NYG Postgame (vs. Patriots) Transcripts: LB Blake Martinez
August 29, 2021
Q: Will you make a petition to play cornerback now?
A: So (Defensive Backs Coach) Jerome (Henderson) at halftime was like, ‘hey, we can't let the linebackers beat us.’ But, I was like, ‘whoa, I'm part of your guys’ group now.’ So, I’ll try to help them out (laughs).
Q: How did the ball end up in your hands?
A: I saw he was like the classic receiver with wide open eyes, and I was like, ‘oh, he actually threw it.’ So, once he had it in his hands and came down, I went to go punch it out, but my hand got the ball and I just ripped it out of his hands.
Q: When you celebrated, though, you ran to the other endzone.
A: So yeah, at that point, I didn't know what was going on (laughs). I'm definitely have to work on that, but it was fun.
Q: When got here, you heard all the noise. A lot of people were talking about your skills in coverage. I think you played pretty well in coverage last year, but how much did that motivate you? How many strides do you think you made?
A: One hundred percent. It's one of those things each year I want to keep improving on something, making my weaknesses into strengths. Especially this offseason, I wanted to make sure coverage-wise every single day, one-on-ones, doing multiple reps, man coverage, just doing everything I can to work on those fundamentals, and just have a plan when I go out there. I think I’ve improved a lot.
Q: This was sort of your last chance as a defense to see where you're at before the season. So, where are you guys in your mind?
A: I think we're still growing. We're still improving each and every day. I think when we went out there, we worked as a unit. There's certain things we want to clean up, but we’ve got two weeks to show that improvement and get it done when we go against Denver.
Q: They've given reps to (Linebacker) Tae (Crowder), (Linebacker) Carter (Coughlin), and (Linebacker) Reggie (Ragland) next to you throughout camp. It seems like those three guys all have different skillsets. What's it like playing next to those three, and is that something you have to be mindful of, knowing what those guys’ strengths and weaknesses are when you're out there?
A: I think every single one of them has, like you said, different skillsets, but my favorite thing about them is they listen and communicate. They understand what they need to do on every single play. It makes it easy to play with as partners, no matter who comes in. I know if Carter is in, if Reggie is in, if Tae is in, it's basically the same kind of personality. We can all work well together.
Q: Do you think you guys have a dramatically better team, or do you not have a read on that until you play regular season games?
A: I think every year you have a new team. You have new guys, obviously free agency, the draft, and all those types of things. You can't compare the two, but for us, it's just improving each and every day. Whether a good practice, a bad practice, we're trying to make sure we're sound across the board, and like I said, playing as 11. If we do that, I think we could be one of the best.
