Defensive Back Logan Ryan
August 26, 2021
Q: After how yesterday went, how refreshing was it to get the pick early in practice there?
A: It was just good to set the tone for the day. Yesterday it was really frustrating. They’ve got a good, young quarterback who’s smart and they’ve obviously got a great play caller, great scheme. This is a situational practice and a lot of situations – two-minute, four-minute, red area – and I think (Patriots Head Coach Bill) Belichick and the Patriots are the best situational team in football from any decade, so it was a great test. Yesterday, I wasn’t really happy how I played, I probably played my worst day I’ve played (of) football in a long time. Personally, I just felt like I didn’t lead our guys either. I just felt like I was out of it and I didn’t lead our guys the right way, whatever the reason may have been. No excuses. That’s football though. This ain’t best of seven. You strap it up, you play the next game. Fortunately, we got a second chance at it and I think we responded better today.
Q: Listening to you and (linebacker) Blake (Martinez), it was pretty obvious you guys were pissed yesterday. What was that conversation like that you had as a group?
A: Me and Blake, I think we consider ourselves an extension of (Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator) Pat Graham and (Head Coach) Joe (Judge) out there on defense. Pat Graham is extremely smart and puts a lot on our plate in terms of multiples, schemes and defenses, and it’s our job to get it, communicate to the guys and have us run it how they envision it. It’s a player’s league, the players have to make the plays. When Blake has a bad day and I have a bad day on the same day, we lose by 100. Yesterday, we both had bad days. Like I said, it doesn’t happen a lot, but it was just one of those days. A lot of people looked at us. I felt like as a leader, how am I going to respond? Am I going to drop my head? Am I going to call it a day? Am I going to get all these pats on the back and ‘attaboys’ because I played here before? I’ve got to come out and respond. I feel like Blake and I responded better today and our team responded better today as a whole.
Q: I don’t know how aware you were, but after the practice yesterday people were going crazy about how good (Patriots Quarterback) Mac Jones looked -- the rookie and Tom Brady, you know the drill. I don’t know how much you heard about that, and is that a little irritating that he did that against your defense?
A: No, we just didn’t play well. He did good, credit where it’s due. I mean, it’s the NFL, he made good throws, but we didn’t play like ourselves. Today we played better. You can light them up today and reveal him, but you can’t reveal a guy day to day. It’s practice, you know what I’m saying? It’s practice. I think he’s a good, young quarterback. Pretty smart with what he does and I heard he’s a hard worker and I know the guys like him, so it’s good for him to see him have a good one.
Q: What’s it like seeing 26 (Running Back Saquon Barkley) out there in the team drills?
A: You saw it. Once he gets that red jersey off, he’s a tough tackle. He brings a lot of energy to our team, he’s obviously one of our better players and it’s good to see him feeling like himself, bouncing around and getting some action. I know he’s been chomping at the bit for it, so I’m just excited for him just in this process coming back from injury. It’s always exciting to get that opportunity and dust off those cobwebs. I think he did a good job of that.
Q: That fight you guys had in camp that day that made national news obviously, how have you seen the team respond since then?
A: Since the fight? That’s just a day in training camp. We’ve had our good days and our bad days. We’ve been on the road for about two weeks, think guys are a little tired. I miss my wife and kids, so I’m not even thinking about the fight at all. I’ve got a three-year-old right now and I’ve got a lot more to think about with him, and what he pushes me to do every single day and sleeping through the night. I haven’t been thinking about that fight.
Q: What do you think of the way that Joe handled things with the team?
A: It was cool, same way a lot of coaches handle it. Fights aren’t allowed in a game, so we don’t want to fight in practice.
Q: What do you think of the perception that he’s just another one of these Belichick assistants, that he’s the same as maybe (Patriots Senior Football Adviser) Matt (Patricia) who went to Detroit or some of these other guys in the past?
A: Joe is himself. I’ve known Joe for a lot of years and Joe is himself – how he talks, what he believes in, his lifestyle, how he grew up. I think he’s really hard-nosed and blue-collar, and he shows that. I don’t think he’s faking that, I don’t think he’s taking that from another man, I think that’s really who he is.