WR Tavarres King
August 2, 2017
Q: Did you see wide receiver Sterling Shepard get injured?
A: Man, I didn’t see it until he was off to the side. I didn’t see what initially happened, but I’m not sure what the injury is, but hopefully Shep’s okay and he gets back in a hurry. In our [position] room, we pride ourselves in everybody competing, so basically it’s the next man up mentality. I’m not sure who that guy is.
Q: Did you get to see Shepard at all after practice?
A: I haven’t, I haven’t seen him yet. I sent him a quick text and let him know I was praying for him, thinking about him because I don’t know what’s going on.
Q: Did you know that you were going to play on the outside and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was going to move inside when Shepard was out?
A: You know, we can both play inside and outside, myself and ‘O’. We know all the positons, so we’re very interchangeable. Everybody’s interchangeable in our room, so it doesn’t matter whose inside or outside, we can make it work.
Q: Does that mean that you are the number four receiver then?
A: I told somebody earlier, it’s not my job to put myself in the pecking order. My job is to compete and give 112 percent every day and that’s what I do. If I’m in there, then I’m in there.
Q: Do you feel as though you’ve picked up where you left off last season?
A: I think so. Just, like you said, picking up where I left off and being where I need to be, how I need to be, when I need to be, is what I’ve been doing. I’m excited about the opportunity that I have to pick up where I left off and to progress and get better.
Q: When you look back at last year, do you take away the positives or wish that you had more opportunities?
A: You know, you can’t really look back. You’ve got to look forward. I’m happy, I’m happy the way things went. I’m happy that I got an opportunity in the end and that I did well with the opportunity. But now, like I said, it’s all about getting better and building on that. I want to build on that to help this team any way that I can.
Q: Do you come into this camp liking the positon that you are in, or do you still come in with the mentality that you have to win your spot?
A: Absolutely. As a competitor, me, I’m always somebody that’s a competitive person and I think that I’ve got to be on it every day. So, definitely I feel like I’ve got to get it every day.
Q: It’s a tough receiver pecking order on this team, isn’t it?
A: It definitely is, but that’s good, that’s a good thing. That’s a good problem to have. I’m excited with the guys that we have on our room, adding ‘B’ [Brandon Marshall], a big, physical body, vet, just a powerful, positive presence in our room. So, just exciting to have him as well.
Q: Did you see the play that Shepard got injured?
A: I didn’t. I didn’t see it. I looked back and he was on the ground, so like I said, hopefully Shep’s okay and he gets back quick, fast and in a hurry.
Q: How’s the number 12 fitting you?
A: Oh man, it did me some good at Georgia, so hopefully it does me good in the blue.
Q: Was the prayer after practice partly because of Shepard and you all were praying for him?
A: No, we do it daily, but we did give a prayer request up to the big man for Shep. Shep’s always in our thoughts and anytime any of our teammates goes down, they’re always in our thoughts and prayers.
Q: Is your wide receiver room exceptionally tight?
A: Oh yeah, absolutely. We’re an extremely tightknit group, love each other, we’re like brothers, really.
Q: Did you have a chance to talk to Shepard before the cart took him away from practice?
A: I didn’t. I shot him a text when I went back in and just waiting on the return text.
Q: How big of an opportunity is it for you with Shepard potentially injured?
A: I mean, every day out here is an opportunity to get better. So, every day is an opportunity. Not just when a guy goes down, but every day that you’re out here on this field, on this grass, you’ve got an opportunity to get better.
Q: How much will the extra reps help you to get better?
A: Oh yeah, I mean that’ll help anybody a tremendous amount. Just getting the extra reps, the extra knowledge, just the extra time in there with the QBs, any certain QBs. So, it’ll help a lot.
Q: Are you in there with the top kick return unit?
A: Yeah, I think so. I don’t know how that’s going to shake out. We’ll see, I’m excited about that as well.
Q: When was the last time you returned kicks?
A: It’s been a minute. College. It’s been a minute.
Q: Did you return a punt in the preseason last year?
A: No, I didn’t, no.
Q: You’re not missing a dance party in the locker room right now, are you?
A: There might be something going on in there, I don’t know [laughs]. There may be something going off in there. I’m going to have to check that out. You all check my Snap a little later [laughs]. We’ll see.
Q: Do you fit in with all of the different personalities in the wide receiver room?
A: It’s funny man, we do have a lot of personalities in our room and it’s very funny. We all know that we’re all different and I think that’s what makes us great. I think that’s what makes our room, the comradery in our room, I think that’s what makes it so tight. Everybody’s different and everybody gets to see different things from different guys and it’s fun to be around. High energy, everybody’s high energy, so it’s awesome.
Q: What did Brandon Marshall bring to the receivers room, other than his size?
A: Other than his size, just his mind. The way he approaches the game, the mental aspect he brings to the game is just tremendous. He’s a ‘super-vet’, is what I like to call him, ‘super-vet’. Just smart, sound and loves the game.
Q: If Marshall is a ‘super-vet’, what do you call Beckham Jr.?
A: ‘Vet-Bit’ [laughs]. Super, duper vet. Young vet, baby vet.
Q: How good is this receiver group?
A: Scary good. I think we have an opportunity to do some real special things. I’m excited about it. We’ve got some great guys in the room, the sky’s the limit.
Q: Can you see yourself as part of that ‘scary good’ group?
A: Absolutely.
Q: What did your performance in last year’s playoff game do for you going into the offseason?
A: It was tight, it was a long time coming. I’ve waited all year for an opportunity and when an opportunity came, I just did what I did all year in practice. I was focused and did what was asked from me and made plays.
Q: Did the loss take away from your individual performance?
A: Yeah, absolutely. You obviously want to come out of every game with a win, so that stung. That’s the way the cookie crumbles.
Q: Is it a different scenario this season in training camp, not having to worry as much about making the team?
A: I don’t approach things differently. I try to keep the main thing the main thing and that’s making plays and being consistent with our without the ball. I’m just excited that I have an opportunity to be out here for a fifth year.
Q: Is it difficult not getting as many reps in training camp because you don’t have to prove yourself as much as others?
A: Yeah, it is. But that’s part of being a vet. When you do get your reps, you’ve got to make the most of them.
