Sunday Media Transcript: Safety Landon Collins

Safety Landon Collins

August 14, 2016

Q: What type of impact did Friday’s game have in the locker room?

A: We try and make space. It's one preseason down, and we work on it. As the first team, we wanted to set the tempo, set the pace for the people behind us and we wanted them to follow up on it. It kind of got hectic for a minute, and then they kind of settled down, but it settled down too late. So we just get on top of them and try to push them out, because it goes quick.

Q: By now, the game is over? You guys are past it?

A: It's over with, it should have been over with since yesterday. Move on to the next page.

Q: Are any of the young receivers standing out to you?

A: Sterling, he's stepped up the most out of all the younger receivers that are out there. Roger Lewis, he stood out to me, too. They've done great things, running their routes precise, and getting open and catching the ball. That's the best thing, touch the ball, get your hands up. If your hands touch the ball, you have to catch it.

Q: How did you and Darian Thompson adjust together?

A: We did well, we did very well. No MA's (mental errors) the whole time I was out there; he didn’t have any MA's the whole time he was out there, so it was great. Just being on the same page. Being talkative, too, with one another, making sure we go long distance and knowing where we’re going to be at, and the right spots to be at. It was fantastic. And our corners were sound.

Q: Do you feel like you're taking on a leadership role?

A: I try my best to everyday. Sometimes you get down and you have to ask somebody else to take the leadership. I try my best to keep myself up-tempo and push my guys to the limit because that's what we need when we come out here. Especially in the type of weather we're practicing in. When we come on the field, we have to take it to another level. So, leadership is a big key in our entire defense and the person that does it the most and the person that can lead by example usually pushes the team to great heights.

Q: You were in a similar situation to Darian Thompson last year, you now are in a position to help him along. How much does it help to have someone there to help you understand things better?

A: It means a lot because you have somebody that's next to you that has experience. They played a whole entire year, they’ve seen things, you kind of get a jump on it. We have two corners that know the game really well. With that around you, it's hard to make a mistake. They know the defense and you know the defense, you have to be on the same page and constantly working at it and constantly asking each other questions on how we see things. It makes everything smoother with that type of communication that we have.

Q: If there's one thing you found out from the starting defensive unit, from the limited reps you had against Miami, what would it be?

A: Making sure you set the edge. That's about it, that's all I can think of. Miami got to the edge, made us think twice on our first team and that's about it. We don't like people running around our defense...so set the edge, that's the biggest thing. We're getting the pressure; we're covering everyone down field to set the edge so they don't get around our corners because we don't like the six-yard gain that they got last week.

Q: How exciting was it to watch the defensive line for their first series?

A: I'll tell you one thing, it got kind of boring back there. But that's a good thing because when you have a line like that, your job’s easy. All you really do is look for the pass. Let them try to make plays.

Q: Owa came in and...

A: Great balance, he got two sacks, I think. So, when you have guys like that, that can rush the passer, it's fantastic.

Q: What was it like for that group of 11 to be on the field after all the talk this offseason?

A: Like I said, we came to prove a point. We have a chip on our shoulders, so by doing so, we came to shut down whoever we played against. That's our move, that's our aggression and that's what we're going to put on the field.