Offensive Lineman Justin Pugh
November 8, 2017
Pugh: Obviously no one wants to go out there and lose 51-17. That film is out there. That tape is who we are right now. Until we go out there and prove otherwise, that’s what people are going to think.
Q: Did Ben (McAdoo) tell you guys that he still thinks you guys can make a run?
A: I just know in this league the way it goes, it’s so cyclical. You look at it, who’s the best team right now? Philadelphia is 8-1, they are the best team. They needed a 61-yard field goal. It’s crazy how competitive and close these games are. It really comes down to confidence. We got to get our mojo back and getting some guys healthy. Hopefully OV (Olivier Vernon) can go this week, getting Janoris (Jenkins) back, getting me back out there. We can kind of spark these guys a little bit. We signed Kelvin Sheppard today and he kind of brought some juice out there in practice. A veteran guy that’s been around before so that’s good and I’m excited about that.
Q: How do you think McAdoo’s message is received by the guys in the locker room?
A: I think he’s got confidence in us. We’ve shown flashes of doing some really good things, but we’ve lost and we’ve turned the ball over at crucial times and had plays that have really hurt us. We got to go out there and we got to change those things. We’re going to go out there and play hard for him, play hard for each other and try to get this thing turned around.
Q: Do you expect to see any major personnel changes this week?
A: Yeah, I mean when you’re sitting here at 1-7, everyone’s job is on the line. I mean I go into this knowing this profession, seeing this profession, when you’re not winning games, there is something that has to be changed, something has to be worked around. So I wouldn’t be surprised seeing that. As a professional, I come in here every day knowing that my job is on the line. So that’s the mentality that you should have and if you don’t and you get too comfortable in this building, you won’t be here very long. I’ve seen that, too. That’s just the reality of this business. It’s not one where you come in and say I have job security. You never do.
Q: How much can a win help in a situation like this?
A: Huge. Go out there, get a win and just change the mentality, the feel, the vibe in the whole building. If you come in and the woman at the front desk, she’ll be smiling, everyone will be a little bit more happier. So it’s definitely a thing that we need. We need to go out and get a win and just have that one-game mentality. I think Denver was a good example. That’s all we were focused on. Just going out there and playing tough, playing hard, playing physical and they’re going to be hungry, too. It’s going to be two hungry teams looking for a win trying to right the ship, and I think that’s the mentality we have to have.
Q: Do you feel like you’re going to play?
A: Yeah, every intention that I have is playing. Barring a setback, I’ll be out there on Sunday.
Q: Is that a movember stache that you have?
A: Yeah, me and my buddies are doing a little movember stache. I think the mustache is in now, so I’m trying to bring it back on top of that.
