Wednesday Media Transcript: S Landon Collins

S Landon Collins

January 4, 2017

Q: Landon, what do you like about this football team that you’re going into battle with this weekend?

A: Oh man, the energy and tenacity that ever guy has. The spirit that you can feel that each player is driven and ready to play the game.

Q: Where is the confidence level?

A: I want to say through the roof. I can’t speak too much for the offensive side because I don’t know, but when I’m watching practice their catching every ball, their running full speed trying to change their routes and stuff like that. Were all in and paying attention to key details.

Q: When you look at the Packers game from back in December to today, what is the biggest difference their offense has made?

A: They rely more on their pass game because all of their running backs have been down so far. That is the biggest change we have seen, a lot less running. Concept wise their passing game has been the same, just more passes.

Q: Facing Aaron Rodgers and his escape ability, being a defensive player knowing that once he gets out of the pocket it’s a whole new ball game. As a defender, how difficult is it for you having to face a guy like that who has that mobility?

A: As a defender, it’s difficult at times, but as long as you’re doing your job and as a safety if you’re keeping everybody in front of you. If he throws it up and he usually throws it across the field all over the place, so you usually can make a play on the ball and make sure their not catching the ball and stuff like that. It’s definitely difficult because you don’t know if he’s going to take off or what he sees because you’re not in his eyes and really just trying to play the field.

Q: He’s playing as well as anyone in the league right now, are you guys looking forward to trying to slow him down or are you kind of like wow he might be a little too good right now?

A: Yeah were trying to slow him down. That’s the job. We try to get him uncomfortable and try to take advantage of it. That’s the biggest key keeping him contained and keeping him inside the pocket so he doesn’t have the chance to move the sticks and make the big plays down the field.

Q: Does it amaze you that weeks ago, Aaron was apparently on the decline of his career and washed up?

A: No, that’s a future Hall of Fame quarterback. Everybody has their down games and everybody has their issues. They had a lot of guys down prior, and they found ways to get back into it. He proved everybody wrong.

Q: You mentioned before how the Packers are running less but they have found a bit of a diamond in the rough in their running game in Ty Montgomery a former receiver turned running back. How much of a challenge is it to defend a running back knowing that he’s not even technically a running back?

A: You hit him. At the end of the day he’s a receiver and receivers don’t like to be touched. You got big guys in there, linebackers, and defensive backs that like to hit, so he’s going to have to suck it up if he’s going to touch the ball.

Q: We were just talking with DRC and he said that you call the secondary the NYPD, did you come up with that?

A: No I didn’t come up with that, the fans actually came up with that. We were trying to figure out what to call our group and they came up with that but we stuck to it. Coach Walton is really the one that brings the name up all the times so we stuck with it so we call ourselves the NYPD.

Q. What’s the meaning, is it because you shot every down or…?

A. Really, it started with Jackrabbit because he shuts the best receivers down ever since we started playing each and every game. From that point on, we’ve been trying to keep the quarterback from throwing for 300 plus yards.

Q. Do you like it?

A. It’s cool, yeah I like it.

Q. It’s going to be, they say, 9 degrees there. It’s probably going to feel a little bit colder. How do you prepare for the cold weather and how do you think that’s going to factor?

A. Right here, we keep this dome pretty cold. I know some of you felt it when you walked in. We also practice outside a lot, so just practicing in that environment and thinking about playing in it. You keep yourself warm and trying to find ways to keep warm and having that mindset and not worrying about playing in the cold weather.

Q. You got a chance to partake in another type of playoff in college while partaking in Alabama’s active dynasty. Do you think that gives you an advantage in preparing for this type of playoff now?

A. I would say definitely, the way we went mentally throughout that program. I would say it was a little tougher then because with (Nick) Saban we were going full pads the whole time. We had the shoulder pads on for at least three days throughout that week. Mentally, it definitely prepared me for that and this situation.

Q. Talking about Alabama, you not only had a big year but so did Ha-Ha Clinton Dix, are you guys close?

A. Yea, we’re very close. We’re like brothers. That’s my boy. We train together and almost do everything together. We have the same agent. We do everything, that’s my boy.