Monday Media Transcript: G Will Hernandez

G Will Hernandez -- August 12, 2019

Q: How was it getting on the field and hitting for the first time the other night?
A: It was great, that’s when football really starts getting fun. All the guys go out there excited, and we get to actually show what we have been working on all offseason. A lot of guys work hard, a lot of guys lift weights, get stronger, faster, bigger, and it’s the first chance you get to go out there and show what you did the whole time.

Q: Was that a holding penalty or no?
A: I’m going to let you watch the tape. I bet you won’t ask me that question after watching it.

Q: As a five-man starting unit, what are you most curious about seeing out of the rest of the preseason games?
A: Honestly, I’m not too curious. I’m very confident in what this offensive line can do. I feel like this offensive line can be really, really good. I’m learning a lot from these guys, these guys come out every day and want to work, want to get after it. They hate to lose and want to win and it’s contagious. Some things kind of take time to develop and some of the chemistry to develop and that just comes with games and snaps. As far as curiosity, I know what we can do. I know we can do a lot and really help out our team.

Q: You were probably pretty confident in the starting five last year, what’s the biggest difference?
A: Well, I have a whole year under my belt, everybody got another year better. Wherever they were, everybody got more experience, more time to see film, more time to do a lot of things and just get better as an individual. When we all come together as five, you can really see the difference. One example was me and Nate, we started off a little slow and then we picked it up the rest of the season, and then we picked up right where we left off once we came back for OTA’s. We have just been building and building off of that. We also have Remmers and Zeitler on the other side, and the center position is just crazy. Both of these guys just come out everyday and work. Coaches are going to have a really hard decision to make. At the end of the day, we have five guys that got better from last year and we are just building off of it.

Q: You talked about how you and Nate had to get on the same page, are Zeitler and Remmers going to have to experience that, too, or no because they are both older?
A: I don’t think so. I think they are going to handle it better than me and Nate did. Especially since they don’t have to deal with a rookie coming in. I think Remmers and Zeitler are on a whole different level, on the same page. From what I’ve seen already, they have been meshing really good together.

Q: What does Zeitler bring to you guys?
A: Zeitler just brings that attitude of, ‘I don’t care how many reps I have to take, but I’m going to get this specific detail right.’ He’s just very detail-oriented, and I think that’s what makes him a great offensive lineman. He pays attention to every single little thing, and it’s contagious, too. Sometimes he’s just working on this one little thing that we talked about in meetings and some of the other guys will be like, ‘Oh, that’s right, we have to do that,’ or ‘Oh, that’s right.’ It’s contagious. He doesn’t care if he has to do a thousand reps of something, but he’s going to get it right, and when it comes down to it, he’s going to execute. Like I said, it passes on to the rest of the offensive line, and it really helps us out, and we learn a lot from him, too.

Q: Everybody says he’s the most focused, all-football guy. Do you ever see him laugh or smile?
A: Oh yeah. I’m just saying that when it comes to football, that’s how he is, but outside of football, too, awesome guy. Really cool to hang out with, he’s funny, and he’s just a really good teammate.

Q: Are you guys giving Saquon dreams of taking the preseason off?
A: (Laughter) No, we miss him out there, but we understand. Either way, we’re going to go out there and do our job no matter who’s back there. We know that when the time comes down to it, he’s going to be there, and he’s going to be 100 percent.

Q: Do you need to see him behind you, or are you just blocking away and it doesn’t make a difference if he’s playing?
A: No, we come out there and we block the way we block no matter who’s back there. We always come out and we give it our all, it doesn’t matter what back we’ve got back there. Obviously, Saquon makes things a little bit easier sometimes, but we come out there, same mentality, same focus.

Q: It’s only your second year in the NFL, but how much of a problem is Dexter Lawrence going to be for offensive linemen?
A: Yeah, definitely a great pick. He came out there from day one, he came out and worked hard, and showed exactly why he was picked where he was picked, and I’m excited to have him on our team. He gets the offensive line better, he’s getting his fellow D-linemen better, and I feel he’s really going to be a problem for teams this season.

Q: Any update from El Paso?
A: There’s been a lot of little gatherings that they’ve had. They had a few of them at the Cielo Vista Mall itself, and people are just showing respect, paying respects to all those families that were lost, all those people that were lost, families out there, friends. That’s mainly what that culture is all about, it’s all about respect and honoring, and that’s what they’re doing now, and I know they’re going to rally, and they’ll be fine.

Q: What did it mean for you guys to see Daniel Jones have such success?
A: It was awesome to see him go out there and execute the way he did. I told the media before, he didn’t seem like a rookie quarterback to me. He came out there sure of himself, handled the huddle really well, was loud, projected everything he wanted to say the whole play. Usually when we’ve had guys go in there, they kind of mumble the play a little here and there, and he came out and didn’t have any of those issues, and he came out and executed and did exactly what he needed to do. So, I’m very excited to have him as a teammate, great guy.Obviously, a great quarterback.