QB Josh Rosen
(So your reaction to being named the starter?) – “I’m excited. I’m very excited. I’m looking forward to going out and play and fight another day.”
(Were you surprised, I guess with the timing, that it happened this week?) – “I don’t know. I didn’t really have any expectations. I was just trying to just practice as hard as I could day in and day out. When (Head Coach Brian Flores) told me to get in the first two games, I just put my best foot forward so I didn’t really have any expectations.”
(Obviously this is what you’ve been looking forward to since the time you got here, but just how your time last year starting 14 games – how did you feel that prepared you moving forward especially as you take on Dallas’ defense?) – “I think any experience is good experience. I’ve got plenty of things that – I remember even saying Sam Bradford teaching me throughout the dog days of training camp in Arizona that I still take with me, and ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) has been an unbelievable help really since I got here. I think to answer your question, any experience is good experience.”
(This will be your chance to lead this team now as the quarterback. How do you approach things differently as far as the locker room presence?) – “I don’t think drastically differently. I think you just sort of gradually come into that role, but I’m not going to do anything tomorrow or the next day that I did drastically different from yesterday.”
(What is your leadership style?) – “A lot of it is very relationship-based. I think you’ve got to know the buttons you can push and where with certain guys. I like establishing a friendship and connection with a lot of the guys that I’m playing with and get to know them and know that I’m as invested in them as I hope they are in me and this team’s success. That and then the vocal aspect will come with time, but I’m not really a big ‘rah-rah’ guy. I don’t do a lot of motivational speeches and stuff, but I’ll definitely pull guys aside and try to have tough or easy or any kinds of conversations just to try and make sure we’re all headed in the same direction.”
(Why do you think you’re in this role now as a starter? What have you focused on most over these past few weeks that have elevated you to No. 1?) – “I think just consistency. Just being able to consistently get a little bit better every day. I didn’t know what the threshold was, but in Coach Flo’s (Head Coach Brian Flores) mind, there was a threshold at which would be enough for him to name me that starter. I just put my head down for the last couple months, and I guess I hit it.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores said he thought you kind of saw an opportunity to seize this job. Is there anything you kind of changed your mindset going into this week that said, “hey, this is up for the taking for me?”) – “Kind of. Maybe a little bit, but I think I got the message in the first game when he put me in at the end that there’s some kind of time clock clicking. It was just sort of my responsibility to get all my stuff right, I guess you could say; but when he put me in the first game, I kind of understood the situation where everything was heading. I just had to patiently wait and keep grinding and know that inevitably it was coming.”
(How does this offense get better?) – “Execution. I think it’s a really complex system coming from New England. I think it’s only a matter of time before enough of these reps and enough of these game reps and practice reps, we’ll get it down and slowly improve. I’m hoping and rooting for dramatic improvement, but I don’t think we’re going to go out and score 100 touchdowns and throw for a million yards. I think the key is just to keep grinding away, don’t do anything drastically different than what we’ve been doing, to trust the process and just continually try to get better and better over time. Obviously right now, we need a spark, and I’m going to try and provide that spark; but not by doing anything crazy out of the ordinary from what I’ve done that’s gotten me up to this point in my career.”
(That being said, what is a realistic expectation for how you can play?) – “I don’t know how to say this without getting myself in trouble. (laughter) But I like to think I’m a pretty aggressive player. We have really good athletes on our team and I’m going to try and let them be the ballers that they are. I think I have a bit more of – I think ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) is a very explosive player as well. I think we all realized that last year. But I think we have different play styles and hopefully mine provides some part of spark to the team.”
(We saw even in the late games you went in you were taking those shots deep whether it was to WR Jakeem Grant or some of those other guys. Is that what you’re mentioning where you may be able to take a few of those deep chances to create some of those big plays?) – “Yeah, absolutely. At the same time, you have to know when to taper it back a little bit and play more diligently. That’s been the battle of my – me against myself – throughout my entire career as I’m a very aggressive player. But sometimes I’ll take chances that’ll be like, ‘Oh, oh. Good job.’ Great in the moment, but sort of that affirmation that it worked. Maybe the next time it doesn’t, it isn’t a good thing.”
(Where do you think you are now in terms of reading defenses and keeping the offense on schedule?) – “Better than yesterday. I don’t know. To give you a frame of reference in terms of against what, but better than I’ve ever been and I’m just continuing to try to improve upon it.”
(There has been a lot of talk about this team and the future and them drafting a quarterback and all the different stuff. Head Coach Brian Flores said he advised you to focus on now, but does that cross your mind at any point what this team’s future and long-term plans are?) – “Yeah, absolutely. You definitely think about it to an extent, but it doesn’t really change anything I do or affect it. I’ve got ears and I’ve got eyes. (motions to the TV in the media room) I’m watching something is going on with (John) Harbaugh and Andy Reid. You see and you hear things, but it does or doesn’t affect you. You try to not let it affect you.”
(Both you and briefly Head Coach Brian Flores has mentioned QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s role in helping you get ready for Sunday. What are some examples that he’s done to help prepare you to start?) – “All kinds of stuff. ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick), as a veteran of his stature, he’s got a good amount of say even within the game plan. I think he’s someone that even a couple of coaches lean on here and there. With me specifically, he helps me with study techniques that have been good with him throughout his career, helps me with different ways of seeing particular defenses, different little tips. I think in football when, a lot of the times you game plan so heavily, you have a million things to look at; but when you get onto the field and you have to snap the ball, you can’t look at a million things. You got to realize what’s the important information that I need and how do I use that information to execute this particular play. ‘Fitz’ has been probably most helpful with trying to understand what information is valuable with regards to defenses and your own plays and trying to play fast on the field.”
