Head Coach Brian Daboll

Daboll: How's everybody doing? So, obviously we met with a lot of players today, this morning and yesterday. And again, I've said this before, it's always a tough time of year for players and I'd say for the rest of the people in the organization. Still working through some things. So, I know it comes out at four. Probably will be more prepared tomorrow, Thursday when (General Manger) Joe (Schoen) comes up to kind of give you guys answers to some of the questions you may have. So, that was the last two days. The other thing we did this morning is the players voted for captains, so I'll give you guys the names of the players they selected to represent them in the leadership role. On offense, it was (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones), (Running Back) Saquon (Barkley) and (Tackle) Andrew Thomas. On defense, it was (Safety Xavier McKinney) X, (Defensive Lineman Leonard Williams) Leo and (Defensive Lineman) Dexter (Lawrence). In the kicking game, it was (Long Snapper) Casey (Kreiter), (Kicker) Graham (Gano) and (Inside Linebacker) Cam Brown. And there was another player who got a good amount of votes both on defense and in the kicking game that'll be added to those guys, and that's (Safety) Julian Love. So, that was all player votes, and there were other players that got votes, but those guys got the most votes. And those guys are the elected captains for our season this year.

Q: Julian will be a captain then?

A: He will be. Yep.

Q: He gets his own category then?

A: No. He got a good amount of votes on both sides, so he was the last one we announced this morning after the walkthrough. But all well-deserved, I think. All of them exhibit good leadership, and I think that's a testament to them that they're voted on by their peers. So, those will be our captains.

Q: How do you like to work, or will you like to work with your captains? Will you have weekly meetings to check in with them as a group, or is it more one-to-one?

A: We will. We'll have weekly meetings, and they're the voice of the locker room. So, I think that'll encompass a lot of different things. We'll just let it happen organically. That's how we'll approach it.

Q: And this is not a leadership council?

A: Those are the captains that were voted.

Q: And that will be your group, right?

A: That'll be our group. Yep.

Q: So, for the start of a game, you'll send our three or four of them or something?

A: Yeah. I haven't even – we'll cross that bridge (when we get to it). But we'll only send out a couple, not all of them. But I think it's good when the people that are in those rooms – and we've let everybody vote. They voted for two players at each spot – offense, defense and the kicking game – and then just tallied up the votes and then looked at how many were voted. And those guys stood out in each area.

Q: With (Wide Receiver) Sterling Shepard obviously just getting on his way back here, can you talk about what he's done behind the scenes? He's obviously been one of your guys that's been here for a few years now. I'm sure you're looking forward to seeing him on the field with Daniel. Aside from the playing aspect, which he hasn't had a chance to do yet, what has he, what's he doing behind those doors?

A: Provides a lot. The whole rehab for him, he's really worked hard at that to get back. And he's a great voice for the receivers in that room. He's played a lot of football here. I think he's instinctive. He's learning our system as we go. We're asking him to learn different spots. He's just done a good job in that role, and he's one of the guys that did get votes, just didn't get as many as the other guys.

Q: What went into your decision to only keep two quarterbacks?

A: We still got some time here. But relative to our roster management, that's where we went at this point. I think (Quarterback) Davis (Webb) has done a really good job. We'll see how that all unfolds.

Q: In one of your first, I don't know if it was your first or your second press conferences when you met with us, you said – I'm paraphrasing – said it's important to show players, talk to them, care about them: their lives, what's going on at home, this and that. Because you take that out of it, does that make today – what's going on now – that much harder to do?

A: Yeah, for myself personally? Yeah. These guys, like I've said before, they have put a lot of time and effort and energy into doing everything they can do to create a role for themselves, and it's tough when you're talking to each individual. And each individual is different. Each individual handles things different. But I think that relationship that you build when you have to tell somebody that they didn't make it, that's always a – at least for me – that's tough.

Q: Do you speak to guys who – I mean guys know if they're on the bubble or not, so to speak. Do you speak to the guys that did make it through, and what do you suppose their emotion is like when they are not on that list today even though it's obviously ever changing?

A: The ones that make it?

Q: Yeah. Guys that are close.

A: I think a lot of those guys always think that they're close. That's why there's some anxiety throughout camp, and tempers flare. And there's a lot of things that happen in camp that you don't always understand what's on a player's mind – particularly guys that think 'Am I close? Am I not close?' I just think you have honest conversations with them, and let them know, 'Hey, here's how you were evaluated in camp. Here are the things you can improve on and we expect you to improve on, and here's what the standard is and the expectation is going forward,' and just be straight with them.

Q: Are there any guys you know will shift to IR?

A: There's probably a few. But we'll get to that here. (I'll) have a better answer for you tomorrow or the next day.

Q: Who's your kick returner right now?

A: We have some candidates.

Q: He's on the roster, you think?

A: Yeah. I mean, we got a roster right now that, look, you're always trying to upgrade regardless of if it's right after cuts or September, October. But we have confidence in the guys that have done it for us.

Q: Do you put much stock into your preseason in which you guys threw a lot of passes, I think the most in the league, and had, gave up the fewest sacks in the league? Is that just the preseason thing, or does that mean anything to you?

A: I think anytime you're competing, it means something. I'm not a big numbers guy as it is regardless of it's the regular season or the preseason in terms of how many passes, how many runs. The most important thing is try to do the things you need to win and execute at a high level.

Q: When you and Joe get together and you start talking waivers tomorrow and then other guys you may want to bring in later in the week, because you're so close to the regular season and you do have some spots that you need to have guys contributing, do you have to strike a balance between maybe guys you're familiar with, guys who might know your system from previous spots? Or is it just 'Let's get whatever talented guys we can bring in here and just accelerate the curve?'

A: Try to get the best guys you can get to help improve the team, and then it's the coaches' job and our job to get them acclimated to how we do things here and the system of how we do things. Again, when you're getting ready to play in the regular season, whether it's this point in time, or you pick up somebody later in the year, there's been plenty of times when we acquired a player and as a position coach, I'm up with this guy for three, four days in a row just going through stuff. Again, the stuff you're putting in this camp looks like this, and as you get to the regular season it boils down for us each week based on the opponent that we're playing and the things they have to learn while trying to catch them up with some of the bigger things that go along with it.

Q: So, it's different if you bring in a guy first week of August, he's got to learn everything, versus a guy you're bringing in now who might have a much smaller – ?

A: Smaller menu, yeah. And then you're continually meeting with him and teaching him how we do things both on and off the field – the expectations along with the entire package. But when you're getting ready to play the regular season, it's usually a condensed package based on the opponent that you're playing.

Q: Is there any other guys other than (Guard) Shane (Lemieux) that won't play Week 1 for sure right now?

A: I'll get that to you here in the next couple days.

Q: Is (Offensive Coordinator) Mike (Kafka) going to be your play caller, safe to assume?

A: We're still working through that. But again, I'll tell you, I've said this before, I was pleased with really the whole offensive staff and how they approached the preseason and how Mike did things.

Q: Do you expect (Wide Receiver) Darius Slayton to be on your Week 1 roster?

A: Yeah, we'll see. We'll see where we're at right now. We had a good conversation with Darius just like (the earlier question) about expectation role. He's done a good job, and we're excited to have him.

Q: Did you talk to him today even though you didn't cut him?

A: Yeah, we talk to all our players.

Q: I mean individually.

A: Yeah. This day right here, and again, they're private conversations. But what I think is important for me is to get some of the decision makers – that's myself, Joe, coordinator, position coach, special teams coordinator – and meet with individual players that are on our roster and go through those things that (we) talked about (earlier) so there's clear expectations. There's strong alignment in the room with the decision makers and the players. And if there's any questions they have – they're all private conversations that we have – but I think that's good for communication purposes with your guys on your team.

Q: How would you characterize the summer that Slayton's had so far?

A: He's done a good job. He had that little injury that he's fighting through. But right before that injury for that week, again the Patriot week, like he was doing a good job at practice where you could see his speed and did a good job with us.

Q: You look at how at how fluid this 24, 48 hours is, you talk to all of these guys, I mean some of these guys probably won't be here. So, how do you approach those conversations with guys that aren't safe?

A: Just open and honest. And the guys that are on our team, we're excited about. And where their role is and what they do with it is going to be up to them leading into the regular season games, and you just shoot them straight. 'Here's what you did in camp. Here's some of the things we can be better at. Here's some of the things we can be better at as a coaching staff. And here's what we expect in terms of our standard going forward.'

Q: What do you say to guys like – I mean (Wide Receiver) Alex Bachman and Davis come to mind – when you see what they put on the field in the preseason. What do you say to them when you have to make a decision like that? What do you put into it?

A: I'll just keep those conversations private between myself and the players. Every conversation is a little different. I'd say they're all difficult when you're talking to the players.

Q: (Inside Linebacker Micah) McFadden, is he hurt? Were his X-rays negative?

A: He should be good.

Quarterback Daniel Jones

Q: Unlike some other players I'm sure you are not shocked that you remained team captain, but does it still feel like something?

A: Yeah, no doubt. Very appreciative to be voted and recognized as a captain. That's something that I take very seriously. I think we all do. To be a captain is a tremendous honor. We've got a lot of great leaders on this team, guys named captain, guys not named captain, I think we've got a lot of great leaders and people who have influence; who all want the same thing, and that's to win.

Q: The guys that are sort of expected to play big roles, (Wide Receiver) Kadarius (Toney) didn't play, (Wide Receiver Sterling) Shep (Shepard) didn't play, (Wide Receiver) Kenny (Golladay) had one catch, (Wide Receiver) Wan'Dale (Robinson) I forget what his numbers are but what do you make that there was limited production from those guys with you during the season and what does it mean to you going into the regular season?

A: When you think about the preseason you think about training camp, the games are certainly a big part of it, but practice and what we're doing everyday here is huge also. So, when you think about that I think a lot of those guys made plays obviously. Shep has been dealing with his Achilles, but he's done a great job in the classroom learning the offense, and then he's working back in now. So that's been great. All those guys have stayed on top of their stuff when they haven't been able to get out there, so that's been great. These next couple of weeks are important for each one of those guys and for the offense as a whole to continue to build that chemistry. There's valuable work still to be done. I think guys understand that, and that's how we're going to approach it.

Q: (Quarterback) Davis's (Webb) status has been changed a couple times probably this week. During the summer did he sort of serve as a vision of what the quarterback can do in this offense once he gets his feet settled and starts to really be comfortable in it?

A: I think with how he played in the preseason and in training camp, you see his comfort in the system, how well he knew it and knows it. That was a big part of all of us picking it up and learning it. He's been huge for that process. So, yeah, he's got a great understanding of the system, and I think you can see it on the field.

Q: How much is he almost another coach in that room? I know that is something that he contemplated doing.

A: He's a player. He sees it through a quarterback's eyes. But his experience in the system, he can look back on certain plays or situations they've had in the past that may be relevant to what we're doing now, and those references are helpful. Just ways he's found to learn certain things or remember certain pieces of the system here and there have been extremely valuable for all of us.

Q: What's it like for you just as a friend to see (Wide Receiver David) Sills finally make the 53?

A: I'm excited for him. He's had a great camp and certainly deserves it with the work he's put in and how well he's played through camp. I'm happy for him and looking forward to continuing to build this thing. Like I said, the next couple of weeks are an important time to work before we open in Tennessee.

Q: With all that's gone on in the past few months, you didn't get the fifth-year option, (Quarterback) Tyrod (Taylor) signed, "is he going to push you". Training camp is over, you've got a game, you're still standing are you sitting there going, "good let's just play now?"

A: I think getting to playing football and playing real games is certainly something we all look forward to, and I definitely look forward to myself. There's been certainly a lot going on, and my approach has been the same day in and day out. How I approach practice, how I approach each situation and yeah, I'm looking forward to getting going and playing football.

Q: With (Offensive Coordinator Mike) Kafka calling plays, (Head Coach Brian) Daboll obviously brings an offense too, is there anything different on the headset in the play calling aspect in conversation? Is there more of a third voice in there than there has been in the past? How clean is that operation?

A: It's been very clean. I think all those guys are on the same page and those are conversations we have all the time throughout the week so everybody kind of knows what's expected going in. I think the communication there's been great.

Q: Kenny played in that final preseason game. He's taken a lot of criticism in general this summer, what do you think when you hear that, and you see him on the field? What do you see?

A: I think he's a guy who approaches his work the right way every day. He comes in here, works hard, he knows what to do. He puts himself in the position to make plays. I've got a lot of faith and trust in him to make those plays and I've got to do a good job of getting him the ball and helping him do that. I have the upmost confidence and trust in him. I have a lot of respect for how he goes about his work and how he approaches it day in and day out.

Q: Do you have a different mindset depending on who the receiver is? Is Kenny a guy you say, "I can't force a ball but he's big, he's a guy who can go up and get it?" Just in terms of when you are going through your targets and progressions.

A: You've always got to factor that in when you're throwing to certain guys just like you would if you've got a speed guy, you trust him to run past the guy in a certain situation, so you're going to throw the ball down the field. I think it's the same with a bigger guy who can go up and go get the ball. You've got to have an understanding of that, and how they're going to make their plays and how they can help you.

Safety Julian Love

Q: Do you think your holding skills got you over the top for your special teams part of the captaincy?

A: (Laughs) Man, I mean possibly. It's very possible. Obviously, as a guy who has played probably the most special teams snaps in this building, I'm excited about it. I've got a little bit of love from both sides of the ball.

Q: What does it mean to you to be a captain?

A: I'm not going to lie it means an awful lot to me. I've never been a captain in my entire life, and to do it for the Giants of all places at the highest level, it's hard not to get emotional about it. It's often that I feel like people have always wanted me to be more outspoken, wanted me to be the rah-rah guy, wanted me to be the muscle-head, all that stuff. But this team has appreciated me for staying true to myself. So, I'm extremely grateful.

Q: What do you feel like you have to do now? You get the 'C,' now how do you keep the 'C'?

A: Honestly, I just have to keep being myself. I'm someone who I feel like has been really team-first oriented, really selfless, a guy who has been given hands he's been dealt, and I've made the most out of all of them I've felt like. So now it's about keeping myself, staying true to myself, keeping the person I am, representing this team on and off the field. Opportunities have been given to me this year so far. And I've got to continue to seize it.

Q: You seem really touched by this.

A: (Laughs) Yeah, it's hard not to be. One person – just my wife – she knows that I've felt like I've always been the underdog at every level. At Notre Dame, I was poised to be a captain, and that's what was held against me for coming back. That was kind of what was held out for me – the opportunity – and I obviously declared for the draft. In high school I wasn't given it. It means so much. People in my family know how much it means to me.

Q: How much do you think that the respect you've sort of earned here is because of what you've done in regards to – you know they asked you to play cornerback, you went back to safety, you went back to cornerback at times, you played special teams. And they've really asked you to sort of bounce around a lot?

A: Obviously he (Head Coach Brian Daboll) announced the captains for the offense, the defense, the special teams and then – 'Julian.' I mean, you guys have seen it firsthand. I wouldn't want it any other way. That's been my story. I've been the guy that's been bouncing all over the place. People have pigeonholed me in a certain position in a certain way. I feel like I've just persevered, and I've been persevering. It's not something that ended, it's something that's ongoing right now. I've got to keep earning my way, but just me doing everything that I possibly could be, that's the root of the eight-year-old kid who's playing little league football. I just love playing football. I love doing what I do. I think that's where you get that passion for just not really caring what position I am. Just playing ball.

Q: Is this a strange day in the sense that so many guys got cut, you walk into your room, you've got three guys. Two of you are captains, the other guy changed his number. Was it an odd day?

A: It's a weird day. It's one of the saddest days in the year of football. Obviously, a lot of guys are waived or released or whatever, and dynamics change, relationships change. You build relationships with a lot of guys, and a lot of them end after days like this. Captains are named. Then (Safety Dane Belton) Dane's back with a number change. I did something similar my rookie year – changing numbers after preseason. It's a weird day. A lot of stuff going on. With all of that, we've got to keep the main thing the main thing. We've got a game to play in two weeks. We've got a game to win in two weeks. With all those emotions, you've got to lock in and execute when you're on the field.

Q: With all of you guys named the captains today, this is Daboll's first go-around as a head coach. How important do you feel like your group – your leadership group – is to him in terms of conveying messages to the room and whatnot?

A: I think it's very important. What you see first and foremost is it's a young group. It's guys who are still establishing themselves as players in this league, but I think that's what we realize that we can't be passive anymore. A lot of those guys from my class – like (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones), (Defensive Lineman Dexter Lawrence) Dex, all of us – (Safety Xavier McKinney) Zay's a little younger – but it's urgency. There's urgency to change this team and for the better, and I think that's kind of what you see with this group we have.

Q: What have you seen from Dane? It seems like he's probably going to have a pretty big role this year even though he missed all this time.

A: It's tough, it's tough. It's tough when you get hurt earlier in camp when it's starting to click for you. What he's done a great job of is staying locked in in the moment. So, even though he hasn't been practicing, he's standing right behind me. He's standing right behind Xavier, and sometimes we'll say, 'You make all the communication. You call everything,' just to keep him sharp because we know we're going to need him. We knew we were going to need him. It was good to see him out there. Obviously, he has the (red) jersey on or whatever. But he's going to continue to develop. He's a rookie, so he's going to make mistakes, but we want to get those out of the way early. So, we're really excited because he's also a great guy off the field.

Safety Xavier McKinney

Q: Now that the 'C' is official, what does that mean to you?

A: It means a lot. It's obviously an honor to be voted by my teammates, the guys that I go to work for every day, the guys that I grind with every day. It's always meant a lot to me to become a captain. It says a lot about what my teammates think about me as a person and as a player. It's honoring, I'm happy, but I've got to keep going and keep getting better each day.

Q: Is it just a reminder about how close you guys are to the regular season when you walk into your meeting room that there are just really three of you guys? I know it's a tough day with cuts and everything, but you look around and it's a big difference to what it's been the whole summer.

A: Yeah, it definitely is. It's obviously a tough day for everybody. To have this day, it's rough on the players, it's rough on the coaches, because you build those relationships with people, you build those connections with guys. You've got to keep going, keep pushing forward. A lot of these guys will be back anyways. For us, we've just got to keep improving and whoever comes in, we've got to make sure that they're hopping on the same train as us and keep pushing forward and keep getting better.

Q: Is that a role for a captain? Is that also what you're preparing for knowing that there may be some new faces that walk in the team meeting room and you kind of help with that adjustment.

A: To me, my role as a captain – it doesn't matter who is in the building and who is not, you've got to lead either way. You've always got to set the example, you've got to be able to keep pushing forward. You've got to be able to bring along the ones that maybe weren't here the whole time, but when they come in, you've got to be able to catch them up to speed and make sure they're on track for what we are trying to do. That's always been what I thought a leader was.

Q: How strange is it when you look around the safeties room this afternoon and there's only three of you guys? Kind of think there is another shoe to drop here, I guess.

A: It's different because the room was a lot smaller. But that's a part of the game, it's a part of the NFL and I think everybody knows that. It's a business at the end of the day. We've just got to keep moving forward. I think that's what we have done, and I think that's what we did today, because at the end of the day, we've still got to go out there and practice. We've still got to go out there and make sure that we go through all our corrections. We've got to make sure that we go out there and execute. When the guys come back in, we've just got to make sure that they're still on the right track.

Q: What did you notice about how (Safety) Dane Belton stayed connected and whether that's on film or asking questions of you? What are some of the examples of how he's stayed connected while he's been out?

A: Yeah, I said this a little while back – I put him under my wing, I treated him like a little brother when he came in just making sure that he was getting ahead of the game before we even started everything. We trained out in Tampa, me, him and (Cornerback Aaron Robinson) A-Rob. We trained and we watched film together. He's done a great job of just coming in and preparing, asking questions. We've all been able to work off each other. It's been fun having him. I think he's a very smart player, a really good person, and he's just continuing to improve and help us out in the DB room.

Q: Have you been able to relate to him? You obviously went through a pretty similar situation your rookie year.

A: Yeah, we've had talks about it before. I told him it's a tough situation but at the end of the day, God has a plan for everybody. You've just got to keep pushing, keep moving forward. Injuries are a part of the game, and we know that. I know that – I've been through it. He knows that and like I said, he's done a great job of just coming in every day and having a great attitude about it.

Q: Did you do a double take when you saw him in No. 24?

A: I did, I did. That was the first time I saw him today, in the 24. It threw me off, but that's a great number. It looks good on him so I'm not too mad at it.

Q: Seeing him out there today it looks like that he might not have to wait as long as you did to get back out there. What does his presence mean to that group when you got a taste of it early in camp? Just on the field, what does he bring to the table?

A: He definitely helps us tremendously, just adding into that versatility that we have as a safety group. He fits right into that. He fits really well into that. We know that, he knows that. We've just got to keep doing a good job of communicating with each other, being able to work off each other and play off each other and I think we've got a special group within us three. Obviously, we are going to have some guys coming in but mostly, I think this is going to be a really special group.

Q: How does last year compare to this year, technique-wise, and how has the defense prepared you to be ready for the season?

A: I think it's, for me, it's the same technique. I have a certain style of play that I like to play with. I try to not let – obviously, I can be coached and there are a lot of things I can fix and I take that coaching. I have conversations with that with (Defensive Backs Coach Jerome Henderson) Rome and (Assistant Defensive Backs Coach) Mike (Treier), they help me out really well. For me, I just try to keep my same technique, what I'm comfortable with, but I can also switch it up if I need to.

Offensive Tackle Andrew Thomas

Q: Congratulations on being named a captain.

A: Thank you, I appreciate it. It's definitely an honor when your teammates vote you to be one of the leaders on the team. I don't think it stops there. I'm working every day to be a better leader, to be a better player – not just for the offensive line but for the whole team.

Q: It's pretty early in your career for this. Did you expect that you would be named captain?

A: At the end of last season, in some of my exit meetings the biggest thing for me was to take the leadership role. A lot of times, I was focused on myself getting better – going through the struggles. The next thing for me is to be more vocal, lead by example and help the team in any way I can.

Q: How much more outspoken are you now than you were as a rookie? Your nature doesn't seem like a guy who is super loud.

A: Yeah, I'm definitely more of a quiet guy. Rookie year, it was even worse. I speak when I can, not a big ra-ra guy, but when I speak, most of the time people listen. That's the way I approach it.

Q: What's the importance of, and this is (Head Coach) Brian's (Daboll) first team as a head coach, to have this decent-sized group of captains. How important is that do you feel like to him for you to convey what is going on in the locker room?

A: Coach always says that this is a player league. It's ran by us – they give us the plays and technique, but at the end of the day, it's based on what we do on the field. Just being able to communicate between him and the players, making sure that we're all on the same page is a big thing for success.

Q: Does it still seem like an unsettled time? You lost a lot of guys out of your room today and tomorrow there could be more changes. Is it weird?

A: It's definitely one of the toughest days in the NFL. You see guys put blood, sweat and tears into this game and then just the way of the business, sometimes they don't make it which sucks. You build relationships with guys, you try to check on them, but it's the nature of the business, so we just try to roll with what we got and go from there.

Q: How weird or tough has it been for you because the guy playing next to you is not going to be (Guard) Shane Lemieux? In a week, we don't have any idea who it's going to be. How odd has that been? It could be (Offensive Line) Josh (Ezeudu) but he hasn't really practiced. How tough has that been?

A: Personnel-wise, I really don't have much to do with that. All I do is try to help the guy that's next to me. Obviously, I've played a little bit and have a few games under my belt so just try to help that person so we can get on the same page, have great communication and be dominant on the left side.

Q: Where are you at physically entering the season? How much have you had to manage your ankle during camp?

A: Every day. That's something, regardless if it's feeling great or it's feeling a little sore, I'm in the training room just trying to take care of it, rehab and stuff like that.

Q: Can you pinpoint a biggest difference for you going into year three now with where you're at?

A: For me, I would say it's more mental, and then it's just consistency. That's the biggest thing for me. There are a few plays last year that I wish I had back. They're not really physical things, it's more in my mind. I have a bad play, let it go, move on to the next play, and being more consistent with my technique.

Q: How close do you think the offense is to what you guys need to be for the first game?

A: Honestly, I still think we have a long way to go. Like we talked about, we got some guys down. We'll see after the official cuts who is on the roster and what we have. We're working every day to get better to be explosive on the offensive side of the ball.

Q: What is it that you see that needs to be ironed out? You guys are 10 days out.

A: It's just a new system. We got guys coming back off of injuries. Just working on building that comradery because this offense, it's about timing and understanding what you expect a certain guy to do, especially on the offensive line. We play five as one unit, so building that is important.

Q: You weren't out there a lot, but the offensive line in general, no matter who is out there, you haven't allowed a lot of sacks this preseason. Does that mean anything to you or is it just the preseason and you don't think it's a big deal?

A: No, it definitely means something. Every time we are out there, we want to protect the quarterback, whoever is in, and I think the guys did a great job of that. Like you said, I only had a few snaps in preseason, but the guys that were in played really well, played physical in the run game and protected the quarterback well.

Q: Are you confident – when you came here did you know what the offensive line is like? Are you confident that this will be a good to very good offensive line?

A: I definitely got confidence in our guys. We work every day to get better. We have some veterans in the group helping lead us. We're just looking forward to game one.

Q: You said the veterans were looking to lead you, I guess you kind of got to look in the mirror too.

A: Definitely. It sounds weird, kind of flew by fast. Definitely one of the guys to step forward and take the lead a little bit more.

Q: There was some noise early in the preseason about (Tackle) Evan Neal's first game and how he was struggling. How do you see him handling the spotlight he's in here?

A: Like I said before, Evan is very mature for being a rookie the way he approaches every day – he's trying to get better. He's taking care of his body, doing extra cardio or whatever he can to get better. I think he's doing a great job adjusting to that. Obviously, there's struggles when you first come into this league playing the tackle position, it's not easy, but he's doing a great job, and I think he has all the tools to be really good.