CORNERBACK STEPHON GILMORE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
July 31, 2019
Q: When you work with Tom Brady and the other quarterbacks after practice, what are you working on in that drill?
SG: Just try to track the ball. Those guys throw pretty balls, so just trying to track the ball in the air as much as I can so I can come down with the ball.
Q: How do you feel about your preseason so far?
SG: I'm just trying to get better every day, just going against different guys, going against a great quarterback. So, I'm just trying to work on my technique and try to make plays each and every play.
Q: Last year, your assignments changed to more covering one guy throughout the game. How did that affect your performance?
SG: I mean, it depends on the week. You've got to play each guy different, so it was a different challenge every week. Whatever the coaches said to do, I did to the best of my ability. It's hard playing corner. You have to have good technique and good patience and you've got to be able to run with everybody.Â
Q: Bill Belichick said that he plans to take a bigger role on the defense. Have you seen anything more from him?
SG: I think he is involved a lot in all phases, so it's nothing new for us. He's just going to coach us, just like he's been all year. We've just got to trust each other, trust he's going to put us in the best position to make plays, and go from there.
Q: You mentioned patience. How do you work on that in practice?
SG: It's repetition every day. It doesn't just happen overnight. It starts now in training camp, just trying to not panic, no matter who you're going against. Different guys have different strengths, so I'm just trying to get better each and every day.
Q: When you say patience, do you mean patience at the line of scrimmage?
SG: Yeah, patience at the line of scrimmage mostly. I feel like if you can be patient at the line and finish well, you can play good at cornerback.Â
Q: During the season, you have specific matchups. How does it change for you out here when you're not studying film all week?
SG: It changes. Like I said, if I'm assigned to a certain guy, you kind of know his releases and then after they switch. So, you've got to pretty much study everybody, but you've got to work on yourself first, and that happens in training camp – just getting better every day.
Q: It's been a quiet camp for you in the sense that you haven't gotten a lot of targets. Is that something that you take pride in or notice?
SG: I just try to focus on myself. Even when the ball's not thrown my way, I just try to make sure I'm in the best position to cover the guy in front of me. That's pretty much what I focus on.
Q: How has practicing against Tom Brady for the past two years affected you as a player?
SG: It's helped me out a lot, just seeing his work ethic coming out here each and every day, making everybody better. I mean, he throws a great ball, so if you're in the position to make a play on his ball, you can pretty much make a play on anybody's ball. You know, we're just trying to compete and get better each and every day just like everybody else.Â
Q: What can Joejuan Williams bring to your secondary?
SG: I feel like he's getting better every day. He's asking questions. Whatever we can to help him become a good player for our team to help our team win, that's what we want to do.
Q: Do you feel like this is one of the deeper secondaries that you've played with?
SG: I mean, we'll see. We've got to prove it each and every day. It's not going to happen overnight, so it's a lot of hard work to be good in this league.Â
Q: Did you see that you're the highest-ranked cornerback in the league on the NFL Top 100 that came out last night? Does that mean anything to you?
SG: It's a good accomplishment, but it's a new year. That's the type of person I am. I try to prove myself every year. Nobody cares about last year. If you don't do it this year, if you don't come out and work this year, you're not going to be a good player this year.Â
RUNNING BACK JAMES WHITE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
July 31, 2019
Q: What was it like in the 90-plus degree weather today?
JW: It definitely was hot. I mean, you're going to play in this type of heat during the season, so you've got to get used to it, get in football shape. A lot of stuff we can improve on from today, but that's what it's all about.
Q: How do you feel the offense has progressed so far?
JW: We still have a long way to go. We've had some flashes – some good plays, had some bad plays – but you want to just hold it to a minimum of bad plays. We're still working together, trying to build that chemistry, but like I said, we have a long way to go.
Q: Can this weather prepare you for a warmer game in the regular season like down in Miami for Week 2?
JW: Yeah, this definitely can prepare you. Like I said, just hydrate, just work as hard as possible because during game time you're going to be going 100 percent, so try to practice at 100 percent and try to get in that good football shape.
Q: How much of a challenge mentally is a day like today as opposed to just physically?
JW: It challenges you mentally and physically. Like I said, each rep is going to be high, going to be sweating, going to be coaches yelling at you, a lot of different things, a lot of coaching points coming from a lot of different angles. It's good preparation though so that when the game comes around it's a lot easier for you.
Q: Does it feel like one of those days that the offense will just need to put behind them because you've obviously had better showings out there as a unit?
JW: Yeah. We obviously know we didn't practice to the best of our abilities today, but that's what camp is all about. Every day is not going to be perfect. There's going to be ups and downs. We'll learn from them and come out tomorrow. We've got to hit the ground running.
