LB Alec Ogletree -- October 30, 2019
Q: How will Leonard Williams fit in with this defense?
A: I think he will fit in nicely with us. Obviously, he is a talented player and we just hope he comes in and helps us win games. Obviously, you can see he is a big guy and he has production in the league, and that’s what you want.
Q: When a team is struggling as you guys have been, and you are at the deadline, it could go one of two ways. We saw guys last year get traded. Does it send a message that whatever names were floated out there are still here and they brought in another piece?
A: That’s one of the things that’s part of business, part of the NFL. No team is the same from year to year, they trade guys and let guys go, it all depends on what end of the stick you are on. For me, obviously being in the league a while, I have seen it go all kinds of ways. I personally have been part of a trade, so you never know. While you are with that team, you have to give your all to that team and do what’s right.
Q: What does it do for you guys adding players at the deadline instead of subtracting?
A: It adds more talent to our group and hopefully it adds more production to us winning games. The main reason people make moves is to win games and we want to win games. They obviously felt he was a much-needed piece to help us win games.
Q: When a guy comes in midstream like Leonard has, how much of an uphill swim does he have picking up the language, picking up different concepts that he hasn’t done before? How do you guys help him with all that?
A: That just takes a little bit of studying on his part and also guys communicating with him, just helping him along and speed up the process. For him, it’s get after the passer. There are only so many ways you can tell a guy to rush the passer. Some of the language stuff he has to catch up with, but for the most part he’ll be doing the same thing he’s been doing, trying to get after the passer.
Q: What about the concepts and stuff, I don’t know if this is true or not but I have been told when you are here in the beginning you are taught the “whys” behind different concepts, but if you come in later you hit the ground running and worry about the “whys” later? Does that make a difference in a guy’s play?
A: I think it somewhat does, understanding why you need to be over here or why you need to be over there because we run this defense to get the ball to come here or we want to force them to do this. Understanding that reason why, but you have to be a football player, you have to go out there and make plays. Coming in the middle of the season, you don’t understand terminology as you would if you were here all year but at the same time I think it varies from position to position. For him, most of the stuff is go get after the passer.
Q: Do you think some of the criticism he has gotten is unfair? In the sense he was a top pick, good player, but the fans wanted more sacks. How do you feel about that?
A: I don’t have anything to do with that. It’s one of those things, people are going to say what they want to say, good, bad or indifferent. We have him here now and I’m looking forward to playing with him and seeing him get after the passer.
Q: Is that where the instincts can come in, picking up the why of something, if you are an instinctive player you can pick it up a little bit quicker?
A: It’s not like he is a rookie, he’s been in the league. He’s been in a couple different defenses, he understands what it takes to learn the defense and be ready to play and I think he will do a good job of that.
