G Will Hernandez
May 11, 2018
Q: Has this experience hit you yet? Or do you have to get on the field for this whole experience to hit you?
A: It definitely hit me as soon as I landed in New York. Right away the city took me by surprise and how cool it is around here, how nice everybody is. As soon as I got into the actual facilities and I got people telling me where to go and what to do and it’s like, ‘Alright I’m back. It’s football time again.’ I’m definitely excited.
Q: Coach talked about right from the beginning, please and thank you’s, push your chair in and stuff like that. What does that say about the atmosphere around here?
A: It just speaks so much about the program. When you have attention to detail, a lot of things are going to go really, really smooth and I like how there is attention to detail and they like us all doing the same thing and everybody doing things right. I think that’s part of the structure that you need to win games and I’m all about it. I love it.
Q: Do you have an preference between left guard or right guard?
A: No preference. I’ll play wherever the coaches want me to play. I’m here to help out the team in any way. If they want to put me at kicker, I’ll kick the ball – I did play soccer a little bit so I can help there (laughs). But no, wherever the coaches want me, that’s where I’ll be.
Q: Have you had the opportunity to meet any of your teammates yet and if so have they given you any advice on what to expect?
A: I haven’t met any actual vets yet, but all the rookies that are here, yeah I’ve gotten to know a few guys. Some of them I already knew from the Senior Bowl and even the Combine, but yeah we clicked here right away. I feel really comfortable already and this is my first day. A lot of the guys here are on the same page with the same goals and the same mindset as me, so it makes it real easy to get along and we’re having fun with it already.
Q: Have you heard about Chris Snee or do you know anything about him?
A: I’ve definitely heard about him. I’m trying as much as I can to fill any kind of shoes that I’m expected to. I know that I have a lot of expectations here and I want to fulfill it to 100 percent and the best that I can do.
Q: What can you show the coaches in terms of not actually hitting?
A: The first thing is that you’re adaptable. You’re adaptable to going from what you know and what you’ve been taught for the past five years, four years and being able to transition. Even though it’s still the sport of football, there is still a lot of details that you need to be able to adjust to and the style of coaching that the coaches do here and the way they want you to do things. I think that’s most important and then after that I think it’s just showing the same person you were for the reason of why they brought you down here. Show that you’re still that guy that gives all out effort, that wants to play, that has passion for the sport and show them that and improve day-by-day too, which shows your coachability.
Q: I’m sure you’ve met Saquon already. Is that the first time that you met him?
A: No, the first time I met him was at the Combine actually and I saw him again here. We recognized each other right away and he has already reached out to me before I even landed in New York, so that was pretty cool.
Q: Do you kind of walk in front of him all the time?
A: Yeah you see I just try to tell him to follow me wherever I go. I’ll wait for him to get his food and then he’ll walk behind me. Yeah, I’m trying to get used to it.
Q: So if I try to go talk to Saquon alone.
A: He would have to talk to you behind me. Yeah, just walk across.
Q: You have a reputation for playing with and edge on the field. Do you consider yourself a nasty guard?
A: Yeah of course. I think every player should be referred to as that. If you’re a football player you should be referred to a nasty, on the edge player. I think that’s how everyone should play. I think that’s the reason why this sport is so popular and yeah, I definitely consider myself that and I think that everybody should be exactly that.
Q: Is that hard when they tell you that the please and thank you’s have to come right away and then get on the field and beat up some other guy?
A: No it’s not hard at all. It’s kind of a split personality deal. I don’t purposely try and change, but just as soon as that helmet comes on it’s just a completely different mindset. I can say please and thank you on the field too, maybe after I’ve done my job, but there is definitely a difference there.
Q: What was it like putting that helmet on? You got to try it on yesterday.
A: Yeah, I got to try it on yesterday. Well first I started looking at it for a little while because it was the first NFL helmet that I every held in my hand, so that was pretty cool. As soon as it came off, same thing. Nothing has changed – come out here and play with the same intensity that I always did.
Q: The view from the inside is the same I think?
A: Yeah same thing. I think the facemask color was different from UTEP, but the same thing.
In fairness, they're both guards who were picked #34 overall. So there could be that angle too.
Quote:
Boy, have we sucked on the O-line for a while if a question like that comes up...
In fairness, they're both guards who were picked #34 overall. So there could be that angle too.
Agree, although that angle is far a bit obtuse...or is it acute?
What happened to the rest of him?
He should be given immense kudos for being able to transition to normal life after years of bulking up...Amazing