Minnesota Vikings Team Press Conferences | Week 1 vs. New York Giants | Monday, September 2

Harrison Smith would you get out of this training cam you look back now in terms of the defense and you know accomplish everything you guys wanted to accomplish yeah um like I said we're trust in trusting in in our preparation and um the chemistry that we've been able to build and and everything we've done schematically and fundamentals and um situational stuff so it's football and uh it's more fun the more it counts you know is it more fun for you now than ever cuz you just appreciate you know how hard it is to get here stay here play at this level yeah I mean I don't know if I'll say more fun or less fun but it's always uh Challen like the challenge is is part of the fun the the stress the the lead up the anxiety the UPS the Downs um and finding ways to to be successful to have the team be successful like that's that's the like when you say fun I just don't think that captures what it really is it's almost bigger than it's meaning it's meaningful it's purposeful and relationships get tighter and and they get stressed and it's just it's all like you can't you can't buy it anywhere else it's just it's awesome Christian what's the Christian Darrisaw excitement level going from training camp preseason mode to now it's real like go time mode it's game week um we finally here uh all the buildup that led to it um in the spring winter and uh now it'll be here in September of the week coming up uh first one of the year um definitely excited uh let SC there as a full team go out there and show what we are this year what are you do you think this year uh I'm I'm excited um and we got to go do the work really about talking about it um it's about doing it uh so we just got to put it put it on the film week to week and it's uh show what we're about how high are expectations in this last round uh I mean we we know what we're capable of as a team um and that's all that matters um so we're just going to take this thing a week at a time and uh and carry it on from there do you like having these Aaron Jones extra couple of weeks just to practice and you know get your body right get the system down oh yes sir you know uh the time is critical especially uh when you don't get that much time the camp is a probably about a month so uh all those reps that you get are bankrupts that you got to count on when it gets to week one and all those reps matter what do you what do you you know you go into week one and you know they're going to be physical in the front seven all the things the Giants are about uh but how do you prepare for week one when there are some unknowns and you haven't played with everybody in a in a regular season situation um just kind of preparing for the unknowns uh we we kind of practice against it all Camp you know we practicing in against a different defense or multiple multiple looks you never know where you're going to what kind of look you're going to get out uh get you may come out in 12 personnel and they may go nickel and you're banking on them going base so um we practically we got checks and different things for uh every solution um so we can get to the right play call what's the best part of it finally being game week um the real is it's it's real it's here um the season is upon us it's it's came fast and um you know nothing everything is for real now uh it's no more preseason you can't get any any days back and uh as each day goes on the closer we get to to the kickoff of it how have you just approached coming to a new team taking on a role as a leader with a new quarterback things like that what's your approach been oh the same approach has been uh since I came into the league and um just do what I can to do to get better uh make it about uh the process and progressing getting better every day uh 1% better every day if you're not getting better you're getting worse and then uh coming here learning The Playbook so I can just go out there and play Fast which I I've been able to do and then uh make everybody's job around me easier um and that's whether it's communicating making a play whatever it may be what have your impressions of Tai Chandler been like did you know him before what have you yes my impression on Tai has been great he's a he's a great back I'm excited to uh be his running mate I know he's going to do great things this year and I'm going to push him and be his biggest cheerleader uh before I knew uh I knew about Tai a little bit uh just cuz he went to North Carolina and that was one of my uh like kind of dream schools coming up um and I know some other Backs from there so that's how I knew him and then uh getting to getting to actually watch him play uh late in the season last year and watching film uh he's he's a special back he has a lot of juice uh reminds me a lot of myself as well so um I'm here to help him in any way progress his career and uh get better when you look back to the final month of last season just what was all clicking and what was you know going so well during the stretch uh I just was just able to get healthy um I felt like that was the biggest thing all season I had been fighting injury whether it was my handam me or coming back to my knee and uh the last foul I was able to just get healthy felt the best I felt all uh since week one and I think it it think it showed when I got out there and then just like I said uh earlier making everybody's job around me easier and uh also being that kind of that leader and instilling that confidence in him as well so if you're fully healthy like what is your confidence level maybe it's not 100 every week but just that you can be impact oh it's 100 every week I I try if it's not I tell myself it is not but uh I I try to same the same mindset the same everything every week week in week out um but I just felt like it was I was able to show what I could really do uh feel like every year I'm getting better and better and last year I felt like I was just about to start entering my prime it kind of got hurt so those last five kind of showed like hey the game slowing down a little more and more for me and uh I can see see different things and they able to hit different holes or set set dudes up uh the way I want to versus maybe before I hadn't been able to cuz the game was still a little fast how do how do you ramp up for three games where you're just standing there like like you're at the beach to an NFL um you do it in practice field uh you make practice as hard as possible um you get all those reps and then after you you stay after and you do some more running and try to put yourself in that situation uh you know it's not it's not a game but you try to get your mindset into that and uh don't let it falter but uh no it it is a little different but um I we'll be ready for when it's when it's here is this we what can we call you uh Josh Metellus I mean i' say you could call me safety cuz that's what's on the roster uh we don't even know what to change it to I I'm a DB I mean at heart you know that's what that's what I like to be called I like to get up on third down do a DB celebration that's like where my heart goes but I mean yeah I move around a lot so you could just say I play defense play I say I play DB linebacker nickel dine whatever you want to call it I'm just out there trying to help the team wi yeah I mean you say DB but you playing enough lb I mean yeah but I mean I would say lb I don't people think I I play in a slot which is Ian you can call it linebacker it's really nickel um so uh I mean I don't know I I L can't tell you what the cuz I don't know where we going to be in I don't know what the offense it's really based on what the offense does so I can't even tell you uh what exactly I'm going to play the most of this year but I just I'm going out there and playing my hardest your body feeling good I mean was a grind especially in late August yeah uh Camp was a grind um but it it's been good co coaches and uh Tyler been doing a great job of getting us you know our bodies right and whether that's in the weight room on the field you know taking care of us but still being able to go and get good work in uh they've been doing a great job so yeah we'll we'll be ready to go fresh everybody's uh gting back to 100% so by the time Sunday rolls around everybody be ready flying to go do you have a good idea of how flow might all the all the new pieces that have been added uh I I don't know cuz uh defense we uh we don't get the luxury of uh game planning you know we go out there and react so it's really about how teams want to play us this year um what what kind of personnel they put out there they want to go big Personnel they want to go little um you know we got enough guys in here enough talent in here to just match whatever they want to put out there and still be able to uh dominate Josh how do you ramp up from you know playing a handful of snaps in the first preseason game to you know standing around to then play every yeah uh it's uh about being a professional uh the way you uh practice and the way you prepare has a lot to do with it um you know you can't be going out here in practice and you know not running to the ball and your six snaps or not you know taking it like a game rep because we don't get those reps like like you said you know we only played 14 plays this preseason uh we had one drive it was 14 plays long that was the first preseason game so we haven't had a actual game fi um we had a scrimmage last week which is good for us but uh other than that you know we haven't had an actual game fi so it's all about making practice feel like a game and that's just doing little things know practicing the right way you know making sure I'm taking that step to pretend I'm tackling you know get that get that feel um a lot of it is you know stuff you got to revert to from your past you know just playing the game so long but yeah it's just practicing the right way when did you guys scrimmage out here Thursday it was just a little team scrimmage um uh extended to try yeah you know just kind of just get get the rep counts up you know trying to get our wind up know making sure that as uh as players you know we feel we feel good and you know we we understand that it's not going to be three and out or it's not going to be three plays touchdown on the offensive side it's going to be some drives go 10 plays some drives go two plays you know so to trying to get our our wind up is that ones and ones going against each other uh it's a mix of everything Josh what's the best part finally being game we uh I mean I get I I would say the best part uh is just being able to go and watch the the offense and uh I think you know we we go against each other all off season but it's you know it'll be good to just go and cheer them on and watch you know their greatness just like when we out on the field they going to uh cheer for us but I I would say you know another big thing is you know playing with new guys you know we got bunch of new guys who are key parts of this defense and uh I'm excited to go out there and play football I'm feeling good at what I've Blake Cashman done so far and um you know I'm really continue to stay on my routine and and do that week in and week out did you mix anything up anything different this summer uh you know I would say the biggest adjustment since being here is just our how we how we train how we're lifting around um you know what our practice schedule is how intense our practices are so um in terms of like my recovery my pre-practice prep I've kept that the same the last couple years um since when I got to Houston I learned a lot there but I've just been working with Josh and the rest of the strength coaches to um you know really understand understand how much I need to push myself in the lift depending on what my workload is going to be in practice they might have thank how do you you know ramp up going from not playing much in the preseason to all of a sudden it's you know you're out there every snap you definitely got to take advantage of the Reps in practice so uh you know an example of that is you know having good position on a ball carrier you know say I'm dropp it into a hook coverage and they dump it to the uh back in the flat like really sprinting through and tagging off that ball carrier um you're keeping your your hips and eyes low not having just lazy technique out there just because it's practice uh and then just your focus on what the game plan's going to be understanding your assignment and adjustment for for every play call because I feel like at a certain point in your career like the game becomes more mental than than anything how much was a set back in Cleveland that that situation you know it's more frustrating annoying than anything uh you know having to do a little prestige on a little finger but um you know it always sucks to to miss quality time like that in Camp but um you know I I stayed engaged with what we were doing and you know it was only like I think six or seven days that I had to sit out practice or um walkthroughs and all that so I feel like I didn't miss much so of all things considered I'm glad that you know it wasn't anything to really worry about would you just catch a helmet or yeah uh just yeah right at the beginning in practice um caught in a face mask doing some one ones with the running back pass rush against Cleveland's back and you know continue to practice through it and you know sure enough I was like something might not be right kind of looked at and had to have that done BL what's the best part of it finally being I think just finally getting to put all of our work uh together and showcasing it for not only ourselves but our fans and the league and you know nobody's really talk about the Minnesota Vikings but I think you know a team that's that's focused and prepar as well like that's dangerous team and this team has a lot of uh pieces that um you know we can be very successful and and have a great year so uh you know the way I look at is you know we have uh everything to gain nothing to lose what's Camp been like BL has it been uh you learning the system that is it kind of standard now because you've been in the league long enough has it been what you expected it to be what's it better uh it's been really good really like the way uh we do things just uh our process of how we're attacking the weight how how how we're practicing when we need to really push ourselves when we need to take some some volume and load off the guys uh but this this locker room is great you know the engagement um the relationships that have being built here is special and you know I'm a big believer that stuff goes a long ways so um it's been a really really smooth training camp and I think you know how we've done things are really going to pay dividends in the season because you know this this entire room right here knows how to approach uh every day and and get your work cut out for you how long did it take you before you really understood you know how to approach every day in the NFL in terms of how to study and everything else I would say you know I'd say it changes from time to time because you got to adapt to um you know your body new schedules who coaches that things like that cuz you know every time you have a for me at least you de with a new coach they have a new way of doing things so um you know it could take time no matter what but I would say by like my second year you know you you start to really figure it out and um and then from there you know you just got to make your changes that I assum conf the team yes you did against EP in New York yeah what is what is I mean that's got to be kind of a thrill to know you two high school teammates playing against each other yeah you know it's special I think it'll be my third time playing against him so um really looking forward to that seeing him really happy he's going to make he made the team you know I didn't have any doubts you know he's a one of their um special teames 4 four guy hard worker so he deserves it it's going to be great to see him and catch up and hear about how train Camp preseason went and E Pride Eagle Pride Eagle pride in uh New York just how big a smile comes on your Dwight McGlothern face when I say you're now on the 53 man roster it's it's hard work I come in here every day just making sure I keep keep going and making sure I come in here and just keep giving the same energy day in day out and just keep working I mean how much in many ways do the work now start just because you're on the 53 you're not guaranteed anything right on I'm just coming in here and just making sure I don't get compling just coming coming in and just learning from the best around and just watching them how they prepare week in and week out um daily and just making sure I take all my reps in their practice last week when you found out you made the 53 man take me back to that moment when you knew you had made it everything was emptying out and I was just starting to look and it was a blessing cuz it wasn't that many rookies or um many people in the building during that times and whenever I had it was mean with the defensive um St and stuff like that I saw and it was like it was very strong and coach was like congrats to y'all boys and during that moment I feel a little relieved but anything could have still happened but I was I was I was so happy what was the first phone call um I I had um texted my parents though that was the um first people I was talking to cuz we had me and stuff during the day but texting my people with them and told him I had to make the team that was good experience for sure everyone was proud of me so that's a great feeling yeah eventually did you Facetime with them and what was that like yeah U it was just all excitement um I feel we knew the journey was going to be long and tough but um I put myself in position to be on this team and I made sure um I took one day at a time and just talk to my teammates and my family members and my coaches and I just let everything all play out Ed Ingram what's the excitement level going from training camp preseason mode to now it's regular season mode it's pretty exciting you know going to week one it's been a long time since we actually played like a live game so it's going to be exciting especially with all the fans that's going to be out there riled up and ready to go how do you feel like training camp in the preseason W do you feel like you're heading into week one where you need to be yeah I feel like I'm confident going to week one I feel like I'm where I'm at uh where I want to be at going into week one um I'm just excited for the season and getting ready to go is there anything you now know about this team that maybe you didn't know when training camp started in Late July uh about the Vikings yeah about this team as a whole um mean not really I mean we just have a really tightnit group like we really close um compared to like all the teams I've been on like LSU uh my team at high school doto like all the teams I won State and national championships with uh we've been tight and I feel like this group is pretty tight as well how big of a year is this for you I mean for me it's pretty big it's year three um going out there and showing my work and uh just going out there just playing fast having fun and uh eliminating all the mistakes from year one and year two how many mistakes were there I mean you know just growing pains you know uh young player coming into the NFL um now I see things a little bit differently just because I I am three years into the NFL now so feel like everything's going to start slowing down a bit