Head Coach Brian Daboll

Q: Have you made a decision on who is going to play as far as your starters on Saturday?

DABOLL: Yeah, we have an idea, but again, this is a normal Friday for us, so we'll do our meetings at the end of today and make our decision with what we're going to do. We'll do what we think is best for the team.

Q: It's the first game in MetLife. Can we assume that it will be similar to last week in terms of what starters might play?

DABOLL: Every game is different. Again, we'll do what we think is right for our team. We'll go out here, we'll have our walkthrough today and sit down with the medical staff, get their input, where the guys that have been not practicing are and who can play and who can't and decide what we're going to do.

Q: How much do the joint practices affect who plays in the preseason game?

DABOLL: I wouldn't say it affects it. Again, we'll end up making the decision we think is best. There's no substitute for tackling. There's no substitute for cleaning the pocket. There's no substitute for run after catch when you're going to get hit. There's no substitute for being live as a quarterback in the pocket. But we'll end up deciding at the end of the day what we think is right for our team.

Q: And how would you characterize how (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers) is doing and how close maybe he would be to returning at this point?

DABOLL: Yeah, you know, not going to get any injuries. He's working hard to get back.

Q: I want to change gears a little bit. I want to ask you about (outside linebacker) Brian Burns. He said yesterday that he's trying to take his game to a place where it's never been. For a guy that's had as much success as he has, he's been in the league for six years now, how impressive is that kind of work ethic, that kind of desire? And how important is it for a guy like (outside linebacker) Abdul (Carter) to be around that?

DABOLL: I think it's important for everybody to see it. He's had a very good camp. Not just some of the improvements that he's made and the techniques and the things he works on diligently, but I would say how he's approached every day. His finish stands out. I show a couple of clips of Burns almost every day of what he's doing at practice and the standard that he's creating for not just his position room, for the entire team to see. He's done good off the field for us. He's done good on the field for us throughout training camp, throughout the off-season program. He's been a very good leader for us since we've been back here starting in April.

Q: In your experience, when a guy comes to a new team, does it take him a little bit to get his legs under him sometimes? And maybe did you see some of that with him, and this summer, his second summer, he is full bore what you want. Is that anything there?

DABOLL: No, that's a good question. Free agency, you're adding guys to your team, hopefully impactful players, along with the draft, but just call it free agency because they've been in the league and they've played, and some have played at a high level. So when they get to a new team, it's a new environment. There's a lot of things to learn. You're not a rookie, but you're living in a new place. There's new surroundings. There's new support staff to help you. Maybe things are done a little bit differently, not good or bad, just different, and you're learning a new system. There's a lot of things that go into it, and I think for a lot of guys, their first year into it, not everybody, but from my experience, there's a lot of guys are just free agents. They sign. They come in. They try to contribute in a positive way because they're good football players that you are adding and I think that the next year you're kind of a little bit more comfortable with everything surrounding you, your teammates, the system. A lot of times those guys take another step in terms of leadership because a lot of them that you add are very good players, and I'd say that Brian has really exemplified what we're trying to do here throughout starting back in April, but the way he practices, the way he approaches things, I've been very pleased with Burns. He's given us good reason to be very pleased with the way he does things day in and day out. None more important than the practice field.

Q: What did you think of the response from your offensive linemen when (running back) Tyrone (Tracy Jr.) got taken to the ground? You didn't want anybody to fight, no punches, but they certainly made a case for standing up for him when they thought the thud practice went over the line there.

DABOLL: Yeah, competitive practices. We got a lot out of these last two days as a football team. Good situational work, good work against new opponents, schemes. I was pleased with the way those last two practices went.

Q: What went into making today a walkthrough? Was that like a sports science rep count thing to have it today, a walkthrough today and tomorrow? Because I think by my count you only have like five-ish practices left before week one, or is that feeling confident in who's going to make your 53 so you don't need as many, whatever, tryout reps?

DABOLL: Yeah, every day we sit down after practices and look at the next day's practice schedule and see. There's a lot of input that goes into it, whether it's sports science, the trainers, strength coaches, the coaches, and we just do what we think is best for the team. So that's why we chose to do what we were going to do today. Got a lot of good work the last two days.

Q: Totally different gear, totally different story. (Wide receiver) Wan'Dale (Robinson), I'm curious, he had kind of a historic year last year in terms of 140 targets and less than 700 yards receiving, one less yard than 700 yards receiving. How much more is there for him in terms of if he's going to get that target share, different ways to use him, yards after the catch, because like I said, that's kind of never happened before where somebody gets that many targets but has that few yards per catch.

DABOLL: Yeah, well first we're not really focused on what happened last year. We're focused on the things that we need to do.

Q: I'm just saying if he's going to get that kind of workload, that kind of target share.

DABOLL: Yeah, every year is different. So there's different players, different, I'd say, nucleus of offensive players. Every year is a different year. I have a lot of confidence in Wan'Dale and his skill set and the things that I believe he can do.

Q: Are there areas of his game that you feel are untapped that we could see more of? Like I saw him running an outside comeback route or whatever the other day. We haven't seen a lot of that from Wan'Dale. Do you feel like there's areas of his game that he could tap into?

DABOLL: I think Wan'Dale has been a productive player for us. He's smart. We ask him to do multiple things. What that's going to be relative to week to week, I think that changes for every player. But Wan'Dale's a good teammate, a good football player, and we'll do what we think is best.

Q: As you kind of watch (cornerback) Paulson (Adebo) sort of navigate the summer here and the joint practices and getting some reps against some tough wideouts, just what have you learned about maybe watching him navigate the cornerback position and just how he sort of approached this summer?

DABOLL: We evaluated him throughout free agency. Thought he'd be a good fit for us. He's a pro. He's a good football player. Again, he's learning a new scheme similar to what we talked about with Burns. He's had a good football camp. He's been good in the meetings. He's been good in a leadership role in terms of the cornerbacks. So we'll keep on refining everybody, but glad we have Debo. He's been a good teammate. He's been a good signing for us throughout this process here.

Q: How important has that, and just his presence been in a room where there is that competition for the second spot, just what can his presence sort of add to that or just maybe helping (cornerback, Deonte) Banks and (cornerback, Cor'Dale) Flott sort of go through that?

DABOLL: Yeah, I think anytime you have veteran players in rooms, it's always important because they can give their input as to how they see it on the field or what happened. So as many veteran players that are good players that you can have on your football team, I think that that helps everybody. It helps the team, but it also helps the young players that are in those rooms as well. There's good conversation pieces, again, with Debo and (safety, Jevón Holland) Hol. Those were two good additions for us.

Q: A philosophical question for you, if I may. A lot of times we ask players, what's your goal for the year? Some guys will tell us what their goals are in terms of numbers, and they'll be very specific. Some won't. I'm just wondering how do you and your staff kind of work with these guys to determine goals? I mean, obviously the goal is to be as productive as you can, be healthy and whatnot, but when guys attach numbers and certain metrics that they want to reach, how do you work with the players to kind of keep them realistic so that they're not disappointed by the end of the year when they don't reach the goals?

DABOLL: Yeah, I'd say that in the middle part of your question, you answered it. To be productive and to be as healthy as you can be to be there for your football team and do your job day in and day out. Every team needs each player to be at their best. That's what we encourage. That's what we try to teach. We have a number of discussions with every player, position coaches, coordinators, myself, of here's where you're at, here's what you need to do to get better, and that's the way we approach it. Try to do everything you can do to help the football team and be as good as you can be. Stay on the field and make plays when your number's called.

Q: And then one more, if I may, about Paulson. I think most of his career he has basically played one side, and I think if I remember correctly, yesterday he was traveling with (New York Jets' wide receiver) Garrett Wilson. What is it about his skill set that you feel allows him to be flexible to play with both sides?

DABOLL: Paulson's a good player. He's done a nice job since he's been here. How we deploy guys, what we decide to do, I think he's comfortable with whatever we ask him to do. I think he's got a good skill set to play the corner position, and then, again, every week we'll decide what we want to do and how we want to do it. But he's been a great teammate. He's done everything we've asked. He's improved. He's learned our system. I'm happy we have him.

Q: I know we ask you about (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart) seemingly every day, and we're going to continue to do so. I wanted to know some of the plays that he's made both in practice and in the games, it seems like he has an awareness, you've mentioned his instincts, for the little things in a play. Yesterday he had the going through his progressions, kind of reading, getting the receiver to go to a certain spot, that comfort level. It looked like he made the right read the other day in the joint practice at (New York Jets facility at) Florham Park for the catch by (wide receiver, Zach) Pascal. I'm just curious from your perspective, when a guy has instincts, how do you teach beyond the instincts? How do you kind of tap into that to show that he's making the progress that you want him to make?

DABOLL: Well, I think when you're teaching players as a position coach, you have your select group of guys in there with the quarterbacks. It's only four. It's usually a small group. You have your teaching methods of how you're going to incorporate, whether it's footwork, vision with your eyes, decision making, situational awareness. Those don't really change. I think when you have players that have instincts, which that's a very important quality to have at any position, certainly at the quarterback position, those have to take over. You don't want guys that are box thinkers. He's got good vision. He's got good awareness. There's going to be times where, he's a young player, that he gets tricked or maybe doesn't do the thing you want him to do, and then you just go back and you correct it just like you would with any other player. But players that have good instincts, that can go out there and play fast and can see it. Seeing it is also you're teaching what to see on tape and you're going through defenders, you're going through coverages. But a lot of times these quarterbacks, the ones that can see, are the productive ones. Talk about see defenders, see defenses, understand spots. It's a very good quality to have as a quarterback.

Outside Linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux

Q. How much more physical do you think guys in your position have to be to play the complete game that you want to play that people maybe don't appreciate?

THIBODEAUX: I think people don't really watch the tape. People watch the highlights. I think there was kind of a video that (Washington Commanders linebacker) Von Miller came out and talked about as a pass rusher, and he's a legend, obviously, but he talked about how all the finesse moves and all the pretty stuff, it looks cool, it's on highlights, but most of your sacks actually come off hard work, and most of the time it's either some form of power or some form of like a second effort move. That's why one thing with edge players you see a lot is motor. Their motor's high because most of the time sacks don't just come off the first move. They come off of the second move, and if you're coming off of a second move, it's probably because you had to go some form of power. So, for me, not just looking at the pass rush side of it, but also in the run game, you got to be physical. You got to be strong to set edges and really do your complete job. I think in my game specifically, power is definitely something I lean on just to make sure that I'm always affecting the quarterback. You know, it may not be a pretty move, but if I can put that tackle on the quarterback's lap, I affect the play.

Q. With (outside linebacker) Brian (Burns), (outside linebacker) Abdul (Carter) and (defensive lineman) Dexter (Lawrence) besides you, do you feel like this will give you an even greater opportunity to wreck havoc?

THIBODEAUX: I think it'll give us all (an) opportunity. This is one of those things where we'll have to see how the cards play out on which way they slide, which way they chip or things like that but I definitely think it's going to be a great opportunity for all of us. It's going to be a race to the quarterback. I was laughing with Dex about it, like he's already the fastest guy because he's the closest, but now you got an even faster guy with Abdul in there, and you still got Burns on the other side so we're definitely going to be nail-biting to see who gets that sack.

Q. Have you set personal goals for yourself or do you let it unfold as it happens?

THIBODEAUX: No, I always have personal goals. I think I start off with just trying to be the best and trying to break the record. I'm always going for the league record or (former Giants defensive end Michael) Strahan's record when it comes to sacks and tackles and things like that. For me, you know, I also just want to play my best ball, whatever that looks like, so not only the numbers, but having the film to match it. For me right now, in this part of the season, I'm focused on having the film to match how I want to play.

Q. Brian Burns talked to us recently saying you flipped a switch last year and things started to click a little more. Can you take us through what changed and how is that carrying over into your preparation for this season?

THIBODEAUX: I would say coaching. When you go and you watch – other than that first game where we got blown out – I think if you start with game two and go on until I was hurt, I had some great, not only great rushes, but some great run game. I think when you speak of flipping a switch, you know, good players only become great, quote-on-quote, when they have good coaching. (There's) not a lot of times you see players succeed without good coaches around them. (Outside linebackers coach) Charlie Bullen has been a great asset to me and the rest of the guys in the room, and continuing to kind of grow – not just my ability on the field, but know what weight I want to play at, know what size, know what side of the ball I like and just figuring out what works for me and kind of just honing in on it, using that as my strength.

Q. What are some specific things that Charlie's taught that you really latched onto that's helped you grow personally?

THIBODEAUX: I don't think it's necessarily a certain technique, but I think it's the consistency of greatness. It's understanding that, 'Yeah, you know it, but let's just go over it three more times.' I think it's that 10,000-hour mindset.

Q. Obviously, you have high expectations for yourself. Do you ever find that by setting goals, it maybe puts a little too much pressure on yourself as opposed to letting things develop organically? And if so, how do you manage the balance?

THIBODEAUX: For me, I kind of look at it the opposite. I feel like if you don't have any goals, you don't have any direction. If you don't have any things set out for what you want to do, it's hard to figure out what you're going to do. For me, I like to set the goals so that I can at least set a standard and say, 'Am I playing to my standard?' And that's why I've added to not only just having the goals be the goals, but then also having the film to back it up because you may not get 22 sacks. You may not get 100-and-something tackles, but if you fall somewhere in between that and then you have the film and the hard work and everything to back that up, then you can be considered still a top player.

Q. How much do you collaborate with the coaches about your goals and accomplishments and how much feedback do they give you as opposed to saying , 'We're going to use you this way and maybe we refocus what you're aiming for?'

THIBODEAUX: I think when it comes to scheme and situation, you got to play the scheme that's best fit for the team. When it comes to my goals, my goals are based on my role on the team. (I'm) not necessarily saying that coaches change the scheme to help fit certain players' goals, but I've been in the scheme for a minute, I understand the scheme, I understand what I'm asked to do, so within that, I can see how I'm able to succeed or what I'm able to accomplish within it.

Q. When I think of Jets-Giants week, I think of the 2022 draft and you and (Jets cornerback) Sauce (Gardner) and (Jets wide receiver) Garrett (Wilson) and (offensive lineman) Evan (Neal) being top 10 picks. Did you always know it was the Giants for you or did you think there was a chance you were going to the Jets?

THIBODEAUX: Honestly, no. I didn't. I didn't think I was going to go to the Jets. It's funny, I'm going to share this story. When you go on those 30 visits, and you do those tests, man, and I was so tired, I was jet lagged, and they had me doing the tests and I don't know why I couldn't do the tests. One of the tests was just messing me up and I just quit it and I was like, 'Yeah, they might not take me off that (laughs).'

I'm like, 'Yeah, they might not take me,' because I was like, 'Yeah, I'm too tired for this. I'm done.'

Q. I guess you were pretty confident that you'd go to the Giants instead, after that.

THIBODEAUX: At that time, at that part of the draft and that timing, I didn't really know where I was going to go. It was in between one, two, three, four, five, all the way down to eight, so me, I was just grateful for wherever I went.

Q. What did you see out of (Jets quarterback) Justin Fields this week?

THIBODEAUX: Man, it's tough for quarterbacks right now, especially in practice, especially for us. We got guys like me, Burns, Dex, (defensive lineman) Chauncey (Golston), (defensive lineman Rakeem Nuñez-Roches) Nacho – he was under a little bit of pressure, so I can't really give you a full analysis on what I think of him as a quarterback because he did have to run and scramble and do a lot of things.

You guys have to probably take a look at that on your own.

Q. Brian Burns came to a new team last year and after finding his footing he has talked about being more comfortable and more like himself. Have you noticed a difference in him?

THIBODEAUX: I think Burns is a guy who has all the talent. I think even though he's a big vet at this point in his career, I feel like he has mastered his process. From what I personally see, I see not really a big change, but I see consistency in his process and how he's going about just his whole life. I think that can transcend to the field and I think he's going to be able to accomplish everything he wants to just based on him knowing what he needs to do and doing everything he needs to do to succeed.

Q. Does his hustle in training camp roll over to your hustle in training camp? You know, 'He's not going to out hustle me?'

THIBODEAUX: It's always that, right? Just being on the field. Michael Strahan told me when I got drafted, 'It's not about being one of the 11 guys out on the field. It's about being the one out of the 11.' So for him, I know he wants to be the best on the field. I want to be the best on the field. Abdul, all the way to (safety) Jevón (Holland), all the way to the corners with, you know, (cornerback) Tae Banks and (cornerback Paulsen) Adebo. It's definitely a competitiveness, but I also think everybody is fighting their own battle and for him, the sky is the limit and for me, I love just kind of feeding off whether it's his talent, his energy, and vice versa.

Q. We talk a lot about Abdul and how he's going to make everybody better. Are there any adjustments you have to make to playing with somebody like him? His abilities are so unique and where he can line up and come from and he sort of improvises a lot on the field.

THIBODEAUX: I would say, on an individual standpoint, he fits right into the scheme, honestly. I think the adjustment comes now that we have a great young player on the team, like him being young is probably the only adjustment that not necessarily has to be made with the scheme but, you know, we got to take more account. Burns (has) to communicate a little more. (Inside linebacker) Bobby (Okereke's) got to communicate a little more. I got to communicate a little more. We got to make sure that he's able to display all of his talents while being maximized, rather than, some – and I'm not saying rather than, because he's been amazing, but you can see sometimes when you have an all-talented, all-world player, it's tough to almost limit your ability because you have to do what the scheme says or you have to do... All 11 guys have to work together so it's finding that fine-tuned balance between being great and also still doing what the 11 need you to do.

Q. Do you have to figure out when he's going to do those things, when he's going to improvise?

THIBODEAUX: I think as he keeps playing, he's getting smarter. Now even from the first three practices to the last three, he's been able to gain a lot of understanding about when to do certain things, when to take the inside, when to go high, when to use certain moves. He's definitely getting smarter. He's buying in so I don't see it actually being anything. I think it's going to be great, honestly. I think the sky is the limit.

Cornerback Paulson Adebo

Q: Paulson, having looked at your career stats, you played primarily on one side for most of your career. I think in the joint practice yesterday against the Jets, they had you traveling around a little bit more with (New York Jets wide receiver) Garrett Wilson and whatnot. And I was just wondering, with regards to playing on one side and having this opportunity to maybe travel, how do you view this challenge and what are you looking for as far as what you can bring to that side if you are asked to travel?

ADEBO: Yeah, I think for me, obviously in New Orleans, I played a lot on the left side but that's just because we had (New Orleans Saints cornerback, Marshon) Lattimore on the other side. So, we felt confident about having corners that can play either way. So that wasn't necessarily a preference thing or me kind of choosing it. It was just kind of how things shook out. So definitely, I feel like I can play on both sides. And so, it's not something that I focus too much on.

Q: Just to follow up on something (cornerback) Deontae Banks had told us, he said that you've been teaching him a lot of stuff that you picked up from Lattimore. I was wondering if you could share with us what some of those things are that you've been teaching him, as well as the other cornerbacks probably.

ADEBO: Yeah, I think just any time you get to play multiple years in the league, there's certain things that you can pick up on, whether it's tendencies, whether it's different splits or different route concepts that you can expect out of different formations. So, I think that's some of the stuff that I've been able to kind of share. And obviously, Tae has played a lot in this league as well. So, we kind of just see how we see different formations. What do you see here? What are you thinking about if a receiver is doing this to you? So, it's a lot of just kind of back and forth, giving our perspectives on what we've seen.

Q: Back at Stanford, you had eight picks in just 22 games. Is this something that you're looking to do again? Is that one of your focuses? And can you teach these guys that concept of ball hawking?

ADEBO: I think for us, we're focused on this year. But we've been doing a great job throughout camp, just kind of focusing on that, getting turnovers. Obviously, turnovers are a big part of this game. And when you're able to take the ball away from the offense and flip the momentum of a game and the energy that that brings in, that's something that we've been definitely focusing on. And I feel like that coupled with getting fumbles and just being a tenacious, kind of nasty defense, getting after the ball, all those things are things that we've been looking at throughout this camp.

Q: And my question about playing with (inside linebacker) Bobby Okereke again, has that help your transition to this defense at all?

ADEBO: Oh, for sure, yeah. Just having somebody that has played in this defense, but not only that, somebody who has a level of knowledge and football wisdom that he has, I think being able to see how he sees the game, even going back to college, but after playing in the league for these couple of years and just really excelling, being an elite linebacker, the way that he sees the game, we definitely have conversations that end up helping me out as well.

Q: One more on the sticking on one side versus shadowing thing. When was the last time that you predominantly shadowed guys? Was it back at Stanford like that last year? Or I guess when was the last time you did that regularly, knowing that Lattimore was there in New Orleans?

ADEBO: Yeah, I think in Stanford a couple times maybe we played a big receiver, but we always felt comfortable of having guys that could cover no matter who the receiver was. And then in New Orleans, playing with Latt, that's the number one corner, right? And we felt comfortable that it really wasn't even just the corner, it was just about the nickel as well, which is kind of something that gets overlooked, I think, is having three guys out there that can cover whichever receiver. So we always felt comfortable about that and didn't really worry too much about shadowing and just worried about winning your matchup regardless of who is in front of you.

Q: How easy is it to pick back up those instincts then when you haven't used them for so long? Or maybe just like here and there, maybe even just in the context of this week with Wilson, how easy is it to sort of step back into that mindset and those instincts?

ADEBO: Yeah, I mean, for me, it's always no matter who you're guarding. The job doesn't change. Obviously, there are guys who are very skilled and maybe they can do certain things better than other receivers, but your approach to the game as far as knowing that this is going to be your assignment, this is what you have to do, I don't think it changes too much.

Q: Bruce asked you a little bit about Bobby just before. What's it like playing with him? How has he changed since Stanford and how is he different now?

ADEBO: Yeah, I think he's always been a very smart player. I think it's just increased even more having this experience that he's had, ability to diagnose plays before they happen, knowing what concepts we can expect, knowing what situations, what kind of plays are going to get thrown at us, situational awareness, I think all those things that he's done. And then honestly being able to attack the football. I think he's been one of the best linebackers as far as forcing fumbles and having that unique punch out, getting the ball back for us. So that's something that I've seen him work on and something that has definitely carried over to the games.

Q: Does he seem comfortable in this defense?

ADEBO: Oh, for sure. Yeah, he seems ready to go. Yeah, I've seen him locked in and I'm excited for him.

Q: So you've been able to see this pass rush now from the other side of things compared to the offense. I'm curious, what impresses you about this pass rush and how do you think it's going to create great opportunities for you guys in the secondary having so many guys that can get to the quarterback?

ADEBO: Yeah, I mean, it's really a luxury having guys that can get after the quarterback, speed the quarterback up, get them off of timing. Obviously, rushing coverage is going to work hand in hand and so knowing that you have guys that are going to be able to get after the quarterback early and often that definitely allows you to play comfortable and free on the back end knowing that we're working together and we're going to get this thing done.

Q: And I know we've asked you before about Deonte and (cornerback) Cor'Dale (Flott) kind of battling on the other side. How are you kind of encouraging both of them as they're kind of going through this process to just kind of help them continue to develop and just kind of teach them as they're kind of going through their battle a little bit?

ADEBO: Yeah, for sure. I think all of us are competing against each other and so we're always trying to help each other. Hey, what'd you see here? Why'd you play it this way? I like what you did here. Praising, criticizing, all of it. I think we're just always trying to lift each other up and throughout the duration of a season, you're going to need three, four, five corners, right? So, you don't want it to be any type of drop-off. From that standpoint, it's just making sure that the level is consistent, the standard is the standard no matter who's out there and we're all trying to lift each other up.

Q: I know you probably don't go up against (wide receiver) Wan'Dale (Robinson) a lot because he's in the slot a lot, he's not the biggest guy, but what kind of problems does he cause a secondary with? He had 140 targets last year, which is kind of crazy. What kind of problems does he cause a secondary with some of his skills?

ADEBO: Yeah, I think him, he has sure hands and his quickness is unlike a lot of people that you will see. It's very unique. His ability to sudden burst, get in and out of breaks, really challenges your technique and you really have to be patient and you really have to be sound because if you're not, I mean, he could blow by you in a second and now you're chasing him in a bad way. So definitely that quickness that he has and then I think he has an elite ability to sit down in the zones and know when to sit down and know when to go over linebackers. Reading the coverages as he's running his route, I think that's something that's huge for him, being able to sit down in the zones.

Q: After these last two days, we were just asking you what it's like to be back with Bobby. I'm sure you can imagine what it's like on the other side of the ball when a quarterback and a receiver reconnect from their college days and (New York Jets' quarterback) Justin Fields and Garrett Wilson are back together after their Ohio State days. I was wondering if just two days on the field going against them, you could see that kind of connection maybe more so than when a quarterback and a receiver connect for the first time in the NFL. Could you sense those two guys were on the same page?

ADEBO: Yeah, I mean, they're a good team. They have a good quarterback and a good receiver, great receiver. So, they definitely have something good going between them two. But as far as knowing if they come back together, I wasn't too familiar with their college days. But, yeah, definitely they have good players.

Q: You teed it up before when you mentioned your nickel and (cornerback) Dru (Phillips). I'm just curious your impressions of playing with Dru this summer and what makes him a great fit inside in that position because we all know the importance. It used to be they stick guys in the nickel and just make guys play. But now the importance has grown and grown and grown for a secondary.

ADEBO: Yeah, that nickel position is so key for a defense, I think. His ability to cover guys and then also get in on the run and play physical. Playing in that slot, covering, I mean, you talked about it. You're covering guys like Wan'Dale. You're covering the slots. You're covering people that offenses are scheming open with motions. And you have to be able to know when to run with a motion, when to pass it off. So I think mentally he's really impressed me with his ability to handle everything that we ask a nickel to do. Arguably one of the toughest positions, if not the hardest position mentally as far as knowing all the different checks that you have to do. And then also you're basically a linebacker when it comes to fitting the run and knowing the run fits, but then also being able to cover like a corner because you're out in space and you're actually in more space. You're in the slot. Guys can run all the way to the opposite sideline. They can run every route on you. So, I think his ability to cover, his lead quickness, and then his strength coming up and being able to tackle in the box is elite.

Q: You spent much of the summer going up against (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers). I'm curious how much going up against a receiver like that can help you maybe how it compares to some of the other guys you've faced, and what did you see from him on the flip side also?

ADEBO: Yeah, Malik has, I mean, he has elite quickness, his ball skills, I mean, his ability to track the ball, some of the things he does when the ball is in the air, late hands. I mean, he really is, you know, a complete elite receiver. So being able to go up against him, I mean, it makes it that much easier knowing that you're going to face other guys week in and week out that aren't going to be as good as him. So, knowing that you're going up against one of the best of the best, that helps me in my preparation, and if he beats me on something, it shows me what I need to work on, or just that level of competition definitely helps me.

Q: Have you seen that much with, I mean, he's young. I know you had (New Orleans Saints' wide receiver) Chris Olave when you were in New Orleans, but how rare is that for a young receiver to be able to do some of the things that you've seen?

ADEBO: He's definitely, young or not, he's doing some things that doesn't matter how many years he's been in the league. I mean, he really is elite with the things that he does and his body control and catching the ball down the field and bursts. I mean, literally there's not one knock to his game. Coming out of routes, running every route. So, you really do have to prepare for everything with him.