Minnesota Vikings Team Press Conferences | Training Camp, July 30

CB Shaq Griffin what did you you steal those glasses from uh from number 18 oh no yeah got it from them um well how's how's this Camp going for you there's a lot expected out of that defense this year oh man uh it's been going good um I feel like the main thing right now uh getting a chance to to fit right in with this defense I feel like we've been kicking on all cylinders uh my main thing is now uh uh I've dealt with a little little hammy situation which is feeling a lot better now so that was my main thing my main focus right now now but other than that the first couple of days is been good got get a chance to get my hand on a couple footballs and I think right now we're just trying to build off that what do you think of the defensive back field obviously you're trying to build some depth you had some injuries a tragic situation are you going to enough have enough bodies back there oh yeah yeah we going to get exactly what we need and at end of the day we got to make adjustments you know I feel like this team is being real good with the adapting to every situation that we've been going through unfortunate situation one thing about it you know uh this whole team has been rattling around each other you know and making the decisions that we need to make and get everybody we need to get here you know to to make this run for this season does your role get a little more important because you've got some experience in this league uh yeah but uh you know um whatever role they need me to play you know I'm just trying to be the leader that they need me to be and make sure I make whatever calls or decision I need to make for this defense whatever is right whatever they need me at I'm going to be that and do that to the best of my ability fantastic thanks sir I appreciate you guys yes sir camp training camp day whatever Camp leg set S Camryn Bynum in where where we at as a as a veteran when you go through this uh this routine and you get week with the practices um i' say it's getting more and more fun um every year um schedule's been the same but it seems like days are getting shorter I don't know what it is but it's just getting more fun and the more comfortable you are especially me going into my fourth year I feel like I've been here for a while and done this my fourth training camp so I feel like it's routine now and it just feels like a normal day so it's been fun and U still a grind as always cuz training camp is still training camp but overall I feel like um just being more comfortable being here is making a lot more fun and easier go through the days quarterbacks have had some turnover and whatnot over you know and and some things have happened but you work a lot with them because you're a veteran now about where are we going to be at where's what's our coverage look like cuz you get you and Harrison seen a lot of plays right yeah I think um just overall um us being safties we have to be the main communicators and being um alongside Josh and Harry and all and murf and Shaq just all the veteran guys we all have to take everybody the whole group under our wings so being able to be out there and act as a veteran and and us being safeties have to we got to talk to our corners and our nickels and our linebackers every play so it feels natural being able to communicate who with whoever is on the field um there's a lot obviously a lot of people went down a lot of different guys being mixed in but everybody's capable and I think it's been fun being able to just learn with different guys now a lot of new linebackers too right a whole new defense so it's been it's been really cool just being able to re rebuild the chemistry that we we've built in the past years and just bring people right in and people have been walking straight in here and um like they like they've been here for a while so it's been cool personal goals for you knowing what you know um everything just make every single play that comes to me trying to go all pro pro bowl Super Bowl um just I cuz I know I'm capable um I feel like I'm one of the best in the league and I got to act like that so um just being here my fourth year playing safety now I feel really comfortable being out there so I expect um really to be one of the best and that's how I work and I my work ethic my way I study I feel like everything can point me towards being the best and I just have to go out there and make the plays so I can be considered from the outside you ever tell these guys you don't know how good S Harrison Smith you got it in this facility compared to what we had yeah I actually enjoyed Mano even uh I was in I had one year in Gage Hall without the AC yeah um I thought it was thought it was pretty normal coming from college so it was it was still fun we're just talking to cam about you guys playing safey you you guys are the constant back there on the defense and obviously it's a thinking man's position to begin with what does that do for you when you got these new linebackers you get the cornerbacks have changed a little bit what does that mean in terms of how you guys go about your business uh not a huge change uh we brought in brought in some guys that are smart players and very easy to work with um so but you still got to stay on top of it um every day just like always uh but it's it's easy playing with Cam if I don't know what I'm doing he always gets me right so uh as long as we're communicating and talking to the guys around us uh we can just play fast do you enjoy it as much now as it yeah yeah it's fun it's um it's easier to kind of look at it from a bigger lens yeah and try to think about if I was an offense how would I attack us um things like that like bigger picture stuff while staying on top of of my own game you sound like you're heading towards coaching I don't know I uh I'm enjoying playing while I can so um yeah I'm just taking it one day at a time perfect thank you sir appreciate it it's good see you get to the point where you know DT Harrison Phillips all the new guys are on board everybody's kind of playing in flow is that is that something you just gear for the first game of the season yeah uh T tough to say I mean each year it's such a new new year new group I think that defensively speaking we brought in a lot of high IQ players so we are picking up the Playbook a lot easier than uh other defenses I've been on before you know being I don't even know what day it is 6 Seven Something of walkthroughs and practices or whatever uh we don't have a lot of mental errors or Miss assignments on the tape and so that's allows us to get a little bit more creative with our play calling and add different layers to it uh but you know we can't really figure out what our identity is until you know multiple multiple days of these P practices and scrimmages and competitive periods the grind they call that right yeah yeah grit this got want to be a gritty team man um one last question um what do you need to what are you working on you you're at the point now where you're just refining stuff trying to get yourself better what what's your goal here this Camp to get better at yeah you know I I look at you know the NFL landscape as a whole and I look at defensive linemen and defensive tackles and most of those household name defensive linemen that you hear of they kind of hit their stride in 7 8 nine you know those are the years that those players are making the pro bowls and are defensive players of the years and things like that and so for me I'm really trying to figure out what can my ceiling be in this league I don't feel like I have have reached that I feel like I still have a lot of untapped potential and um so I'm I'm being pretty critical of last year seeing you know if you know to make her miss a play is you know know that that close or you had them and you fell off and so if I just would have made some of those plays that I was already in position to make I think I would have been you know those are one or two tackles a game or one sack every other game I mean now you're talking about 100 plus tackle Seasons 10 B big big statistics and it's not always production based because some of those things you can't control just do your job and you know sometimes the ball's there sometimes it's not uh but I'm definitely trying to uh establish myself as a three- down player that can you know play the run in the pass um and uh you know communicate with the guys on the team make the right check so that everyone can can understand their assignment hand placement uh attacking more playing on the offensive line uh line of scrimmage so there's always I mean I could keep going for hours of all the things I'm trying to get better I'm very self-critical all right thanks so watch best Lu thanks I know it doesn't K Will Reichard change your mindset I'm sure at all but kind of being the the only kicker now standing does does is there some satisfaction coming with that that at least you checked enough boxes that you know you've got that vote of confidence um I mean I think for me like it's always just going to be trying to be as good as I can be no matter the circumstance no matter you know anything like that so just trying to come out and get to work every single day and try to be the best version of myself trying to get better um I think that's still going to be my mindset and as it was before there been any NFL moments yet coming in I mean I know you're trying to just be a professional and go through your reps but has there been any okay moments so far uh not yet cuz I I haven't had to stand up and sing yet so but it's getting close so I got to get a song Ready um in terms of just being a good fit here I mean obviously they drafted you for a reason do you feel like this is as comfortable position as you can be in going through this the first time yeah I think this is a great spot obviously Landing myself in a great great group of guys obviously with Depot you know being in the league for so long you know Ryan being here Seth you know also competing for that as well um great group of coaches great group of rookie class too and then just a lot of the guys on the team everyone in the building has been awesome so super glad I ended up here for sure feels like a long way away but the first preseason game is coming are you anxious to kind of have that first taste of live fire uh not really we're going to the stadium to kick tomorrow it'll be the first time I can get in there so looking forward to that and then I mean we'll just take it day by day just trying to get better every day like I said earlier and I figure it out from there what's been the S Jay Ward biggest difference for you in this Camp uh compared to years in the past it's just moving back back and forth like I don't did it before in Camp previous camps but just like knowing to play with this year actually knowing what the corner doing the safety doing and what the people around me doing when they first approached you with the idea of going back to the cornerback position what was the first thought that came through your mind uh I I never mind it because I always knew like in case of dep since I played all three before I'll be asked to be move so I don't mind at all I'm just trying to get on the field when you think about your personality your makeup of an NFL player do you look at yourself as a corner or as a safety or just a ball player a ball player why do you think that I like to be around a b I'm trying to do whatever to help my team so whever I need wherever hold at I'm trying to fill it in how hard do you think that transition is going from safety to Corner in the NFL what are some of the differences that you have to you know pay attention to when you step out there uh I don't think it's just as hard but when I go back to corner I mean technique technique technique like your you got to depend on your Technique to make play what's murf and all those guys been telling you you know since you've been trying to get some reps in practice uh stay in my um stay in my press a little longer longer stay outside keep my leverage alignment you got to know everything like Rock Concepts how excited are you just for this opportunity to play this season like you said get on the field and make a name for yourself I'm super excited I can't wait to see what I have in store