Safety Jevon Holland, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and kicker Jason Sanders all met with the media today as the team held another training camp practice. Check out the top quotes from their media availabilities.
S JEVON HOLLAND
(On how he's in position to make so many interceptions)
"Coach (Josh) Boyer, he makes the calls based on the situation. He does a great job aligning us in the right position to let us go out there and have fun, definitely."
(On questions he asks QB Tua Tagovailoa)
"I usually ask him about plays that I messed up on or things like that. I'm not really looking for him to explain what I did right or what he saw in that specific play. I'm more looking for things that bother me when I go to sleep at night and how I can correct them, because Tua is helping me tremendously, him and Teddy (Bridgewater). But because Tua is a left-hander, it challenges me a lot, because I'm seeing things from a different side, you know what I mean? He can open his shoulder in a different way. But Tua is a hell of a competitor, and his desire to be great is the same as mine, and that resonates with me. That's why I'm continuing to ask him questions and I'm trying to compete with home very day in practice."
(On questions the quarterbacks ask him)
"Yes, yes, of course. Because like me, like I said, we're like-minded competitors. They want to know what they did wrong or how they could get better. So the atmosphere in the locker room between us four is awesome, really. I would want to go watch film with them too. So that's something that I plan on doing in the future."
(On the key to success in late-game situations)
"You have to do your job. That's what it comes down to. It's a high intensity situation, but you have to do your job and then you have to let the plays come to you, because if you try to force it, then you're going to miss your opportunity."
DT CHRISTIAN WILKINS
(On why he tried to set the tone in yesterday's practice)
"A lot of that is definitely calculated. It just felt like we're in day whatever at training camp, we've been going at it. Being in the position that I'm in, you have to recognize when there is a day or there is a time where guys will get a little – just human nature. You've been going hard just practicing against each other in training camp, and you are kind of like, dang let's just get to the game. But no, you've got to find a way to get yourself going so that everyone else can get going too. It's all definitely calculated to bring a little bit more juice and energy to practice."
(On how Head Coach Mike McDaniel tries to push players to be their best selves)
"The biggest thing is that he encourages us to be ourselves. He welcomes us to be ourselves. He's a good leader, he's a good coach, and he has his way. He's a players' coach, so he invites you to be yourself. That's the number one thing. If you're not yourself, and you're trying to confine yourself in a way that he wants, it's hard to be the player that you can be if you're not the person you can be first."
(On the energy provided by Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark)
"I love Coach Clark. He's a heck of a coach. He brings it every day and he holds us to a high standard. He's been doing that since day one that he's been here. He holds us to the highest standards. He knows how great we can be and he's going to push us to be that great each and every day. It doesn't matter how hot it is, how many plays we've worked – none of that. He just wants us to be our best each and every play. He's such a good coach teaching technique. My technique has gotten a lot better. A lot of guys on the defensive line's technique has gotten better. He brings that juice – good, bad or indifferent."
K JASON SANDERS
(On how significant it was to start off the preseason with a 4-for-4 performance)
"It was good. I take every preseason (game) the same as practice. Getting those game reps is completely different than getting the practice reps though. I take it as a privilege to play all three games, so I get all of those field goal reps and all of the kickoff reps. I've got to get better and improve my game."
(On learning from a veteran like P Thomas Morstead)
"He's very similar to me. He's very analytical. We like talking kicking. Having an older guy like that, it takes me back to John Denney. John Denney was great here. I love having those guys around because they're so smart and they know exactly what they want to do when they show up."
