Wide Receivers Coach Tyke Tolbert -- December 7, 2019
Q: You get all your guys, what does that mean to the offense in your opinion?
A: More play makers, the better. That’s what it means.
Q: I think when Sterling and Golden played last time together, the way it shook out Golden was in the slot more than Sterling, I believe. Why is that, what did you attribute to that?
A: No particular reason. The way we install in the preseason, everybody knows all the positions. It depends on the formation we call. Sometimes some guys end up more inside than outside, but no particular reason.
Q: How do you think Sterling has looked since he has come back?
A: He looks good. He’s fast, he’s sudden, he’s quick. He practices hard every play. Every play you can’t tell if it’s run or pass because he has great departure speed off the ball, which is what I like. He hustles, he looks really good.
Q: You have a couple guys in Slayton and Tate that have never caught a pass from Eli Manning in a game. How do you prepare them for the quarterback change?
A: We don’t, we just go out and run our plays. Whoever is back there throwing it, we are going to catch it. There’s no real different preparation from a wide receiver standpoint. Our job is to go out there, line up and make plays in the run game and the pass game. Whoever is back there is going to throw and we’re going to catch it, and hopefully have a lot of success.
Q: We’ve seen Darius be productive when he’s been in the lineup. A lot of it has been without Shep and Golden there together. How do you make sure he doesn’t have his playing time reduced and not become as big a factor?
A: He is going to be the same factor he has always been. We have a good plan for these guys, a good rotation for these guys. Like I said in the opening statement as far as guys coming back, all your play makers are back, so it makes it great for us to be able to have guys on the field that can make plays any time. I wouldn’t or should not see Slayton’s role decrease, if you will. It’s just a better rotation, I guess, with a lot of better guys in there. If it’s less plays for him, it’s not intentional. If it’s more plays for him, it’s not intentional. It’s just how the game is going to be called and who’s in there (inaudible).
Q: Where have you seen him make the biggest strides, Slayton?
A: I think probably his routes. At Auburn, he didn’t have a very big route tree because of the way they run the offense. A lot of running stuff, he ran a lot of go routes. He didn’t have a very big route tree when he first got here. To see him improve week in and week out with his routes and the route technique, that’s probably where he has improved the most.
Q: How surprising is that to you? Because that’s the one thing when you look at him, he’s able to get open pretty consistently.
A: I think his work ethic, it doesn’t surprise me. He works hard, and critically, he’s coachable. He listens to the things we try to say and try to do, and he goes out there and performs. He works at it quite a bit.
Q: Did you see something though? Because I know, like you said, it’s hard because he’s not really running that route tree, but is there something when you’re scouting him that you can see how likely he’ll progress?
A: Well, I think the first thing that stands out is his speed. His speed, and then he’s a smart kid. The way I look at it, if you’re fast and you’re smart, I feel like I can coach you to do the things I want you to do technique wise. It takes time, he’s just a rookie but he’s progressing in a way we’d like for him to progress.
Q: This secondary for the Eagles has struggled at times, what kind of opportunity does that present for you guys against them?
A: I think, to be honest with you, the receiver room, we feel very confident that we can have success whenever we go on the field, regardless of who the secondary is. I don’t look at it from the standpoint of they’ve been struggling or whatever, because I know they are a good team and I really know they are a good front and can get to the quarterback really fast. Our job is to get open whoever we are playing against. We don’t look at it as if guys are having great success or are not having as much success. We look at it the same way. We are going to go out there, we feel confident we can go out there and win. Execute the plays that are called and get open, regardless of who’s covering us.
Q: Russell Shepard’s season is over. What does he still bring this team and to your room?
A: Energy every day. Russell is in the meetings and he’s our hype-man of the wide receivers. He brings a lot of juice to us and I appreciate a guy like him. Sometimes when you’re not doing as well as a team, sometimes guys can get down a little bit, but not Russ. Russ brings the energy every day, he keeps the whole team energized and especially the wide receiver room energized. I appreciate Russ.
Q: How impressed have you been with the unit’s blocking in general?
A: I’m impressed with their blocking. As a matter of fact, one of the things I have on the tip sheet, it’s tip number eight— the first sentence is, ‘Be the best player on the field with or without the ball.’ I’ve always been of the philosophy ... If you have 65 plays in the game, which is an average, and you have five catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns, that’s great. But what are you doing for the other 60 plays? I obviously emphasize the other 60 plays. Because all of the guys want to catch the ball, make plays and score touchdowns, but are you helping your team win in other areas? That’s playing without the ball. You have to be as good of a player without the ball as you are with the ball.
