Safety Landon Collins
November 1, 2017
Q: How are the Rams?
A: Fast. Fast and explosive. They definitely rely on (Todd) Gurley and it’s big. It’s big. We got to stop him. We stop him, we got a chance.
Q: When guys are getting suspended for breaking team rules, does that make you frustrated with teammates that they are putting you in a position to answer these questions?
A: No. Stuff happens. I don’t look at it as that. There’s two different things that happened with the two suspensions that happened this year. Like I said, things happen within the organization that you have to just face and coach (Ben McAdoo) just has to keep his foot down. If he’s going to keep his foot down and be stern, you have to just follow the rules.
Q: You had no issue with the suspension?
A: I wish (Janoris Jenkins) was here. We need him. We need every guy that we have on this team, but I mean, that’s coach. Coach (Ben McAdoo) makes the rules and we have to abide by them.
Q: You’ve been on a lot of winning teams. What’s the challenge of avoiding that this team becomes non-competitive and how important is that to the guys in this locker room?
A: We’re going to be still competitive. I’ll speak for the defensive side. We’re going to be definitely competitive because we’re all trying to eat out there. We’re all still trying to be gritty even if it’s individual in bringing what we need to bring to the field. We’re still trying to do that and just be a great team overall.
Q: If you were on the outside looking in and saw that a team at 1-6 that had two players suspended within two weeks of each other, you might look over and ask what’s going on with them.
A: That’s all you can ask is what’s going on. Something wild is going on or some guys would assume people just have a lack of respect for coach (Ben McAdoo). It’s not that. It’s just bad luck right now, I would say.
Q: So, coach Ben McAdoo hasn’t lost you guys as a team?
A: No. Not at all. Not at all. I mean, like I said, those two guys – suspensions happen. It’s two different things, but no. We have not lost respect for him. We continue growing with him and trying to be a great team and stay together because our back is against the wall right now. We can’t fight against each other. If we fight against each other, things are definitely going to go bad.
Q: Are you disappointed in CB Janoris Jenkins?
A: Am I disappointed in Janoris? Disappointed in him for what?
Q: For not following the rules and now being suspended for a week.
A: I mean, everybody doesn’t know the true story. So, we don’t know what happened. I can’t be disappointed in him. I want him here, but at the same time stuff happens.
Q: You say everyone doesn’t know the true story.
A: Everybody doesn’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what’s going on. DRC (Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie) doesn’t know what’s going on. We don’t know what truly happened and why he got suspended.
Q: Coach Ben McAdoo didn’t explain it?
A: No.
Q: Tight ends have scored eight touchdowns on you guys this year and I’m sure there have been a variety of ways they’ve gotten into the end zone.
A: No. There haven’t been a variety of different ways. It’s been the same formation. The first six times have been the same formation. We had to adjust to it. We finally adjusted to it the last – I think the only one that was a long pass was the one San Diego got. Other than that, I feel most of them were in the endzone, the red zone area and it’s been the same formation.
Q: Are teams catching you in zone coverage?
A: Those games it was zone. Yeah. The ones they caught us in.
Q: No other team has given up eight touchdowns to tight ends in NFL history.
A: I never knew.
Q: Was the fact that it kept happening one of those things that you guys knew you had to figure it out?
A: Yeah. We just had to figure it out. I mean, you can only get attacked at what you do best and they attacked our zone coverage we like to do in the red zone and they figured out a way to beat it and now we figured out a way to stop it. So, you got to learn. You learn, then you figure it out, then you keep it moving from there.
Q: How did the bye week help you guys from a health standpoint?
A: Gave us a lot of rest. Gave us a lot of time off. Just to get away from the game. Getting away from the game kind of just eased our mind and eased our bodies. Took time off and just coming back and just going full speed from that point on.
Q: Is there anything special during bye week that guys do treatment wise when they’re banged up?
A: Most of the time I know in the NFL, they stay here. They’re constantly getting treatment everyday – two or three times a day. It depends on how bad the injury was. They kind of stay here and just continue to get treatment, try to get healthy, get back on the field as fast as possible.
All offseason teams studied what Spags was doing, so no wonder they were able to take advantage of it early.