Safety Julian Love
Q: I hope you've got a better jumper than half your team over there.
A: Sadly, I don't. I wasn't a big jump shot guy. My dad wanted me to be, but it didn't pan out.
Q: With (Defensive Back) Logan (Ryan) out, obviously probably a much bigger role for you? What was today like coming on practice and what will it be like if Logan can't play?
A: Yeah, today on the practice field, it was very similar to my usual Friday's because I feel like I'm always kind of subbing in and out of every type of position. I think from a leadership perspective, it's tough. We obviously, we've got to see what happens. He is kind of the vet, experienced guy in our secondary right now. I mean, obviously we want him out there with us.
Q: How big of a blow is this for you guys? It's a big change to have if he can't play. You're playing a team with (Buccaneers Quarterback) Tom Brady and they're the best offense, if not one of the best offenses in the league. How big of a blow is it to lose a guy at this point in the game?
A: Yeah, I mean, he was really excited to get after it this week especially against Tampa, against Tom. That's just the competitor in him. His juices were going this week for sure. It's tough. You want to have all of your tools available and ready versus a team like this and obviously, their offense. It's definitely a blow, but we've got some resilient guys. We're going to just really spend the extra time like we did today after practice just to really get everything sharpened up.
Q: What's difficult about defending somebody like (Buccaneers Tight End Rob) Gronkowski from your perspective? Did you guys take away anything from playing the Chiefs and the Raiders about stopping those tight ends?
A: I mean, Gronk is one of the best to ever do it at his position. He's very talented and him and Tom just have a great connection. They just find a way. We've definitely got to have an eye on him. He's one of the game wreckers that we've got to minimize or do our best to minimize. That goes into our prep. Obviously we had a good plan versus (Chiefs Tight End Travis) Kelce in Kansas City. We've got to just continue that growth and just really execute.
Q: You had a pretty good tweet that you were going to dye your hair half blonde. You're really going to do it?
A: Yeah. That's a true statement. I told him (Safety Xavier McKinney) I'll dye my hair half blonde if he makes the Pro Bowl. So, yeah, that's accurate.
Q: Tell me about that. That's being a good teammate. That's supporting your guy. He's actually younger than you and he's playing a bigger role. Is that just selfishness on your part wanting your guy to get praised? What went into that?
A: I think Xavier is a rising superstar in this league without a doubt. I think he's wise beyond his years. Obviously, he's a year younger than me, but he goes into each week with a great preparation and a great focus. He's really intentional about what he's doing. He's a great guy, so you want to support all your guys who are in that role and I think he's having a great year. I think attention should be shown his way, for sure.
Q: How would you look half blonde?
A: Probably better than him, honestly (laughs). But yeah, that should be an exciting thing. Hopefully he gets it done.
Q: Have you guys had the opportunity to speak to Logan today?
A: Yeah, I talked to him. I talk to Logan a lot, I talked to him this morning. It's tough. I know we're waiting on some results and all that stuff. It's just tough, it's just tough to see. First and foremost, you just want to wish safety on him and everyone he's around, his family and all that. That's kind of what's on my mind is for him, just his health and safety, really.
Q: How is he feeling?
A: He said he feels fine. He said he feels fine. He's got all his extra workouts in and all that stuff. He's been kind of doing his normal routine, hasn't felt too phased this week. It sucks to see a test come back positive.
Q: I'm guessing it would be more of a surprise if you hadn't heard from Logan, right?
A: Yeah (laughs). I'm sure he's going to have a zoom call scheduled with us later today just to recap what he sees on film. That's just the type of leader he is. He's really attached and he's really in it with us no matter what.
