Tight End Evan Engram
8-3-18
Q: Couple of passes today you feel you should’ve had those?
A: Yeah, I mean I feel like I’m supposed to have all of them. There was one, during one of the earlier periods, down the field, defense made a good play, down in their zone. Should’ve came down with it, should’ve – got to stay in bounds as well. Definitely some I want to have back, but credit to the defense. They did a really good job disrupting us, me specifically, but also all day they were all over the field making good plays.
Q: Coach [Shurmur] has talked about the importance of catching the ball. Have you had conversations with him about that?
A: Not really this is just something that’s known, like a focal point each and everyday. He said that we had the most drops in the league last year as a team and we if clean up some of those drops and we can get more wins. It’s definitely a focal point that he’s brought up to us as a team, as an offense and as skill players, you got to catch the ball and you know how important it is. Yeah it’s a big focal point.
Q: Is there a different kind of drill you guys are doing this year to reduce the drops?
A: Definitely, we just do more pre and post practice ball drills. If I’m not on the special teams period I’ll get some guys and we’ll go catch some balls on the side. In your free time out on the practice field when we’re not in a certain drill or special teams or something like that, just find a way to catch balls, get some catches in, just find out ways do it. Coach has implemented pre and post practice ball drills that everybody has to do as they come on the field and as they come off.
Q: In year two, players talked about the game slowing down for them. Has it been able to slow down for you learning a new offense?
A: Definitely. It was kind of hectic in the spring. Everything was kind of new then, but we got to get that in and come into camp with the spring down and having kind of that base knowledge of offense so its helped a lot during camp. So just going through the installs kind of just refresh and picking up on some new details. Its been smooth, pretty much learning the offense, been competing in camp as well so its been pretty good.
Q: Is your role more complicated than in years past?
A: I wouldn’t say it’s more complicated it’s just more we have to know. It’s not hard information, it’s not hard to learn or remember it’s just more information. It’s a lot more responsibility and a lot more versatility, which I like and the whole tight end room can appreciate. It’s definitely, I wouldn’t say complicated, but where I’m asked to do a little bit more, I’m asked to be a little bit more different spots. It’s a lot more to learn, but we embrace it.
Q: When I say responsibility, I mean blocking or receiving…
A: Both. We got to know protections. We have certain aiming points on runs and we got to know every single route, all the different concepts, we could be anywhere on the field. When I say responsibility it’s really just making sure we know, any position we’re lined up in we have to know what to do.
Q: After four padded practices, coach pulled back a little bit and sees the importance in after going a couple days in pads to pull back. Do you see the importance in that as a player?
A: We definitely appreciate it. Our bodies are definitely kind of getting in the middle of camp and getting a couple of days and our bodies are kind of biting on us a little bit and guys are getting a little sore and we got to keep up recovery. It’s definitely pretty refreshing to come in and know that we’re in shells for the day. We definitely appreciate it and when the pads come off we know that we got to pick up faster, go a little bit faster. We know coach is giving us a bone so we have to take more initiative, to play faster, bounce around a little bit more, and not get too comfortable or too lazy when we get these non-padded practices. As players we definitely appreciate it and we also know we have to come out and have a clean practice and take advantage of the bone coach gives us every now and then.
Q: Are you starting to see the difference as having a running back like Saquon [Barkley] as a receiver, you know, what he brings to the field? I’m sure defenses have to adjust to him more so than other running backs.
A: Definitely. Last couple of days they’ve been throwing him out wide and he’s been making plays from the number one receiver. That’s just how dynamic he could be for us and it’s definitely a plus. We can line up on a three by one and have a defense throw a certain look and motion him out to number one and him not be okay like he’s a running back, he’s a non factor. He’d actually be an option for Eli [Manning], definitely puts defenses in a bind and then you put one guy in a bind and then the guy on me gets in a bind and then it just disrupts a lot of the thinking, a lot of the defensive plan. It’s definitely a plus and it’s really cool to see him kind of embrace all that and make plays out there as well.
Q: Especially can help you because he can go out wide and all of a sudden you wind up with a defender…
A: Yeah so a linebacker could be over me or a safety could be over me then he goes out wide and they bump the safety out and the linebacker could be lined up on me and I’m pretty happy right there. It just causes a whole different bunch of binds and makes defenses have to think more and they be making mistakes so it’s definitely good to have that.
Q: How much did you notice they bounced him out wide and he ended up against Janoris Jenkins, but he was still able to be successful?
A: He came off, I saw him make the play, and I was like, ‘was he pressed out there on you? Did you have to get a release on that?’ He was like, ‘yeah he was pretty pressed up.’ I didn’t see the full play, I’ll see it on film, but I saw Janoris [Jenkins] out there and him make the play. That’s just really impressive and like I said you have to account for all of us out there when we’re able to put him out there. Last couple of days, definitely kind of put more on his plate, especially with that and we’ve all been noticing and it’s really good for us as an offense.
Q: You were around the team last year that had a lot of high expectations, talked about a Super Bowl, didn’t happen. This is a much different dynamic so you’ve seen both sides now. Are you more comfortable with one over the other?
A: It’s definitely fun to be excited and it’s good for a team to realize their potential and have goals and have aspirations to be the best. It’s also important to take it day by day and just to remain humble, put the work in and then let everything else take care of itself. It’s definitely good to have high expectations and high standards for itself, kind of raises you to another level, but we also got to know it’s a process. You got to be humble and I appreciate both of those.
Q: Did this team get a little bit too caught up in those expectations last year and it kind of got away from you?
A: We weren’t running around yelling Super Bowl or we weren’t really – I wouldn’t say we were distracted with all up in that. We just had some unfortunate things happen and some tough games we could have won and ended up on the losing side. I wouldn’t say we were distracted by that or that threw us off, it was just a lot of unfortunate events last year.
Q: Camp any easier year two now knowing what to expect?
A: I wouldn’t say easier. It’s definitely tough and you want it to be tough, you want to grind it out. It’s definitely smoother. Kind of having the year one under your belt and having your confidence up and taking everything I learned from last year and applying it to this year with a clean slate. It’s definitely a lot smoother. If camp’s easy, you’re not getting the real work in so definitely embrace the work, embrace the grind, but it definitely is a lot smoother. I’m just kind of having that year under me and going in with the experience I had last year.
Q: You preparing any differently?
A: I’m just in a more comfortable mindset, more confident mindset, kind of push myself a little bit more. Last year was kind of okay make sure you know this and make sure you learn this and remember this. This year I’m having my offense down, having everything understood. It’s make this play or do this better so it’s definitely pushing myself more mentally for sure before practice, before games that will come with this year.
Q: In year number two is there any individual goals you set for yourself this season?
A: Yeah there is. I kind of keep those to myself, but definitely just want to be the best tight end I can be, best tight end in the league. That just raises the standards for myself, for my teammates and it helps our team and I for sure do that everyday. That’s just the main goal right now be the best tight end I could possibly be.
Q: Seeing you on the boundary a lot this camp. Did you ever work with the receivers on different techniques that you need to win on the outside?
A: I pick their brains all the time on releases, things they kind of look in, corners look for. I watch film on different receivers and even tight ends that are split out there. The biggest thing out there is just winning against press and that’s something I’ve been working on, getting used to, getting more comfortable with. If anything it’s just picking their brains and watching their film and watching them practice getting releases verse press when their outside.
