Safety Xavier McKinney
Q. How different is this offense with (Tight End Darren) Waller?
XAVIER MCKINNEY: Really different. Just another piece, another added piece that's explosive, that's able to make plays. Obviously when he's out there, you've got to be aware of where he's at, at all times. It's going to be good working as a team. Right now, I think that's the biggest thing for us is competing as a team, getting better. Knowing when we're out there competing against him, just knowing where he's at on the field, because he can make a lot of plays.
Q. How are you feeling about the different guys who will be playing next to you?
XAVIER MCKINNEY: It's all been good. I think we're all on the same page. It's been fun just being able to build with whoever's out there, whether it's a rookie, whether it's a vet. It really doesn't matter for us. As a unit, as a DB room, we like to be all as one. We like to be on the same page. We know no matter who's out there, we're always trying to get better and trying to work.
Q. I don't know if you ever faced Waller with the Raiders, but what kind of pressure does a tight end like him put on the defense?
XAVIER MCKINNEY: A lot of pressure. He's one of the best tight ends in the league that we have. Obviously, it's a lot of pressure just him being out there on the field. You can feel his presence. Like I said, you've got to be aware of where he's at. He's able to make plays inside, outside, against the corner, against the safety, it doesn't matter. For me, I like to see it as a challenge. It's fun to go out there and compete with him every day that he's been here. It's just been fun to have him, see him make plays, and be able to work and compete with him.
Q. Can you talk about what you've seen with some of these young safeties?
XAVIER MCKINNEY: A lot of growth. They're showing a lot of just willing to listen, willing to get better, willing to work to compete. I try to kind of get on them a little bit from time to time just to make them go a little harder, try to see what buttons I can push. But it's been fun having them out there. Obviously, you're able to -- even though they're young guys, you're still able to learn from them, and they're able to learn from us as well. It's been fun just having the unit as one and being able to just work with these guys every day.
Q. When you look at this team -- and I know we're early stages -- but when you look at what happened in the offseason, where do you feel you guys have really improved a lot?
XAVIER MCKINNEY: I think everywhere. I think as a team, I can't really pinpoint one specific place. I think as a defense I'm happy, and I know everybody else is extremely happy to have (Defensive Coordinator) Wink (Martindale) back. So just another year in the system. Just being a lot more comfortable knowing what he wants to call, when he wants to call it. I think all in all it's been great, and -- like I said, I can't pinpoint one thing, but I know that we're building something special based on what we have.
Q. I apologize if you were already asked this, but how are you guys handling the green dot?
XAVIER MCKINNEY: I have no clue yet. Right now, we're just communicating, all 11 are communicating.
Q. You have it on, though, right?
XAVIER MCKINNEY: There are a couple guys who have it on right now.
Q. It's not like alternating days. Everybody's wearing them at the same time?
XAVIER MCKINNEY: Not everybody out there. It's a select few guys. Like I said, I don't really know right now. Our focus is just having communication between everybody, being on point, and we're just taking it day to day.
Q. Do you like wearing it?
XAVIER MCKINNEY: I do.
Q. You guys started to take people by surprise last year. That won't happen this year. How do you guys look at that, the kind of raise in expectations?
XAVIER MCKINNEY: We're just here to work at the end of the day. It's a new year for us, a new season. We're just taking it day by day. Being in this league, I know that the previous year does not matter. You've seen the worst teams be the best teams. You've seen the best teams become the worst teams. We don't worry about last year. We just focus on today. Then each and every day we'll come in here and get better.
