S Nat Berhe
July 30, 2017
Q: The last two years, in 2015 with the calf injury, and last year you were in the role before getting hurt. Does the timing frustrate you, in that for two years in a row you were going to be in that position but for whatever reason it didn’t work out?
A: Well, frustration, for sure. I had a long offseason. Did a lot of soul-searching and I’m cool. It’s like the stock market. You can’t stay down for too long. Eventually, you know, you’ll come up. So, I’m not worried.
Q: Have you lost any confidence in yourself?
A: Absolutely not. No.
Q: It seems like the group around you has been elevated. What do you see when you look at this group and is it hard to find a place there?
A: I see an all-pro.
Q: Is there one guy that you think is established right now in his position?
A: Man, it’s a competition. We’re all teammates here. We’re all buddies. Just take it day by day.
Q: We spoke to you on the ‘break-down’ day after the playoff game last season. Did you consider not coming back?
A: No. I don’t think I ever considered that as an option. Just was just thinking about football.
Q: Your brother made reference about a week ago to playing with a certain shield. Is there any progress on that and have you made that request again?
A: I can’t really talk about that right now, honestly.
Q: Can you help me understand if the shield would help you with depth perception?
A: Yes.
Q: Do you feel 100%?
A: Yes. Yes. I’m feeling great.
Q: Did you do anything different this offseason compared to others?
A: Not really. Just kind of went back to Exos and just worked hard. It was just the same as always.
Q: You were feeling good at the end of the season last year, right?
A: Right.
Q: Is last season something that you think about every day or are you just completely behind that?
A: I’m completely behind it. I’m not really going to think about it at all.
Q: With the CTE and the national consciousness popping up every couple of weeks, is it something that you think about?
A: Yeah. Like I said, the study – I don’t really want to get into all that. It is what it is. I think a lot of the times guys have been playing since six-seven years old. So, I mean, is your brain fully developed then? Who knows? I’m not a scientist.
Q: Was it weird to have everyone run on the field after the interception?
A: Yeah. It was kind of weird. It was like, ‘Oh, man.’ It kind of was shocking to me. But, that’s how things are done here.
Q: Was running onto the field something coach told you about or is that something that just happened after Jackrabbit (CB Janoris Jenkins) picked off the pass the other day?
A: I mean, I saw a little bit of it last year. It was kind of getting installed. This year I kind of see it and I’m like, ‘Oh, ok. This is really happening.’
Q: Is it different when you have the ball and everyone is flying at you on the field?
A: It’s very different. It’s shocking. You get thrown the ball. You pick it off. You look up and it’s a bunch of white jerseys.
Q: I’m sure the team won’t do that during a game, right?
A: Well, I hope not. I hope not.