Wide Receiver David Sills V
Q: I asked (Head Coach Brian Daboll) Dabs earlier about you and some of the other receivers pushing to make a roster and he said, 'They're not just pushing to make a roster spot, they are pushing to play.' What's your reaction as a guy who has been here for three years and hasn't had a lot of opportunities to play?
A: That's definitely something that's awesome to hear, but there's constant competition in training camp. I think we've had good competition in our room this whole training camp. We've got another week of competing against the Jets and have a joint practice with them so I'm just going to try to put my best foot forward this week, and carry it into the game. Hopefully everything will work its way out from that. I'm just going to continue do the same thing that I've been doing this whole training camp and try to go out there and like I said, make plays and put my best foot forward.
Q: How much do you think living in (Quarterback) Daniel's (Jones) pocket all offseason helps you guys in terms of your chemistry? It seems like when he is in trouble, he's really looking for you and that must go back to February, March and April.
A: (Laughs) I definitely don't think it hurts. We have been able to build a good connection over the last couple years. I think it's been paying off out there in practice and in the game the other day. He kind of knows where I'm going to be, I know where the ball is going to be. So, it's something that I had put a lot of time in to get to this point, but like I said earlier it's not like the job is finished. We still have another week of training camp. Just looking to get better and compete. Dabs says that's what he wants, are guys that are going to compete every day, and I feel like we've got a good group of guys that are willing to do that and always trying to put their best foot forward every day.
Q: (Wide Receiver Alex) Bachman and (Quarterback Davis) Webb are giving you guys a run for your money though, that seemed like a pretty good connection.
A: Yeah, that was awesome to watch – I was so happy for both of them. That whole group played great together and Bachman, he's been here basically the same amount of time that I have so it's really good to see him perform really well. You can tell that there was a lot of excitement over him making plays because he's been here for a while and has a relationship with a lot of guys on the team. It was very good to see that. Exciting all around. The locker room was awesome after the game. It was very exciting to see that.
Q: Is there anything that you can say from your background as a former quarterback that helps you with a connection with Daniel? The language, communicating, is there anything to that?
A: I think that kind of plays a part into it, but at this level there's been a communication for so long that we are kind of speaking the same language and things. He's seen it so much, I've seen it so much – between each other throwing together whether it's in Charlette or just up here in the offseason. I think we just have a good understanding of where I'm going to be, where the ball is going to be. Like I said, it's not perfect. It's something that we're still continuing to try to get better at. I think there were some plays in the game that I could've done better last night. It's definitely a good connection there but I think there's still some areas we can improve on, and I can improve. I'm looking forward to doing that this week.
Q: When there is a misunderstanding or a misconnection, you don't run the route the way he thought you were going to, what do you see from Daniel? Do you ever see him get upset or frustrated?
A: I don't really see it. We kind of mess around with each other and during the game it's kind of all business. Like, 'Hey, I need you to make that play,' or 'I think you should do this, I think you should do that,' and it's good communication. I've never seen him have a side to where he was upset or something like that. When we come to the sideline, he definitely has a conversation with me or another receiver about what he saw, what he thinks we could do differently, which I definitely think are things you see in a great quarterback. Being able to have that conversation of how to fix it on the fly, about what he thinks he saw – and it's not just a one-way street. It's what I saw, it's what he thinks, it's what whatever receiver he is talking to thinks. It's a discussion more than anything else. I think that's really the biggest thing about how to get it figured out, about how we can do it better the next time.
Q: He will say to you at some point, 'I need you to catch that ball?'
A: Maybe joking around after the game or something like that. But he's never on the sideline like, 'I need you to catch that ball.' We hold each other to a high standard so even if it's not said, we know that we need to make the play.
Q: What do you see from Daniel working with (Wide Receiver) Kenny (Golladay), because it seems like they are not quite there yet. What's missing there?
A: I think their relationship has definitely grown over the last year or so that Kenny has been here. My relationship has grown with Kenny, I think we all are pushing each other to be as good as we can be, and I think it does take a little while to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of a receiver. What everyone's good at, what everybody still needs to work. I've definitely seen a great progression in (their) connection over this training camp. I'm looking forward to how that progresses throughout the season and in the future. I think they're definitely getting a feel for each other more and more as training camp goes on and I'm excited to see what happens in the future.
Q: Excited to play the Jets?
A: Absolutely.
Q: What are you guys talking about as you get closer to that joint practice? You had a couple last year on the road, this is them coming to your place.
A: Yeah, last year going on the road was a different deal. Now, this year it's only going to be the one joint practice but I'm excited for it. Last year the two we had were very high intensity. This game means a lot to our organization, means a lot to our ownership, so we take it very seriously around here. We are excited about it. Especially going and practicing against them, having somebody different across the line of scrimmage, it's something that's going to be a good time going against their defensive backs and their defense as a whole.
Q: Take out Kadarius and Kenny – so all of the other receivers that are fighting for a roster spot, if you look around that room do you see a lot of different flavors? There's the tall guy, the quick slot guy, the special teams' guy, the hands guy. Do you see that as a room that everybody has a different expertise?
A: Yeah, I think we are all very different receivers. Everybody in the room has different strengths and different things that they can keep getting better at. Even myself, there are areas of the game that I need to improve on, and I think if you asked anybody in our room, they would say the same thing. It's super fun to be able to be in a room with all those guys where you're looking to improve your game, and you can look at some of these other guys where they have some attributes that maybe you're trying to add to your game, and you can ask them and kind of pick their brain about what they thought on this or how they do that. Just different things like that. Definitely having a very versatile room is cool – for me at least – because I'm looking to improve my game in every way that I can. Having all these different types of receivers, it's very cool to be able to kind of pick their brain.
