”
CB Kader Kohou
(We’ll see what happens to CB Xavien Howard this week, but if he isn’t able to go, do you feel an even greater since of responsibility or not particularly?) – “I feel responsible for every game we play. This is the NFL. You’re going to go against great guys week in and week out. If ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) isn’t able to play, I know we got a lot of guys that will be able to step up.”
(What was your reaction to seeing CB Jalen Ramsey out there today?) – “It’s a great thing to see. He’s one of the top players in the league. Just getting him back out there and learning stuff is going to be good.”
(How did CB Jalen Ramsey look to you because from afar, it didn’t seem like he was coming back from an injury?) – “It’s crazy. I guess he’s superhuman. He looked different. He looked like he’s been practicing the whole year. He doesn’t look like he was coming off of injury, like you said. It’s crazy.”
(What’s CB Jalen Ramsey been like? Even though he hasn’t been able to participate on the field, What is his level of participation in the meeting room and in practice?) – “He’s always giving tips. He’s always talking in the group chat. If we’re playing guys that he’s gone against before, he’s always giving us tips on what those guys are going to do. He’s been great even though he hasn’t been playing.”
(When CB Jalen Ramsey said he wanted to come back a month early from rehab, did you guys go, ‘there is no way?’ Or were you like ‘this guy is different?’) – “I’m not a doctor, but he knows his body. When he said one month, I believed him.”
(How much does it boost you guys that CB Jalen Ramsey able to pull this thing off and get back to playing ahead of time? You don’t need motivation, but it does give you an extra boost?) – “Yeah, he’s one of the top defensive backs in the league, so obviously having him out there is good for the team.”
(To see somebody work so hard to pull it off, what does that do for you guys? To see the commitment.) – “I knew he was committed to the team before the injury. It’s just another step in that direction.”
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(What was it like having him – I know you’re not on the same side of the field – but what was it like having CB Jalen Ramsey back out there?) – “It was cool. Just his presence alone, his leadership out there. Got to go against him a little bit as he was on the other side while the offense was up. He did jump in on some reps. Just a great teammate giving us some good looks, but for what he had, it’s pretty remarkable – the competitor that he is. He’s put in the time, a lot of time, into trying to get back as soon as possible and like I said, it’s truly remarkable.”
(I know the past couple weeks we’ve talked with you a lot about your control and mastery and really taking autonomy of the offense in a sense, calling your own plays, calling your own shots. I was curious can you kind of take us a little bit behind the scenes of like the week of preparation? I think you get the game plan on Tuesday and what’s the communication like with Head Coach Mike McDaniel and really letting him know what you like and what you feel comfortable with?) – “Yeah, I think a lot of it has to do with feeling comfortable for one and then knowing the guys that are running certain routes for two. Do we like this guy running this route versus press? Do we like this guy off? Do want to motion him? Do we want to do things like that? And a lot of the times it’s more so Mike (McDaniel) is on that already. Just some of them, like I would just say, ‘hey, would you want to do this or would you want to do that?’ And he’d either be like, ‘yeah’ or ‘no, just trust me on this one.’ So there’s a lot of communication in that sense and then just throughout the week communicating with the guys, what we’re looking for in this defense, sort of the spots in which the routes happen, where we’re trying to hit. Things like that, that’s all we talk about.”
(Are there throws that you can make now that maybe rookie year coming off the hip – and certainly you’ve gotten stronger, too – are there throws that you’re making now that you haven’t been able to make before?) – “I would say a lot of the routes that we have this year, I’ve never had – my rookie year or my second year. And then just playing like within the timing of each play, it’s all different. The maturity of who I was then to who I am now as a football player has changed a lot, too, so I would probably say no. But then at the same time, I wouldn’t know.”
(I wanted to ask you about, you’ve always said that you throw to spots as opposed to receivers and that’s just something that you’ve always done. Does that help you when you’re looking off guys?) – “Yeah, it does help me when I’m looking off guys. In practice, sometimes it’s not just looking off guys, it’s just looking here knowing that this guy is going to be over here so then I’m looking over there and I throw it over there or looking over here to move this guy and I throw it over there in the next window. But a lot of times with looking people off, it’s more so knowing the spots on field where guys should be and that’s what allows us to play the way we play, I think, is talking through those and guys being in the right spots at the right time and then knowing when to hold safeties and when you’ve just got to work through your progression when it’s not useful at that time.”
(Some people look at Sunday’s game as a potential Super Bowl preview. How do you view it and with a week like this, do you stay in touch with Eagles QB Jalen Hurts or do you guys prefer to stay out of each other’s way?) – “Yeah, I think in competition mode, it’s one of those things where I know where he’s at with his play, he knows where I’m at with my play. We’ll probably see each other before the game to wish each other luck, but at the end of the day, we’re both trying to help our teams win. And I know that he’s doing all that he can to help his offense be successful against our defense and I’m doing the exact same, trying to work hard to do the exact same to their defense. I got a lot of respect for Jalen. He’s been a great competitor since I got there to Alabama. He’s been a special player since I’ve been there, and he’s been a special player throughout his entire college career. So I know it’ll be a good game and I don’t think of it as a Super Bowl preview or anything like that. I just think that this is another team that we’re preparing for and in order for us to get to where we want to go to, we’ve got to play this game.”
(What do you think of the way your two careers have taken off in the NFL after competing together at Alabama?) – “Yeah, I mean, there’s different ways to skin the cat, right? Many different ways. He went down a different road than I did to get to where I’m at. And he had to go down a different road to get to where he’s at. But like I said, I got a lot of respect for him – who he is as a person who he is as a player and wish him the best of luck as we play him.”
(When you put the Eagles defense on tape what are a couple things that stand out to you?) – “I mean, their front seven. The front seven is tough. A really good front seven. And then with their back end a little banged up, when they do have all their guys, they’re a really, really good team. A lot of a lot of communication on that back end and they play really good and really sound defense.”
(Does that feel like an SEC defense to you?) – “Every NFL team feels like an SEC defense. (laughter) They all feel like an SEC defense. But yeah, I would assume it’s more of an SEC defense. They’ve got a lot more SEC players on their team, I would say.”
(Throwing it way back to 2017, what do you remember about that postseason run up to the national title game, the Sugar Bowl and the championship game?) – “Man, I don’t remember much. I don’t remember much of it. I just remember being able to come into the national championship game and play. And I just had an opportunity to go out there and help our team win. But really, that’s all that I can remember, the Georgia Bulldogs that we got to play against and beat. But other than that, that’s all I remember.”
(You guys don’t obviously need any extra motivation clearly, but I’m curious when you see CB Jalen Ramsey – most people would be out until December or whatever. Just the commitment he had to get back and then actually do it and what he adds off the field as far as just his positivity and all that type of stuff?) – “Yeah, Jalen Ramsey’s leadership. Who he is, just him being out there, his persona. Guys respect him for the things that he’s done in the league already and then also you’ve got to respect the way he works day-in and day-out, as we’ve started the season, as we’ve went through training camp. Just seeing him working by himself doing things that allow him to get back on the field as soon as possible. That’s how that’s how guys have portrayed it. He’s earned a lot of respect from the guys in the locker room.”
(I know the idea of a statement game is probably more on our end than it is on yours. These sort of matchups get a lot of attention. Do you guys need this kind of test internally though as a litmus test to kind of see where you are and all that?) – “I think it’s always good when you’re facing a team that went to the Super Bowl, where they were just that short winning it. It’s always a test to go up against a team like this where they understand what it takes, they know the work that needs to be put in to make it there. And it definitely is a good opportunity to see where our team stands and where we’re at with that. So yeah, I would say yeah.”
(They’ve had a lot of success with the quarterback sneaks. From your vantage point I guess looking at those plays, is it something that Eagles QB Jalen Hurts is doing specifically or maybe the o-line? How do you think that’s become as successful as it has for them?) – “Honestly, I have no idea. That is crazy what they do. You’ve got to give props where props are due and that is remarkable how successful they are in doing that. But in a way, it’s also no surprise with Jalen (Hurts) being in the back there with how strong he is. I’ve been his lifting partner when I got there to Alabama and oh my goodness. Let me tell you, he could probably squat with our linemen or maybe just a little more. This guy can squat. He’s strong. So it doesn’t surprise me with the quarterback sneaks and that’s not to diss any of our linemen. That’s just to say I’ve seen this dude put up a lot of weight and he has lifted with some of our linemen at Alabama, so he’s strong.”
(What was it like, and this has nothing to do with the NFL, but just curiosity, what was it like for you when you get to Alabama coming from Hawaii, and you get to Alabama and you start to see maybe for the first time guys who are like, ‘wow, this guy is going to the league’ or ‘wow, this is a different caliber of athlete?’) – “Yeah, I think when I got there, it was like, ‘okay, I don’t want to mess up what we have here, so I’m going to try to find where I fit.’ But then it’s also one of those things where if you aren’t strong mentally, you either had to be, like find out you had to be, or figure it out. Or you wouldn’t have made it there. There was just an aura around there that was just like, you didn’t really speak of what the standard was, but when you got there, you knew what that was and you knew you couldn’t do anything to bring that down and the guys wouldn’t allow you to do that. When I got there, I thought I’d seen some big people in my life. These guys, they all look like they’re on steroids when I got there, But they weren’t. It’s crazy, oh my gosh. (laughter) But they weren’t. We weren’t. (laughter)”
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Opening statement) – “We’ll start Jalen’s (Ramsey) window today. It’s a testament to him that we’re doing that and we will rule him out for Philly, but I’m excited – I just had him break the team down – I’m excited to have him back.”
(Do you have anyone on the 53 that won’t be able to practice today for non-rest reasons like CB Xavien Howard with the groin or anybody else?) – “Especially with a team like ours, that’s hard for me to open-end because I’m more focused on the guys we do have. I’m trying to – I can’t even remember. Connor (Williams) will not be practicing, day-to-day. ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) is day-to-day, won’t be practicing.”
(RB Chris Brooks?) – “Yeah, that week-to-week issue is still the exact same in terms of the swelling kind of calmed down and we got a better lens into it, so that will be, we’re talking weeks timeline, not days. But not season-ending at all. So that’s the state of the union there.”
(What kind of timeline is CB Jalen Ramsey on to return? Like how many weeks do you think?) – “Oh, you used the word. (laughter) You guys just think that I’m BSing, but we don’t give necessarily ‘timelines.’ We gave from the onset with Jalen, we gave kind of like a rough target, but everybody’s body is different. He called his shot early. I think the day that he got injured, that he was going to beat whatever the target would be. He certainly did that. That being said, this is the first time that he’s going to be playing football so we’ll acquire information but very optimistic it will be sooner than later obviously because we’re starting the window that is open.”
(A lot of times with knee injuries, a player’s confidence in that knee is so important. What does CB Jalen Ramsey tell you about how the knee feels – pain, mobility, things like that?) – “Jalen (Ramsey) couldn’t control the injury that he had, but what he has controlled is how he’s addressed the injury so that day that you were like, ‘man, I’m not waking up today,’ and hit the snooze; literally every single day, he has not done that. So he is as confident as one can be before his first practice and all the stuff that he’s done in terms of all the work with the strength staff and the training staff. It’s the exact way you’d expect Jalen Ramsey to be. He has a lot of God-given talents, but I think his greatest talent is how unique of a deliberate worker, teammate (he is). I’ve never been around a guy that had this long of a rehab that hasn’t missed team meetings or hasn’t missed practices. He is finding a way to affect the team in one way, shape or form, so his confidence will be as high as one can be in this stage, I can tell you that much because of his work.”
(As an amateur schedule reader, you’re three weeks before the bye. Do you see a chance that CB Jalen Ramsey plays before or after the bye or…?) – “You know, I’ve got one day and that’s today. I think it’s fair to say there’s a chance. I’m just not going to – case in point, the target date I didn’t share because I don’t know. So I think it’s fair to say, but you’ve got to take it one day at a time with those type of things, but I would say that I’m cautiously optimistic.”
(You said CB Jalen Ramsey hasn’t missed meetings or anything. When he’s on the sideline, he’s pretty animated. I remembered him on one occasion going to celebrate and jumping. Are you amazed by like…?) – “Yes, all of it. He literally called his shot. He called his shot and we’re in the business of doing everything that we can right by a player. He’s a member of this team and we’re doing right by him. We’re fair but not aggressive on target dates and he told us before his surgery that he was going to – he kept telling me he was an alien. So I’m starting to believe him and that’s a cool thing for such a well-established player at the top of his game for the whole team to see on how you attack things and it’s why when the time comes and he is on the field for an NFL game, we’ve talked about it at length, it’ll be the most fun that he’s ever had playing football simply because of the perspective that you get when it’s taken away and you have to diligently work minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, day-by-day to put yourself in position for the opportunity for the window to be open to practice today.”
(Is CB Jalen Ramsey cleared for all movements including contact? I mean you typically don’t try to have contact in practice.) – “No, he’s not cleared for movements of receivers running past him. Not cleared for that. (laughter) Just so you guys know. (laughter) I think at this stage one of the big things that you learn in OTAs, as a team, for you to be successful, you have to really, really be mindful and deliberate with how you practice without pads in general. So I think our team does a good job of that in general and so if he wasn’t – especially as a defensive player – if you’re not fully cleared medically, we can recreate stuff on the side, but we can’t allow him to practice. So he is cleared for all movements except for offensive touchdowns versus him.”
(Where is T Terron Armstead and RB De’Von Achane kind of in their recoveries and the thought of having CB Jalen Ramsey and those two guys come back for the second half this season, what are your thoughts on that?) – “I think they’re really both – (Terron) Armstead has a glow in his eye like he has high expectations for his return and he’s just really, really proud of, this is all the players’ team. In particular, being a captain for two years and just being such a big part of that offensive line room, I think he is feeling really confident and ready to contribute when that time comes. And no setbacks with De’Von as well. He’s been doing great and has high spirits. It’s like he’s become a second or third-year player already with his attention in meetings and stuff. So that’s awesome. I really like the players that we roll out every Sunday, particularly on the defensive side. There’s a lot of guys that have gotten opportunities from Jalen’s absence and whatnot, and that prospect of him coming back, I think everyone is fired up for because you want competitors. And when you get healthy competition within a position group or on a side of the ball where people want to match good plays, I think the residuals are outstanding. So that will be an exciting day, but it’s not like I’m longing for it. I very much love the competitors that we have and I think the world of all the guys that have been able to rise to the occasion and step up. That’s the nature of football as you can tell the whole league deals with those things, so we’re not unique in that circumstance.”
(Can I get an update on RB Jeff Wilson Jr.? He practiced last week, by all reports did pretty well, but then wasn’t active and was downgraded on Friday. Setback or just no roster spot? And what are your expectations for him?) – “There was no setback. It was more big-picture, whole-team, limited roster on game days. You have to take it up with the league on that one, but he’s doing great and he was ready to go. And really, I’ve never had issues with players chomping at the bit and then being like, ‘all right, you have to wait.’ It just means he’s going to be hungrier and I think we’ll all benefit from when that time comes; but again, all these decisions, they’re not independent of each other. It is all-encompassing and your football team has different needs on a week-to-week basis depending on your opponent and just depending on the actual health of your roster as well. So factoring in all those things, that was a major decision. I actually thought that we would get to see him play, but as the week progressed, the numbers didn’t really ration out appropriately. It has nothing to do with his ability or ableness.”
(From a game-planning standpoint, how much extra work is it for you and Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith when you have several high-end non-quarterbacks on the opposing team whose health is in question? Obviously Darius Slay, Lane Johnson, Jalen Carter this week. Does that add extra work for you and Frank in terms of discussion scenarios of what we would do if each guy plays, if each guy doesn’t play from a game plan standpoint?) – “Generally, it factors in, but if the majority of your thought process is based on what opponent is playing, I’ve found that – and we can all believe that – regardless, there’s consistent techniques and fundamentals and scheme that we’re going against and our guys are a bunch of competitors that want to go against the best. That’s why they’re so excited for a non-conference game because you have a team in the Super Bowl that is fresh off their first loss in a six-game season. So they’re eager for that. But I think it’d be doing a disservice to that team and you’d be setting yourself up for a strong humbling experience if you over-dwelled on individuals. That is a team that plays as a team, that they’ve dealt with injuries before, they’ll continue to deal with them. And if they have that jersey on, it seems like they all have the same intent, which is a cool form of football that they enjoy playing together and are super aggressive and physical while doing it. So I wouldn’t say that we would lose sleep on any individual because I think that’s doing a disservice to the whole unit.”
(There are some folks who believe that many quarterbacks in this game, with you as the coach, with WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle, maybe even many, many quarterbacks would excel and flourish, would be near the top of the passer rater leading and be an MVP candidate. What if any pushback is there relative to “wait, no, hold on, Tua is a little different?”) – “My answer to that would be, ‘who the f cares’ because it is a team. We’re working together and I know one thing. I’ve coached stuff a long time. I haven’t seen people do what our guys do and I mean, in a lot of experiences, to their credit, to their ability and their commitment to their craft; I know as a teammate, we’re all dependent on each other and I’m not in any hurry to prove myself without those guys because those are part of who we are and to try to say it’s this person or that person is kind of missing the point. It is a team working together, people working together and myself, Tyreek Hill, Tua, cool but what if no one’s blocking anyone? You know what I mean? Like we’re all connected in that way. That’s why I think a lot of the guys; Tua’s success is their success. Tyreek’s success, Waddle’s, Raheem’s, etc. We’re all tied together, it’s a journey that we’re experiencing together. Somebody will get the statistics from it, but none of those statistics are worth anything if you don’t have full support from your players across the board, all 11, and then it goes down to the organization and all those things combined. But I know this; our players run a lot of plays that I have a lot of history with and it looks different, and that’s because of hard work and unbelievable ability. So don’t try me on other players. I’m not trying to prove that.”
(What is it about Philly’s QB sneak that makes them so successful at it and have you seen a team really be as successful as they’ve been running that play?) – “Well, no, and it’s kind of like their play. I think what makes them so successful is a commitment to leverage and detail on something that a lot of people don’t detail. Shoot, they leaned into it before it was successful, detailing it up and then it has success. I’m a huge fan of things that are within the rules of football that you can’t stop. That’s to their credit. The semantics, whether it should or shouldn’t be, I just more respect and regard what goes into that. There’s a lot of people that would love to convert 80-some percent of third or fourth-and-1s. I would love that. And they have a situation where their players have leaned into it and if you don’t like the play, you should try to stop it. A lot of people have and it’s a really hard thing to stop, which means they’re really owning the finer details of the play.”
DT Christian Wilkins
(Where do you think the front seven’s growth has been the past two weeks? What have you done better as a front collectively than early in the season?) – “I just feel like we’re still constantly improving and working on things and doing our best to get things right and be better each and every week. But just urgency, communication, and just understanding what our jobs are. Kind of figuring out and working and understanding how to play together and building that trust because that’s important when you take the field and you want to make sure this guy is going to do his job, or if he does this, then you do that kind of thing. So just building that rapport and that trust amongst each other.”
(Does the trust kind of have to be, I don’t want to say rebuilt, I don’t know what the right verb is, but because it’s a different system asking some different things, was there a process of having to rebuild trust and everyone is going to do what’s expected in this system?) – “You kind of always have to restart ever year, regardless of the system, but there might be a little bit of that. But you always kind of want to restart and rebuild and understand what everyone’s kind of doing in a sense or how people want to play certain things and do certain things.”
(You in particular have had splash plays the last couple of weeks. What’s been the difference? Has it just been the opportunities are there and you’re taking advantage of them or do you think you’re playing better? What do you think that was?) – “I mean, I’m just locked in on just trying to do my job as best as I can and doing whatever it is that this team needs me to do. Just playing my game, taking what’s there and just trying to make big plays for the team.”
(You’ve had a couple sacks. Is that something this offseason you really wanted to lean on and add more on to your game?) – “Like I kind of said, you’re always looking to improve your game and working on different areas of your game and really attacking your weaknesses, whatever they may be. Not implying that was ever a weakness or anything, but you always want to work on every aspect of your game and trying to find little areas of growth. What did I do good? What did I do bad? Why was it good? Why was it bad? Just try to figure out those little things. It’s a year-round thing trying to get better and improve just for the small opportunities in a game on those Sundays.”
(The run defense in particular has made strides since the opener. What do you attribute that to?) – “Kind of like what I said earlier, just guys understanding what we need to do and how we want to play things and building a rapport amongst each other. And hopefully we’ll just continue to improve each and every week.”
(I don’t know if you saw, but last week Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio was asked about you and made a reference to the time that you missed, saying he thought it got you a little rusty, but you ran back into form now. Fair criticism? Do you agree? Disagree?) – “Again, that’s his opinion. That’s what he feels and thinks, but I definitely think, like I said, each week I’ve focused hard on trying to improve and get better for my team and for this defense.”
(I know you haven’t wanted to talk about the contract stuff much about which we respect, but there was one thing on my mind that I did want to ask you. Did you and David Mulugheta, your agent, make the decision at some point in August to turn down what would have been I’m sure good amount of money, basically betting on yourself that you’d be able to even make more money off this season? Is that a decision you felt strongly about at the time? Was that a tough decision to bet on yourself as opposed to taking what would have been generational wealth?) – “Kind of like you said, we haven’t talked about it and we’re not going to talk about it. I’m just focusing on being on being as good as I can for my team, being the best player I can be for these guys around me and being the best leader, best teammate, all that good stuff.”
(What do you think going into Philly, that atmosphere? Is that something as a player like you kind of live for?) – “I’m really excited about this one. You hear so much about the Philly fans, the atmosphere, all that good stuff. It’s going to be an exciting game and things like that, so I’m excited about this one. They are a really good team. They do a lot of really good things. This is kind of what you want. It’s going to be great football weather, football atmosphere, just all that good stuff kind of building up until Sunday night. I’m looking forward to it.”
(Personally how much do you embrace that kind of environment with those Philly fans and how raucous they can be?) – “Again, that’s just football and I can respect fan bases and different things like that, that other places may have going on. That’s what makes it all fun. The passion, all of that good stuff. I welcome it. I love it. It’s all part of the game and it makes it real fun.”
(Speaking of the fun atmosphere, the fun atmosphere you guys are having here, how much enjoyment are you guys having… Obviously you guys are winning makes it even better with the celebrations and everything going on in the locker room?) – “I definitely want to give a little shoutout to the fans because it’s been fun playing at home. I really enjoyed it. They come out and it’s good and everything. We try to do our best to put on a good show and obviously produce and win, and we’ve been having a lot of fun. So we’ll just try to continue that and hopefully we’ll continue to do things that allow us to have some fun.”
(We’ve seen you do a split. I don’t think we’ve seen you do a backflip while videoing yourself. Your thoughts on the WR Tyreek Hill celebration?) – “I thought it was pretty cool. I’m not going to lie. It was pretty impressive to do a backflip after a deep ball and everything. I would’ve been too tired to even think about doing a backflip. That was kind of impressive. I don’t know what the league will think about it, so I might stay away from that one.”
(Can you still do the split?) – “I don’t know, it’s not like I sit there and practice it. (laughter)”
(Any win I’m sure is a good win, yesterday’s win for example. But given the quality of your opponent next weekend a win would be that much more, would it make any kind of statement?) – “It’s always tough to win in this league, and every win is important and every win is big. You see time and time, year after year; you might have one slip up here, one big win, or loss or however you want to look at it. It’s always important, and I more so and I think we more so as a team want to just focus on ourselves and just improving. That’s the biggest thing, improving each week and getting better each week. If we do that, we can live with the results.”
(You’re third in the league in sacks as a team. Do you feel good about where the pass rush is right now?) – “I feel like we’ve done some good stuff, and again, there is always room to improve. Obviously affecting the quarterback is very important and a huge part of this game. So we’ll look to continue to do that, improve and get better in that area and other areas on defense as well.”
