QB Kyle Lauletta
September 3, 2018
Q: Now that things have been solidified, how does that make you feel?
A: I feel good making the team. Obviously first and foremost, that was my goal, so it’s great just to be a part of this team. We flipped the page quickly and are getting ready for the Jaguars, so I’m just going to do everything I can to help the team prepare for Sunday and prepare to win that game.
Q: What was it like over the course of the 24 hours Saturday and Sunday when all of a sudden everybody sees the team has kept four quarterbacks after the cut down?
A: You don’t see that often, so it was a little bit unusual and we were thinking maybe something’s still going to happen. You still don’t know even when they finalize the roster, so many things can happen. I was sitting, just waiting to hear what was going to happen and then when I was one of the guys they kept, I was excited and just ready to go. I’m excited for this season.
Q: What do you think you showed them this summer that made such a strong impression on Pat (Shurmur) and Dave (Gettleman) and everybody else?
A: I don’t know, I think just doing what the coaches asked me to do - be a quick decision maker, be smart with the football, be accurate, let the guys get yards after the catch by throwing it accurately and just knowing where to go with the football. There were some rough practices towards the end of camp and a couple games I wished I played a little bit better, but all in all I felt like I showed improvement throughout the whole camp and I was on the right track, and I think there’s a lot I can improve on and a lot I will improve on. Like I said, we have great coaches, especially coach Shurmur being an offensive guy. He’s been a great help to me and I think I can only keep getting better with him at the helm.
Q: Pat mentioned the quick decision making at the podium today. How valuable is that in this system?
A: It’s valuable in any system, really. You have to be quick with the football and get rid of it on time. Any time you’re getting rid of the ball, it makes it tough for those pass rushers to get to you and if you can throw it accurately, you just stay ahead of the chains and keep the ball moving, and that’s kind of our M.O. as an offense. I’m going to look to do that and continue to improve moving forward.
Q: Do you know what your role is right now or is there still a little uncertainty?
A: Yeah, there’s definitely uncertainty. Obviously Eli (Manning) is the guy and we’re going to do everything we can to help him prepare, but Alex (Tanney) and I both have to be ready to go in. It only takes one play for something bad to happen so we’ll be ready to go. I don’t know my role right now, but if I did, it wouldn’t really change anything, so just going to approach it the same way and continue to learn and help #10 out as much as I can.
Q: How ready do you think you are to play in a regular season game?
A: I’m ready. I think I’m very ready and if my number were to ever get called, I think I would be ready to go and I’d be very, very excited to step in there and help the team win. I have all the confidence in the world in myself and despite how I perform out on the field, I’m always going to carry that. Like I said, if indeed I do have to play this season at some point, then I’ll be ready to go, no doubt about that.
Q: This kind of an introduction to the business side that really you always heard about, but just the way this weekend went down:
A: Growing up, I watched Hard Knocks a million times and they show you how guys get cut and how tough it is to move on. These are guys that we’ve spent a lot of time with in the past couple of months, so it’s tough getting to know all these guys and then having to say goodbye, especially seeing Davis (Webb) like that. He’s a good guy, he’s a competitor and I wish him the best; but yeah, it’s tough. It’s definitely tough when you see a lot of close friends that you have to say goodbye to after only a month or so of working with them. Wasn’t easy, but we’ll move forward.
Q: Do you remember how old you were when you thought about playing in the NFL?
A: It’s funny, my mother actually kept – I was four years old, I was in Pre-K and we had a class assignment ‘what do you want to be when you’re older’ and I wrote I wanted to be an NFL football player when I was four in 1999. She kept that and I still have it, so it has been a lifelong dream. I’ve always wanted to do this, so to get to this point is a great accomplishment. My goals are higher and I obviously want to do more with this, so I’m looking forward to the day I get an opportunity and I’ll be here to make the most of it.
