CB DeAndre Baker -- December 20, 2019
Q: What’s been the change in the last month or so?
A: There hasn’t been a change, I feel the same as the first day I stepped in this building. Just improving and getting better over time, experience and honing in on everything. I’m getting better results.
Q: Did you know what to expect when you got here? You had so much success in college and so many peers like you coming in. Was the adjustment period a shock to the system a little bit with the better athletes that are here?
A: I don’t think it was anything like that. I feel like I faced good athletes in college as well as in the NFL. I feel like most of the athletes I faced in college went on to the NFL. It’s the same thing, you just have to elevate your game and the mental part of it.
Q: Was it frustrating at all when you had your struggles?
A: It was never frustrating. Not once.
Q: What kind of mentality do you have to have as cornerback where you don’t allow a play against you to get you down?
A: That’s just part of football. You can’t win every down or every play. Whenever you don’t win a snap, you can’t be down on yourself. If you have a bad game or a couple bad games, you can’t look at it and be frustrated. You have to do what you can to improve. I was never the type to be down on myself. I was just looking at ways where I could fix whatever I did wrong.
Q: How hungry are you for an interception at this point?
A: I want one, but it’s going to come. I’m not really trying to do too much to get it, it’s going to come.
Q: How much pride did you take at Georgia, I think you only gave up one touchdown in your time there? How much pride did you take being a shutdown guy at that level?
A: I didn’t really pay attention too much to the stats or not letting guys score touchdowns. I was out there competing, not wanting them to catch a ball. I didn’t really look at it as not letting them score touchdowns, I didn’t want any balls caught, that’s what I was trying to do.
Q: A lot of times, guys in the same rookie class like to go against each other because they were drafted in the same year. You are going to be able to face Haskins on Sunday. How much fun will that be, what kind of challenge is it to go up against a guy who was such a headliner in your rookie class?
A: It will be good to go against him, two rookies in the first round. It will be good to go against him. We never played Ohio State, so it will be a good one.
Q: What do you see when you watch him on film?
A: A good quarterback. He can make all the throws, he can use his legs to get first downs. He can do it all, so go out there and compete with him.
Q: What about Terry McLaurin, what has impressed you about him?
A: He’s pretty fast. He can take the top off the defense. Whenever he’s on the field, we have to be aware of him.
Q: Did Coach Bettcher say in front of the defense at a recent meeting how well you played in a certain game? He was talking about it yesterday, did that moment mean anything to you?
A: I think he pretty much touched on everybody who had a good game. It wasn’t specifically me but everybody who had a couple good plays here and there, he kind of touched on it. It’s always good to be aware you played a good game.
Q: You’ve probably been working hard all year. How rewarding it is that you have seen results the last month? I’m sure you sense that you are seeing things better and recognizing stuff more.
A: It feels good to finally get some ball production. I have been getting ball production earlier in the season but now it’s kind of turned around. To get some ball production feels good.
Q: You have been much more around receivers, is that a confidence thing?
A: Same confidence since the first game, since training camp. Just recognizing better.
