Inside the Jets: Leger Douzable (10/19)

I asked Sheldon richardson this after the game? What happened at halftime? You guys were a different team after intermission. Yeah, you know, Toll talked to us a little bit. We knew we weren't paying up to our standards. We used to turning the ball over and not turning the ball over, and that's something we didn't do in the first half, and you know, guys were disappointed. Uh, you left the

game in the veteran's hands. Where a veterans head, he said, team and guys who started decided to go out there and make plays. Man that's all it all came down to. You know. It's interesting. Tom Bowls has been talking about you all season and he's been talking about how you've been playing on both sides of the line. You've been playing different positions, and I know you love doing that because it shows off your versatility. But as you as you found out that your role was going to change

a little bit, how exciting was that? What was the challenge and learning the different roles in different schemes that you have with top Bowls now, I mean it was really exciting. I probably myself on being a versatile defferensive lineman, being able to play alongside the whole line. And uh, he pulled me in his office before camp and told me that they're gonna move me around a little bit, and I was excited. Man. That's that's why I love

to do. I like to be in multiple positions. I think the unique thing about our defense is that we have so many versus tile. I let it guys that you can were interchangeable and so it's hard to tell where somebody's gonna line up at any different given time. I think you might have surprised the Redskins there early on in the game with how many of four men of affronts you guys employed? Uh, how excited do you get during the week to see the game plans that

these guys are coming up with. And um, speaking of of both Todd Bowls and Casey Rodgers, Yeah, it's it's never the same. I think a lot of people were saying after the coach game they were so surprised that we were lining up in four three a lot. You know, last week we did a little bit more three four, and then this week more again of the four three.

The thing is, it's just fun with his defense. You never know what the defensive scheme is gonna be the weekend and week out, And I think that's a great thing for us because it's hard for officer teams. The key on us is what's also has gotta be fun is that your ability to rush the passer with your other guys along that line. Mohammad Wilkerson, they got shown richardson back. Uh, you know those guys and you getting a chance to rush the quarterback, which is what defensive

lineman just love to do. Pressure on that. Just your thoughts about the different angles in the different schemes that you can do that with. Yeah. The thing is we have so many different guys I can play, um one time, it could be me Leo Moor shouting out there. It could be me snacks Sheldon or bowling out there. I mean the thing is, like I said, we're so versatile that it's a great thing for Our defensive line is the deepest defensive line I've been on, and we enjoy

getting after the quarterback. I think it's a lot of people don't know if we challenge each other more than probably offensive lines or other teams challenge does. Um. We're always at each other's neck, like I ain't heard your name and I know while you're gonna make a play today, like what you're doing. So that's a great thing about our defensive line. We're very competitive. How emotional was that do you think for Sheldon getting back there with you

guys on the field. Oh, that's great. Anytime he's out on the field, you just feel the energy. The guy plays with a high motor. He has a lot of energy. He's always smiling and having a good time. So it was great to have him back in the fold and to get out there and get that continuity back with him, you know, It was just as Eric and I was talking about. It was just such a difference in that

second half. But I want to go back to the first half and just how you guys were able to minimize the damage even though you had to turnovers except for one opportunity you kept watching the audiend Jones. Yeah, we pride ourselves on being able to stop them wherever they get the ball, and that's something we emphasized all week go on. No matter where they office gets the ball, our jobbers to protect that goal line and hold them to you know, field goal to temps if offense does

happen to turn the ball over. You know, we actually gave up one touchdown earlier. We were mad about that, and we're actually able to hold them to you know, to field goal to Temps. I mean the guy I think made with a fifty four yard field go So, I mean we did a good job there, but we would like to get that that one drive back if we could, and not give up seven and hold them

the three. When you guys are on then and you're preparing uh for your next series out there, are you able to enjoy what's happening offensively right now with Chris Ivory and Brandon Marshall taking over games. Well, not right away, because of course, when you come out the field, you gotta do adjustments and see what you know the offense was giving you and what looks we had. That way we can moving forward, you know, make adjustments on the run. You know, after a while the offense is driving for

a little bit. Then we get to actually sit back, relaxing and actually look at the jumbo trying to see Chris Ivory running guys over, Brandon making spectacular catches. But right when we come up the field, we don't we don't get to really get to watch the offense. This locker room seems special. This locker room, the guys, they just seemed to like each other. They seem to get along and listen, that's not easy with the big locker room where guys you don't get on each other's nerves

and stuff like that during the season. Is that what makes it that way? Why is it just like such a good camaraderie in that. I just think it's a mutual respect that the guys have for each other in the locker room. Another thing is, in the past we've had younger teams. This team is really veteran heavy set. I think I have a lot to do with it. You know, Todd already said he was gonna give the veterans the locker room, and I think everybody is taking

his cue from that and everybody. You know, if everybody doesn't like each other, we all respect each other and we love playing with each other. So I think you can see that on the field when we go out there on Sundays. You know the guys that you're living right, he has your back no matter what. I know you have a lot of leaders in that locker room, and I'm around there every day. Who do you point to and say, hey, those guys are kinda the people we look up to around here to set the tone. Well,

I mean there's so many. There's so many veterans. I would say vas Brandon Marshall, fits Crow, I tried to be a guy myself, Um, David Harris, definitely, Calvin Pace and so many veteran guys, Willie Cologne, um, the britishall Mango. So many guys that you can feed off, Guys that you can look up to when you if you're a younger guy to follow around in the locker room. Communication is always something you guys talk about week after week

after week after week. How is that communication? How much better hasn't gotten and what's the challenge to keep it at that level? Yeah? I think we've taken numerous steps since the beginning of O t a s and training camp. You know, when you learn a new defenses, there's gonna be some wrinkles that guys aren't used to and communication

is key and that's something we've talked about. Like I said, since O t A's offseason workouts camp and our communication, I feel it's gotten better and better as the week gone on. We still haven't. I don't think we've gotten to the peak where we need to be, but it's it's night and day from when we first started learning a new defense. What are you most proud of? Your number one in red zone defense, number two and takeaways with number one in overall defense, number one in points allowed,

what are you most proud of? Uh, that's a hard one to us. We've really emphasized takeaway, So it would have to be a top between takeaway and points allowed, because if you hold an opponents a low points then you're gonna most likely win the game. But if you're you know, plus three in the takeaway category, you have chance to win the game. So I think those two would be at the top of my list. Do you

think it was gonna all come together so quickly? Because there were a number of pieces added here this offseason, whether they're veterans or not. As Antonio Camardi sends us some messages out there, I'm not really surprised the veterans that we got brought in. There were guys that are smart, they can think, guys that have been on winning teams. You know, we brought crow back, Rivers back, Brandon Marshalls

played at the top of this league. The one of the top receivers for the longest fits is a guy that's played a lot of years in this league. So I'm not really too surprised that the communication factor came in as quickly as it did, just because of the pieces that we brought in. Eric mentioned Christopher christ Ivery earlier. You go against this offensive line every day. What's the difference in this line this year from previous years? They

just seem to be more physical more what's the difference. Yeah, I think it's just the scheme that we put in this year, and I think it's suited better for Chris Ivory as far as downhill counters powers. It's a more physical brand of football, and guys like Willie Colonne are built for that. Um, guys like Brno Jacomini built for stuff like that. You know, we got winners that's been playing. He's built for something like that, a physical run game, not so much far, not so much zone schemes and

and everything like that. It's it's we're we're right here, we're lining up, we're gonna run power stop us. We're gonna get four yards four yards, and we're gonna pop one for twenty something yards. And I think those guys, uh, they love that. I mean on run days, those guys are juice up man that they love to get after it. And it's just it's just I'm I'm so glad that everybody is getting to see Chris Ivory nationwide. The guys, to me has been one of the best running backs

in the league. He's quiet guys with a lot of people don't know about him. But it's it's just good that he's finally getting a little bit recognition because he deserves it. U leg you know what this week is gonna be like obviously a New York team, the Jets going to play the Patriots, agreeing to white four and one so far this season of the funding Super Bowl champions five and old. But I love the approach your head coach is taken and you guys have followed suit.

What do you think about what Todd said today? Winning isn't going to make us, Losing isn't going to break us exactly. I mean I would say in past that we've got wrapped up into this game. Everybody knows the why people we have with those guys. Um that dislike we might have for those guys, but Todds had it best. It's it's the next game. This is round six for us. We're just trying to stack wins right now. That's where

it comes down to. Um, it'll be great, you know, to get this division win, But like you said, it's not gonna ruin our season. It's not gonna make our season. We win this, We're not like, oh we're going to the super Bowl. We lose this, We're not gonna drop our heads and be like we're not going to the playoffs. So I think it's just the next game. And you know, they're a good team. We're a good team and it

should be fly on Sunday. They're not going to show you anything you haven't seen, right, You've seen You've seen a lot of them over the years. Is there a danger of trying to outthink them in the sense of, Okay, this is what they normally do, so if they do this, we know we should do something like that because it's such a on the point that you see so often. I think that's what a lot of people do when they play them too. They tend to overthink it. I mean,

we know that Gronk is gonna get his plays. You know they have a good running back in Lewis. This year he was playing outstanding Um al Mondola, Amadola and Aldam and a Growth both great receivers. Um, you just can't overthink it. Usually I go out there and play football. I mean, you've been playing this game your whole life. You know what to do once you get on that field. Yeah,

there's such a healthy respect there. Uh. But I really liked Larry what I heard out of these guys in the locker room today and what leg is telling us right now, and Antonio Cormari is gonna follow up with it. In a few moments. As the general feeling is from Eric Decker said today, we haven't played a complete game yet, and we have a lot of corrections to make. Offensively. You can point to the turnover special teams wise unfortunately, uh give up a touchdown late on the block punt.

There are areas where this team can say, hey, we can improve. Exactly what Decker said, we haven't played a complete game yet, so it's scary to think that would. Uh, we're not having playing a complete game yet. We're four and one still, you know, so like the sky's a limit for this team. We still got a long way to go. We're just, like I said, we're just trying to stack wins right now. And that's what's the most

important thing. Now that you were at the NFL boot camp broadcasting, does that change how you see the media since you're kind of going to be on the other side of it, How does that change? Do you appreciate more of what the media does and and and have got the better understanding of it? Definitely have more of appreciation of what you guys do day in and day out.

I mean we went me and Crow actually went to the broadcast boot camp together and literally man fifteen hour days just research, research, research, research, research, research, and remembering statistics and and knowing what your next bullet point is gonna be is. It was an amazing experience. I think anybody trying to get into broadcasting, journalism or anything should definitely do it. Are the former players out there that you watch broadcasting right now and say, hey, they're doing

a really good job. And even if they didn't play there at the Pinnacle, they're very good in this profession. Yeah, there's actually a couple of guys I try to watch. Um, I think my guy that I that I try to watch this. You know, Chris Carter has done it pretty on a high level for the last couple of years. Um, a guy that didn't play football. It was a great rest in peace. Stewart Scott was a guy he used to watch day in and day out. The guy was

amazing at what he did. And uh, you know, James Brown is a host, but he's also another guy while he's an amazing guy. Yes, Stuart Scott, god rust the Soul was a guy who was able to combine the information with entertainment exactly so you weren't bored by sitting that throwing numbers at you because he presented the numbers in such a way that it was like wow, really exactly. Yeah, he made it fun for everybody to watch, you know,

just highlights. You know, some people, you know, get bored after watching the same thing over and over game, but he made it so fun and exciting. It was like watching a drama TV show. So so yeah, like I said, rest in pieces stories guy, but he was. He was one of the best that ever did it. Um On the bye week you got a chance to go home to Florida. You had your number retired at your high school. Can you tell us about that experience. Yeah, it was

a great experience. I was able to go home last weekend for the weekend before to get my high school jersey retired. Actually happened to be our high school's homecoming that week too, so it was a really big event. And it was a blessing just to have all my friends, old friends from from college and high school come down and some of my family members came in town, and it was just a blessing. Man up a little bit

Alonzo High School in Tampa, Florida. Alonzo High School down in Tampa, Florida and Uh, that was young school when you started the right Definitely my sophomore year and two thousand and one was the first year of school is ever opened, So I'm officially the first one to have my number retired. There says it's a blessing. That's great. Well, congratulations on that continued success during the regular season. That's what stopping by joining. Thanks for having me again, all right.