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Quotes (5/28) : Coach Brian Daboll, LB Bobby Okereke, OL Greg Van Roten, S Jevón Holland

Head Coach Brian Daboll

Daboll: Well, good to get out here, phase three portion of it. Be able to compete against one another, albeit with certain restrictions, 50-50 balls, not a lot of running game. Make sure our offense and defensive line are practicing the right way, but just to go ahead and execute the schemes against the opponent, defense or offense. It's good to get out here and do that. We've had a productive, say, month and a half here since they've been back. Everybody's here today. Not everybody will participate, but everybody is here and we've had great attendance throughout the offseason program, so look forward to getting out here and getting started.

Q: Is the offensive line/defensive line in these types of practices more about the timing of the passing game offense as opposed to going one-on-one?

Daboll: Yeah, there's no one-on-ones in these camps and there's not a lot of bull rushes or variety of games and stunts and things like that, so they're working on their get offs and their technique. Obviously want to stay away from the quarterback, but again, that's why it used to be called passing camp. Most of it's passing. The rushes and things like that, we will work on our technique, but training camp will be an important time for that.

Q: What should we expect to see in regards to the quarterbacks and how you handle them reps wise?

Daboll: Yeah, they'll all get reps.

Q: Will Jaxson Dart just be with like the third team offense?

Daboll: Yeah, they'll all get reps at various spots, so we've got a plan for that and we've been working that since they've been here, but they'll all get reps.

Q: It's been reported that Evan Neal is converting to guard. He played that position, albeit on the left side, in college. How much of a learning curve is there now at this level plus playing on the right side for him?

Daboll: Evan's a smart guy. He'll be out here today. We will work him at guard and I know he's excited about the opportunity he has.

Q: What do you see in his skillset that can translate to an inside position?

Daboll: Yeah, look, he's a big man. He's got length, he's obviously a little bit taller than I'd say traditional guards, but he's played it. He's played a number of positions since he's been at University of Alabama.

He's been working hard this last month and a half and look forward to getting him out there.

Q: You've been able to throw passes before, just OTAs, right? The quarterbacks and the receivers.

Daboll: Yeah. On air.

Q: What have you seen from Malik Nabers in terms of he's working with new quarterbacks after his great rookie year. What have you seen in terms of chemistry wise with Malik and those quarterbacks?

Daboll: Malik has really just caught the ball. Malik will be out here today, but he won't be participating. We're being mindful of his toe that he's had. Nothing serious, but we're being smart with him in terms of the rehab part of it. So that's where we're at.

Q: Did he have a procedure of some sort?

Daboll: He didn't. Nope.

Q: Just needs rest?

Daboll: Yeah. And again, they have a plan. Our doctors, our trainers, if you will, have a plan to kind of move him along and he's been doing a good job with that.

Q: Is that an injury from the season?

Daboll: Yeah, he's had that. He's had it for a while, back in college, too, so just trying to be smart.

Q: You've had a bunch of former players come here and talk to the team. What's the thinking behind that?

Daboll: Yeah, it's something I thought about at the end of the season, getting ready for this upcoming season, some of the things I wanted to do. One of those was to bring some guys in, brought a number of them in. There will be another one here today. Give a good message about what it means to be a Giant for them and some different things that hopefully mean something to our players. Obviously a lot of legends that have played the game for this organization and tremendous football players in the National Football League, and I have a good relationship with a lot of those guys throughout my time here and they're willing to come in and talk to those young guys. I think it's beneficial for them.

Q: Do you ever ask them what their message is going to be, or do you just invite them and say have at it?

Daboll: No, we have conversations before they come, but again, to hear from an LT (Lawrence Taylor) or a Stray (Michael Strahan or a (Justin) Tuck or Eli (Manning). There's been a number of them. I think it's good for these players that are playing for this organization to hear from guys that have done it at a high level, not just for the New York Giants, but for the National Football League.

Q: You had a lot of guys injured at the end of last season. Do you have other guys you won't have to do anything?

Daboll: There'll be a few guys here. Andrew (Thomas), we'll be smart with and keep rehabbing him. There are a couple guys that are sick, have a stomach bug that won't be out there. Anthony Johnson, he's another guy. He had a shoulder, but we have good attendance. Some of these guys were, again, each of those players have individual rehab plans. It's May, so it's important that they progress so we can get them ready for training camp here and if they're ready to go later on in this process, then they'll do what they can do.

Q: How do you use OTAs to set the tone for training camp and the season?

Daboll: Yeah, this is a good foundation piece for you in terms of installing the systems. A lot of new players, draft picks, free agents. They haven't even been out there working together as a team against another unit, so it's just a foundational piece. Again, there's a lot of rules and restrictions for this type of practice, if you will. No shoulder pads, you all know what they are. We've talked about them a number of times, but we'll do the best job we can within the rules to make it as competitive we can, but to go ahead and to make sure that those new guys are learning our systems, making various adjustments throughout the offseason for the guys that have been here and it's just a good foundation piece for us.

Q: Do you have any plans for joint practices when you get to training camp?

Daboll: Yeah, working through that. Working through that now. Have more on that here in due time.

Q: Did Jon Runyon have a procedure this offseason?

Daboll: In terms of the procedures, I'd say I'm not going to get into who had what, who didn't have what. He'll be out here today. He'll be doing individuals, he'll be doing some install stuff. He's been rehabbing, he's doing a nice job with that.

Q: How about Dexter Lawrence? How's Dexter doing in his rehab?

Daboll: Yeah. Good. Yep. All the guys that have had some type of injury, I'm not going to get into every single guy here. It's May. They're all on their plan and working hard to be as good as they can be.

Q: Is there anyone who's not going to practice this spring?

Daboll: Yeah, like I told you, the guys that aren't practicing, we'll see where they're at. We'll evaluate them every day and if they could do something, they will. If they can't, we'll keep on rehabbing them.

Q: Just a guy that we haven't seen yet is Paulson Adebo. I know he obviously had the injury from last season. Has he been out here?

Daboll: He has.

Q: Do you expect him to kind of be a participant?

Daboll: Yeah. Moving well. Looks good out here in shorts and t-shirts, but he has done a nice job in the things that we've done in phase two.

Q: What does it mean that everybody is here and how important is that?

Daboll: Yeah, again, because it's voluntary, so again, we've had good attendance here the past few years. It's good to have everybody here today. The more guys you have work with one another and learn about each other, on the field and off the field. So appreciate them coming in and again, when it's a voluntary practices and voluntary camp, it shows they care a lot about it.

Q: What have you learned about Russell Wilson that maybe you didn't know before, now that you are around him every day?

Daboll: He's a pro. There's a reason why he has had the career that he's had. When you look at his work ethic, his commitment to being the best version of himself that he can be, how he's out here at practice, his leadership traits within the players, his communication, not just with the receivers, tight ends, running backs, but with the offensive line. He's been a good addition for us.

Q: How do you feel in general about the offensive line?

Daboll: Yeah, again, good, so we'll go out here and practice. I think they've been doing individual a lot. They've been over there for the entire practice working with each other. You'll see a little bit today, but I'd say the real evaluation process is going to be come training camp and the preseason games.

Q: How important do you think it is for Russell to make sure he gets a lot of reps? You said he's first up, he's the starter with the ones here in the spring and what's enough for you? Do you have a number in your mind? Do you just look at what you see?

Daboll: No, we have a detailed plan of how we're going to handle the quarterbacks.

Linebacker Bobby Okereke

Q: How are you feeling? How long did it take you to get over the back stuff that you were dealing with at the end of last season? Any procedures?

Okereke: No, no procedures. Medical staff here, Ronnie and everyone took great care of me, did a great job, rehabbed all off season and I'm out here flying around. I just feel happy and blessed to play football.

Q: How scary was that injury? From what I heard, it was a disc issue.

Okereke: Yeah, pretty scary disc injury. I was feeling some nerve pain. Couldn't really sit for a couple of weeks. It's the type of injury you need to come back better or worse from. So I just feel fortunate with the medical staff, training staff here took real good care of me, and I feel back and better than ever.

Q: What I can see. You were moving out there with a renewed sense of figure. If you'll, do you feel better? What's your mindset going?

Okereke: Yeah, year two in the same system. I don't think I've had that since my second year in the league, so I'm excited. I've been studying a lot this off season, feel like I'm on a good mental page with Shane of how he wants to call the plays and everybody's communication out there. So, it is fun. Less thinking, more playing.

Q: When you sit in the off season, right? You're getting yourself right and they sign a starting cornerback, they sign a starting safety, they draft whatever you want to call Abdul, whatever, however you want to put him. And you're thinking you're at the centerpiece, you're at the center of all this, what are you thinking?

Okereke: I'm excited. It just shows the emphasis, the front office putting on this defense, the championships of this organization have won. They've talked about how prolific those defenses are, so that's where we're starting those building blocks. Setting the foundation for that.

Q: Now do you have any early impressions of Abdul?

Okereke: I told him today he looks quick, and I mean obviously he's going to be a very dominant pass rusher, so the tandem of him Burns and Kayvon. I'm very excited to see

Q: How much does that make your job easier having those guys up front?

Okereke: A lot. The quarterback, he's only going to be able to get to his first or second read because they're going to be breathing down his neck pretty soon. It'll be a lot of fun,

Q: Healthy and in year two of the defense, can you be as disruptive as you were in 2020? Play is play in stats or stats, but your box score was filled in 2023. Can you play like that again?

Okereke: Yeah, I believe so. That's the type of player I am. That's the type of player they brought me in here. To be a guy who's filling up, like you said, the stat sheet force, fumbles, PBU's, fumble, recoveries, picks, all that. I'm just excited to kind of immerse myself in this defense, immerse myself with the players here so I can go out there and play free.

Q: Bobby, as the leader on this team, what does it mean that everybody is here for?

Okereke: I mean it just shows the continuity of the organization top down. Everybody's got the same goal in mind and nobody's too big for this moment and everybody's just decided to play football.

Q: You were in Indy when you guys changed quarterbacks every year

Okereke: Yeah.

Q: So you've been through this where it's a totally different quarterback room.

Okereke: A hundred percent.

Q: How long will it take for you guys to adapt to them, them to adapt you? And I know you're on different side ball, but leadership wise just kind of quarterback's the main guy on the team

Okereke: For sure. I mean I can't say enough about Russ and even Jameis, the presence, they're in this locker room, the leadership they bring, the maturity they bring just the vets that they are and the respect they have in this league. I think Russ is one of seven quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl and have 10 pro bowls, so there's a certain aura he's got about him. But yeah, we're all very excited.

Q: You played against Russ and as long as you've been in the league, he's been the league. Is there anything that you've seen in these couple of weeks that say, I didn't know I knew that about Russ?

Okereke: I mean, you never get to know the man, you obviously play against him, but just the leader he is, how personable he is with everybody in the locker room and just his mentality. He's dapping up guys that he's not even in position groups with and so you see the emphasis he puts on leadership and team building.

Q: Jevón Holland, obviously he's been a captain in his previous team. How is having him as personality on this team, someone who's loud voice, just kind understand where you're a little bit?

Okereke: Yeah, no, it's great. Jevón is incredibly smart and he's a leader. We're in the walkthroughs. He's telling guys to huddle, bring it up. His communication is a one, so he's another great addition that I think is going to make our defense even better.

Q: What'd you think when the team brought in Paulson?

Okereke: Yeah, no, I love that. Paulson's like a brother of mine, honestly, being a Stanford guy, a couple of off seasons we roomed together, but he's a playmaker. He's a guy who gets picks. He's a guy who gets PBUs and he's the guy that flies around and tackles as a corner. So very excited to play with him.

Q: Did you have some recruiting in that? Did you recommend Paulson to the front office or call Paulson?

Okereke: A little bit. I mean they asked me for some references for sure, but they obviously did their due diligence and Paulson the same.

Q: When you met Paulson just kind like went at Stanford, did you guys ever talk about, man, what would it be like if we got to the league or even thought about what if we played on the same team? What was that like? Just those Stanford days? Now it's here.

Okereke: I know, I don't even think we could have imagined this opportunity. I think we both look at each other during walkthroughs and during the plays and it's surreal that we're even playing on the same team. So I'm excited. I still remember his freshman year, he had a diving one-handed interception against Cal Berkeley, and we were like, bro, this is the greatest football player ever. To play with him in the league, it's pretty surreal.

Q: Can he take pressure off Deonte?

Okereke: I don't feel like pressure needs to be taken off Deonte, but I feel like both of them out there are going to be a very, very good tandem.

Q: Bobby, you as a guy, an inside linebacker run defenses near and dear to your heart and if it's not good. I'm sure you don't sleep at night.

Okereke: A hundred percent.

Q: What happened last year with it and why do you think it might be better this year?

Okereke: Yeah, I mean I think it speaks to being year two in the system. Run defense is a mentality, it's pride, but it's also understanding. If everybody understands exactly where they're fitting on the snap, then you go play with your physicality. You go play with your mental fortitude. Exactly. But if you're hesitant, if you don't necessarily know if this guy's fitting in this gap or this guy's fitting over here, it'll make you a step slow and I mean that's a couple yards in this league, so I feel like year two in this system, everybody being on the same page with the understanding will be very good.

Q: Did you feel that hesitancy at times? Just not sure a hundred percent.

Okereke: I mean, tough to say. I mean looking back at last year, you have to go back and watch the film and all that, but yeah, just moving forward with this year, just very excited.

Q: Last one or a long way from a game, but are you intrigued, excited, whatever the word would be to see what Bowen can do with a possible Carter, Thibodeaux, Burns package together with you on the field?

Okereke: Hundred percent. Yeah, I think it's great position flexibility all around and we have some packages. I'm on the edge, Burns is off the ball, Abdul is off the ball. We're all kind of rotating around, so that's our job as players to sharpen our tools and to just be weapons for Shane to utilize on game day.

Offensive Lineman Greg Van Roten

Q: Welcome back.

GREG VAN ROTEN: Thank you. Good to be back.

Q: Did you always know you were going to sign back? Because you were waiting until August last year…

GREG VAN ROTEN: Yeah, I was hoping to come back. I was glad that conversation started sooner than last year, so it worked out and I'm happy to be here.

Q: How do you look at this offensive line when it could be the same five guys from last year? That's got to be a better starting point.

GREG VAN ROTEN: It's always important to have continuity. I think we've talked about that a lot and kind of saw the effects of not having that after (tackle) Andrew (Thomas) got hurt last year. To start the off season with everybody where they're going to be hopefully, that's important.

Q: Greg, I know it's early and I know you're not in pads, but what are some of your early impressions of the young talent they brought in (offensive lineman) Marcus (Mbow), where (guard) Jake (Kubas) is in year two and so forth,

GREG VAN ROTEN: Specifically, the offensive line, we are deep, so there's a lot of depth. There's a lot of talent. Marcus looks like he can be a good player. Jake showed a lot of promise and last year hoping to build on that in year two. That's kind of what you want to see out of your younger players is to take that step forward after being in the system for a year and having the same coaches and all that. So, it's important for those guys too.

Q: You've got a lot of new voices leading the offense, right? Talking about the quarterbacks, obviously. What have you learned about those guys so far?

GREG VAN ROTEN: I mean, (quarterback) Russ (Wilson), he's been there, done that, he's been the league a long time, competed at a high level – 10 Pro Bowls, Super Bowl, been to two, a lot of experience and he's just been a really good voice to have in the offensive room. As far as the little things where it's like, we'll watch a clip, he'll go back like, 'Hey, look at this over here, make sure we watch this.' Like no stone goes unturned with him and that's very important. I think a lot of guys this time of year are like, all right, it's OTAs, it's May, but that's not his mindset and that's going to trickle down to our offense and that's important with him.

Q: What is that dynamic like with him and (quarterback) Jameis (Winston), (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart) and (quarterback) Tommy (DeVito) in that room?

GREG VAN ROTEN: Yeah, there's a lot of personalities in that room. They're all different. Not that one's better than the other. Russ is definitely very detailed. Jameis is a great locker room guy, Tommy is Tommy, and then we're learning about Jaxson, seeing what he's all about. They all bring something kind of unique and special to the room, so it's going to be exciting to watch them kind of progress throughout the off season in training camp.

Q: From your experience, I know (offensive lineman) Evan Neal played guard in college, he hasn't played it in the pros. But in terms of the transition, what is the biggest adjustment, if you will, he has to make in switching from tackle to inside?

GREG VAN ROTEN: I've never played tackle in the NFL, so I can't speak to how hard that position is, but I played guard, and I played center, and I just know that inside, things happen faster. The guys are bigger and there's a lot of moving parts. If a defense is static, it's easy to play guard, but they're not static. They're very dynamic. And that's probably one of the challenges that goes kind of under the radar is how fast things can happen and how many things you need to be able to process in a short period of time. Whereas tackles, I think (former Giants center) Shaun O'Hara said they're kind of on the right side or left side of the highway and they're kind of worried about what's going on over there. When you're in the middle, there's a lot more you have to take in in a short period of time and it's not easy. There's not a lot of starting guards in the NFL for a reason.

Q: Is it a benefit that you're in a 'phone booth' inside? Does that help?

GREG VAN ROTEN: I don't think so, honestly, with the ability that you see that these defensive linemen these days, they're not these big fat slugs anymore. They're very athletic, dynamic. You look at the young guy that we drafted in the third round, he's a big dude, but he's very athletic. And then you look at (defensive lineman) Dex (Lawrence) inside, that is not someone I would say that is I want in a phone booth (laughs). Just me personally. Yeah, they're closer to you, but that doesn't mean that it's easier to block them.

Q: How is that dynamic going to be? I mean, he's competing for a spot. You are competing to hold onto a spot. It could be the same spot.

GREG VAN ROTEN: I mean we're all competing. Nothing is set in stone. This is May, so you've got to earn it every day. And that's a reason I think that I've been able to stick around the league for 14 years because I don't think that I've earned anything or anything should be handed to me. I'm sure Evan feels the same way. I'm sure Jake feels the same way. There's a lot of guys in our room and the reality of the situation, we will have nine or 10 at the end of the training camp, so you just want to be in that nine or 10.

Q: How valuable are these reps for you? I mean, you've been in the league a long time, obviously, but you didn't get these a year ago.

GREG VAN ROTEN: Yeah, I mean time on task is very important in the NFL, working with guys. Talked about continuity earlier, being in the same system and just kind of growing every year and working on details. You're not starting from square one with somebody trying to figure out, 'okay, what do I do here?' So, if you're new to the system, it's more difficult and you've got a lot more learning to do. And the way I view it is kind like a college course where it's maybe your first year in the system, it's like 101 or 100. Now hopefully you're in the four hundreds, five hundreds where you're really kind of getting to the nitty gritty of how to find a little bit of an edge and be successful.

Q: What have you learned about (center) John Michael Schmitz?

GREG VAN ROTEN: I love playing next to John. He's a really, really smart center and I think he's taken steps every year and hopefully this year, year three, you want to take another step. You want to be the guy and I think he is the guy, and we'll just keep going.

Q: When a guy like you who is coming back, signed a one-year contract, you're 35, the fact that you could tell everyone in the Giants, 'Well, I played every snap last year. I didn't miss four games; I didn't miss anything.' How much is it that (inaudible) and they say okay, I guess he's not too old…

GREG VAN ROTEN: Yeah, I think age is just a number. It's such a cliche, but it's true. And anybody can get hurt and anybody can stay healthy. I've been able to stay healthy just in how I prepare and approach the game. And a lot of it is luck too. I don't take that for granted. I played every snap a couple of seasons in my career and that's just I guess a credit to how I prepare myself for the season and I guess my durability in getting hit and all that.

Q: Is that a badge of honor? I mean, if you missed seven snaps, I mean the fact that you missed none. You can't do much any better than that.

GREG VAN ROTEN: Yeah, I mean, I don't know. My job is to play, so I'm trying to play, I don't know that I get a badge for that, and I can look back on that I guess when I'm done and say, 'yeah, that was pretty cool,' but I've got to be out there, and I want to be out there.

Q: Any thoughts on the Knicks?

GREG VAN ROTEN: Yeah, hopefully Knicks in seven now – we were saying Knicks in six, but Knicks in seven.

Q: You going? Did you get to go?

GREG VAN ROTEN: I went to game one, so that was shocking, but hopefully we figure it out. I'm excited.

Q: I didn't see you on celebrity row though...

GREG VAN ROTEN: Yeah, no, I bought my own tickets, took the train. I'm a man of the people (laughs).

Safety Jevón Holland

Q: How's it been so far? Just obviously getting out here with the guys and just getting acclimated to everybody.

Holland: It's been great, man. It's been great. It's been a good time. Everybody's cool. Yeah.

Q: What do you like about this defense so far?

Holland: It is really reminiscent of defenses I've run before, that I was really comfortable in, just surface level and then just our personnel. We've got a stout front, pass rushers, heavy hitting, linebackers, lockdown DBs, so love that. Collective mindset for sure.

Q: There's a lot of positions out on the field where one of the starters is missing or one of the key guys is missing. The secondary pretty much had everybody out there today, top five guys I think out there all together. How important is that right now for building the chemistry for the secondary that you have your starters out there?

Holland: Well, we're not really starters, non-starters right now, so we got just separate groups of course for organization purposes, but it is good to have everybody out there. It is, it builds a collective mindset and everybody's speaking the same language so that when we do get to live bullets, there's no hesitation or miscommunication.

Q: What have you found out about (safety) Tyler Nubin so far? You're obviously on the field together a lot.

Holland: Yeah, I had no idea who he was besides obviously word of mouth and watching his game both beforehand. He's a hell of a player and a great kid as well. I say kid like I'm old, but no.

Q: You are, you are a veteran now.

Holland: I feel old. Nah, he's a really good kid though. He really is and he's got great things ahead of him and I'm here to help him bring that out.

Q: What have you learned about (cornerback) Deonte Banks?

Holland: Tae (cornerback Deonte Banks), he's full of life. He's a character, but Tae has all the talent in the world and I'm super excited about his upcoming season and what he's going to do. I think he's got great things in him.

Q: They talk about having pass rushers and how it makes it easier for you guys on the back end and pass coverage, but what about run defense? Having those guys that you have up front, how does that make your life easier? The back end.

Holland: I mean just the same as them getting to the quarterback faster. They stop the run, plug the gaps and whatnot, and then that allows us to play a lot. So, in defense, if you can win with four, then you'll be more successful. You don't have to bring pressure and whatnot. You have more people in the back end, so you win with four and you're able to stop the run like that. Then it just opens up more for the defensive coordinator for everybody to kind of just go and have fun, pin their ears back as they like to say.

Q: You're a player who's known as a leader at your last team. When you come to a new team, do you just assume that role again or do you have to pick your spots and wait and see, you know what I'm saying? You've established something with your first team and now you're trying to establish it here. Are automatically a leader or do you have to feel that out?

Holland: I mean, like you said, it is about establishment. I mean, I have to earn the respect of my teammates. I'm new so they don't owe me anything, but yeah, I have to earn the respect and then from there, then the chips fall where they may, but I'm just here to make sure that they respect me, they respect my game and they can rely on me.

Q: What do you sense from (inside linebacker) Bobby Okereke so far? A guy who's a captain and supposedly be the leader here too?

Holland: Bobby? Yeah, Bobby's the leader man. He's loud. He's in control of everything. He's the man in the middle, so he encompasses everything that I would see a middle linebacker, him and (inside linebacker) Micah (McFadden) both.

Q: What do you make of bringing guys like Justin Tuck has been here and Eli (Manning) talked to the team. Howard (Cross) talked to you guys today. What's that like and how different is that maybe than what you've experienced before?

Holland: So, it's great. I think they basically say – they've all won Super Bowls and have won a bunch of games – so they're just giving us the blueprint to what success is and what success was for them and how they got to it, which is great cause we're trying to win a Super Bowl, obviously. So yeah, I mean it's just giving us the baseline of where we need to be and what our standards need to be, and it aligns perfectly with what Coach Dabs (head coach Brian Daboll) has been saying, what our coaching staff has been telling us. So yeah, and from my previous location they did the same thing. I mean, every team brings in guys from the past to speak to the current players because that's how you try to build continuity. You bring the alumni back, people who have won, we, (former Miami Dolphin) Larry Csonka came and talked to us and they're from the undefeated Dolphins, so it's got different flavors in every team, but they do something similar.

Q: What have you learned about Coach Daboll?

Holland: Coach? I mean, I didn't really know him. I knew he was on the Bills, but that's when I was younger. Dabs is a really, really cool dude and he knows a lot of football. He's been around a lot of winning football, and you can tell when you talk to him, and I think that he is got the right stuff, man. He is putting us in a position to be successful, especially with the standard that he's setting right now, and he's allowing the individuals that want to carry themselves at that standard or higher to do so and to bring everybody with him.

Q: Did he remind you he was a defensive assistant in New England?

Holland: Yeah, he reminded me. He was defensive. He reminded me he was a safety and he got three picks a game and whatnot. So yeah, he's a good dude.

Q: How can you tell on the practice field that (quarterback) Russell Wilson is Russell Wilson? What's he doing that you're like, yeah, that guy's probably a Hall of Fame caliber or quarterback versus a young guy or somebody who's not as established.

Holland: I mean, he's comfortable back there. He's been through the motions. You can tell that this is something that he's done multiple times in multiple systems against multiple defenses. So yeah, he just remains calm and he's just going through his process. This is just a part of what he does. So it's just a level of poise that you can understand.

Q: You talked about Bobby kind of being the leader, but he was telling us that you were kind of organizing guys, getting in a position for you. Does that just come natural even though you are a new guy here?

Holland: That's just the job of a safety. It's just to make sure everybody's – cause I'm behind everybody so I can see – so I'm just putting everybody in place. If that is considered a leadership position, then that's considered a leadership position, but that's just the description of what the job is.

Q: Did you wear the headset at all in Miami?

Holland: The green dot?

Q: Yeah, the green dot.

Holland: Nah, nah. No, I didn't want to hear them talking or whatnot. Just like you have the linebackers who are close to the front, so if I get the call and I'm running back from somewhere and I get the call in my ear, I got to tell the linebackers, you got to tell the front, or the linebacker has the green dot and they just tell the front and I get the signal or I can get it from the linebacker. So, you put it to the man in the middle so that he can tell both sides because closest to you.

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