LB Oshane Ximines -- August 1st, 2019
Q: You’ve been knocking down some passes lately in the last few days in camp, that was an ability that you had in college. Knocking down passes and forcing fumbles, to what can you attribute that ability to or is it just instinct?
A: I mean it’s just a force of habit, like a lot of the times I always think get my hands up if I can get all the way to the quarterback. So you know I’ve been doing this since college, even through walk-throughs when the quarterback isn’t actually throwing the ball. I try to get my hands up just to assimilate a habit and after a while of sticking your hands up there you’re going to get one of them after a while.
Q: In the little of that you’ve seen in the NFL so far are you convinced that you can make an impact on a pass rush?
A: Yeah, definitely you know I’ve been practicing for a while. I’m pretty sure the game is a lot faster and I’m pretty sure there’s a another step I have to take. For me when I’m going through practice I definitely feel like I compete not only as a pass rusher, but anywhere the team needs me, whether it’s special teams, I feel like I could do it and do it at a high level.
Q: The biggest question that obviously everyone had for you is coming from a smaller school and a smaller program, has it felt like a pretty big jump for you so far?
A: I mean, I feel like the biggest jump was like the playbook and the complexity of it. I feel like we weren’t really that complex at ODU (Old Dominion), so I felt like that was the biggest jump. Once you get out there on the field its’ just football man, no matter who you’re playing against. Do you know what I’m saying? It’s the same thing you’ve been doing your whole life.
Q: You know obviously people have a lot of questions about this defense, what it can do, what kind of pass rush you can generate, but what you’ve seen regarding the talent around you how good do you think this defense can be?
A: Oh, I think we have the opportunity to be very good. Coach Betch (Defensive Coordinator James Bettcher) like I said man, he’s a genius. He knows every little part of the defense like inside and out so he’s doing a great job every day at coming in and having something that we need to get better in practice. Then we come out here and try to execute what he’s doing, and if we keep doing that I feel like we’re going to be really good.
Q: Is it a complicated playbook or like just a lot to learn your first year?
A: It’s probably not complicated for the guys who have been out here doing it for a long time, but for me I’d probably say it’s complicated just because it’s my first time and I’m playing a new position.
Q: Whose been giving you the best advice, mentoring you the best so far in the locker room?
A: All the older guys have been helping me out, you know Lorenzo (Carter), Marcus Golden he told me about how it was in Arizona and I always ask him about his 12 sack season he had. Kareem Martin, he knows the playbook inside and out, so when I have a question about the playbook I ask him and he will have the answer for me right off the bat, and like I said Zo (Lorenzo Carter). He was just in my shoes last year so when I’m feeling down mentally I feel like he’s more the mental guy to help bring me back up.
Q: Best advice you’ve received so far?
A: The first thing that comes to my head is a quote that Coach Betch actually said and its “What got you here won’t keep you here” so that’s something that really stuck out to me and, you know it’s true. Going through college, it was pretty easy but now I have to take another step to stay here and I want to contribute to this defense.
Q: Speaking about that next step Dave Gettleman said that the other day a lot of the young guys, with yourself included need to kind of make a play to build your confidence. Have you sort of had a play or a moment yet where you said (Hey I can actually do this)?
A: Honestly I feel like it was after my first play but I feel like practice doesn’t really count so when I get into preseason number one I will feel like that’s when I’m really going to have that feeling. But the first play I had in practice I went out there and you know I was okay after the play so that’s when I feel like when I really decided I can play, I can do it out here.
Q: How is the regrowth of the beard going?
A: Oh its coming man, I say by preseason 3 it’ll be back (laughs).
