QB Daniel Jones -- July 31, 2019
Q: You threw an interception yesterday, how did you react to it?
A: I certainly wasn’t happy about it. It’s going to happen. That’s part of playing the game. Corey made a heck of a play there, definitely something to learn for me from that. I can be sooner making that decision, probably put the ball a little higher in the back of the end zone. Definitely not happy about it, but something to learn.
Q: Had you been aware that you hadn’t thrown one?
A: I don’t know if it was like how you were keeping track. I realized I hadn’t thrown one yet, I realize that was my first one. Like I said, there’s something to learn from it, but you move on.
Q: You don’t know track your completion percentage during practice?
A: No, I don’t.
Q: Coach Shurmur said you were pissed. You seem like a pretty easy-going guy. Is that something people don’t realize about you, the fire you actually have?
A: I get can fired up on the field. I think usually I have pretty good control of that, I think I do on the field also. I think when something like that happens it’s going to get you going a little bit. As long as it doesn’t take away from how you are playing and your decision making, I think that’s natural.
Q: Dexter Lawrence said yesterday he was trying to bring some trash talk out of you?
A: Dexter’s funny, I don’t know if we will get into it. He’s had a really good camp so far, it’s fun watching him play. You can kind of see it when we talk every night, you can tell he’s getting more comfortable and figuring out the defense and what they want him to do. It’s not fun to play against, but it’s fun to watch him and how well he’s playing.
Q: Are you much of a trash talker, has it ever been a part of your game?
A: No, not really.
Q: You have had other bad plays during this camp, dropped passes and things like that. That one seemed to stick with you, why?
A: Well, I think just the situation. A turnover in the red zone is a costly mistake and we talk about that a lot, scoring points in the red zone, touchdowns. Making sure we are getting points. Anytime we turn it over in the red zone, that’s a costly mistake. I think that had something to do with it. I think in a lot of those situations there is a lot to learn from. That situation right there is the reason for the reaction.
Q: What part of the game has slowed down the most?
A: It’s slowed down to some extent. I still think I’m learning a lot, I wouldn’t say that in terms of my development or my progress, it’s still pretty early in the development. It has slowed down to some extent, maybe that’s just the reads and seeing the defense. You know the defense is going to put something in new the next day. I think it’s a constant process and learning and adapting and learning on the fly for me right now. Still slowing down.
Q: What do you use as your criteria to judge if you had a good day at practice?
A: I think the biggest thing to me is how we execute as a unit. Getting in and out of checks and understanding what my assignment is and properly executing that. I think execution in a general sense and that’s putting the ball accurately when we are throwing, getting the right protection and understanding what Coach Shula, Coach Shurmur, and Coach Roeder want me to do on a play and being able to do that throughout practice.
Q: Shurmur said on your day off you were in the quarterback’s room, what did you do?
A: I came in and we prepared with the script for practice yesterday. Kind of a light workout and watched more film and studied more practice. I just felt like I needed to get in the building doing something.
Q: Did Eli say we should all come in, or did you just show up individually?
A: I think we all just kind of showed up at different times.
Q: You’ve been here for like a week now, what’s been the most challenging thing about training camp so far for you as a quarterback, or a rookie quarterback in particular?
A: To me, it’s as we’ve gotten a little bit further into camp, the defense has put in more different looks and a lot of stuff I haven’t seen before. You’re playing against an NFL defense that can do a lot of different things, so I think it’s that. It’s seeing and understanding the defense quickly, and kind of letting that lead you into your decision and into your progression. So, I think that to me has been a challenge.
Q: How much does that naturally lead to ups and downs—like certain days might be better than others, and the day you see all this new stuff, the next day you kind of know how to adjust to it?
A: Yeah, they’re constantly putting in new stuff and constantly evolving with their installs and everything, but hopefully you can learn from it one day and then see some progress or see some improvement the next day once you’ve seen it. I think that’s kind of—that’s a good exercise for me right now in my development.
Q: What has been the biggest revelation for a week playing in the NFL? The whole thing, not just practice, but just the whole experience. What has been the biggest revelation for you?
A: I think I got a sense of it, as far as just the preparation that goes into every practice, I got a sense of that with OTAs and mini-camp. I’d say all of that is just elevated even more with training camp and the time you’re spending in the building, and the time you’re spending in the meeting room. I’m not sure that’s a surprise necessarily, but it is different from in college.
Q: When Eli was a rookie, it was pretty well documented how some veterans, especially on the offensive line, they basically tortured him with pranks. Have you had any experience with that yet? Has anybody sort of been in charge of torturing you?
A: No, I haven’t been tortured yet. I had to sing, I had to make sure we had sunflower seeds in the quarterback room, and all that kind of stuff, but I haven’t been tortured yet.
Q: Are you going to stay on your toes for that?
A: I’m going to stay on my toes, I’ll definitely stay on my toes, but not yet.
Q: How’s your singing?
A: Singing’s not great. I tried, I put my best foot forward.
Q: What did you sing?
A: So, first time I sang “Wagon Wheel,” but that didn’t go over great, so I tried “Buy You a Drink” by T-Pain and got a little better response.
Q: You haven’t fallen victim yet to Eli’s famous pranks?
A: Not quite. We’ll see, we’ve got some time left in training camp, but I’m going to stay on my toes.
Q: From being tortured to having a mentor, and somebody who you have leaned on for a lot of the stuff thus far for just learning some of the nuances of the pro game?
A: Yes, I think Eli’s been extremely helpful for me and just being able to watch him prepare, but any questions I’ve had or any question I’ve asked, he’s been more than helpful with me in answering that. I think whenever anything comes up, it’s easy to ask him and get a full explanation. For me, it’s been a great way to learn so far.
Q: Do you process or do anything different after a practice when you’re unsatisfied, maybe like yesterday versus another day where you feel like you came out and did everything you wanted to?
A: Maybe a little bit, but I think your process needs to stay consistent. I’m still—even on better days, there’s still a whole lot to learn for me right now, and I realize that. So, I don’t think the process changes too much.
Q: But if you do make a mistake, that’s not going to stop you from being aggressive? Do you maintain your aggressiveness if you throw a pick?
A: Yes, I think so. I think you have to, particularly right now, because that’s how I’m going to learn and I understand that, but I don’t think it can change your decision-making process.
Q: Do you feel like it’s getting easier in that regard, just comprehending the whole system and grasping what you’re supposed to do?
A: I think maybe in some ways, maybe with the stuff we’ve had in longer, but I think part of the challenge for me is seeing the defense and understanding the defense. As we’re putting in stuff, they’re putting in stuff, too, so it’s kind of a lot of stuff that I haven’t seen before, and for me it takes me a little bit longer to recognize. So, those are things that require more preparation, seeing it more, and learning from them. So, it slows down in some ways, and not as much in other ways, but just trying to learn as much as I can from each look so I can make the progress.
