Safety Curtis Riley
August 19, 2018
Q: How did you like the result the other night? First time playing with the ‘ones’ against Detroit, how did you feel that went?
A: It felt good being out there with my teammates, we looked good as a team. Special teams, offense, defense, we all played good in all three phases and came out with the win.
Q: How wide open is this battle? You’ve got Landon (Collins) on one side and there’s three of you battling for the other spot.
A: It’s up to the coaches, we just come everyday and do what we have to do and leave it up to them.
Q: Don’t you want to claim the job?
A: Of course, why not?
Q: What do you think you bring to the table as a free safety?
A: I bring a lot of range, I can tackle, speed, communication, which is the biggest thing, and just knowing the defense.
Q: How much did playing cornerback help you with that?
A: Yeah, it helps because there’s times when we have to rotate and come down and cover a receiver, so it’s no different other than being in the slot.
Q: Is winning the job simply just making plays?
A: No, it’s about communication, knowing what you’re supposed to do, knowing where to put other people. You’ve got to make plays, the NFL is about making plays, so.
Q: How do you do with the communication part? Obviously we don’t see that or hear that in the game.
A: I did great, I know the defense, so it’s just being in tune to what’s going on with the shifts and everything.
Q: So, this is similar to what you had in Tennessee?
A: Yes sir, very similar.
Q: Did you think you’d be in a position to claim the starting job at the start of training camp?
A: Well, that’s what I train in the offseason for. I knew I was going to come in and get a chance to play, so I just had to do everything I needed to do.
Q: When did you know that they might try you at safety instead of at corner?
A: I played safety in Tennessee, so.
Q: How is it playing next to Landon Collins?
A: It’s great. He’s a great player, smart player. He makes a lot of plays. It’s good being around him, learning from him and us trying to gain that chemistry.
Q: It seems like he’s (Landon Collins) kind of taken you under his wing?
A: I don’t want to say he’s taken me under his wing, but we’re trying to work together to be the best secondary in the league.
Q: Are you interchangeable at free and strong safety?
A: In this defense, there really is no free and strong. You have to know both because if the offense motions, we all have to change our coverage and alignments and stuff like that.
