Great year last year?
Did you make any adjustments going into last year? I just really uh did the same thing I've been doing my whole entire career. But it was just I got an opportunity, and you know, uh, going into my seventh year now as I got older, I just been learning, Uh, after all the different vets I've played with, different schemes I've play I've been playing in and you know, I just made the most out of it.
Is there anyone in particular lingered leaning on in the cornerback room?
As you get acclimated into the system, pretty much everybody, I'm I'm getting to know everybody, uh a little by little, so uh, I can't pinpoint a one person too much. But uh, I'm watching a lot of Mooney. You know, he had a lot of success last year. So uh when I go back and watch games from last year, I try to watch him, you know, and what stands out to me with him is he took the ball away when they threw him the ball, he caught it. Uh.
He was in a great position all the time. He was taking advantage of the defense and it worked out for him. So I'm trying to follow after his footsteps.
You got your the the mini scheme that you've been in.
What what is it about this scheme that you feel like fits your skill set. I feel like it's a we we do a variety of different things. I feel like it's a a mixed We don't play I don't think we play too much zone. We play a little bit of a man too. But uh, you know there's there's somebody in every single window. Uh not to say too much, but there's somebody in every single window. There's help everywhere. Once you really get into it and dive m deep into it and uh you know, believe in it.
If you see all these different players like Fred and Mooney, that's why they take off, cause, uh, you gotta trust in each other. Just trusting somebody being here and there and just doing your job. There's a chance to play deep into the postseason.
What appealed to you about this opportunity.
I mean, it's it's a it's a winning team, it's a winning franchise.
It's a great franchise.
Feel like you don't really uh decline and offer to play for a team like this, and uh, I know they have such a great defense to come in here and uh play a main role in this type of defense with these great play uh players like Bosah Fred all these all these other guys.
You know, I couldn't pass it up.
He makes ball comment on how quickly you kind of fit into the culture here, into the locker room. How would you describe that that culture?
Yeah, I mean it's just everybody here come to work, you know what I mean. I feel like one thing about this locker room is everybody's together, like even myself, like some of the guys that I really got to know on the team is mostly offensive guys, but like, uh, everybody hang out with each other. Everybody's really cool. Everybody come to work, everybody's about their business. We had fun at the end of the day. But it's not clique at all. Everybody brothers, you know, and that's what UH
winning teams do. So it's good to see that.
Unique for you hanging out with offensive guys so I and you know, socially things like that, Nah.
Not really they they they cool, you know what I mean.
When I get on the field, you know, I don't I don't like 'em much, but off the field, I.
I love 'em a lot.
And uh, it's great to hang out with those guys see how they think. Uh, hear them talk offense, sometimes hit them talk ball. On the other side, it's it's really cool and you need to see what are you at guarding pearsol or rookie?
What do you see from him?
Does you look like you can somebody step in a good tribute?
Yeah, for sure.
I like him a lot. I haven't complimented him yet, but I like him a lot. And he get he's a great releaser. I think he runs great routes. I think if he keep working and he keep doing this thing, he's gonna be great in this offense, great playing in the NFL for a while. So I'm a big fan of him. And I like working against him every single opportunity I get. I want to work against him. Uh. I think he making me better. I think him going
against me, uh, it's making him better too. So I'm a big fan of him.
I don't know. I don't know.
I don't like the compliment rookies too much. But like I said, I like his game. I think he got some confidence too. He got some dog in him, so he knows it. He knows he's pretty good. And I just hope that he continues to work. And that's the thing I like about him. He just go to work. He just shuts up, just goes to work. And whether it's a downplayer or good play, he just come back and go to work. He don't hang his head and he just keep going. So I loved that about him.
How does he kind of straddle that line because it's a rookie.
You don't want him to say too confident, but you know he gives off the vibe.
That he knows is alright.
Yeah, uh, you know as a receiver, I I like my receiver super confident, So I don't mind that.
I like I think receivers should.
I like receivers when they're cocky and freaking dogs and confidence. So I love that about receivers. I like the way that he Uh carry himself. I think he gonna fit right in there with Juan and uh I Yuk and Deebo and you know those A's a dog group of receivers. So you get uh rookie in there too.
That's great.
Sad that you're a completely different player from the time you guys were in Denver.
What's different about.
Him about him? Or what what's different from the time you guys were in demer Uh.
Well, he was my OLB coach uh then, but we was really close. Uh even though he was the OILB coach, I was always close to him.
Uh.
I had a up and down year when I was in Denver, but I was really close to him. I would always go into his office. He would talk uh ball through me. He would help me out. And to have him here now in the secondary room in the dB room really helping.
Us out pre practice, he really uh.
He playing a big part of my game right now. He uh he's trying to take us to a different uh level.
He believe in me. He was a big reason why I came here.
So I'm taking everything I can from him and being able to work one on one with him. Uh. It's paying off for me, and I think it's playing off for all the rest of the DB's in the room too, and I know they love him too.
He's been hands on, sorry say again.
Not uh not really I can't say, cause he was an OLB coach uh then, but uh now he's hands on with us, and I know we got three dB coaches now in the room and everybody giving a little something. And it's great to hear from a guy who was a head coach, a defensive coordinator at the time. Uh, he played, He's coached every single position on the defense, so he's he's a mastermind when they come about defense. So he uh tell us a lot that we need to know so we can go out there and play fast.
Or gave us an example of how he said, Okay, this is when you're at the line, you're not gonna get this route as often.
So this is you know, why are you taking this up? What is what's sunny?
Example of what you right for sure?
It's like, uh, I remember one thing he said about a certain route, Like he's like, everybody always so scared that the receiver's gonna do I don't wanna tell y'all his little tricks, but like he's like everybody always like corners, we always so scared of receiver it's gonna do this off of this route, but like it's like a fifteen percent chance a receiver do that. So like he and that's something that last year I learned too, and I
try to tell my guys over in New Orleans. I'm like, when you see this route, just go so like it's the same thing that Staley's saying, and I'm glad that he tell the guys here because that's the same way I think.
And that just comes with being confident.
And if they get you, they get you, Okay, they gonna they gonna get you two out of ten times, So I'm gonna take my chances at all those eight times. So it's the same thing that they, Uh Staley's trying to take teach us, and it's just taking away routes and when you get certain stamps, just going and believing in it and don't think twice about it. And if it's not that route, look at the sideline.
You take a deep breath and go again.
But that's
Thank you.