Russell Wilson: “We’re ready to play some football” | New York Giants

Russell Wilson: “We’re ready to play some football” | New York Giants

at this point, how are you feeling camaraderie wise with the rest of the team? Yeah, I think the guys have done a great job. Just the bonding, the time we spent together, the all the hard work, um the times in San Diego, the time, you know, with the with the O line and the whole offensive dinners and all that, but ultimately the time in the film room, the time in the locker room, the time uh on the field. Obviously, it’s been a great training camp camp, great OTAAS. Couldn’t be much better. And I think that the biggest part of it is is just uh us, you know, knowing that we’re ready to go. Uh we’re locked in. We’re ready to play some football. You mentioned the film room. Dable said that sometimes he’ll pop his head in and see Malik there and some of the wide outs and that’s just one way that the chemistry is building. What how does that help the quarterbacks and the receivers get on the same page? Well, we spend a lot of time together, you know, um you know, all the receivers, the tight ends, running backs, the whole line. We we we spend a lot of time together. We spend extra time together. That’s the important part, though. you know, um, you know, I think about, you know, even yesterday just spending, you know, a good hour, hour and a half with the guys, just watching a bunch of film, understanding what they do well. They do a lot of things well, and we got to be ready for that. Um, you know, and I think they got a lot of great vets and guys that, you know, I’ve obviously played with a guys like Bobby and Luvo’s a tremendous football player. A guy like Von Miller who’s, you know, exceptional. Um, and Latimore has done a lot of great things over his career. Um they had a you know a good secondary and just um you know so I think a big part of it um you know Payne’s a great player up front you know so they got a lot of really good players and a really good system and what they do they do it really well and so for us going back to your question I think the big part of it is is um you know us continue to grow us continue to see the things the same way um spend a lot of time on the the meticulous work of it all and I think that detail and that obsession that we have um and whatever I can help guys with understanding and studying and and un, you know, anticipating things and all that, I think the better. Um, and this game’s about making plays, but it’s also about processing what happens on the field and being prepared. And I think we’re ready to go and prepared. Giants fans are really going to get indoctrined into the moonball. Now, can you talk a little bit about the uh evolution of that? I read that it actually might have come from uh you a conversation you and Peyton Manning had at the Manning Academy when you were younger. Uh not necess I mean not specifically. I think I think though um you know I think a big part of it for me uh is always just I think with the moon ball or whatever you know it’s it’s giving guys the chance. You know I think you know um I got tremendous receivers guys can make a lot of plays. Um it all starts with offensive line give me enough time to make those throws. Um and the versatility of do it all. But I think um you know it’s definitely um been a fun part of the of my game or whatever. I think that um the guys that the receivers make it, you know, I I remember going going back to you as you were saying about Manning Passing Academy. I just remember us getting in like a deep ball competition thing and all that and I just remember uh you know uh I think I won the drill and it was just fun. I remember being at that camp and all that. So just a lot of it is is a lot of hard work, a lot of time you know it’s like it’s like anything you guys see Steph Curry, you know, shoot a thousand shots, you know, it’s like you got to do it and practice it. You got to practice just throwing, you know, all the time. And there’s never a time where you don’t take, you know, where you take a bunch of time off throwing. And I think that’s part of it, but ultimately it’s you got to have playmakers. You guys do so much to get ready for week one in how this Giants team is perceived heading into this first game. There’s a lot of questions at the beginning of camp and now there’s expectations for success. What do you think changed over training camp that has people, you know, looking on the ups for the Giants this year? Well, I I think that what we’ve been evolving, not necessarily changing, but I think definitely evolving is just our mindset. You know, I think mindset’s everything. I think belief is everything. I think um you know, belief in one another, faith in one another, faith in the process and belief in the in the process and the system and what we do really well. Um and then working at those things at a relentless rate, you know, and I think coach Dball has done a tremendous job of leading us, communicating with us as players, challenging us accountability wise. And I think also too, we’ve been having a lot of fun together, man. It’s it’s like we get to do the best thing in the world, play football, do what we love to do with a lot of guys that we love. And um that’s what makes it great. And especially when we get to doing with a great organization. Um they do it they do it the right way here. You know, I think that makes it fun, too. You know, you come to work, you’re excited to to ball and um you know, but end of the day, we got to go do it. And that’s the thing that’s uh the great part about it is we get to try to control that as much as possible. And um and I think we’ve been controlling the controllables. Um if that makes any sense. I think controllables are hard work, time, um you know um you know really spending a lot of time on on the on the details of of the work. And I think we’ve been doing that really well. Seeing what you have, what are your expectations for this team and this offense now? Yeah, I think the expectation is is right now just focusing on today. I think you know I’ve I I’ve uh I’ll let that play go. I don’t know if you guys can hear me, but I think a big part of it is is uh with expectations is um just being expecting the next play to be your best play and letting that add up. And hopefully you have 75 really great moments. And that’s what I’ve really learned and believed, you know, for the longest time is is that um you know, so you I think the expectation is just um doing this play right, you know, doing this play well and and then letting those add up and then when you look at it all at the end of the season, you’re like, dang, that was pretty good. hopefully. You know, I think that’s that’s what we want to be able to do. After all the work you do in the offseason, how good does it finally feel to put it all together as you head out there for week one. Yeah, it’s it’s my 14th season. I’m blessed to be able to do what I love to do. And uh I got so much energy, so much belief, and so much confidence in who we are, what we can do. Um who we are as a team. Um and uh this team has got a lot of great talent and a lot of great guys, high character guys, a lot of a lot of will, a lot of want to and a lot of determination to do it right way. Um I I think about um guys like Nacho who, you know, is a great leader. He’s even though he’s not a captain, he’s a he’s a tremendous leader, a vocal leader. He’s a guy that’s up front and just, you know, I think about um obviously when you have your most dominant players like guys like Dexter Lawrence who’s a dominant player, but he’s practicing his butt off on a Wednesday and knows that it’s time to uh show up and show out. Um he he’s he’s ready to go. Guys like Burns, I think about the offensive line. I saw Renan in the in the locker room early this morning and uh he went straight to the weight room early early in the morning and just that you know when you have a veteran old lineman other guys up front too that are the same way in the in the weight room spending extra time you know those little things add up and I think that’s just been consistent um throughout the whole process and so um we’re doing it together and we get to do it and and and like I said play the game we love. Russ for you this will be I believe your 200th career start. So for you, does that one does that mean anything in two? Does it kind of make you appreciate the longevity you’ve had at this point to be consistent and stay ready? Yeah, I think um to be able to have 200 career starts, you know, regular season starts and not even count in the playoffs. It’s a blessing, you know. I think a big part of it too is I think a big part of it is is, you know, like you said, longevity. Um I think longevity I think also too just uh the will and determination to have a plan you know like meaning you know what’s my treatment schedule what time I’m waking up what time you doing this what you know the the consistency and the obsession with that what time we watching film knowing that hey on Tuesday it’s Tuesday what we’re doing hey on Wednesday we know exactly what we’re doing and that plan and building that out and and having a vision for it and one of my favorite scriptures is Habac 22 you know it says write it out plain so they can see it and run to it and I think a big part of it for me is writing it out and seeing it and doing it. And um you know, I God’s blessed me with a lot of talent and I I I’ve had a great a lot of great people around me to push me and challenge me and I I I love that every day. And and just to do it with these guys, man, it makes it fun. I get to, like I said, do what I love to do. A lot of great guys. Russ, talk talk about your relationship with Dave. You guys communicate a lot away from the field. Yeah, Dave’s and I talk all the time. Like I probably have more facetimes with him uh and all that. Um, we spent a lot of time on football, a lot of time on just life, you know. Um, you I got to know his family really well, his kids and stuff like that. Um, obviously we have little kids and they all hang out and, you know, he’s just a tremendous football coach. We he’s a great man, too. He’s he’s competitive. I love that about him. He loves his players, you know, and um, you know, he I I really have really high high regard u for coach Daves and the man that he is, the friend he is, but also the coach that he is. You talked about how he holds plays accountable. Could you give a few examples there? Um, well, not not too many. I I there’s a bunch of them, but you know, we we we hold that in the locker room, but I think most of it is is, you know, we want to play good, efficient, effective football offensively, defensively, um, protecting the football, also at the same time, you know, being physical, all the things that we need to do. And I think that’s important. And, uh, that’s what all the film’s for. Two more. Russ, also I believe you’re also the first black quarterback to start a Giant season opener and there’s going to be 16 black quarterbacks starting this season. Just for you, like what does that mean? Just seeing how black quarterbacks have just been involved as far as like guys, it doesn’t matter you guys play against each other or not, but just the opportunity you guys are getting there. It just feels natural, I guess. Yeah. Um, you know, to be honest with you, the game’s changed a lot. you know, um, when I think about when I came in, you know, 2012, um, there wasn’t there wasn’t many, you know, black starting quarterbacks, you know, I think about, you know, Cam Newton had a heck of a year. Um, his rookie year, you know, Robert Griffin was the same year as me as well. He had a great rookie year. Um, you know, guys that were just unbelievable football players. You know, Colin Kaepernick was the year before me. Um, you know, Todd Rod Taylor was was playing some in Buffalo, but really that was that was really it. You know, the game has changed. I think the game, you know, we’ve had a lot of um we I I think what’s been really cool about it is, you know, when going actually ironically playing the Commanders, you know, you think about Doug Williams, the time between that that Super Bowl. Fortunately, I was able to win one too as well and go to two. Um, I think I think that changed a lot, you know. Um, it changed a lot in in terms of the perspective, not just not just being a black quarterback, but also the height part of it. Um, obviously Drew Brees did a tremendous job of setting me up for success, Michael Vic. Um, you know, guys before that, Doug Fluty and others. Um, but I think that the reality of of of um the game, like I think you said 16, right? Like 16 black starting quarterbacks. That’s a that’s a big deal. Um, and it’s just showing that the game’s evolving. Um, the league is evolving and uh we need to continue that. But um you know if you can play you can play. Second season. You obviously want to go in your second season. What does it take to sort of raise your level as a rookie quarterback to a second year like Jaden’s going to have to do? I I I wouldn’t want to tell him too much. Um no I’m just kidding. I I think that um you know you know I think first of all you got to have a great team. You know to do anything great in this league. You got to have a great team. You got to have great teammates and you got to have a great coaching staff and all that. I think that matters. Um, I think also what matters is you got to have great resilience. Just unbelievable resilience. Not everything’s going to go your way. Um, but when you’re resilient, you you don’t blink, you know, and you really have great confidence. Your confidence doesn’t waver. I think for me fortunately you know throughout my career uh you know especially early on and even even as of late I never blinked you know just you keep you believe in who you are what you do how you do it how you treat people and uh you know you you know you you realize that the years add up and the and the and the yards add up the touchdowns add up and the wins add up and the most important part is the wins and and the love for that and the and and just I think that the days add up in a great way you know when you really reflect back on it man think about all the memories you had you you know, you have and and all that. And so, I think early on in your career, it’s just, you know, embracing every moment. And um you I’ve been fortunate to be able to embrace every moment. And I know for me in year 14, I feel like this is year one. You know, just you embrace it all over again. And I feel young, I feel vibrant, I feel um, you know, just energetic. And I think it’s one because one, I just, you know, have great confidence, but two, you know, you work at it. And three, most importantly, you got great people around you. When you got great people around you, that’s that’s the part you love. And so, you know, I I feel good. I’m excited about that. How big a boost would it be if if or when you get Andrew Thomas back? How big a boost would it be if when you get Andrew Thomas? Yeah, obviously Andrews, man, he’s he’s a monster and, uh, he’s he’s been doing a great job getting ready to go and we’ll see what happens. But, um, you know, I think that we got great guys up front. We’ve, you know, Hudson’s play a lot of ball. We believe in him. All the guys, we’ve got a lot of experience up front. We’re very confident who we have and I’m very confident in Andrew, you know, if the time is now and and all that. So that that’s up to to Andrew and the coaches and the trainers and all that stuff. But um just excited about our team, man. Excited about who we have and what we’re doing and excited about practice tomorrow and the rest of the day.

Quarterback Russell Wilson speaks to the media after practice Wednesday at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. 

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