NYG Postgame (vs. Steelers) Transcripts: LB Lorenzo Carter
September 14, 2020
Q: Lorenzo, let’s start with the pregame stuff and how the team came to its decision, how you came to a decision. You seemed especially moved when you were lined up at the goal line.
A: That was just a team decision. We came together, we talked about the situation and just decided that we’re not going to put too much into it. Those three minutes or those two minutes really shouldn’t be a distraction for us and [Head] Coach [Joe Judge] made it clear that it’s not going to be a distraction. We just said, ‘Do what’s on your heart,’ and that’s what was on my heart. Everything we did was genuine and that’s really it.
Q: How do you feel you guys played as a defense? It seemed like you were aggressive early and effective at times. Of course, it didn’t hold up for the full four quarters, but I want to know what you think you guys did well and what you need to improve on.
A: Like you said, I think we came out with a great mindset, ready to play ball. It’s been a minute since we got a chance to get out there and play somebody else, so we were really excited to go get the opportunity to do that. But we know that we have to keep getting better. It’s game one, we got to get in the lab, got to go watch the film and got to go correct the mistakes we made, but we definitely put it out there that we have something we can build on.
Q: What did you learn about your defense as a whole from seeing what you guys did tonight?
A: I really haven’t had a chance to watch the film, but I know we’ve got some fighters. I know we’re going to go out there, we’re going to scratch and claw. Nobody gave up, even at the end of the game when it was really kind of over, we went out there and just kept fighting, and that’s what we’re going to do. Week in and week out, we’re going to keep fighting, we’ve got fighters on this team. That’s nothing new, it’s nothing I didn’t see all of camp, and we’re going to keep doing it and just try to keep getting better.
Q: Just to piggyback off of that, you’ve been here for some tough times. Why do you walk out of this stadium believing that this is a different team and a new chapter for what you guys were able to do tonight?
A: I just see the progress that we made and trust the coaching staff. We put in the work. All the offseason, all the camp, we’ve been putting in work. To come out there and just come up short, it hurts, it definitely hurts, but we see the kind of guys we have. We’ve got some tough guys in this locker room, a group of leaders. We’re ready to get back in there, watch the film tomorrow and get back to work.
Q: Looking at the guys in front of you, [Defensive Lineman] Dexter Lawrence, [Defensive Lineman] Leonard Williams, they were kind of flying into the backfield tonight. Just your thoughts on them and how much easier that makes your job as a linebacker when those guys are creating pressure up front.
A: Oh yeah, man. You’ve got to love it, you’ve got to love those big guys up front. But it’s something we’ve known. We’ve got a crazy defensive line. That room over there, I love playing with them. Those guys are going to fight, they’re going to scratch and claw. Like you saw, they make their plays. We’ve just got to all step up, everybody keep making plays and just try to feed off of each other. That energy is contagious, man. We need guys like that throughout the defense. Everybody can make plays and the more plays they make, the more plays we make.
