Defensive Lineman Leonard Williams
Q: What's up with your arm?
A: It got a little tweaked during camp. That's the reason why I missed a few of those preseason games. I'm going to be fine. I'm practicing now. I've been getting in and out a few practices here and there, feeling it out and it feels ready to go.
Q: It's not one of those deals that's going to need surgery after this?
A: No, not at all.
Q: Is that the same injury you had last year?
A: No, it's a different one.
Q: You'll wear that all year you think?
A: I'm not sure. I'm going to just play it day by day. 17 weeks is a long time to look ahead. It's been progressively getting better each day and each week. Right now, this is where I'm at and it feels strong. I'm able to go and do everything that we're required to do as a D-lineman, in full pads and all that stuff. I think I'm not going to miss any games or anything like that because of it.
Q: Does that hamper your captain responsibilities?
A: No, I don't think so. I think it improves it actually because I'm showing that I'm out here doing it with it.
Q: What did you think of being voted captain?
A: I think it's an honor. I've had the privilege to be a captain on every team I've been on. High School, college, when I was with the (New York) Jets, and now this is my first-time becoming captain with the Giants. It means a lot, being not a drafted guy here and have been able to work myself up as a team player and a guy that people respect wearing blue.
Q: I can't imagine there have been a lot of captains on both the Jets and the Giants throughout history.
A: Oh yeah, I didn't even think about that. It's definitely an honor. It's even more of an honor that it's not chosen by the coaches, and it's voted on by the players. It means more when it comes from your peers than your superiors.
Q: What kind of impact has (Outside Linebacker) Jihad Ward had since he's been here? He's been a super loud guy from day one. Maybe sometimes it can be like, 'this guy's obnoxious,' but how does he walk that line? What kind of impact does he have?
A: I think the best part about it is he is true to himself. He's always going to be like that, and you know what you're going to get with him. Sometimes we do laugh because he is a little obnoxious, a lot, but at the end of the day we all appreciate it on defense. You know he's going to have that energy. Like if I'm having a slow morning or something like that and we stretch right next to each other, I know he's going to be talking in my ear and getting me going. I think he's definitely a guy that at this point people know him and he brings a lot of fire and juice to the team.
Q: (Outside Linebacker) Kayvon (Thibodeaux) and (Outside Linebacker) Azeez (Ojulari), obviously we don't know, but they might miss the first game or the first little bit of the season. What gives you confidence that the pass rush can still perform at a high level without them if that ends up being the case?
A: What gives me confidence is just seeing everybody throughout camp, throughout OTA's, you know (Outside Linebacker Oshane Ximines) X-Man and (Outside Linebacker Tomon) Fox and a lot of those guys that are going to stand in place for those guys for however much time they miss. I don't know how much time they're going to miss but whoever's in there, I'm going to have confidence that they know what they're doing and they're going to execute their job. I think me and (Defensive Lineman Dexter) Dex (Lawrence) are going to be able to do a good job helping lead whoever is up there rushing.
Q: Your pass rush numbers were down last year, sacks and PFF numbers too. Why do you think that was and do you think this defense will result in upticks in those areas?
A: It's hard to pinpoint one thing that goes into sack numbers or pass rushing numbers. Sometimes if you're in the second half and you're down by a few scores, you know the team's going to run the ball. You're not going to have many opportunities in the second half if you're down. If there's no third and long situations, there's a lot that I can probably look at from last year and see why. Overall, I'm confident that (Defensive Line) Coach Dre (Patterson) has taught me a lot this year and I'm confident with (Defensive Coordinator) Coach Wink's (Martindale) defensive scheme and I'm confident in myself that I'm going to execute it. I think those numbers are going to go up.
