DE Olivier Vernon
August 23, 2017
Q: Are you trying to add cornerback to your repertoire?
A: No, not at all, man. It’s going to be a long game for me if I have to do that all the time, you know?
Q: Can you describe that play where you covered the tight end?
A: I mean, basically we just had to drop on the tight end and just had to stick on him until I found some help and unfortunately, it didn’t come so I just had to stay on him.
Q: Did you do pushups for not coming up with the interception yourself?
A: Man, I just wanted to bat the ball down, that’s all.
Q: Have you ever covered a guy that far downfield before?
A: I have when I was down in Miami.
Q: After the fact, did you realize that it was a Miami guy that you were covering? Did you know Cleveland tight end David Njoku?
A: Yeah, I know Njoku. I didn’t realize it was him before the down. But, I’ve got something for him after the season, so.
Q: What is your reaction when you see a guy like wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. go down with an injury during a game?
A: Yeah, you never want to see a teammate go down, man. Especially [in a] preseason game. That’s the one thing when it comes to football, that’s just what you’ve got to be aware of. At the end of the day, football, anything can really happen. I know Odell’s in high spirits right now and we’re going to have him back.
Q: Do you have any worries about Beckham’s availability for Week One?
A: No, not at all.
Q: What did you think of the hit that got Beckham injured?
A: A hit’s a hit. Unfortunately, you wouldn’t want somebody trying to tackle you like that in a preseason game, but it is football, so things like that happen.
Q: How much of the teacher role have you taken on in your second year with the team?
A: I just try to give off what I’ve learned in the past. I know for me, when I was younger, it was helpful when the older guys would just give me some knowledge of, if I’m doing anything out there, what I need to improve on, stuff like that. So, whatever I see, I just try to give it back to the young guys and just try to help them out.
Q: How much can you and defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul feed off of each other?
A: Really, the whole line. We want everybody out there making plays. If JPP makes a play, next up man trying to make a play, same with Snacks [defensive tackle Damon Harrison], same with if it were [defensive tackles] Jay [Bromley] or Rob [Thomas]. Anybody that’s in there, we’re trying to make plays. So, we try to feed off each other by just doing that.
Q: Are you and Pierre-Paul aware of each other on the field?
A: What helps us out is that we’ve got a lot of guys that can see. When you’re playing the positon we play, defensive end, when you play on the defensive line, you’ve just got to be aware of the space, aware of where your teammates are. It’s like a chain, it helps balance everybody out. So, if we go underneath, somebody coming high, it just works. It’s like some type of fluidity in that process, so it’s chemistry with that one. So, I feel like we just build a whole lot of great chemistry going into year two – my year two – with the team. So, it’s just got to keep building from there.
Q: You and Pierre-Paul still have to have that balance even though you are far away from each other on the line?
A: Yeah, most definitely. It’s just keeping your eyes open and then just seeing when it all unfolds, just seeing how it plays out and then you just work off from there. Basically, reacting.
Q: Why do you not even blink twice about the assignment of having to run downfield to cover a receiver during a preseason game?
A: I mean, at the end of the day, it’s football. So, it’s about doing your job. You have to be out there doing your job and you don’t want to look bad on tape. So, you’ve just got to be out there, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. And that’s always been my mentality when I’m out there, preseason or not. You’ve just got to do your job and make it look good.
