Over your career, what makes a team better at not turning the ball over as the season goes along? What kind of things you need to emphasize? How much of it is coaching? How much of it is a mental part? Physical part?
Coming out of college, for my first tenure here in the NFL. It's an adjustment period, I can't come here and lay out a scheme I used during my time at TCU and Clemson. The NFL is a different level. I need to put my quarterback in a good position to be successful, the offense as a whole. If something's not working, we toss it in the bin. If something is working, we keep using it. It's a mix of a mental aspect and physical aspect, more so of a mental aspect. To survive in this league you need to be mentally strong, look at Tom Brady. He could have multiple turnovers in a game, but come the last game of the drive, chance to win it. He forgot about the past plays, locked in and got it done. Turnovers are a part of the thing in a game, but we can't focus on one when it happens. Move on, next drive. If we can do that the offense will find consistency and success.
I want to ask you about the receiver position in general. How have you seen that position evolve in importance over the years and how does having a player like WR Terry McLaurin sort of factor into that perspective?
God, the wide receiver position. That position every year seems to get better and better. We went from the likes of Moss, Megatron, Rice, etc. To the likes of Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, etc. Who may not be better then those old guys all-time yet. But trust me in due time they will be. These guys are freak athletes now, formerly defensive-backs, or other skill positions that converted to wide receiver and took the league by the throat. We have one of these juggernaut players in todays game, being Terry. He is such a threat, you see teams throwing two – h*** even three guys at him once in a while. When you need a play, he's the guy you look too. It pays to have a playmaker, like Terry.
Can you speak to the overall team health?
Heading into week four of pre-season, it's not looking too bad. It could be better obviously, we would love to have a fully healthy team. Right now we're looking at Ricky Stromberg, right guard, Jamison Crowder, wide receiver, and Graham Glasgow, left guard out for multiple weeks. Ricky has a dislocated ankle and we're not anticipating him back until week seven. Jamison is out with a dislocated hip, should be back practicing by week two and hopefully in action by week three. While, Glasgow tore his labrum in our most recent pre-season game against the Steelers, he should be back by week two though. So really, it's Ricky out long-term. Outside of that we're sitting in a good spot for week one to open the season against Minnesota.
Injuries are a thing, we have to adjust. I think we're pretty lucky with the health we have right now outside of those few guys. We're looking to have those guys back asap and practicing to get them on the field. Meanwhile, it's a next man up mentality.
