Safety Xavier McKinney
Q: How frustrating has the defense's performance been in these first two weeks?
A: I don't know, we know we've got to be better. We hone in on it everyday in meetings and when we come out here to practice. We don't see it that way, we see it as we've just got to get better. That's it.
Q: In what ways? Where do you look at it and say that we need to be significantly better?
A: In all the ways. Any way that we see that we need to get better, whether that's being better at communication, better in just doing our assignments. I think it's all around for us and we know that. We go into practice and meetings and work on that.
Q: What's the combination of (Falcons Wide Receiver Calvin) Ridley and (Falcons Tight End Kyle) Pitts and what kind of challenge does that give you guys on the back end?
A: Obviously it's a challenge. I think week in and week out, every opponent that we play, obviously every team is going to have some guys that are really good, that we are going to have to really lock in on. It's going to be challenging for us as a defense. I think we've got the right game plan to go in there and be able to compete and be in the winning situation.
Q: Did you draw Pitts when University of Florida played University of Alabama? Did you have to cover him?
A: No, I never played Pitts, no.
Q: People have described Pitts as a unicorn. What do you see from him on film that makes him special?
A: Yeah, he's a really good tight end. Like I said, he's one of those guys that he's a tight end, but he plays like a receiver. I think that's why they probably use that term for him. Like I said, they've got some good guys. We'll just go out there and I think we've got a good game plan, and we've got to go out there and execute it at the end of the day.
Q: Is it hard for you, (Safety Jabrill) Peppers and (Defensive Back) Logan (Ryan) to all be on the field at the same time? Do you guys look at it as somebody is always going to have one game out? It might be you as the odd man out, one game where it might be Jabrill or it might be Logan. How do you look at the idea that it's hard to get all three of you, so somebody is the odd man out every game?
A: I'm not sure. I think we just go into it and we try to do our jobs. That's how I see it. I think that's how they see it too. I don't think about it.
Q: What did you think of (Jacksonville Head Coach) Urban Meyer saying that the NFL is like playing Alabama every week?
A: Oh yeah, I didn't see him say that, but I could see that's a true statement though. I think, like I said, there's guys on every team that are going to be really good. I's hard to kind of just go into it kind of lackadaisical. You can't really do that, or you won't win a lot in this league. That's what I've come to notice. I agree with that statement.
