C Weston Richburg
Conference Call, August 23, 2015
Q: What did you think of the first team offensive line’s performance yesterday and what kind of things have you been seeing from the group as we progress through the first two preseason games?
A: Well I think we made some progress between the first and second week. I think pass protection for the most part was good, we had some tipped balls which is not something we want to have happen but I think we were physical in the pass game [and] kept number 10 clean. Whenever we ran the ball --- we didn’t have that many rush attempts, I didn’t feel like, but when we did I think we sprang some good runs there, had Andre setting up some good blocks for us a couple times and you know Shane running out there making some plays so I thought we saw some progress. [There is] still a long way to go but I think if we keep improving like we did between week 1 and week 2, I think we should come together and be a pretty good unit.
Q: What gives you the impression that you guys are coming together? How much does having a core of guys that are staying in the same position, how much has that improved over the past month in training camp?
A: Well one thing that I am happy to see is that our communication has been really, really good throughout camp. It started early in the offseason, I think. [We] had guys in the room that really got a good grasp of the offense and that has helped in these first two preseason games. We haven’t had very many mental errors with the first group, which has been great --- I think all of our declarations from my standpoint have been pretty solid and that is a huge indicator that we are communicating well, that our cohesion is coming together, we’ve got some good comradery up there and guys are really understanding our offense and understanding what is expected.
Q: you mentioned there are some things that you guys still need to do because you guys have a way to go. What in your mind are some of the things that you would like to see this group take as far as the next steps are concerned?
A: I think I’d like to see us spring some big plays. I think we saw some opportunities kind of slip through our fingers last night. Like I said, some tipped balls which could have led to big pass plays. I’d [also] like to see us spring some big runs. I think that is going to be a key this year. Obviously we’ve got great wide receivers so I think we’ve got some good things ahead there and then we’ve got some good running backs back in the staple so I think it is going to be important for us to spring some big runs in this preseason and get everybody on point heading into the early part of the season.
Q: Did you know going into yesterday that you were going to throw the ball that much? It seemed like you came out with a purpose to try and get the ball down the field a little bit. Was that sort of the plan going in or did it just kind of work out like that?
A: I think a lot of it was based on what personnel we ran and then the defense's look they were giving us. I think they brought us some looks where we had to check out of plays due to the numbers in the box.
Q: Weston, you were the first starter to come out last night. I’m guessing that wasn’t an injury situation?
A: Yeah, I’m not injured. There was no injury last night. I really didn’t hear anything on the reason why, but yeah, no injury.
Q: You guys have used words like "unstoppable" and "scary" and other words to describe this offense. Is it at all concerning yet that we haven’t seen that on the field in these preseason games?
A: I don’t think I’ve ever used those words. I don’t know who has but I think we’ve got some work to do after these two games. Like I said, we haven’t had big plays and I think that is going to be important for an offense like ours is to have some big plays to give us some momentum-changers in the game so I think we’ve got a long way to go in those areas --- up front we’ve got to spring some big runs and that is what we are going to continue to work on.
Q: What have you seen from Ereck Flowers so far? What kind of growth have you seen from him maybe from the beginning of camp until now?
A: Yeah I don’t think we’ve missed a beat with him. I think he has come in and, like I said, communication has been great and it has been good to see that from him. He is able to understand different plays and where we are going, all our terminology. He's done a great job with that, he is very competitive [and] has the right mindset for an offensive lineman so I think we’ve picked up, you know…losing (Will) Beatty is a tough thing because he is a good player but I don’t think we’ve lost that much in terms of progress with Ereck in at left tackle.
