NYG Transcriptions: DL Dalvin Tomlinson -- October 24, 2018
Q: On DT Damon Harrison being traded.
A: We understand people go, it’s just the nature of the business. I know he’s going to ball wherever he goes and just have to step up my game and make sure get the rest of the D-Line is ready to go play this Sunday.
Q: (Inaudible) at a pretty high level before. Does this feel like an opportunity for you to if not audition for the next 10 weeks for a starting role, show them what you can do?
A: Wherever they want to put me, I’m excited for it, to go out there and ball out and step up my game.
Q: Have you talked to Snacks (Damon Harrison) today?
A: Briefly. Not much because we had meetings and all this stuff going today and workouts. I really haven’t had a time to sit down talk to him.
Q: As a defense, what is the kind of vibe? You’ve seen two of your starters leave...
A: We just make sure we focus on Washington this week because there’s still a lot of football left to play and we have to make sure we’re ready for them.
Q: Is that hard to do, focus on the game and not the locker room and players that are leaving?
A: It’s not too hard because it’s the nature of the business. It happens pretty much every week everywhere across the league and if you’re not focused, only bad things can happen from that.
Q: Fans would look at this and say you guys are waving the white flag. How do you guys look at it?
A: We have great players in every position across the locker room. It’s the NFL, they have to be great to play in it and we’re not giving up. We’re all hungry out here and just want to make sure we prepare right and get this win.
Q: Were you blindsided about it all or did you kind of sense something might be coming like this with the record how it is?
A: I really wasn’t paying attention to anything off the field, for the most part. I was pretty much focusing everything on the field to play as a game plan and stuff like that.
Q: Every game you’ve played as a pro so far, I imagine you leaned on Snacks heading out there on the field, you guys are pretty close. What were you able to glean from that relationship and how different will it be being out there on the practice field without 98 next to you?
A: Snacks is a great guy. I’ve learned a lot from him on and off the field. He’s just a great role model. It’s going to be slightly different not playing next to him, I feel like, but like I said, it’s the nature of the game and I have to get used to it and we have other guys I’m used to playing next to also. We just have to keep improving.
Q: Coach said you’re probably a little more natural playing right over the center. Is that something you’re looking forward to to kind of develop into that role?
A: Yeah, as long as I can line up and put my hand in the dirt, I’m happy. That’s the biggest thing for me.
Q: Do you sense guys looking over their shoulder at all, kind of saying who’s next, who could be traded after those two guys went?
A: I feel like people on the outside may think that. In the locker room, that’s not the feeling we have at all. We’re all just starving to get that win. We come in working hard each and every day, working out, doing extra work, extra film and things like that, so I don’t think anybody’s feeling like that.
Q: With Snacks gone now, you have the longest consecutive starting streak on the team. Is that shocking to hear?
A: I didn’t know that one, but that’s pretty cool. Let’s keep this streak going.
Q: You’ve been here a year and seven weeks. To be the most established consecutive starter, that says a lot about this team and the turnover, right?
A: Yeah, that’s a surprising statistic. I wasn’t expecting that one today, but yeah, just want to go out there and ball out. Improve my game and step up to the next level.
Q: Sorry if I missed it, but did you and Snacks communicate at all today?
A: I really haven’t had the time to actually talk to him because all the meetings and workouts we had today, and it’s been a busy day, I bet, for both of us.
