Head Coach Brian Daboll

Daboll: Normal Wednesday for us, but we're going to practice inside.

Q: It would've been fun outside, though.

A: Yeah. Just got a big day ahead of us.

Q: What do you expect (quarterback) Daniel (Jones) to do at practice today?

A: He'll practice some. We'll see where he's at. We'll see where he's at after today.

Q: (Quarterback) Tyrod (Taylor) is still in the concussion protocol?

A: He is.

Q: Will he be able to do anything today, Tyrod? Or he is he not at that stage yet?

A: No. He won't practice today.

Q: Is it fair to rule him out? Or too soon to say?

A: Too soon to say.

Q: Is it encouraging that Daniel's at least able to get out here and try to do something?

A: Yeah. Not surprised. He's a pretty tough individual. I think he's made a lot or progress since after the game, and he's been in the treatment room pretty consistently throughout these last couple of days. So, we'll put him out there, give him some reps and see where he's at.

Q: What are the possibilities you bring (quarterback) Davis (Webb) up?

A: I think it depends on where Tyrod is and if Tyrod can make it or not. But certainly a possibility.

Q: But if Tyrod is unable to (go), he would be the first – I know you had a couple guys in yesterday. But he would be the first guy?

A: He would be.

Q: Are there travel restrictions for Tyrod if he's not cleared by the time you guys take off Thursday?

A: Not that I know of.

Q: So, he could not be cleared and be on the plane with you guys?

A: He could be. Yep.

Q: This might be a silly question, but does the long flight to London kind of make it a little harder for some of these guys that are dealing with injuries?

A: I don't know. That's a good question. I think they'll do everything they can do to rehab. If they have a chance to play, they'll be on the flight. We'll keep rehabbing them. And we'll take it all the way to the end with some of the guys. If we don't think they're going to be able to play or make it, then they'll stay here.

Q: (Running back) Matt Breida got checked on the sideline during the game, like head, neck. Did he get –

A: He's fine.

Q: Do you do precautionary follow-ups like concussion evaluations and tests for a player like that?

A: Yeah. I'd say with anybody, they follow up the next day with whatever the injury might be – the training staff, the players. But Matt's good.

Q: You said with Daniel you need to see where he's at after practice today. So, if he doesn't look good, what happens next? Would you still bring in another outside quarterback?

A: Let's see how it goes today.

Q: In terms of Davis, is it easier to prepare in terms of gameplan considering that you're not sure at this point who's going to play, but you know he knows the whole playbook, and he knows the offense. Is it easier for you guys to get ready?

A: Like compared to bringing a new player in?

Q: Yeah.

A: Absolutely. He's been in the offense for a long time. So, each week, even though he's on the practice squad, he prepares. That's what we ask all our guys to do, whether it's a practice squad running back, prepare like you're going to have an opportunity to play, so when the opportunity does present itself and you're brought up that you're ready to go. So that's whether we sign a guy this week and start getting him ready to play or a guy like Davis, but certainly he's been with me for a while. So, you're not teaching it. He knows our stuff.

Q: What's your level of trust with Davis, having been with you for so long? He obviously had a very good preseason this summer. Some people kind of slough that off because it's not against starters or whatever. But how do you measure that versus what he might be able to do in an actual game?

A: I have a lot of confidence in Davis. He hasn't played a full game in the regular season, but I've been around him for four years. I've watched him compete. I watch how he prepares. I watch how he leads. If he is afforded this opportunity, then Davis will be ready.

Q: What were your conversations with him like this offseason? Because he obviously had a different opportunity to be a quarterback coach of a pretty good quarterback, and he chose to come here. So, I'm curious what that was like.

A: We have a very good relationship. And that's probably a pretty good question for him relative to all the things that were going on with him. But I'm happy he's here. I think he's done a great job. And if he has to play, I think he'll be ready to play.

Q: Will (wide receiver) Kadarius (Toney) be out there today? And if so, what will he be doing or how much?

A: He will. He will be practicing. He'll be out there. He's making progress. I think all the guys are – again that I talked about on what was it, Monday? I think they're all making strides. He'll be out here; he'll be practicing.

Q: Will (defensive lineman) Leonard (Williams) be as well?

A: Leonard will be out here, too.

Q: Limited or full?

A: He will be limited.

Q: What about Kadarius?

A: He will be limited.

Q: What about (safety) Julian (Love)?

A: He will be not practicing today.

Q: He's still in (concussion) protocol?

A: Yeah, he's making – yes.

Q: What about (wide receiver) Wan'Dale (Robinson)?

A: Wan'Dale? Limited.

Q: What did you and (defensive coordinator) Wink (Martindale) and I guess the defensive staff kind of unlock in (defensive lineman) Dexter (Lawrence) where his first few years here were kind of okay, and now he's a playmaker on that D-line?

A: I'd always say first and foremost, you give credit to the player. Much like (running back) Saquon (Barkley) I would say, since I've been here, he (Dexter Lawrence) has bought into what we're doing. He's been great in the building. He's been great outside the building. He's a leader for us. He's a talented player. And I think that Coach Patterson (defensive line coach Andre Patterson), Coach Cox (assistant defensive line coach Bryan Cox), Wink, they've done a great job with him and trying to use his strengths as his strengths. But I give most of the credit to Dexter; I think he's in a good spot. I've seen improvement from him since we've been here. But he's a talented player. I'm glad he's on our team.

Q: When or how do you know that a player wants to be great?

A: I think they all want to be great. That's the type of guys we want in our building – people that want to do their very best in everything that they can do for themselves and for their team. That's kind of some of the stuff we look at when we're looking at guys in free agency or calling around on them or college draft picks. You want players that love the game and want to be as good as they can be. And some are going to be as good as they can be and be around here. Guys like Dexter are just very, very talented, and the sky's the limit.

Q: You've never had to coach against (quarterback) Aaron Rodgers, what's it like getting ready for the whole team to face him?

A: Challenging. I mean, he's one of the best to ever do it. He's, much like I've said about some of the other really good players, he's fun to watch when you're not getting ready to play him. I'll be watching their offense and naturally you're just watching 12 and the things he does, how he moves people, the accuracy, off-schedule plays, and checks and things he does. He's as good as it gets and he's a hard quarterback to defend. He's impressive.

Q: When you look back at what DJ did against Chicago the other day, obviously at one point you were going to keep him out even though he wanted to go back in. To come back in and gut it out in the fourth quarterback, can you expand on what that was like?

A: I think you find out about guys. I think you try to find out the best you can about a person when you meet them and build a relationship. Then when they're faced with some type of adversity, whether that be mental adversity, physical adversity, I think you learn a lot about individuals. It's easy to gauge people when things are great, it's when things aren't great. Whether it's through training camp or through some of these games, and now this one with the physical thing, he wants to be there for his teammates. He's a great teammate. I think he's a mentally strong person, but he's pretty tough physically, too.

Q: (Center) Nick Gates is going to practice today. You weren't here when he got hurt, but what can you say about him reaching this point?

A: Impressive. We had a walkthrough earlier and had him break down the team. Much respect to really anybody that comes back from injuries, but his injuries were significant. All the surgeries and he's had nothing but a positive mindset since he's been here. The guys were hooting and hollering when he was breaking them down. You root for guys like that. It's a tough industry we're in, in terms of physical things that can happen. Just a lot of respect for him and what he's done and proud of the young man.

Q: Any of the other guys on IR or PUP close?

A: Potentially, but not right now.

Q: With (wide receiver Wan' Dale) Robinson and (wide receiver Kadarius) Toney, you guys have dealt with some issues and injuries at receiver, do you have to guard against wanting to rush them back and putting too much on their plate out of necessity? Compared to not wanting to rush them back because they haven't done too much recently.

A:  I would say that our philosophy is not to rush anybody back, to make sure the player feels comfortable where they're at in their mind and the mental spot. But also, physically make sure that they're ready to go and can go out there and do the things we need them to do to be a successful part of whether it's offense, defense or the kicking game. I think that's important. As everybody knows, this is a tough sport to play. Again, you're going to have nicks and bruises and things like that, but the health and the safety of our guys are important to us.

Q: Is there any difference going into a game knowing what you're dealing with, with your quarterback? Rather than subbing him back into a game plan you've already built around a healthy quarterback?

A: I'd say if they're out there and they're going to be ready to play, obviously as a coach, you want to put them in the best position as you can. Whether that's drop backs, runs, play actions, you do that as a coach. If a guy is coming back from injury, you're not going to put a guy out there you think is not ready to go, as a coach. If they're ready to go and they're out there, then they're able to do the things that we need them to do for that week. And you know that changes. One plan hasn't been the same as the next hasn't been the same as the next, so you take some of that into account. Certainly, you do. But you want guys to be able to execute what you need to execute in order to give yourself a chance to win.

Q: There's a report that (Wide Receiver) Cole Beasley just retired. What was it like coaching him?

A: When was that?

Q: Just 10 minutes ago.

A: He is a great guy. Very productive in our system the last few years and I wish him the best of luck. Him, his family, his children, he's a great person.

Q: Is there one gameplan for the offense or is it many factors depending on who's the quarterback?

A: Like do you have a bunch of different call sheets? No. I'd say whoever's out here ready to play, which we're not there yet, I'd say (Offensive Coordinator Mike) Kafka and the offensive staff have done a good job Monday night, Tuesday night, getting ready to go. If one guy is playing, you certainly have plays that you know those guys like, but you do that every week. If you have one quarterback then your backup quarterback, it's not exactly the same skillset. You're always going to discuss with the backup quarterback, are you good with these plays? Because one quarterback might like these 10 plays, the next one might like these 10 plays, and I think crafting a gameplan to your quarterback is important.

Q: What's (Wide Receiver) Kenny Golladay's status?

A: He will not practice today. I doubt he'll be ready to go this week.

Quarterback Daniel Jones

Q: It looked like you were moving around pretty good out there today. How did you feel, and were you surprised about how quickly things are coming back?

A: Yeah, felt good. Felt good out there. I've been working with the trainers, and I've made a lot of progress the last couple of days. I'll continue to listen to them and continue to do what I can to be back out there.

Q: How confident are you that you'll be ready for Sunday?

A: It's early in the week, so I'm just trying to do everything that I can day-by-day to get back there. Like I said, I'm feeling good. I'm feeling a lot better today.

Q: Would you consider yourself full today? Were you limited? We only see the individual part of practice.

A: I think I was in and out a little bit at some times. Like I said, overall felt good and felt like I could do most things.

Q: Are the red high tops something that you wear inside or is this new for a sprained ankle?

A: It's the same shoes I wore last year. I was wearing a little bit different cleat before this, but these are the same shoes I wore last year.

Q: But it does give more support I assume?

A: A little bit, yeah.

Q: How did you feel Sunday night, and did you go home concerned about what this week may be like? Were you pretty sore after the game?

A: Yeah, I was pretty sore after the game. I didn't know exactly what was going on, but I felt sore – and you're sore after most games. I'm kind of used to that. Like I said, feeling a lot better today.

Q: Your legs are such a big part of your game; would you be concerned going on the field if you didn't have compete, full capacity use of your legs as a weapon on the field?

A: I think for one, Sunday is a little bit away. I think I'll continue to progress throughout the week and see how I feel. I'm confident in my ability to throw from the pocket, throw outside the pocket, and make plays from both.

Q: What does it say about this team – in your mind – you're number one right now in rushing yards. You're number one in the league in that. I think I saw a stat today that it's the most yards this team's had since 1956 after four games. What does that say about this team, and maybe does that help with the quarterback's limit a little bit that this team has such a good rushing game?

A: I think it's a huge credit to the guys up front. It starts with them, and they've been doing a good job controlling the line of scrimmage and opening up holes for (Running Back) Saquon (Barkley) for (Running Back Matt) Breida, for myself, for anybody to run the ball. We'll continue to lean on that. Those guys have played well.

Q: I don't know if you were asked this, but are there any lessons that you were able to get from the Arizona games a couple years ago when you came back from the hamstring? You couldn't really move around the pocket and wound up having another injury in that game.

A: I think that was a different situation and a different injury. I treat each one of them differently depending on what it is and how I'm feeling. I'll go forward like that.

Q: The opening call is naked bootleg, and you go running around the end?

A: (Laughs) We're early in the week. We haven't talked opener yet.

Q: You were probably asked, but how good did you feel moving around out there today?

A: I felt good. I felt good. Made a lot of progress these last couple of days. I'll continue to do what they tell me to do in the training room as we go through the week.

Q: Was there anything to having a long-term view of this even if you can play, would it possibly be smarter to rest it so that you're full strength the following week? Or do you not think that way?

A: I think you prepare each week to play. Obviously, you've got to make a decision at the end of the week depending on how you feel. I feel good, and I'm going to do everything I can to be out there.

Q: (Head Coach Brian Daboll) Brian said before practice he wasn't surprised you were there because he said, 'He's a tough guy.' How much pride do you take in that toughness, and how important is that to your position?

A: I think it's really important. I think it's really important – in this position or any position. We've got a lot of tough guys on the team. Tough group. I think a lot of guys throughout the year get banged up and dealing with little things here and there and everyone's trying to be out there. So, I'm no different.

Q: I wanted to ask a question that's not about an injury. How much do you think you've grown under Dabs, a new offensive coordinator and the new coaching staff? Do you feel like you've gotten to be better at certain things under this new regime here?

A: Yeah, I think things here and there I've improved on. I think the decision making is something I've tried to focus on – making decisions quickly and getting the ball out of my hands, getting outside the pocket if I need to and making plays with my legs. Overall, just making quicker decisions and being smart with the football. I think I've made progress with that.

Quarterback Davis Webb

Q: Obviously you don't really know what your situation will be on Sunday but the prospect of the fact that you may be brought up in uniform in London, what might that mean to you?

A: First off, be a good teammate and hopefully (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones) and (Quarterback) Tyrod (Taylor) are feeling much better each day leading up to that. Then if it does happen just keep preparing like you have been for the last five and a half years.

Q: I know a lot of times you work ahead and you're not necessarily preparing for the opponent. Is this week different for you in that regard?

A: Yeah, it's still day to day, so we'll kind of see how that progresses. Always try to get ahead as much as I can. This has come up before in my career where you kind of don't go as head to head. Last year, I think we had a Covid issue with (Quarterback) Mitchell (Trubisky) and (Quarterback) Jake (Fromm) so it was a similar situation. We'll play it by ear, and we'll see what happens.

Q: How do you feel after watching Sunday's game and you kind of watch both quarterbacks go out to injuries?

A: It's not fun seeing your friends get hurt. Especially one that's hobbling every step and the other one that gets hit pretty hard on our sideline getting the first down, selling his heart on the line for the team. I mean everybody saw that, that was a legit play, and we don't take that lightly. Hopefully they can get healthy soon.

Q: You made your debut last year; you had a run, but you didn't throw a pass?

A: Two knees. Two knees, a couple hand-offs. Got the win.

Q: Is there a part of you that's dying to get into a game one day and how often do you think about it?

A: Yeah, I think that's why I wanted to keep playing too, and not coach. I think you do want to play but Daniel's the starting quarterback here and Tyrod's the backup. I'm going to continue to work to get an opportunity.

Q: What was that decision like this offseason? That's a pretty attractive coaching opportunity I'd imagine, but obviously you chose this.

A: It was a rough couple of weeks. A lot of pros, a lot of cons. Had to make a decision quick. I'm happy I came here. I've got to learn from (Offensive Coordinator) Mike (Kafka) and (Quarterbacks Coach) Shea (Tierney) again, and (Head Coach Brian) Dabs (Daboll) and (Offensive Line Coach) Bobby (Johnson). Just kind of see year one of the system. When I got to Buffalo, they were in year two in the system, and I've learned a lot. It will help me down the road as a player and a coach.

Q: As a quarterback does it help that the running game is going so well?

A: Yeah, I think the o-line is playing really, really well. We've mixed and matched a couple of guys and they're still going in there and executing. I think Bobby and (Assistant Offensive Line Coach) Tony (Sparano Jr.) have done a good job in that regard. (Running Back) Saquon (Barkley), (Running Back) Matt (Breida), (Running Back) Gary (Brightwell), (Running Back) Antonio (Williams), (Running Back Jashaun) Corbin, (Running Back) Sandro (Platzgummer), all guys that can get positive yards. Hopefully we continue that pace.

Q: How did you feel Daniel looked today? From the short period that we were out there it looked like he was moving pretty well. Which seems surprising after we've seen him hobble around Sunday.

A: He's a tough guy. He works hard at it. This is the most important thing in his life, and he's been that way since the day I met him. You can rally around a leader like that.

Q: Could you tell at all that he was laboring out there?

A: I'm not sure, you'd have to ask him about that kind of stuff. He spun it well. I think he could've spun it on Sunday if he needed to. He's a tough guy and I think he'll be ready to rock whenever he feels good.

Wide Receiver Sterling Shepard

Q: How difficult has this been for you to process?

A: Obviously, just coming off my Achilles (tear) and having to deal with the ACL (torn anterior cruciate ligament) is no fun. But I just try to come in with a positive attitude. I feel like that helps the recovery process. You take a day of grieving, and it's time to move forward. But it's frustrating, but I try to come at it with a positive attitude like I said. I fight through it. I've gotten through it once; I can do it again.

Q: Do you know what actually happened?

A: It was really weird. I think I actually partially tore it probably like two plays before that. I think I partially tore it. I kind of got up, and my knee did something funny. I was just like, 'Forget about it, and keep on pushing.' The next play actually got blown dead, which in hindsight I'm kind of happy about because I was about to have to stick off my left and hard cut. And the next play I was literally just jogging, and I'm sure you guys saw it. It just slid on me and popped.

Q: There's been quite a stir about the turf here.

A: I've heard stuff about that. I know they tested it a couple of years back and said it was fine. I mean, I love playing on grass. I know a lot of my teammates, we all love playing on grass. It's just a little bit more forgiving than turf is. At times, your foot can get stuck in the turf. I think all around, it's better on bodies to play on grass. But I'm not in the decision room or making that decision.

Q: How shocked were you when you went down? For us watching it, it was like 'What happened there?'

A: Exactly. Like I said, I was just jogging. And you wouldn't think anything would happen from there. Maybe I was compensating throughout the game for a little lack of strength. I don't know; it could be a number of things. But it was no fun.

Q: You seem to be staying especially involved though. What all are you doing? Because we see you out on the field. We see you on the bench.

A: Just helping the guys out. Just because I'm going down doesn't mean I need to have a cloud over my head and bring everybody else down. I think it's big for me, being one of the veteran guys in this locker room, to help the guys in any way I can – whether that's helping them with route technique or just to hype them up. I like to be around the guys. I was actually supposed to leave last week, just come to the locker room, hype everybody up. I'm usually the guys that's on the DJ (aux) operating all the music. So, I was coming to do that. And I was just going to go back home and kick my knee up. But I just got too into it, and I was like 'You know what? I'm staying for the game. I'm not going up in the box. I'm going down on the field.' And Coach Daboll (head coach Brian Daboll) let me. So, I'm thankful for that.

Q: You've surprised so many people so many times coming back. Do you have another one in you?

A: Dang right. I'm a fighter. So, I want to go out on my own terms. I don't want something like this to make me go out. So, I'm going to fight to get my body back to where I can perform and get this thing good.

Q: When did it take you to come to that conclusion?

A: Not too long after. Like I told you, it's like a grieving period and you have a lot of stuff flying through your head. But when you get time to settle down and what you really want, the next day it hit me. I was like, 'You know what? I'm not going to let this get me down. I'm going to fight through it. I've done it once; I can do it again.' It gives me a chance to get my body fully healthy, and I feel good about it.

Q: You've meant a lot to this organization for a long time. But did you learn in recent days how much you also mean to this new coaching staff?

A: Yeah. For sure. And not only that, but they mean a lot to me. They didn't have to give me another shot to come back off that Achilles, and they did. And I can't thank this staff and ownership enough for the opportunities that they've given me. And I feel like I owe so much to them. I want to give them my all; I don't want to go out like this. So, like I said: I'm going to fight. I'm a fighter. So, that's what I'm going to do.

Q: With that said, do you wonder if your next days might be somewhere else? Did that cross your mind?

A: I'll let that take care of itself. All I can do is focus on every day that I have and each day coming up. So, that's what I'm going to focus on – just putting one foot in front of the other and focusing on the small wins right now. So, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself.

Q: What did it mean to you that (former wide receiver) Odell (Beckham, Jr.) flew out here to see you?

A: It meant a lot to me. That's one of my brothers. He's done that a number of times, flying from wherever he is. He was in the Bahamans, but he wanted to come see me. But I was happy to see his face; I hadn't seen him in a while. But it was great seeing him.

Q: Was it meaningful seeing him step in this building? To you, given everything that's happened?

A: Yeah. Like I said, I wanted to see him. And he came out to see me, so we definitely got a chance to talk a lot. And I was happy to see him.

Q: He's a free agent. You're allowed to recruit.

A: (Laughs). We didn't do anything illegal.

Q: Can you travel to London?

A: Yeah.

Q: Are you going?

A: Yep. I'm going to go.

Q: So, when are you having the surgery?

A: Not sure yet. Still kind of up in the air. I'll talk to the (athletic) trainers and see what they think is best and go from there.

Q: Did you see the video of your celebration on the sideline from Sunday?

A: Yeah, I did. I didn't know they – they catch everything nowadays (Laughs). They catch everything. I thought I was in the moment by myself.

Q: Did that video kind of encapsulate what you were feeling at that moment?

A: Yeah, a little bit. I was just happy. I'm glad the guys got a win. They've been doing a great job, worked really hard throughout the week, and we deserved that one. They worked their tail off, and I was happy to see us get the W.

Offensive Lineman Nick Gates

Q: What do you have now?

A: To come off the PUP list, it's 21 days until they have to make a decision about what they want to do with me.

Q: What do you feel like? You think you can be ready in 21 days?

A: I'm going to have to, it's all I've got. But no, I feel good. It's nice to be back out there on the field, it's nice to run around with the guys. It was a good time. It was a good feeling to be back out there. I didn't think I was going to be back out there this fast.

Q: What were your emotions today?

A: I was just excited to be back out there. I just wanted to go out there and just play football again. Not have to think, not have to worry about making calls – just go out there and play football. It was fun, it was fun to be back out there with the guys. That comradery, you don't get that when you're just by yourself doing indy or off to the side. It was good to be back in there with the guys.

Q: When (Head Coach Brian Daboll) Dabs had you break down the walkthrough, what was your emotion there for that?

A: It was cool, it was cool. I've broken it down before.

Q: Yeah, but not after what you went through, right?

A: I broke it down a couple of months ago, but it was good. It was a break down, I don't know.

Q: What did you say? Anything particular? Anything funny?

A: I just said I'm excited to get back out there with you guys and let's keep the ball rolling.

Q: How much were you able to do?

A: They gave me four plays of team which is about half our team reps, and then I did all of indy, and I did everything else everybody else did. I'm full-go for the most part. If we had pads on today, I was going to be in pads – but we didn't.

Q: How do you feel like you can most help this team moving forward?

A: I don't know, I don't want to jump that far ahead. I've just got to take it day by day and get myself back up to where I was before I got hurt. I'm just thinking of the next day ahead.

Q: Can you describe what the journey has been like since you got hurt? Maybe how lonely that gets when you're hanging out in the trainers room and everybody else is doing stuff?

A: It definitely gets a little lonely. All the guys in the locker room have my back. They tried to include me as much as they could, but it was a roller coaster of emotions, I'm not going to lie. At one point after I had my last surgery, which was No. 7, they had to take the rod out because I had an infection in my bone and put another rod in. I thought I wasn't going to be able to play this year, at least not until midway, so at least open my date up to that mid-Week 9.

Q: So, you had seven all together?

A: Yeah, so the original one they put a rod in, two screws down my tibia. Then I got compartment syndrome. I'll show you, there's a big scar. Got compartment syndrome, so they sliced your leg open and let the swelling kind of – fasciotomy it's called – just let the swelling do its thing and slowly close you up, that took four and then I had to get a skin graft which was No. 6. Then they had to take my rod out and put another rod in which was No. 7.

Q: What was the last one?

A: The rod, I had an infection in my tibia.

Q: When?

A: Six months ago, six and a half months ago from right around now.

Q: Were there any ever moments when you're going through all that stuff where you're wondering whether it's worth doing all that?

A: Oh no, definitely. Those thoughts – I feel like any injury you have, it doesn't matter if it's this or something else – those thoughts are just natural. I talked to (Director of Wellness and Clinical Services, Player Engagement) Dr. Lani (Lawrence), our sports psychologist a little bit and she was like, 'Yeah, that's normal. That's part of an injury and part of the process of healing and moving forward.'

Q: What kept you going?

A: I just wanted to play football again to be honest with you. Just being out there is fun. I don't know how else to explain it, but I was watching the last game up in the box the last couple of weeks we were playing and I'm like, 'I just want to be back out there again with the guys and just have fun.' What other job lets you hit people and basically do whatever you want? (Laughs) It's a fun time.

Q: Were you willing to race (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones) today considering he was handicapped?

A: Yeah, I think I might get him since he's a little handicapped (laughs). I think we're on an even playing field with this.

Q: Is that weird? Trusting your body again in that situation and being full go?

A: Kind of. My rehab I did the last three months I've been doing complete indy with me and the trainers and the strength coaches. I've been trying to beat my leg up and trying to throw it into the ground as hard as I could and just trying to get the most realistic look I can with it. Now, it's easy. To be honest with you, I thought it was going to be a lot more gassed and a lot harder right now. I feel like I pushed myself the last three months to get me where I'm at.

Q: Does the leg feel bionic now? Like you can't damage it anymore?

A: Oh yeah, you can't mess it up anymore unless you run a truck over this thing.

A: A lot of hardware in there, right?

A: Oh yeah. It's literally the whole length of my tibia from the top to the bottom.

Q: Would you have been close to ready to the start of the season if you hadn't had the infection?

A: I believe so. If I didn't have to have that rod re-put in there, I think I would have been mid training camp if not the beginning. I can't look at it like that, things come, and things go, and you've got to take them head on and I feel like I did that.

Q: How big of a step was this today just to be in uniform?

A: It was huge to get that damn red jersey off. That thing, I felt like a quarterback, and I wasn't.

Q: How much do you look forward to actually being in a game again? How much is that drawing you?

A: It's still a little bit of a ways ahead. I haven't really thought about that. I'm just trying to make the team, basically. I'm putting my best foot forward the next three weeks and give them any reason not to be able to cut me.