Q: So do you have all this mastered already, two days into your pro career?
A: No, I wouldn’t say I have it all mastered, but I’m just taking it day-by-day. Didn’t have a team set yesterday, so just trying to get better each and every day.
Q: Sterling, how important is it for you that the veterans like Odell and Eli coach you up on the field the way they do?
A: It means a lot. Those guys have had a lot of success in the league, so having those guys being able to coach me up on stuff, they know what they’re talking about, so you’ve got to listen to them. Like I said, it’s great to have those guys alongside with you. They’ve had a lot of success.
Q: Does it take a certain mindset to know that if you make a mistake out there that right away you’re going to be able to get right back out there and correct it? As a rookie, I can imagine you make a mistake and you look over your shoulder waiting for someone to yell at you.
A: This group is not really about yelling. There’s not much yelling going on. It’s just coaching you up and just trying to get you right the next time. A big thing with me is trying not to make the same mistake twice, so if something does happen, just be able to correct it and be a pro about it.
Q: Ben McAdoo just said that he’s not going to be afraid to use his young players. Obviously you’re a young player and a rookie here, what do you think when you hear that?
A: It’s great to hear as a rookie, but I kind of knew that coming in. Being drafted in the second round, you’re expected to play. Along with the other rookies, I think we all understand that if you make plays, you’re going to be out there playing on Sundays, so that’s what we’re all striving for and it’s good to hear as a rookie, I guess.
Q: How excited are you about the draft class, especially the the top three? It seems like you guys could all make a pretty quick impact?
A: That was the plan coming in. Like I said, the coaches drafting us that high, they expect us to make an impact immediately, and I feel like all of us had that on our mind coming in and that’s what we’re trying to do every day, just trying to get better.
Q: I’m sure you guys knew very little about each other before you got here, but how have you come together, especially you and Darian Thompson and Eli Apple?
A: We spend a lot of time with each other, especially over rookie minicamp and then minicamp after that, having the rookie symposium and stuff like that, it just draws a comradery with each other. Like I said, day in and day out, we were here when the vets got to go home, so we got time to bond with each other.
Q: There were times that even today that you and Eli (Apple) lined up against each other. Is that planned or does it just happen?
A: No, that just happens. He’s in on some plays on the script and I am, too, so it just happens that way.
Q: What’s your comfort level like at the different spots you’re working?
A: I’m pretty comfortable, but I’m still trying to learn and I’m still trying to get the offense down, but it’s coming along. I feel a lot more comfortable than when I first came in here at rookie camp.
Q: Where do you feel most comfortable?
A: Everywhere. Wherever they put me. I’ve been feeling good going outside. Vic comes in, he’ll go inside. We’ve been just switching around. I feel comfortable out there, I’m still trying to get the plays down and it’ll come, but I’ll get more comfortable as the time goes on.
Q: What did you rookies do together when you had that week after minicamp? Anything interesting?
A: We went out to different dinners, had a bowling day together, there was a whole bunch of stuff that went on.
Q: Who won bowling?
A: I don’t even remember.
Q: Not you?
A: No, it wasn’t me.
Q: I know you’re still trying to learn, it’s been just a few days, but can you give us some insight in which ways you’ve taken the most significant steps on the field going all the way back to when the rookies were just inside here all the way up to today?
A: It’s hard to say because it’s so early, but just learning the plays and how to run different routes. You have a way of running a route in college, but it’s a lot different in the league, so that’s what you were saying earlier, having guys like Odell and Vic right beside me, I get to get a visual of it and get to see them run it first so I can tweak the way I run it. Those are just the different things that I’ve been picking up on.
Q: Vic said yesterday that he forgot to make you carry his pads, did he do that today?
A: Yes, he’s been forgetting the first two days, so I had to grab them today. I had to grab the helmet at least.
Q: Did he tell you to or did you just do it on your own?
A: No, he tells me to do it. I always make him tell me to do it because he’ll forget sometimes and those are good days.
Q: Do you have any sense of Eli Apple just being around him and lining up against him a few times?
A: He’s one of those guys that has a lot of range, so you have to try and knock his arms down because if he gets his hands on you, it’s going to be difficult to deal with him. He’s got good feet, so you have a combination of both of those together and you have a pretty good corner.
Q: What have you done to earn Eli (Manning’s) trust here?
A: Just catching the ball I feel like is the main thing. Learning the system is going to take a little bit of time, getting on page with him is going to take a little bit of time, but one thing I can control is that every time the ball hits my hands, I try and catch it and I’ve been doing well with that but we’ll keep working.
