Quarterback Davis Webb
August 7, 2018
Q: What are you hoping to show on Thursday night?
A: I think the biggest thing is just translating what I’m doing on the practice field to the games. Take what the defense gives me, not try to do too much. I have a habit of doing that sometimes. When I’m really feeling good and there is a tight window, I feel like I can make most of them. Sometimes it gets us in trouble. I just have to play smart and play the best I can. I think that will be plenty good enough.
Q: Do you have to alter your mindset, because of your arm strength?
A: I think just having the mindset of don’t chase and be aggressively patient. Understand down and distance, the situation of the game. In practice, it’s four reps or three reps and you’re trying to do the best you can for that play and it’s on to the next one. You kind of just have to understand the flow of the game and the situation and again don’t chase and take what the defense gives you.
Q: What is it like to finally get a pretty good chunk of playing time after a lot of practice?
A: I think all the quarterbacks are going to get playing time, I’m just excited to be one of them. I’m going to go out there and play as hard as I can and translate what I’ve been doing on the practice field to the game. I feel like I’m doing a lot of good things on the practice field, I feel like I’ve gotten better every day. I think it’s easy to see from a year ago how much better I am, and how much better I’m going to get. Just take it day by day and continue to get better. It’s one preseason game, so just treat it as that and play the best I can. They are really good over there, they have a lot of guys drafted number one overall in Baker and Myles and the guys on defense. Greg Williams is one of the best in the business at what he does, there’s a lot of respect over there.
Q: Is this the longest you have ever gone without playing in a game?
A: Yeah, I guess, but it happens to a lot of people. If you are a second or third string quarterback in the NFL, you have to wait a little bit. The starter is playing good or hasn’t gotten hurt, stuff like that. Hopefully Eli won’t get hurt and keeps playing well. Yeah, this is the longest I have gone without playing.
Q: Do you think there will be some game rust?
A: I don’t think so. I think we are all excited to go against someone else other than ourselves. I’m excited to see Cleveland and see what they do defensively, pick up blitzes, communication with the center, breaking the huddle, getting to the line and playing football.
Q: Are you going to watch Hard Knocks tonight and get a scouting report?
A: I don’t think so. I think I’m getting out of here a little late. We don’t get Tivo at the hotel.
Q: How do you like the atmosphere of camp under Coach Shurmur compared to Coach McAdoo?
A: There is no real positive or negative, camp is camp. The weather is going to be hot and humid in East Rutherford and you’re going to get a lot of wind. The biggest thing - Coach Shurmur has done a great job of asking our opinions, if we like morning or afternoon practices better, really giving us time to get home at night so we’re able to get eight-plus hours of sleep so that we can recover to come back with 100 percent the next day and give it our best. Meetings have been great, every single position group has been learning a ton and you can see at practice – the linebacker group is getting better each day, the DBs are (too), the O-line has done a great job communicating and coming together as a unit. It’s a credit to Coach Shurmur and the coaching staff for bringing us all together.
Q: Do you like morning or afternoon practice better?
A: Whatever Coach Shurmur says.
Q: (Shurmur) talked about not trying to do too much, you don’t want to use your arm too much to make a play that is not there, how do you balance that with wanting to make plays?
A: I think I do an okay job of it right now. It’s just at the same time, understanding the situation. If it’s third and long, there’s nothing wrong with taking a check down and flipping the field position. You don’t have to force anything downfield, just have to know the situation and be patient, don’t chase – don’t try and chase something that you want to be there but it’s not there.
Q: How do you approach your job? Do you come in here saying, “I’m the backup”, or do you come in and say, “I’m just here and I have to be the best I can”, or what?
A: My job description, in my opinion, is to be the hardest working player on the team, be the best teammate on the team and to try to be the best I possibly can at quarterback. If that’s the backup, third string or maybe even the first guy, just do the best you can, be the best teammate you can and be the hardest worker. I don’t make decisions like that, I just try to do those same three things each and every day.
Q: You’re playing in your third offensive scheme in the last three years. Can that actually help you with getting prepared, since you have seen so much more?
A: Yeah, I think just the way Coach Shurmur and Coach Shula have taught the offense through OTAs and now training camp. This is now our second, third, fourth time through it. Our receivers, especially, are playing so much faster. You can kind of tell, Sterling Shepard, Hunter Sharp, Cody (Latimer) have really picked up their speed. They look like really dependable targets and Odell (Beckham Jr.) is Odell, I don’t even know if he got hurt last year the way he works.
Q: Where did you learn the phrase “aggressively patient”?
A: That’s a Coach Shula phrase. I’m not going to take credit for that, I steal it from him. I’ve kind of elaborated on it a little bit, just kind of taking what the defense gives you and if there’s a chance to take a shot, you take a shot. If not, you go through your progressions and we are all coached great by two great quarterback minds and our job is just to be coachable and complete the ball to the open guy on time and accurately.
