TE Evan Engram -- November 26, 2018
Q: On if there was a chance he would play at all in the game.
A: I was ready if we had a certain situation. We jumped out early without me playing, so it was kind of, ‘okay, let’s hold it’ and then by the time the game got closer and by looking at the flow of the game, I was kind of not as warm as I was. Just wasn’t the smartest idea to be thrown in.
Q: Watching you on the sideline, you were running, you were trying to stay loose, you were on the bike. In your mind, you weren’t out. You were trying to convince them to put you in or –
A: I was just staying warm just in case because it was definitely a situation I would be used in special situations if I was able. Like I said, early on, it really wasn’t needed. We jumped out early, we got a good start and started fast and by the time everything got close, it was kind of everybody was in the flow and kind of wasn’t smart to go in. I was just trying to stay warm just in case.
Q: In the pregame was it just one thing that grabbed at you?
A: No, it was just my hamstring. I felt perfectly fine, same warmup routines, same thing. Just unfortunate event.
Q: You know about hamstrings – was it a pull or a grab –
A: Yeah, it was definitely like more of a grab. I’ve had a worse one before, so I’m able to kind of scale it, but it was definitely a grab. It was something that was not easy to kind of put behind me.
Q: You use the phrase more adversity. How frustrating has this year been for you start to finish?
A: I embrace it. I definitely wasn’t expecting this much, but that’s life. That’s football, so it’s definitely tough, but I was raised to smile in the face of adversity, so definitely not where I want to be, but it’s apart of the game, it’s apart of life and you just got to take it and keep moving forward.
Q: Is it worse losing a game like that and not being able to do anything about it?
A: Yeah. Like I said, we started out early, our guys were ready and we started off the game the way that was planned, so to kind of lose like that and not be able to have my hand in or just to help or be out there with my guys, it definitely sucks.
Q: This was within the 90 minutes after they turned in the deactivations that you pulled it, right?
A: I don’t know that whole timetable. It was a team warmup. We were doing like team periods warmup stuff.
Q: In uniforms? The part where you come out in uniforms?
A: Yeah.
Q: What is the best way to heal up here? Is it rest? Is it something physical?
A: That’s all in the training room. They have a plan set together that’s going to bring me along, but definitely just got to do what I’m asked and do what the plan is and see how I feel.
Q: Is it something that you think will affect you this week or is it something even minor that you don’t think it’s a big enough deal that –
A: I feel optimistic about it. The test I did today with the trainers I feel optimistic about, but like I said, it’s definitely something that’s going to be based on how I feel and if I can be explosive and trust it and be the player that I am.
