"We Have The Pieces" - Tyron Smith

OL Tyron Smith you've been in one place for so long for 133 years that I'm just wondering if you could describe what it's been like making this transition to a new a new team a new part of the country uh you know this is definitely a huge change for me um especially being in Dallas for a while and um you know everybody knows how the business goes and you know sometimes you got to leave um I'm just happy I'm going be going to a team like the Jess to you know to help out any way I can to help him you know get to produce a wed culture tyon what appealed to you about the Jets uh I saw that um you know what they can do um as far as as the teams and there and everybody wants to win as any other team does but um I just feel like they have a they have all the pieces together right now and again you know the final pieces in this offseason to produce you know a team that could you know could go all the way um you know I've been know played against Aaron you know throughout my career a couple times and um you know I know what kind of quarterback he is I know what he can do if you just give him a little bit of time and um I'm just there you know do do my best to give him that time you individually you've done pretty much everything a player could do in this league except go to a Super Bowl I'm wondering how much of a void is that for you and do you think that it can be filled here in New York um I feel like you know New York definitely has a potential to do it um and I'm going to do everything in my power to help him get to that point um but you know still early right now we have lot of things to establish as team and be you know together to get together as a unit to get to that goal Tyron what was what was this uh pre agency process like for you it seemed like it came together pretty quickly the day you signed like how would you describe how how that how that was um I'm not GNA lie it was like slightly stressful a little bit um I never since I never been in that spot before I didn't know how to handle it and um it was just you know see it went by for a week but also it just felt like it was forever but I'm just happy where I'm at right now um you know just ready to get started do you do you know Aaron well and uh you know what do you think of him and and some of the pieces on this offense right now um I just honestly I know Aaron just from passing through and playing of course playing against him um but from from what I know he's just you know a guy who wants to win and and very intelligent type of guy and you know for me for a guy who's been in league for a long time still feel like I can learn a lot from him so just kind of your thoughts on the rest of the offensive line um I feel like you know the guys I know the line that you know just like Aaron passing through um a good group of guys um guys who have experience under their building I just feel like um I like once we get together get on the same page I feel like there gonna be some great things being done I were there other teams that you were talking to there wasn't a lot reported about your free agency which you know your agent kept it quiet the teams kept it quiet but were you were you talking to a lot of teams actively before you pick the Jets honestly uh I was letting my agent handle most of that stuff I was trying to I had a lot of things going on at the time but um I just know my main options was either going to be in Dallas or the Jets and um for way things were looking in Dallas I knew it most likely be the Jets and I honestly got excited for the new chaper follow up on that you signed obviously a very uh heavy and ENT of Laden contract I'm wondering if you could talk about that in terms of the amount of risk you're taking on and what does it say about your mindset at this stage of your career to take on such a heavily uh incentivized contract um honestly I'm just I'm just actually excited just to be on a team to be able to have opportunity to continue playing um but also yes the way my contract is is it speaks for what happen for what's been happened for the past couple years and uh honestly I think it's a fair deal and you know it's the same I just got to go out there and prove that I can continue playing at the high level that they stri me to tyon when people kind of analyze you and free agency it was no one questions your ability right in your your resume people talk about 33 years old they talk about missing some games uh you know in the last four years uh where are you physically and I I I've heard that there was you know in Dallas you were kind of on the maintenance program in terms of how much you practice do you feel like that's what you need at this time of your career just can you talk about overall how you are physically and going forward um physically I feel great um coming off the season last year with no injury I go Full Tilt for offseason and um honestly you know whever we decide to come up with a program for here and uh well in New York that's what we decide but I'm you know it's not gonna be always be the same so you know we'll sit down and come up with a plan for ourselves what what's best for you know for me and the team you uh had a good year last year and I think you made second Team all pro given that are you surprised that the Cowboys didn't make a stronger effort to keep you um no I'm you know after being in this game for a long time I just know that it's the way the business goes and sometimes you keep guys sometimes you keep guys sometimes you can't and just it's just some guys got to move on so um not surprised at all and you know just got to take it for what it's worth and you got end up where you need to be so Tyron you you prepared to play the Jets last year in week two what what do you remember about their defense and what kind of impression did they make on you um you know it was a hard front uh defense um very talented defense and you know it was as the other team we had to prepare prepare like it was you know they're the great defense as they are um it's just honestly I don't know really much how to really put it but you know they give us a hard time and you know the way the league goes is you know where it's up and downs but they're they prove themselves to be a top defense Ty what what's the feeling for you as as you know this going be the first year you're not going to be showing up to camp in in Texas like what what's what's that feeling like for you uh it's definitely gonna be a difference you know we was going to cali California for my whole career um but being New York honestly I'd love to change and I'm just going to just brace every step talk about uh how the process came QB Tyrod Taylor together with you and the Jets and uh your excitement yeah uh super excited to be a part of the organization um obviously it's free agency there's there's temperature from different teams um weighing out the situation I thought that the Jets was the best fit uh to be able to come in and and positiv positively um affect your team tyod what what do you think about this roster the way it's being put together right now too um I love it um I've had the chance to go against uh the Jets three times in the last two years practiced against them two years ago and played them last year um and I've always had a lot of respect uh for the team for the defense for sure because they create a lot of problems but I think on offense they just as explosive or we're just as explosive um and have Playmakers acoss across the board um and that's a lot of a lot of guys uh who can affect games in a big way and looking forward to to to being able to get on the field with those guys and and create plays Ty do you know do you know Aaron much I'm sure you guys have crossed paths during some point in your careers but do you know him at all no I don't know him all well just have talk to him pregame and postgame of the times that we've been on the field together Tyrod you were uh with the Chargers early in Mike Williams's career what what do you uh what do you remember about those early days with Mike and what it was like playing with him back then uh freak athlete i' seen some seen him do some some crazy things in practice as well as in games uh you hear often uh in the league about 5050 balls and we looked at it for him 8020 uh because he came down with most of them so I'm a big fan of Mike's I'm glad to be back on the field with him again did the Giants show much interest in keeping you and do you do you even have to move now in New Jersey can you just stay stay where you were uh yes Day first off I don't have to move I can stay uh where I am I wasn't too far from the facility but I drove uh last Thursday to the facility it wasn't too bad of a drive I'm an early riser so uh the time that I'll be on the road in the morning traffic won't affect me uh but yes the Giants did show interest um in retaining me uh just didn't work out on the business as side but there nothing of respect for that organization um and wish them the best you you kind of just touched on this talking about playing the Jets the last couple years but last year with the Giants um this defense is similar this year's defense on paper similar to last year's defense roster wise what do you remember just kind of about game planning for them and the challenges they presented last year a fast flowing defense um obviously up front they can get after the passer um probably the one of the best if not the best linebacker Duo um just how fast those guys are sideline to sideline and a very fast and uh Collective group on the back end obviously um the talent that you see in SAU put all of those guys on the back end play cohesively and um create problems and I think You' seen that all throughout obviously I've seen it in our game but when you go back and look at the film they created problems for everyone that they play against D you mentioned obviously Mike Williams what about gett Wilson what do you see from him what do you think of him as a player a young Talent um that I've enjoyed watching last year um excited to meet him I haven't met him uh looking forward to to being around him and pushing him and helping him be the best player he could be what are your thoughts just overall about the offense as well I like it um I think you have a chance to be explosive like I said earlier I think a lot of Playmakers um are on the offensive side of the ball U and as quarterbacks or as a quarterback you you get super excited when you look at a roster and see so many uh potential big plays do you obviously aon's coming off a major injury do you anticipate having to take on a larger share of the load in the springtime through the OTAs as as he gets his footing under you know his bearings um I don't know uh too much about timeline uh but I can tell you that I'll be ready uh for whatever um coach needs me to do and whatever can do to help affect the team like I said in the in the best way um possible um I think leadership as a whole has to be at a high in the quarterback room and I think that's where the team responds so looking looking forward to if the opportunity presents itself to be able to take those snaps uh but if not still being able to uh affect and share my knowledge and still grow and learn learn learn the game there might have been more focus on backup quarterbacks last year than I can ever remember with how many played you've been a starter back up in this league obviously players want to play but how do how do you view that role as the backup quarterback and kind of what your role is uh in that job uh it's challenging uh actually talking to my quarterback coach um while I was training earlier about something similar but I think it takes a special uh a special person to be able to learn in this league without getting the Reps um and I think last year some scenarios played out for uh for some guys and some didn't and I It's just tough um as a backup I many factors go into it U but I've always approached my job and the way that I go about my way of work um as as if I'm the starter and I think that keeps me into it keeps it keeps me in it mentally as well as physically um I still train each and every day as if I'm training to be able to go out and perform at a high level Sunday so um there's a lot of factors that play into the success that you have when when going in there and getting the calls uh but you have to be ready for it and I think that over my career I've shown it when the opportunity presented itself that I've been able to go out play at a high level what is the toughest thing about being a backup quarterback uh not getting the Reps throughout the week um I've been in different scenarios or different teams where sometimes backup quarterback gets reps and then some doesn't and I think not getting those the time of the throws with certain guyss and then getting on the field can be challenging at times but like I said it takes a special person to be able to to learn to still grow that game while not being able to get those physical reps wondering you were in New York last year so you know I'm sure you were keeping an eye maybe on the Jets or you heard the chatter obviously the backup quarterback story became a huge issue when Aaron got hurt so quickly and they struggled with a couple of other backups can you appreciate just kind of the importance of your role coming into this team and knowing you know that if something happens to Rogers that you know everything falls on you especially given what happened last year um each year is a new year um and I'm looking forward to like I said getting around the guys learning different players that I've been fans of supporting Aaron but at the same time staying ready uh for when the opportunity is called if it is called and if not like I said still being able to affect obviously a lot of guys backups had a chance to play last year um like you said it did speak to just the importance of it but I also understand that it's that's it's a challenging challenging job um but yeah I'm I'm I'm prepared for it Ty as as a quarterback when you see that uh Tyron Smith is is you know your left tackle what that what does that mean what does that do for you uh it gives you comfort um got a lot of respect for tyon um and looking forward to playing with them uh obviously you have a safety blanket over there to the left uh he's been a elevant player for a lot of years so um we look forward to being protected on the left side with him you you've been through a lot of different offenses are there similarities with with what hacket does to somewhere you've been before yes it is um and we briefly talked about it last week when I was in the office but yes there's a lot of similarities uh to a couple previous offices I've been a part of wondering if you could just uh DL Javon Kinlaw describe your relationship from Salah which obviously began in San Francisco and how much of an impact that had on you ending up here um of course Sol played a big part in drafting me in 2020 and um I always loved his energy loved being around him you know because I could tell he really believed in me when I was in a spot where I just felt like I didn't believe in myself so I I kind of banked on that going in the free agency and um I was just super glad that we was able to get it done Jamal what what else about the Jets appeal to you uh in free agency um just the scheme of course the scheme is is is similar to San Francisco um only thing little terminology and of course why C was our assistant dine coach my rookie is so that was a big role as well always loved him as well um always looked out to uh reaching out to him and learning how I could get better and things like that so it's just like a full circle moment for me and um I also love just the the the place that the facility and all those things are in because I'm a big outdoors guy looks like an outdoors the if you could describe your career the trajectory of your career it looked like this past year things came together for you it might have been your best year I'm wondering if you could walk us through just through it how you know you had some struggles and got to this point yeah I just dealt with a lot of a lot of things I couldn't control um the way I got hurt the injuries and things like that I I had no control over you know how how all that happened but the things I could I did control um my work EIC you know I came to work every single day no matter how it looked for me and anybody will tell you that you know I kept a positive attitude through it all and in times where I had some of my darkest moments you know God pulled me through and you know that that's kind of what last year was like for me last year was my first year playing every single game I never missed a practice never missed anything and it just happened because I I put so much into it you know and from what I get out of this thing is you you go into this thing you got to put a little bit more effort into what you bringing to the table come uh come training camp and that's kind of how it happened for me you know that's why that this past year was kind of my my best year because I got to play you know I ultimately got to stack a game on top of a game and I got better every single game and that wasn't because you know everything was fine it was because of what I put into the game and the things that I learned through injury so that was ultim how it looked for me and I'm just excited to see what a second year under my belt is going to look like knowing how to be a pro knowing how to take care of myself you know so Javon you guys came as close as possibly could in San Francisco to winning a Super Bowl you're about six weeks removed I mean how much does that game still bother you and how much does it fuel you you know that that that you you you came close to tasting the the Ultimate Prize well for me brother I just look at it differently I I I I felt so blessed just to be there um of course I was hurt that we lost but I was just so I was so overwhelmed by just being blessed to be in that situation and as I sat down after we lost I just couldn't believe that I actually made it that far you know looking at my life shoot who like I I never thought I'd am out to anything of where I am right now so it it was just a blessing man and to know what it takes to get to that level um is amazing is amazing I just thank God for being able to put me in that position to know what it takes to be able to get to that position what do you see as your role uh can you play multiple Spots I'm assuming on the defensive line and do you see yourself coming in as a as a potential starter or how do you see it I'm I'm just I'm just here to get in what I fit in man I I don't I don't even pay attention to all that stuff man I'm just looking forward to getting in with a young hungry group and just just a bunch of just a bunch of ball players all across the field offense defense you know um I'm just looking forward to getting in with the guys that's that's it I'm not worried about starting I'm not worried about anything like that do you know Quinn and Williams at Al jaam yeah we we we spoke a few times before all this like even just being in the league you know knowing good ball players She and Him play at Alabama um I was always a super fan of his like a big big fan um even though he's not that much older than me I'm always like you know in admiration of guys who play the game at a high level and everything that he brings to the table and um I talk to him once all this happened and you know he's seems like a great guy you know again I just can't wait to get in and pick his brain about certain stuff because I'm always looking to get better you said you're an outdoor doors type person what does that mean exactly and do you think you you know you'd be able to fulfill that or satisfy that in a place like New Jersey I mean as long as I get to pick up a fishing poll I'll be cool you know but I like to fish I like to hunt you know ride dirt bikes four-wheelers that type of stuff you know I like to be outside you know that that's just my thing Javon I I might be off in the timing here but I think was Solomon Thomas still with San Francisco when you got there yes sir what what you know what was your relationship like with him is I'm sure he was kind of one of the older players when you got there and are you looking forward to playing with him again yeah s That's my boy um we we talk a few times here and there but um he's a great guy exceptional guy um heck of a a human being and um he's a he's a great football player as well and um everything that he brings to the table I also look forward to learning from him as well you know the the the the time that we played together was short because he was I think he got injured my rookie year probably like the third game into the season but yeah man I look forward to getting back in with him and continue to grow continuing to grow the relationship