Offensive Lineman Ben Bredeson
Q. You're competing at both center and guard. Head Coach Brian Daboll said that the competition is going to be settled on the field. Can you ask for any more than that as a player?
A: No, I think that's how football has always been. We're just looking for the best possible five guys out there, in terms of an offensive line, to go win some games.
Q. Is it tricky going back and forth from center to guard each day?
A: Not necessarily. That's always been a goal of mine to be able to be versatile and play multiple positions. That's something that I've always worked on and it's what I've been doing since I came into the league.
Q. Andrew Thomas was here the other day and he told us that the process to closing the gap with the Eagles starts up front. Do you guys as an offensive lineman feel the same way?
A: I think winning every game starts in the trenches. I think if you can control the line of scrimmage, that gives you the best chance to win both on the offensive and defensive line. So yeah, I would agree with what Andrew's saying. We're trying to put the best offensive line and best defensive line possible that we can get out there, and if we can control the line of scrimmage that just gives us so much more of a chance to win games.
Q. Today's the first padded practice. Leonard Williams made an interesting point before you came in. He said, "the guys who focus on hitting sometimes lose their technique." Do you take that same approach? How much have you learned over the last couple of years as to what this day represents for you guys?
A: I think Leo hit it right on the head. The main priority in every practice is to get better at technique and improve. The fact that we have pads on now, yeah, it makes things a little more intense (and) a little more exciting, but at the end of the day, you're always trying to improve your technique. With the second part of your question, I think one of the big things that you learn going through the years is how to practice without pads (and) how to improve your technique without pads. So that when you finally do get the opportunity to put the pads on and practice you've already worked through technique multiple times before hand so that you're ready to go once the pads go on.
Q. How's Offensive Line Coach Bobby Johnson? With today being the first padded practice, will he have to say anything to your group to get you going?
A: No, if you have a good group, we should be internally driven, and I feel like that's how we are. Bobby's an incredible coach. I can't say enough good things about him. I've really enjoyed working with him (and) I think I can speak for just about everybody in the o-line room (and say) that we love working with him. I think he's exceptional at his job and he brings the best out of us.
Q. What's John Michael Schmitz's dynamic like in your room at this point?
A: John Michael's fitting right in. He's a great guy – culturally he's fit right in with us, he hasn't skipped a beat and he's coming along really well.
Q. Did you wrestle as a kid?
A: I did not. That's one of my regrets in life that I never did.
Q. When you look across the line, how would you describe how impactful Leonard Williams is for your defense?
A: It's incredible. He's got incredible size, incredible length, he's a savvy player and he's extremely talented. He provides a matchup issue for other teams and it's great going against him every day. It makes us better; it sharpens our technique and he's a guy that you can't really make a mistake on because he knows how to expose it.
Q. How would you describe Leonard Williams as a leader?
A: I think he's a leader on the team, absolutely. I think that he's one of those guys that – like you said, he might not be the loudest guy all the time, but when he speaks, everybody listens. He's a great locker room presence and a great teammate to have.
