Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka

Q: What do you say to a rookie (wide) receiver who is coming into his first NFL game and probably has a lot of expectations on him to be a big part of this team?

MIKE KAFKA: I'd say to a rookie, the same thing I'd say to a vet(eran), and really to the entire offense, is just, 'Do your job, focus on your responsibilities, communicate, and then play the game as fast as you can and have fun out there.'

Q: We've asked you all off-season about how (quarterback) Daniel Jones has been progressing on the field. What have you seen for him, growth-wise, as a person and as a leader?

MIKE KAFKA: Every year that I've been with them, DJ (Daniel Jones) has got better and better at those things that you just mentioned. Being a leader in the locker room, he's a captain again and really taking great command of the offense and of that huddle. DJ (Daniel Jones) does a really nice job with that. Each year he's just kind of grown with that.

Q: Do you see him working with more of an edge this year than maybe past years?

MIKE KAFKA: He's always had a great work ethic. That's not something that's never going to change with him. From day one, being in the film room, in the weight room, those are things that just kind of are in his blood. The work-ethic part of it, it's really never been an issue.

Q: Are you pro-beard or anti-beard?

MIKE KAFKA: I'm pro-beard, for sure.

Q: (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones)'s best season, when you were calling plays in 2022 when you guys went to the playoffs, he led the league in lowest turnover rate. If you guys are throwing the ball down the field more aggressively, which fits this wide receiving corps, can that continue or with aggression comes the sense that you are going to turn the ball over?

MIKE KAFKA: That's a good question. I think when you're making those decisions downfield, as an offense, you want to stay aggressive, number one. But when you're making those decisions downfield, you have ultimate trust in the receivers or in the tight ends or running backs, whoever's down there, to make a play. If it's a contested catch or it's a one on one ball, you got to have the confidence for those guys to go make the play and if it doesn't happen, as a receiver downfield, you can't let the DB (defensive back) make a play on it. If it is overthrown or underthrown or something like that, you kind of have to become a defender. But I don't think you want to have that in your mind as you're trying to make plays downfield.

Q: With the playmakers you have added to be able to go downfield aggressively, how different will it look compared to 2022?

MIKE KAFKA: Every year you want to continue to grow and change and develop things. So, certainly it'll be different from last year, just like it was the previous year. Every year, you're trying to figure out things to put your players in the best position to be successful. Each year, each week, it'll be different based on the defenses we play. But I'm excited; this week's been a fun week.

Q: How much do you think from the novice side it'll look very different or completely different?

MIKE KAFKA: Again, per that week's game plan, some things may be better. Maybe some weeks we run a lot of shifts, some weeks we don't. Whether you're playing at home, when you can use cadence or when you're away and using the silent cadence. There's a bunch of different variables that show up into it. Each week will just be per that game plan.

Q: Around here, it's been a lot of offensive line boots and reboots and shuffles and reshuffles. Something unusual you guys did this year is your right side of the (offensive) line was just imported from the (Las Vegas) Raiders. What is your trust in those two guys and maybe how they work together?

MIKE KAFKA: It's been good to get those guys together, especially this week. Now (that) we're in kind of that game planning mode. In training camp, you're trying some new stuff, you're trying to figure out and work on your identity and who you want to be as a running team and as a passing team. Defining roles and all those things. So, when you get all five of those guys together and working together and communicating, I think that's a benefit. There's a constant stream of communication. And it certainly works with DJ (Daniel Jones) in the mix as well. They all can kind of see it through the same lens. I think it's been a good camp in that aspect. Then this week, as we're working through our game plan, (we're) working all those kinks out.

Q: What about specifically those two guys on the right side? Because they didn't need any introduction to each other.

MIKE KAFKA: They had some familiarity with the offense in (Las) Vegas. So, (they've) getting in and really getting caught up on our terminology. But those guys have been a great addition and they're veteran guys who've played a lot of football and we'll certainly lean on those guys as a unit to play well on Sunday.

Q: As you sit down to make a gameplan for a high pressure defense that's going to bring the house a lot. Are there any cardinal rules like, 'We got to play fast.' Is there something that you have to do?

MIKE KAFKA: (Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Brian) Flores does a great job. I have a lot of respect for him. Not only did they lead the league in Cover 0, they led the league in Cover 2. They led the league in drop eight, prevent coverage, P coverage, we call it. They led the league in pressure. All by a large margin. They use a bunch of multiple looks, multiple fronts and personnel groupings. We got to be prepared for all that. So, we work through that throughout the week, put together the best plan we can and then go out and execute.

Q: So recognition might be the biggest thing?

MIKE KAFKA: I think the biggest thing would be communication. When you have a team that does a lot of things, you want to make sure that we're all on the same page and seeing it through the same lens.

Q: When you talk about the communication, does it give you some comfort, even though this offensive line hasn't really been together, that this is really a veteran group in terms of being able to handle all those different looks?

MIKE KAFKA: Absolutely, it does. It does. When you have guys that have played even against (Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Brian) Flores in the past. I know (Las) Vegas, they played him last year or a couple of years back, even when he was in Miami. Having that familiarity, having those older vets that have seen it a few times, for (center) JMS (John Michael Schmitz Jr.) to be up there and kind of set the table for us. It's good to kind of lean on those guys and their experiences.

Q: (Running back Devin) Singletary, throughout his career, has always been part of or maybe even the lead in a rotation like him and (running back) Zack Moss or the other guy in Houston. What is your confidence level that he could be like an 85% snap running back?

MIKE KAFKA: I don't know if I would put a number on that, but I think…

Q: What we're used to seeing here where you have an obvious bell cow…

MIKE KAFKA: I think as the game kind of declares itself and I think it can go any way, whether it's (the) run or whether it's pass game. I don't think you want to have one set thing that you want to do. I think you got to be multiple and attack a defense in a bunch of different ways, whether it's the run game or pass game.

Q: Yesterday, (running back) Devin (Singletary) was sitting with (running back) Tyrone (Tracy) and they were comparing notes when I came over to talk to them. How helpful can that relationship be? The running back who is established versus the one just getting his feet wet.

MIKE KAFKA: It's a great running back room. (Running Backs) Coach Joel Thomas does a great job in there as well. When you have veteran guys that want to give back to the room and share their experiences, it does nothing but help. (Running back) Motor (Devin Singletary) has done a good job of understanding that and then helping those young guys because, again, the speed of the game is different than it is in college. So, getting those guys caught up and giving them as much experience is great.

Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen

Q: What went into bringing (cornerback) Adoree' (Jackson) back? When you had those conversations, what did you talk about?

SHANE BOWEN: Those conversations were ongoing before we signed him. Good to get him back here. We're focused on getting him ready to go, get him up to speed as quick as we can. I think my experience with him in Tennessee (Titans) and his experience here with the coaches and the guys, I think, is a benefit as well. But, glad to have him back here. Excited to kind of get him rolling here.

Q: Do you have experience with a guy coming in this late and having to play a lot of snaps?

SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, you can ask all 32 teams. There's guys that come in on Tuesday that end up playing on Sunday throughout the year. (I) dealt with it in my time in Tennessee with some of the injuries we had. It's the league, the nature of the league. With numbers and injuries that occur throughout, you got to be ready to get guys up to speed relatively quickly so they can go out and execute and hopefully not ask them to do too much too early to where they're making mistakes and some things come up.

Q: How would you describe the aggressiveness of your defense? I keep hearing you use the word aggressive, and guys here keep saying, 'It's aggressive, but aggressive in a different way than we've been aggressive in the past,' which was obviously blitz heavy. How would you describe your plan to be aggressive?

SHANE BOWEN: I want these guys to attack. I want them to have an attacking mentality with everything they do, whether it's attacking the line of scrimmage up front, playing with our hands, leading with our hands, being violent with our hands. Whether it's linebackers getting downhill violently, physical, DBs (defensive backs) getting out of breaks, showing up in the run game, staying on their feet, tackling, putting their chest on guys. It's a play style. You play defensive football, I don't care if it's Pee Wee or if it's up to the NFL, when you play defensive football, there's an expectation of physicality, toughness, aggression and being aggressive throughout. Totally different than scheme and what that is and where that goes, but it's more about play style to me.

Q: Would you say it's fair that nobody who was here throughout the summer for that second cornerback job won it?

SHANE BOWEN: I would say all those guys have been battling and competing throughout. We'll kind of see where it goes. I think bringing (cornerback) Adoree' (Jackson) in is really just a chance for us to add some depth and have another option. Across the board, you want competition at every position. You want the roster to be as competitive as possible, so guys improve and they feel the pressure of having to come out here every single day, a Tuesday in October, a Monday in December, and get better. So, that's ultimately what we're trying to get done is just continuing to push all these guys to be the best versions of themselves and, again, put their best foot forward and how it sorts out is how it sorts out. We got to put the best guys out there. We owe it to the team. We owe it to the unit to put the best guys out there that we feel give us the best chance to win and we got to navigate that as we go.

Q: Obviously, with a player like (defensive lineman) Dex (Dexter Lawrence) and even (outside linebacker) Brian Burns, you would love to have them on the field 100% of the time, right? But what's your approach to playing time for defensive linemen? How much do you think is reasonable? How much do you want to rotate guys in and out and keep them fresh?

SHANE BOWEN: I think it depends on the guy. I think there are certain guys that can handle it, that can play a ton of snaps, and they never really feel it, and you don't really feel it when you're watching them. There's other guys that you get in the fourth quarter, it starts to get noticeable. We got to be mindful of it, especially early in the season. Got to be mindful of where we're at conditioning-wise. If we do end up playing with some heat, I think that's a big thing. But, doing what we can to keep those guys fresh in the fourth quarter. All these games are going to come down to one-score games more times than not, so we got to be our best there and hopefully those guys are in condition enough and we can spell them enough at times, at the right times, to where they're the freshest when we need them the most.

Q: Going back to your point about being aggressive, how do you balance being aggressive versus being smart and not committing discipline-related penalties that sometimes come with aggressiveness?

SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, no doubt. We talk about don't do dumb crap that hurts the team. There's a fine line between being aggressive and hitting guys when it's legal and being stupid and hitting guys late, hitting the quarterback high or going low on the quarterback in the pocket. We have to play within the rules. We understand that. Again, we want to toe the edge, we do. We want to get up to the edge of it, but at the same time, we can't do the dumb stuff that costs the team. It's tough to come back. When you give these teams 15-yard penalties, (a) high-percentage (of the time) they're probably going to result in points. Just doing a good job understanding the rules of the game and how far we can take it. A lot of that even goes into some of the officiating crews at times, with what they're allowing. I think we got to get a feel for that early on in the game, how they're calling things and what we're able to potentially get away with or be able to push the limit on.

Q: Have you got any feel for the hip-drop tackle? I don't think it's come into play with anything.

SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, there were a few examples throughout the preseason that we send into the league to get a little bit more clarity on. Just the examples of, 'Is this the classified three areas that it takes to really be determined a hip-drop tackle.' So we'll kind of see as that goes here these first few weeks, see where they're at with it. But right now, I think it's going to be a learning process for us and the officials as we go. (It's) something we're going to have to continue to get information on throughout the season and get feedback from the officials on different things to kind of help us not get in those positions.

Q: With (inside linebacker) Micah (McFadden) somewhat of a question mark, what have you seen from (inside linebacker Darius) Muasau?

SHANE BOWEN: I've been pleased with Darius (Muasau). He's done a good job. I think he's improved throughout training camp. He's smart, doesn't make the same mistakes twice. I think he's got a pretty good understanding of situational football. I've been pleased with him. We'll kind of see where it goes with Micah (McFadden) this week. He was out here yesterday, so we'll play that by ear as it goes.

Q: You've gone up against (wide receiver) Malik Nabers here for the last month and a half. What kind of a headache is he going to be for the other defensive coordinators in this league?

SHANE BOWEN: He's talented. I'm not going to do any comparisons or put any unfair expectations on him. He's a rookie. He's got to go out there and do it just like our guys and everybody else, but he's talented. The ability to separate and catch the ball. He's got the ability to be a good player in this league.

Q: Your defenses in Tennessee were always at or near the top of the NFL in red zone defense, and that's what we saw against the Texans, you guys had the red zone stop. Why do you think that is? And is the description of, 'Bend don't break,' is that something you think is a good comparison or is that an insult?

SHANE BOWEN: I think, as it relates to red zone defense, it takes all 11 (players) down there. The run game, obviously, you don't want to let teams run it in when you're that close, but the passing windows get tighter. We got to use that to our advantage and understand that. I think the coordination, the understanding, being able to play off each other, the leverage that comes into play and just how you're able to fill windows with some different pieces at times. Hopefully that continues. Hopefully we're working hard every day to hopefully be one of the better red zone defenses. It's a game changer. They score three points instead of seven, that's a huge difference in a game. I wouldn't necessarily say it's 'Bend don't break,' as much as it's, 'Let's make sure if they do get down there, we don't really care how they do, but let's make sure when they do get down there that we're defending our house.' That end zone is our house. We're going to do everything we can. We're going to empty the chamber. We're going to defend our house and find ways. That goes back to mental toughness. Being able to play the next play, not be focused on what happened, but be focused on what's coming. I think that's probably more the emphasis from my point of view than saying, 'Bend don't break.'

Q: What makes (Minnesota Vikings Head Coach) Kevin O'Connell difficult to coach against? What makes him a good offensive play-caller?

SHANE BOWEN: They got a good scheme. He does a good job moving those guys around. They got talented pieces, obviously, on the perimeter. They added (running back) Aaron Jones in the backfield. The O-line's been together. They do a good job manipulating to get guys in positions to where they can find openings. I think the run and the play-action pass complement each other. I think he does a good job building plays off the same look where they complement each other. It's going to be a big challenge for us, obviously, with the talent they have on the offensive side, and then ultimately the scheme. I think (Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam) Darnold a really good fit for what they're doing offensively as well.

Q: Being with (defensive lineman) Dexter Lawrence as long as you have in the run-up to this season, what have you seen that either sets him apart or explains how he's able to do what he does and stay on the field as much as we've seen him?

SHANE BOWEN: That was one thing I was surprised with when I got here was just the amount of play time for a dude that big and how hard he plays. There's a clip from yesterday that we showed today, just the effort, play in and play out, running and chasing the ball. He's a total pro. He does everything you want in the meeting room. He's vocal. He helps with the younger guys. He asks questions and he comes out here and works. He puts the work in. There's a reason he's to the level he's gotten to and hopefully that continues and elevates even further. But it's because he's a pro and he works at it.

Q: With (Minnesota Vikings quarterback) Sam (Darnold), is there anything that you could really take from his film with the (New York) Jets and the (Carolina) Panthers or after that year with (San Francisco 49ers Head Coach) Kyle (Shanahan) and now working with (Minnesota Vikings Head Coach) Kevin (O'Connell), do you think he's going to be a different player?

SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, I think it is different. I think probably going into a system that's similar to what he had in San Fran(cisco) last year is going to benefit him because I think there's going to be some continuity for him. But we're going to have to do a good job. We're going to have to find ways to affect him. And hopefully do a good job stopping the run so we can play the play-action pass game, that's so good. I'm sure they're going to get him on the edge a little bit as well. So, we'll see. It's going to be a big challenge for us.

Special Teams Coordinator Michael Ghobrial

Q: What do you think of a possible (cornerback) Adoree' Jackson for punt returner?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I'll never close the door on getting the ball in the playmaker's hands. He's back there working at it, and obviously you guys know we only suit up 48 people on game day, so the more position flex, the more versatility a player can have, the better.

Q: Have you studied him in the past and how he handles the ball?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: He's dynamic with the ball in his hand. I do know that. Like I said, we'll never shut the door on putting the ball in a playmaker's hands.

Q: Does (wide receiver) Gunner (Olszewski) look comfortable to you back there? He looks like he's moving around kind of slowly.

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I'll let (Head Coach Brian Daboll) Dabs handle that with him coming back, but he's back there working at it, doing a great job catching the football.

Q: How do you kind of weigh putting somebody back there who's compromised a little bit and just saying, 'hey, we're just going to catch the ball and we're fine with that' versus wanting to get somebody who's healthy and get the yardage?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: The biggest thing to me with any returner value is the person has to make sure they can own the football. That's safely securing it because the most telling statistic in terms of winning and losing in this league is turnover margin. So, we want to make sure whoever is back there, that guy is owning the football and making smart decisions to catch it.

Q: But would you consider sacrificing return yards if it meant that you had somebody back there to secure the ball?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: The number one priority will always be to secure the ball. To your point, a guy could have all the run skill in this league, but if he doesn't catch the ball well, you kind of vacillate with potentially losing the game, which is obviously something we don't want to do.

Q: Where do you stand as a kickoff returner as you enter Week 1?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: That's more game plan specific. We'll have different rules for different games and different kickers. That will be fluid throughout the week and obviously with the weather changing.

Q: When you were returning kicks in the preseason, how cognizant were you of not wanting to show too much of what you're going to use while also wanting to test the new rules?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: There's balance to it because it was a new rule. It still is a new rule, so you wanted to be able to gather useful information. You did't want to necessarily just go out there and say, 'we're going to be very vanilla the whole preseason' and not actually get good at potentially stuff that you want to do. But at the same time, yes, you are keeping some stuff close to the vest there. I felt like we did a good job, and our players did a great job in terms of just owning the fundamentals and the technique, which I feel if you can do that in this play, you have a chance.

Q: We saw teams have different approaches with the kickoff returner. The faster, general punt return kind of guy, the bigger guys, the running backs. On a general question for you, on a general basis, what have you learned about the kickoff and what direction would you lean in regard to what the approach is in that?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: The one thing I did learn about the kickoff is it hits pretty damn quick. Speed is always a huge attribute of any returner. A returner that can eat up grass initially with good catch mechanics, catching it forward, that can get to that initial line of defense has the best chance of actually having an explosive return in this league. Those come in all shapes and sizes. You could have a guy that can get to that line and then their collision balance is poor, and they go down with an arm tackle. Or you can have a guy that's a running back that's used to being able to break through tackles and he gets through that initial line and is able to break that arm tackle to get that explosive. There's really strengths and challenges to putting different types of personnel back there. I think at the end of the day, any player that has the ability to make smart decisions with the football and can eat up grass is going to have a chance to have success in that specific play.

Q: What do you think of the notion of this being a new play? Week 1 is just moving out of the end zone. Let everyone else figure it out and you'll have data to study for week two.

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Obviously you guys know our stadium. Sometimes you can't control that with the wind. You always have to prepare to be able to get those balls that are in play. There is no fair catch to bail you out anymore. It's something you have to practice religiously. On the other side, again the weather changes in our stadium. We have to plan. We are going to cover a lot of kicks. That is something that also, when you do cover kicks, sometimes it provides the defense momentum. There's going to be a good strategy when it comes to that. Then we'll be able to handle that as a staff later in the week.

Q: Not asking what you guys are going to do but are you expecting to see…the preseason was a lot of send the ball in the air to the five-yard line. Are you expecting a lot of knuckle balls and bouncing balls across the NFL the first two, three weeks?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah. I think you've always got to...These kickers are so skilled. They really are. The foot accuracy that a lot of these NFL kickers have is very impressive. Their ability to be able to place the ball in the alleys outside the numbers with lower hang times at times, you've got to prepare for it because we're dealing with the best in the world. Our returners being able to truly see the ball off the tee and get a jump on it to be able to make sure they own the football is critical for them having success. I do expect us to see a little bit more of that variety of type of kick.

Q: What makes (wide receiver) Bryce Ford-Wheaton effective as a gunner?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I love Bryce Ford-Wheaton, by the way. He's wired the right way. I think it starts with the mentality. When the mentality is right, the rest of it comes into play. Obviously, as a receiver, he has a natural feel for being able to get people off the spot. He's a really good catcher. He gives that possession position flexibility in terms of that. Anybody that's a receiver that's out there, you've got to obviously regard them in terms of coverage. I think the mentality, number one, is awesome because he approaches it like he is going to go win that rep every time. Then again, the experience of him being a receiver also translates in other parts.

Q: How challenging is that for him to have impressed you guys with something that he really doesn't have much on film doing? You had other guys who were more experienced here, but the idea that he was able to show you those kinds of traits, I would imagine it's not much time to be able to do that. He has to do a lot more in a short period of time.

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: So, with him being a younger player, you always question whether the experience will come to life and how quickly he can translate to play that position at a high level. Our job as coaches is always to look at whatever their primary position is and put as many similarities that they can have in terms of what they do primarily. Be like, 'okay, this is the same thing here, except now we're asking you to do this'. Or 'this is how it's different, and now we're asking you to do this'. 'Oh, you did this as a receiver? Let's do it again here'. That is always a challenge as coaches to make that learning process happen a lot quicker. To the kid's credit, he studies his tail off. He does. He's always there after practice working extra drills, and he truly wants to be great with whatever role that he's given.

Q: In single coverage, there usually used to be layers of coverage in case somebody broke through. Can you still do that? Or are they so close you can't have a layer?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: It's a great point. It's definitely more difficult to create layers because everybody is on the same line, and you are so much closer. If you think about it, them aligning on the 40-yard line to create layers, you're basically seceding field position right away. You have to be very strategic with how you get to those spots. Can you do that with a good amount of guys? Who knows. I think the biggest thing is knowing that you're in a stagnant position and having to get off at a slower tempo, whereas guys would be inside the 25-yard line on sometimes the returner catching the ball. You have to be very strategic with creating levels but also not jeopardizing how much space you're giving up right away.

Q: (Kicker) Graham (Gano) is obviously coming off knee surgery last year. I'm curious what you saw from him this summer and if you have to bring him along slowly during the season or is he back to full range Week 1? We haven't really seen him get a ton of opportunities this summer.

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I've seen Graham, the Graham Gano that wins football games in this league. I'm really excited to see him put pen to paper. He is a proven kicker in this league and I'm fully confident in his ability to go make kicks at any distance.

Tackle Andrew Thomas

Q: How are you feeling going into Week 1, especially after everything you dealt with last season?

ANDREW THOMAS: I'm excited. It's a new team. Obviously, it's the first game of the year, so we're trying to make a statement, come out and get a win.

Q: When you look at the way the offensive line performed last season, how much of a statement do you want to make here in Week 1?

ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah, it was a lot of things that we dealt with last year, but we're putting that to bed, have a new group up front. We're trying to be dominant, be physical, protect (quarterback Daniel Jones) DJ and open holes for the run game.

Q: You've got a lot of new names and faces here. Obviously, you work on some of that during training camp. How do you feel the communication level is at this point?

ANDREW THOMAS: I think it's going well. We have a lot of veteran guys that played a lot of ball in this league, so it's not hard. We're on the same page.

Q: With (Head Coach Brian) Daboll calling the plays, how different is that for you guys as a line?

ANDREW THOMAS: It's not different. It's the same scheme. We have a saying, 'he calls it, we haul it.' Whatever's going on, we try to execute that play.

Q: What is sort of the whole mindset when you look at the offensive line as a unit, as you start this clean slate?

ANDREW THOMAS: Just to be aggressive in the run game and be on the same page. That's the biggest thing, not cutting guys loose and protecting DJ like I said earlier.

Q: When it comes to the run game, obviously, (running back Devin) Singletary behind there now. What's the biggest difference in the way he runs versus (Eagles running back) Saquon (Barkley), and does it change anything for you guys?

ANDREW THOMAS: Obviously, different type of backs, but Motor's done a great job for us getting downhill. He makes really good cuts in the hole. He does a great job for us with pass protection, too. That goes unnoticed sometimes, but he's done a really good job for us.

Q: The Vikings will show some eight-man pressures, even make contact, then drop. As you guys try to set your protections up, how do you try to go about figuring out who's actually coming and who the dummy guys are so you get your protections?

ANDREW THOMAS: It's all about your rules and your communication. We don't know exactly what they're going to do, but we try to read our keys and follow our rules. That's the only way to pick up blitz zero and those different pressures.

Wide Receiver Malik Nabers

Q: How are you feeling getting ready going into Week One to make your NFL debut?

MALIK NABERS: I feel good. I'm happy to go out there with my teammates, go out there with the offense. Just go out there and do our best.

Q: For you, what's been the biggest difference in preparation for this NFL compared to last year at LSU?

MALIK NABERS: Through the preseason, the game was fast. I'm mostly sure that it's going to be way faster, and the competition level is going to have to rise. I'm just happy to go out there with the team and see what we can do.

Q: A lot has been made about getting your routine set for the season. How's your routine been this week going into the game?

MALIK NABERS: I feel like my routine has been the same throughout my whole career. Continue to work on going up into the game learning what I got to do – that's really it.

Q: Do you think you'll have any nerves, butterflies, any of that, being that it's your first NFL game?

MALIK NABERS: I'm always going to have butterflies any time I go out there. But I feel like if you're not nervous then you're not ready, you're not prepared. I use that as a theme to go out there and make sure I'm prepared and when I get in the game, just showcase my talent.

Q: You haven't played a regular season game yet, but of course your name is out there. There's going to be a lot of focus on you. How are you embracing this?

MALIK NABERS: I'm embracing it very well. I'm excited to go out there. I'm excited to go catch some touchdowns and do what I can do to help the team, help the offense.

Q: You won't go against (Vikings wide receiver) Justin Jefferson, but you're going to be on the field with a guy that many people feel is the best receiver in the NFL and also a former LSU guy. Is that for you, at all, a measuring stick of where you want to get to?

MALIK NABERS: He's done a great job in his career. He's done a lot of great things for himself, but I'm going to continue to focus on myself and me. Kudos to him. He's been a hell of a good receiver, but I'll just continue to focus on me.

Q: Have any of the veterans like (wide receiver) Darius (Slayton) or anyone give you any advice for your first game?

MALIK NABERS: No advice, but I always go to them and ask questions. But they always tell me the same thing, 'It's football. It's the same sport you've been playing for a long time. Go out there, do what you do when you're out there with us. Continue to play fast. Continue to go up and catch the ball. Make plays when I'm out there, too.'

Q: You got a little taste of it in the preseason, but what are you expecting from the fans here at MetLife?

MALIK NABERS: I'm expecting the fans, when I catch a first down or touchdown, they say, 'Leeeeeeek'!

Q: What do you think of the new uniforms you guys are going to wear?

MALIK NABERS: Hard to drip out. It's going to be hard to drip, but I've got a plan to see what I'm going to do with the drip.

Q: How about the helmet?

MALIK NABERS: The helmet's fire. I love the helmet. The helmet is fire.