San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, quarterback Trey Lance, and others spoke with reporters after the team's preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. Here is everything they had to say.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Head Coach Kyle Shanahan
Opening Comments:
"Injuries from the game that we have right now, [DL] Drake Jackson left with a stinger. [CB] Dontae Johnson had some ribs that were still evaluating. Go ahead."
Just a stinger?
"I think so. That's what we have right now."
Did he have X-Rays?
"He's going through a bunch of stuff right now."
Are you pretty encouraged?
"They don't know. Either way."
QB Trey Lance in two series, I imagine you were relatively happy with that or what could you evaluate in what you saw in your quarterback today?
"Yeah, he seemed solid. The first play he didn't have one, made a good scramble. It was nice to come down with that third down play to [WR] Danny [Gray]. So he did some good things. It was good first game. Wish we kept him out there more, but have to get him out."
He was in shotgun lot and had kind of quick drops. Were you cognizant of keeping him out of harm's way?
"Not really, the first pass was a seven-step drop, touchdown was a five-step drop, I thought he only had one quick in the game."
And what did you think of those?
"Alright. He was in shotgun on third down and I think he was under on first and second, but I don't remember."
I think WR Brandon Aiyuk has said that there might be some routes now that are available more so than last year, not trying to rip the previous quarterback, but are there more routes in your mind that are available with Trey out there?
"I think that was a huge undervalued thing with [QB] Jimmy [Garoppolo]. Jimmy could throw the ball and throw it real far. So I think everything was available with Jimmy. It is with Trey, but there's different types of styles. And I think our team will figure that out as it goes. And I think you guys will see the difference as it goes."
What's your priority when it comes to Trey and these preseason games or in this preseason game in particular?
"To get him reps out there. As much as you can while not getting him hurt. So that's really my only priority and that's why I'd love to play him the whole game if you're guaranteed not to get hurt. Because Trey, the more reps he can get, all it'll do is help, whether it's good or bad that goes out there. So I try to do the same thing for [QB] Nate [Sudfeld], as long as we could. You just like stuff that's real football, that's not verse our own defense that we can get together tomorrow and the next day and evaluate the tape and get better from what we did."
What level of game planning do you do to at least get him in position where he can have a little bit of success?
"None, you try to call plays that go verse their coverages and their fronts, so you have to know that stuff. It's like first couple days of training camp install and same thing with Green Bay and same thing with most of the teams and it was not much different out there today than what you guys have seen every preseason game that we've been here."
Before Drake got hurt how did he do and how ready is he to contribute right away in a position group that's obviously very deep?
"I think it's still early and I don't think he played a ton. I thought he went out pretty early. It looks like he got hurt on the scramble, did a good job chasing the quarterback down, showing his athletic ability and speed. That's really all I saw of him though because he had to go out after that."
What does a game like this for CB Sam Womack do in big picture for him given that he's trying to earn that nickel job?
"I'd like to watch the tape, I know when you get two picks that's a big deal. So it was a good job covering the guy and making both of those plays. I know the one on third down with the review and I forget when the other one was, but I wish we could have capitalized on offense after it. But you come up with those picks, that's a hell of a start. And we'll see what he did on the other 40 plays."
How's he been doing up to this point in camp?
"He's doing a good job. He is definitely a candidate. He's got a chance to earn that spot and from what it looked like just out there live, it looked like he didn't hurt himself."
How difficult is it for a rookie to step in that nickel job?
"It is difficult for rookie to step into any job. K'Waun [Williams] when I was with Cleveland, he was on the rookie tryout team and he ended up starting that whole year in Cleveland as a rookie. IN 2016 when I was in Atlanta, we went to the Super Bowl, we had a rookie, I think a seventh-round pick start that whole year, so it's not abnormal, but it has to be the right guy. And we'll see how that it ends up."
We haven't got a chance to get updates from you on CB Charvarius Ward and also RB Elijah Mitchell. What's their status?
"Both of them had hamstrings. Charvarius not [DB] Tarvarius [Moore], right? That's killing me. We call them Mooney and T-Moore. Both of them had soft tissue injuries. They won't be available next week and we'll see the week after that."
How about RB Jeff Wilson Jr.?
"Jeff Wilson had a personal deal we excused him for."
Is the plan still the same for Trey next week? You said you didn't think he'd probably play.
"Yeah most likely, we'll see how it goes, but I'm a lot more into the Wednesday and Thursday practice than I am the game on Saturday. And quarterbacks aren't ever too tired from practice, but depending on how much we play the rest of the offense on Wednesday and Thursday, you know if that starting line plays a ton, I'm not going to put them in there on Saturday night, especially when you get back Sunday morning at like 7:00 AM, then we have to go to Houston that Wednesday. So I'm trying to be smart with that game, but that'll be all based off how practice goes."
Do you expect DL Nick Bosa to play at all in the preseason? Does he need to?
"He never has before and he has done alright, so I think that proves it. Nick has prepared whether we're helping him prepare or he's prepared on his own. If he came to me and that was something he really wanted to do and made sense of it, I'd have no problem, but that's not something that matters much to me."
You wanted OL Spencer Burford to get a lot of snaps. He played into the third quarter, any way to know how we do at this point?
"I know when he makes a mistake, that's usually the case on the O-line. You only notice when someone messes up, if not, you're looking down field. So I know he had a couple mistakes today, like they all did. But it was good to have him out there, get that playing time for three quarters and you can't do that enough with rookies, especially rookie O-lineman. And I think [OL Aaron] Banks got to play the whole first half too, which was good for him. And I'm excited to see the film on both of them."
T Mike McGlinchey came out of the game early, what's the plan for him is his schedule a little bit different given that he might have to ramp up compared to some of the other guys?
"Yeah, I kind of put him and [DT Javon] Kinlaw [LB Dre] Greenlaw on some similar plans. With the surgeries they had this offseason, we've eased them into practice. They've been good to go since the first day, but we're just being smart with their reps. And I wanted him to get to play today just to kind of get that started. Didn't play much, I don't know how many plays. Hopefully he'll practice a ton next week and most likely play in the third game."
What was your assessment of Sudfeld's performance?
"I thought he did some good things. For his first pass to come in and have that post look and hit [WR] Ray-Ray [McCloud] on that, I thought that was a hell of a play, especially being his first one. Didn't get a ton of opportunities, I thought he did a good job in the two-minute drive, made a huge third down I think on third-and-17 to keep us out there. And then he hit Ray-Ray with 10 seconds left to get us in field goal range. We ended up having a turnover there, so I thought he did a pretty good job."
I know it was only a preseason game, but when Trey came in, there was a nice ovation. Could you feel the first team just kind of feed off that energy and try to make something happen in their two series?
"I don't think the guys really do much. It's nice that they cheer though. That could be worse, but no, I don't think that has much effect on the guys. They're all out there just trying to earn a job and trying to get ready for the season."
Did you see the route McCloud ran to get the touchdown pass?
"Yes, it was good. It was nice. He had a good look based off the safety and it was his job to beat the corner and I thought he did as good as you could."
QB Trey Lance
What did you go into tonight trying to accomplish?
"Just trying to get better, same thing, kind of the training camp mindset. Be efficient, move the ball, take care of the ball. Man, give those guys a chance. Offensive line did a great job, young guys did a great job and it's a lot more fun to win."
Can you walk us through the touchdown?
"Yeah, I mean, throw it to the fast guy. [WR] Danny [Gray] did a great job and he's done a great job all camp. Just him being healthy, obviously he's a difference maker for us on offense. His speed is something that I've had maybe one other time in my life. So, for me, it's a fun guy to have, fun guy for the receiver room to have also, it just helps the route tree out. It makes defenses defend the ball, the whole field."
Did you see that pre-snap? Was that what you read from the beginning?
"Yeah, one high, just trying to hold the safety and he didn't get really any depth at all so for me it was kind of routes on air play when Danny runs that fast."
Who was your other fast wide receiver?
"[Green Bay Packers WR] Christian Watson. He was on the sideline actually today. But no disrespect, we've got a lot of fast guys this year. I mean, we've got [WR] Marcus Johnson, [WR] Malik [Turner], [WR Brandon Aiyuk] B.A., and [WR] Ray-Ray [McCloud III] also, [WR] Jauan [Jennings] is going to get mad at me if I don't say Jauan and [WR] Deebo [Samuel] also, so we got fast guys this year so it's a lot fun to play with those guys and obviously it's fun to see what they do with the ball."
You ran pretty fast chasing him into the endzone there, the big smile at the sideline. Was it anybody in particular that you were looking at as you were running down?
"I was just fired up for Danny. I was trying to catch him and make sure that he didn't punt the ball into the crowd or anything like that. I wanted to make sure he got that first touchdown ball. I know someone did it for me, [TE] George [Kittle] did it for me last year, so I know it's a special one to have."
How long does it take for you to kind of gauge the speed of a wide receiver to know where to put it?
"I don't know if there's a set amount of time. I think it's just reps and trust. Danny's done a great job like I said all camp of earning that from all the quarterbacks. He's a playmaker and he's fun to throw to."
Did you work out with him during that time away?
"No, I actually didn't. But he was healthy for phase one and two of OTA's and then had something going on, so he wasn't able to practice for phase three, so training camp was the first time I got live reps with him. But he's done a great job in the meeting rooms, great job learning from the guys ahead of him also."
Was it fun to get to actually play against another team?
"Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I mean, we've been looking forward to it obviously for a long time. But in training camp we try to take it one day at a time against our defense. There's good days and bad days but they make us better and I think that showed today."
How did you think you did overall? Only two series but there were other throws, you had the run, did you think you performed well?
"Yeah, I'm excited to watch it. I got down, that was my first time sliding in my whole entire life. So that was good. I'm sure guys were happy, I would have liked to probably move the chains, maybe one more step but I'm excited to go back and watch the tape tonight and tomorrow and go through it with our coaches and our offense. But man, learned a lot, some good reps out there and super proud of just the young guys especially."
Have you practiced sliding?
"No, I've thought about practicing it though. You know, kind of picturing it in my head. I was sitting in my hotel room actually this morning kind of like telling guys about it."
You didn't slide at North Dakota State?
"Never. You can watch all my games, never. I'm pretty sure I could hear the whole entire sideline yelling at me to get down. Obviously, I'm in a little bit of a different position now, just trying to take care of myself. I know that me not being available puts our team at a deficit."
Having played last year, can you compare the feeling coming into this game? I know it's a preseason game, but now you're the starter.
"I would say the same thing that I said coming into training camp, coming into OTA's this year. It felt very different, the game slowed down for sure. I know it's obviously a preseason game, but some good, some bad, I'm excited to learn from it."
You excited to go to Minnesota?
"Absolutely. Yeah, excited to get back home. We'll get two days of practice in before we go down there. Or go up there. But yeah, definitely excited to go back home and those two days of practice will be really important for us."
That was a lovely slide. Did you play baseball? It looked like you're a natural.
"I did play baseball, but I probably could count on one hand how many times I slid in baseball too, or feet first anyways. But I appreciate that though, that was my highlight."
QB Brock Purdy
LB Fred Warner just said you have the "it factor", that you are the guy, what does that mean that Fred Warner said that about you?
"That means a lot. Honestly, going and scoring and coming off the field and seeing Fred being one of the first guys on the field to congratulate me and celebrate with me I was like dude this is sweet. Then seeing all of the guys. Seeing [TE George] Kittle on the sideline and all of the big dudes that sat out today, is just awesome to have them celebrate with me. I just want to show the guys that I can compete and I can lead an offense. I had fun and did what the coaches asked of me."
Did it almost seem surreal?
"Yes, most definitely. Just being out there. I was like I am in an NFL stadium wearing a 49ers logo and an NFL logo. This was everything I dreamed of. In the first three quarters I was like when am I going in? Finally the fourth quarter rolled around and they told me I was ready to go in. It was awesome, it was surreal."
Did you not know when you were going in?
"They told me sometime in the second half. Fourth quarter came and they said you are up."
Did you get to keep the game ball?
"Yes, I have it right here."
I saw QB Trey Lance go and fetch it for you. It must be pretty cool to have the starting QB be your ball boy.
"Trey was sitting next to me on the bench and told me 'I have your ball by the way' [TE] Tanner [Hudson] threw it in the back of the end zone, he booked it. Trey went and got it. I am like 'dude you are the best'. He is humble and I look up to that dude a lot."
CB Samuel Womack III
Up to this point, what's the big thing that you've been working on that's been a challenge for you?
"I've just been getting used to recognizing the plays and recognizing what's coming at me and the speed and the different routes. The routes are more complex, what they do at the top of the route, how they run their routes is more deceptive for sure and I've just been getting ready and getting used to that every day and just trying to get better at that."
Which one of tonight, of your two picks is your favorite one?
"Both of them. I can't even really decide which one was better."
The one to Rogers, it looked like you knew what that route was from the beginning. Can you take us through that?
"That's a route that I cover probably every day in practice. That play was just like doing another practice play. I've just been getting better at that play and then it was gametime and I took advantage of it."
And then the one on the sideline at what point do you say I'm not going to make the tackle; I'm going to try and take the ball away?
"Yeah, our defensive coaches they for sure preach fighting for the ball, fighting to the end, fighting until the ref makes the call, and I just fought for the ball, just took the coaching to the game, and just fought for it. And then I ended up taking it."
WR Danny Gray
Did you know the ball was coming to you when you got that play call?
"For one, I had a feeling that [QB] Trey [Lance] was going to throw it down the field to me. It was really just about beating my defender. That's when I saw the safety roll down on top of me. I knew what it was."
Pre-snap you could see the coverage and you had a good idea it was coming to you. And when you get that kind of coverage, is there a guy who can cover you?
"No, sir. With my speed and what I know I can do with my confidence, I feel like nobody could touch me."
How's your confidence been this camp?
"My confidence has been great. It's been going up every day. I just keep stacking, keep working hard, keep looking at my mental errors and just fixing it. So every day I come into work and I just look at what I can better myself at. So that's what I do every day."
Has Head Coach Kyle Shanahan been hard on you?
"Most definitely. As he should."
What's his main teaching point to you?
"It's the details, urgency out of the huddle and, jump off the ball. So, that's what we preach every day and it's mandatory."
So how important is it for you to have those details? To have the route running and all the nuances of the game, along with the speed that you bring to the table?
"It's important for me because I'm a rookie, first of all. Just me being in this league is a blessing, so I try to do everything correct. I try to come out and I try to give 110% on every play. The details will come, but in the middle of a play you just want to win your rep. That's it. Be open. Don't put anything bad on film. So I try to be very detailed and I also just try to win. That's it."
WR Ray-Ray McCloud
What were the things you were focusing on in this first preseason game?
"Probably the feeling of what the stadium would be like. That was my first time ever playing or being inside that stadium. So for me, it was a different feeling and just seeing the energy that's in here is surreal. You got to really be here to understand it and that's just a preseason game. I can't imagine when it's the playoffs or the season on the line and the NFC Championship. So for me, it's going to the stadium and not knowing what I'm going into was probably what I was thinking about."
Did it feel different than a preseason game for you?
"It did because there were a lot of people there for preseason game. They were actually there for four quarters. Most people start leaving at halftime. They were there for four quarters, celebrating and cheering. When you're a player on the field, that's a big factor when it's third down and four, and you just got fans going for you and just giving you energy to make a play."
How did you get so wide open on the touchdown?
"Opportunity and preparation, man. At practice, me, [QB] Trey [Lance], [QB] Nate [Sudfeld], [WR] Deebo [Samuel] and all the receivers practice that particular route, where to hit it, timing our depth, getting our depth and just being where we need to be at. In the game, it kind of was like, 'Why is it so hard at practice and it's easier here?' feeling. I just caught his blind spot and took it back to the middle of the field, which we've been practicing with [WR Coach Leonard] Hankerson. He's been on my butt about getting to a blind spot and going across."
You've talked about fumbles in the past. I'm sure you didn't love losing the ball. Is that frustrating?
"Nah, it's not me. Obviously, you don't want to put the ball on the ground, but [Head Coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and Hankinson have been on me about tacking the ball and getting a feel. And when I caught it, I just thought about running through him. I honestly had it when I was turned around. I was getting ready to lay down and get back up, because we had two minutes and I didn't feel the backside come from behind. It kind of tapped me a little bit and I saw the ball rolling. But that's something you go back to drawing board and see how you can attack that ball the same way, but protect it, get back up and keep moving. But when you asked about focus, that's been a focus for me, running through the ball when I catch it. And that was something I have been practicing for a while."
RB Trey Sermon
How would you rate your performance tonight?
"I feel like I had a few good carries, but I have some where I think I could've done a little bit better. I felt like it was an okay night. It definitely could've been better."
How hungry are you this season considering you didn't have such a good rookie season last year with injuries?
"I'm definitely hungry. I feel like I have a chip on my shoulder and that's my mentality. There's nothing more in the world I want than to be out there playing on that field with this team and winning. I'm just ready to get back out there."
You talk about decisiveness. Is there anything else you feel more comfortable with, like pass protection, now?
"Pretty much everything in general. Pass protection wasn't really a shocker to me last year. I've been protecting the quarterback throughout all my life, especially in college. It wasn't really an adjustment for me. So everything in general. Being in the system and being more comfortable."
Do you feel like this was a good step in your progress for the season?
"For sure. I definitely feel like I had some good runs and I definitely see a lot of improvements from last year, last preseason, and last training camp. Now I have to continue to watch film and just get better."
Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur
What are your overall thoughts on QB Jordan Love's performance?
"I thought there was a lot of good out there. I thought all three interceptions were pretty unfortunate. The one down in the red zone, that was definitely a drop ball on that play. Same with [WR Romeo] Doubs. I know that was going to be a circus catch by Romeo - it was just unfortunate that the ball landed like that. So you can take those two out of it. Then the last one on the third down, we had two busted routes on that play. So, you know, it is what it is. Certainly I know he's going to want a couple of those throws back and certainly some of the reads, but it's never perfect for a quarterback. I thought by and large, just watching how the operation was, it was a smooth. I thought he got us in and out of the huddle extremely crisp and with urgency. I thought he made some off-schedule plays. He showed some nice athleticism on a couple of those runs as well. So there were a lot of good things out there from Jordan like the poise that he showed in the pocket. That's something that we were looking at and overall I thought the process of everything was a pretty good first step for him."
How much do those three picks detract from the good things Love did?
"Well, again, I think two of those you could totally take them off. The third one, we had two busted routes because the ball really shouldn't have gone there on that play. But he had nowhere else to go with the football and he forced it in there. The defender made a good play, but you know, we just need to clean up everything around him. We say it all the time about quarterbacks; they're going to get too much credit when we do well, and they're going to get a lot of the blame when we don't. That's just the reality of playing that position in this league, but I was pleased with Jordan's performance."
How'd the offensive line play? And what were your thoughts on QB Danny Etling?
"I thought our offensive line did a much better job. I thought they held up really nicely throughout the course of the game. Certainly it wasn't perfect. There were a couple runs that I think we could have blocked a little bit better, but by and large, I thought they did a nice job. I was really happy with the effort the guys gave. Really in every phase I thought the guys were competing, playing with great urgency, playing with great effort, and playing together. Nobody was making up their own stuff out there, which tends to happen sometimes when you get your first exposure in an NFL football game and preseason game. I thought by and large, the guys did a nice job."
What'd you think of that touchdown ball to Doubs?
"That was a great moment. They played man coverage and he won off the line of scrimmage. It was one of those where he won so big it's like you don't want to miss the layup. Jordan did a nice job of giving him a catchable ball and Romeo finished it."
What happened on the two big busted plays?
"One of them we went up and challenged him and the receiver made a nice move off the line of scrimmage, similar to the one Romeo scored a touchdown on. Then the other one, it looked like [CB] Rico [Gafford] slipped or something back there on the back end. So I thought if you look at the first half, we gave up two big time plays and then we had the three turnovers on offense which was ultimately the difference in the game."
Was that the feather in the cap with WR Amari Rodgers able to break the 50 yard return with the kickoff?
"A little bit. That was a great moment. Certainly, he set up a return. It was well blocked and I think the hardest hit came when he got to the sideline and LB Rashan Gary knocked him on his butt."
All the running backs kind of had a moment out there
"I thought they ran hard and I thought they made some plays in the passing game. Certainly there were a couple drops, but you know, [RB] BJ Baylor made a heck of a catch on that third down from Danny. I thought [RB Tyler] Goodson showed some nice moves out there and [RB] Dexter [Williams] had a big run. I though all three of those guys did a great job. [RB] Patrick Taylor did a nice job when called upon to step up in there and convert. He had some good runs as well and did a nice job in space."
For your evaluation process, how big is this week?
"They're all big, but certainly big going against a team that we have a lot of respect for. They put it on us pretty good last year and they're a talented roster. So it'll be a great test to see kind of where we stand against a team like that. Like I said before, we got a lot of respect for those guys."
Your injuries?
"Yeah, we'll get to that on Sunday. We'll get you an update."
Packers QB Jordan Love
How did you feel out there?
"I felt good. We were moving the ball out there. The first drive was a three-and-out, and then to be able to bounce back and have that touchdown to WR Romeo Doubs was huge. The turnovers, the ball wasn't bouncing our way tonight. We had a couple of missed plays and then the last one to WR Amari Rodgers just missed the inside on that ball. But other than that, we were moving the ball great."
Without throwing your teammates under the bus, do you think it could've been a better night for you if a couple of those catches could've been made?
"It could've been a better night for everybody. The ball just bounced a weird way. The 49ers capitalized on those plays. Obviously, no one wants that to happen and it sucks when it does."
Does having game action mean more to you than practice?
"The game action means a lot. Just being able to get reps and seeing those looks on the defense and going against different guys. The intensity is higher and the game action is a lot better than practice."
On the third interception, Head Coach Matt LaFleur said a couple of guys ran the wrong route and you only had one choice to get it to WR Amari Rodgers. Can you take us through what happened?
"Amari had a two-way go on the read. The 49ers played too high. It was one of those things. We weren't really expecting the 49ers to play that high. We got the wrong read on it. The ball was still behind him on the route he ran. It's something you don't want to happen and it's something to learn from."
What did you think of the throw to WR Danny Davis on the back shoulder?
"On that one, we changed the route at the line and gave him a go route. I saw the way the DB was playing and just tried to give him a back shoulder ball. The ball was still a little too far forward, but Danny made a great play and was able to come back to it, catch it and go into the end zone. It was an awesome play by him."
How much interaction did you have with QB Aaron Rodgers and QB Coach Tom Clements tonight?
"It was the same dynamic as it's been in the past. I'd come back to the sideline and talk about every play with Aaron and Tom right there. The communication was pretty similar to how it's been in the past."
Packers QB Danny Etling
How did you feel about tonight?
"I was really excited. You feel good getting back out there, getting some reps and playing football again. There are a lot of things to correct. Some good things came out of tonight and we will go and correct the tape and keep getting better."
You convinced people that you know how to play the game tonight.
"I think it's just something that I have been lucky to have been around good coaches and players in my career. It has definitely helped me to process the game faster, it is just a credit to all the mentorship that I have had from high school on, it has been tremendous."
What were your favorite plays of tonight that you were involved in?
"To be honest, every time that I am out there, I love it. To single out one or another whether it is good or bad, I am so thankful every time that I am out there. I am so involved and I love to play this game, so every time I'm out there it is my favorite play. So it's the next one."
Packers WR Danny Davis
WR Danny Davis, tell me about the big play.
"I just got to the line, tried to make a play on the ball, I knew that I had a fade on it so I tried to make a play for the quarterback. [Green Bay Packers QB] Jordan [Love] threw a great ball for me and I went up there and attacked it. Then I tried to score after that. I take pride in going to get that ball. I was blessed for that opportunity and looking forward to making more."
Are being understated for a hell of a catch?
"I try not too get to high or too low. I understand that I have to stack days like this to continue to be the player that I want to be. I know that takes not being satisfied by a moment. I am grateful and it's a blessing to be able to do that but I am ready to keep going and build from it."
Was your first preseason game about what you expected it to be?
"Yes. San Fran, I love the stadium, its nice. I love going out with these guys and attacking. It is more nice and surreal to try to stay in the moment and understand that I am living my dream. It was one hell of a night."
Packers WR Romeo Doubs
What is your initial reaction for your NFL debut?
"I think that I did pretty well. There are more things that I have to clean up which will come, but I am grateful and thankful to participate and play this game."
How did it feel to score your first touchdown?
"It felt good. Throughout the entire week, I just prepared as much as I can but it is definitely a blessing to score my first NFL touchdown as a Packer."
What went threw your mind on that fumble?
"Next play mentality. I would rather have it happen now than in the regular season. Again, next play mentality because I know plays like that can change the game at this level."
Packers WR Amari Rodgers
Do you feel that all of your offseason work is translating to the game?
"That is what I have been telling myself every day, to treat every practice like a game. When I get the ball I just run fast, make every person miss and in the game it shows. I work hard in practice and take it to the game and it translated. I am thankful for that."
Can you talk about the touchdown catch and run?
"I saw the nickel blitz, so I knew that I was the hot read, I just got my eyes around quick, made the first person miss, I saw the safety had a good angle. I thought about cutting back but I saw his angle so I tried to stop his feet a little bit and it worked. I just dove out and tried to get into the end zone and I did. It felt great to get in the end zone."
How did it feel to get that big return?
"It felt amazing. Especially starting off the season with a new special teams coordinator in coach [Rich] Bisaccia. How we did last year and putting that play out there, it felt good for our unit as a whole to know that we are making progress, making great steps in the right direction. I am excited to see how it goes for the rest of the year."