WR Golden Tate III -- September 30, 2019
Q: How long will it take you to get back in rhythm after having some rust from the last month?
A: I have been staying on top of it. I guess maybe a practice or two hopefully, we’ll see.
Q: The first hit will be good right?
A: Oh yeah, I have been waiting a long time for the hits. I’m excited to be back, I had a big smile on my face yesterday and today. It’s great to be back, I miss these guys, I miss the facility, I miss the coaches. I’m ready to get back to work, here we go.
Q: You got to play with Daniel in the preseason game against the Patriots, but didn’t get a lot of practice time during training camp. Watching through his first two starts, what are your impressions of him as a quarterback?
A: He’s slippery, he finds his way out of some sticky situations and makes plays. Obviously, he’s helped us win. Watching from afar, his decision making has been great, I think. I’m here to help him, helping his development, help make some plays and take some pressure off of him and just help us continue to win.
Q: Were you climbing the walls the last month?
A: Yeah, I was kind of going through it a little bit, especially the first two games. I guess as each game passed it got a little bit easier because I knew I was closer to coming back. I’ve just been itching, been missing football and now the time is finally here.
Q: What did you do for the month, did you stay around here?
A: No, there was no vacation. We live in San Diego, that’s where our home base is for me. I have trainers, massage therapists, and rehab people there. I just went back home and worked my tail off, tried to stay ready and get better and hang with the family. I tried to keep myself busy just to take my mind off of it. Sundays were tough for me, I was in a bad mood on Sunday just because from the start of the day I couldn’t find the game. Because I’m on the west coast, they weren’t showing the game. I had to find it somewhere streaming, it started off and then I’m just sitting looking like, I should be out there. It was tough, but yesterday was kind of the first pleasant game for me. One, we won and I knew as soon as the game was over I was pretty much allowed to be back, it was exciting.
Q: How did you find out about the quarterback change and what was your reaction?
A: I read it online somewhere. It might’ve been ESPN, I don’t know. I was excited, it’s an opportunity, he’s been waiting. His chance came and that was that. I didn’t know what to expect.
Q: Have you been surprised at all by how well he’s played?
A: I wouldn’t say I was surprised, I’m delighted, I’m liking what I’m seeing for sure. He’s been handling the moment very well and hopefully he continues to improve each day and each game.
Q: I’m assuming you have had a chance to look at the play by play and some of what has happened with this offense over the first month. As you come back with your skill set, how will that component help this offense be even better?
A: Whatever we are doing right now is working. I just want to come in and be a spark, an addition to what we’re doing, just help everybody around me get better and just be myself. There is no secret that in the slot I’m pretty dangerous once I get the ball in my hands. I feel like I’m pretty dangerous on third down. Hopefully, I am utilized that way. Whatever it takes to win. These four weeks have been very long for me. I have just been thinking about football, ready to get back out here and the time is now. We just want to get another win, go 1-0 this week and keep this thing rolling. As you can probably see in this locker room, the vibe is great. When you win, it’s all great, so we’ll see.
Q: What have you seen from Darius Slayton?
A: Over these last four weeks, I have only been able to see the TV copy. I’m not even able to really focus in on him unless he is getting the ball, you know how TV’s work. He’s shown up and made some big plays for us, that’s what we need. The more guys that can make plays, the better it is, the harder it makes it on defenses. You have a bunch of guys that can do something at any given moment, that’s great. We want to be an offense that spreads the ball around to everybody. I think that’s what is going to make us unpredictable. When you’re unpredictable, I think you can be dangerous. Darius obviously brings that speed and explosion, he has a great catch radius, his route running is getting better and better, he’s a huge asset. The key for our group is just to stay healthy and keep trying to be better, not only for our group but for the team.
Q: I know you tweeted you would be here at 12:01, what time did you actually get here and what was it like when you first came into the building?
A: I got in probably around 8, or 8:15. My wife wouldn’t let me stay here the night or last night, because she knew I would be spending eight or nine hours a day here. She said she wanted to enjoy the last night. It was a great vibe, we won last night, I went straight into the weight room, started saying hi to everybody, giving out hugs and it was great, I loved it.
