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Quotes: OLB Kyler Fackrell on joining Giants

Q: What was it like for you to have a breakout year and then the Packers go out and sign two guys at your position?

A: It was obviously not ideal. I've said before that I definitely got better this year. I think I played better this year than I did the year before, despite not getting the numbers that I would have liked. If you look at percentages and pressures per rush, I think I had 200 less rushes but ended up with more pressures than the year I had 10.5 sacks. I think as far as the way I play and getting better as a player, I think I took a step forward this year.

Q: You are joining a pretty young pass rush, a couple of second- and third-year guys. What can you do as the veteran in the room to help them develop?

A: I'm excited to come into the situation that the Giants are in. I know there are a lot of great players there. Being the veteran in the room, I think there are some good habits and some good things like footwork and handwork. I'm sure they already do stuff like that but that's definitely something that I think has made me better. I know that's something I will definitely want to pass on to the guys in the room. 

Q: Patrick Graham was your position coach in 2018 when you had a good season number wise. Have you discussed what type of role he has envisioned for you, is it going to be much different than it was in Green Bay?

A: I haven't discussed specifics with Coach Graham too much. I know that he liked my versatility of being able to rush and drop. I'll do whatever they ask me to do and whatever they view as best for the defense. I really look forward to what Coach Graham is going to do with the defense. I have a lot of trust in his ability, he is a really sharp dude. I haven't talked specifically with him, but I will do whatever the defense asks of me. 

Q: Is there one thing in particular that Coach Graham unlocked from you in your skillset that you didn't have before?

A: Honestly, I think that the only thing I would say about Coach Graham is he is a great coach. The thing that I like most about him is just his passion and love for football. He'll get up on the table and scream and yell if he needs to, but it all comes from a great place. It comes from him being grateful for the life he's living and what he gets to do to provide for his family. That's something that I always loved coming into work and working with Coach Graham. That was a big thing coming to the Giants, that he was here and the respect that I have for him. 

Q: Do you know at this stage of your career what exactly you are? You had that one breakout year, you like a lot of the things you did last year even though you didn't have the numbers. Do you have a handle on what you are and what you can be moving forward?

A: I have the utmost confidence in myself. I think that I am a very versatile 3-4 Sam outside linebacker. I love to rush, and I think I am good at it. I take a lot of pride in dropping and making plays in space as well. I think in the 3-4 defense that we played in Green Bay, and Patrick Graham runs a similar style defense, having a versatile outside linebacker is very valuable. I know that I didn't produce the way I wanted to last year, but I think I have a great opportunity to do that this year and I'm looking forward to it.

Q: How excited are you to play with Blake (Martinez)?

A: I'm thrilled. We came into Green Bay together and we were roommates all four years of training camp and during rookie minicamp. We have a good relationship and he's a great player. I was really excited to hear that he was going to the Giants as well.

View photos of linebacker Kyler Fackrell.

Q: How do you guys complement each other out there on the field skill-wise?

A: He does a great job. At inside linebacker, a big part of their job is kind of controlling everything and making calls and all that. He does a great job of that. He's very versatile as well. He can do a lot of different things. Blitzing, there's a lot of different things we can do, especially in those third down packages with the two of us and kind of trying to confuse quarterbacks.

Q: You mentioned how the sack numbers last year weren't what you wanted them to be. With so much focus on those numbers, did you worry that that was going to hurt you in free agency? Do you think it did, or do you think that enough people knew what kind of player you were, even without the numbers?

A: I don't know. I think there's both sides of it. I know that there's a lot of analytics and stuff that's done. I think as far as percentages and all that, I played really well last year. Obviously, just bottom line production is probably the biggest factor. I wasn't happy with the production that I had. As far as hurting me in free agency, I'm not sure about that. All I can really say is that I'm glad. I think I'm in a great situation. I'm very happy to be coming to the Giants. I just really look forward to getting out there and getting into the building and getting to work.

Q: How do you approach this upcoming season with a one-year contract? We tend to talk about it as sort of a prove-it contract. How do you see that working, and how do you see working under that?

A: I think I view it kind of in a similar way. I believe that I'm better than a one-sack guy, so that's really what I'm going to try to prove. Again, like I said, I got better this last year. I think I'm a better player last year than I was the year before, and I'll be a better player this upcoming year just with continuing to work and trying to perfect my craft. I wouldn't say there's necessarily any more pressure this year than there was last year, kind of going into a contract year. Honestly, I think it's just a great situation, a great opportunity for me to be with the Giants and I look forward to it.

Q: Everybody is being affected right now, their offseason work changing. I'm just curious what your regimen looks like now with everybody social distancing?

A: I've reached out to the Giants. I've been in contact with the head strength coach, and he's given me some really good stuff to work on. I've been doing a lot of stuff just trying to stay in shape. Even from home, doing what I can while also trying to be safe with all of this.

Q: Does having the familiarity you have with Blake and obviously with Coach Graham, does that give you any kind of advantage going in learning this defense with the rest of your teammates?

A: Yeah, I'm not sure. I know it's a similar defense. It's not exactly the same. But yeah, I think definitely having been a 3-4 outside linebacker and played in kind of a similar system, even since college, I think that's a big advantage, especially compared to some other guys that maybe played more of a 4-3 defensive end or haven't played at standing outside linebacker before. I think that's going to be really huge. It's going to be nice for me to have that familiarity. Again, I think that was one of the big things with coming to the Giants and working with Coach Graham, was that familiarity and being able to hopefully be used in that versatile way.

Q: How will you measure this season? People always talk about sack numbers, those are kind of obvious. Are there other ways that you think your season could be measured?

A: Definitely just the way that I affect the quarterback, at least as far as rushing, how often I affect the quarterback. I think pressures are a big thing, and I think the league is kind of trending towards recognizing that. That maybe a guy gets 10 sacks but he has half the pressures of a guy that maybe gets eight sacks but he's in the quarterback's face and he's affecting the quarterback, getting him off the spot a lot. As a rusher, I think you're more valuable when you can do that more consistently. Obviously, I want the sacks, I want the pressures. Ideally, those things would kind of go hand in hand. But again, I think there are a lot of things that I definitely want to improve on. TFL's, being a little bit more of a factor in the run game as well. I haven't sat down and set specific goals yet for this upcoming season. I'm just going to continue to work, and I'll be able to, in the way that I work and the way that I'm able to be consistent and affect the quarterback and make plays in the run game. Those will be some of the big factors that determine whether I feel like this year was a success.

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