Left Tackle Nate Solder
September 24, 2018
Conference Call
Q: What was the challenge Chad Wheeler was going up against and what was the challenge your line went up against and how did you come out of it on top after obviously taking a lot of heat coming off the Dallas game?
A: Those guys are really good. We had to go down there to their place and beat them. Thank goodness, we made enough plays to do it and it was ugly at times. We did some things that we need to improve and that’s the whole idea is to win and move on and get better.
Q: Going back to Chad (Wheeler), what did his entrance into the starting lineup at right tackle – did that help you guys in the run game? Did that help you guys solidify things? What impact, do you think, his presence had, if any?
A: I really respect Chad, I think he’s a great guy, he’s working hard, he’s done all of the things he’s asked of by the coaches and everything like that, so just going forward, like I said, we got to continue to work on improving. I’m sure Chad will say the same thing, as we all have to get better because that was the last game and we’ve got to keep working.
Q: You have played three games now with Saquon (Barkley). When he makes a play like that on the outside, lining up as a wide receiver, that 21-yard catch, have you ever seen – what backs can you think of you’ve played with that are able to do so many things and how dangerous would that make your offense?
A: I understand your question. I think comparison is a waste of time. I think Saquon’s just unique and a very talented guy and obviously a great teammate and so to have guys like that to make up for a lot of the things we might screw up and make big plays regardless of that, despite that. If we can continue to solidify what we’re doing, get better at what we’re doing and just be a more cohesive unit, I think that will really help us in the future.
Q: Kerry Wynn had one of those games yesterday where he was very disruptive and I assume you’ve gone against him once or twice in training camp. What makes him so effective?
A: What specifically, technically, I don’t know exactly what they had game planned and what he was doing, I wasn’t out there, but I didn’t even get a chance to see the defense play, but practicing against him the guy, he is a competitor, he plays really hard, he’s a strong guy, he’s a competitive guy. I think those are some of the characteristics I can describe about him.
Q: Wanted to ask you about the job John Greco did yesterday stepping in for Jon Halapio. On the outside looking in, there’s always concern, if that’s the right word, that whenever you have to replace a person on the offensive line, especially a center, sometimes the communication can be off or there can be some rough spots in the very beginning, so can you talk about the job he did and if it was smooth?
A: Like I said, we have a lot to work on and I think he did an excellent job. I thought that his communication was very clear and he understands the offense as well as anybody, so to get that communicated across the board, but we weren’t perfect and we need to be a lot better and that’s not John, that’s all of us and we can’t make excuses because it was loud or because we did something different or whatever, we have to continue to work hard to be as efficient as possible.
Q: You sound unsatisfied with the line’s performance. Is that an accurate statement? You keep saying you need to get better than you guys were yesterday and there are things to clean up. Are you just saying that because that’s the weekly process or are you not satisfied with the line’s performance yesterday?
A: No, that was game three, so we got a lot more to go and we got a big season and with a lot of teams, we got the Saints this week and that’s going to be a tough game, so we got to be better and that’s just the way that it is throughout the NFL. It’s a race to be the best team at the end and that takes one week at a time.
You mean the same team that just beat the Jags?