LB Olivier Vernon -- December 14, 2018
Q: The defense has been a big part of the wins. Why do you think the defense has been playing better the last couple of weeks?
A: Everybody’s just doing what they got to do, doing their job and things are just stacking and we're making plays when we got to make plays.
Q: You’re talking about getting wins, I assume, and I’m not just talking about you, but the team had 14 sacks in the first 11 games, 10 in the last two. Why have sacks as a team gone up?
A: Everybody’s just sticking to the script and doing what they got to do, basically.
Q: Has the script changed, are you guys being more aggressive?
A: Script ain’t changed, everybody just trusting the process. That’s it.
Q: Where is the confidence level of the team now that you guys have won four of the last five?
A: Our confidence has always been high, so all we got to do is keep stacking wins.
Q: Do you look at what’s going on around the league?
A: With what?
Q: With the playoffs, that if you guys keep stacking wins, what the other teams are doing...
A: No, not really. We just care about what we’re doing, that’s it. That’s the whole mentality of what we got in here.
Q: What changed during the bye week? Anything? Is it just coincidence that you guys have won four of five after a week off?
A: Nothing changed. Everybody's still coming into work, still practicing hard, still studying our opponents the same way. Things are just going our way. Trusting the process.
Q: (Marcus) Mariota – your thoughts of him as mobile quarterback?
A: He’s always been very effective with his legs and his capability of making plays. He can still make very good throws. They've got great, great running backs back there. Those guys can move that ball and the biggest thing right there is just getting pressure on Mariota and stopping the run.
Q: As alive as this locker room is right now, is that the result of winning? Or is winning the result of how alive this is right now?
A: I think you might be right on that second one. I mean, I feel like everybody’s been the same. Nobody’s really changed the way they’ve been. Everybody’s been staying the same, coming in the building, just going, executing, doing their job and putting in hard work.
