On how he feels he's grown as a leader:
"I just think it comes with reps here. Going into my third camp, my third year, I have more of a voice and you mature more over the years. You play a lot of ball. You go do a lot of different things on and off the field, so you're gonna mature in this league. So now it's kind of just being more intentional with not only myself but getting the guys around me ready and rallying the troops."
On how he feels on the team now with LB Bobby Wagner gone:
"Even when Bobby was here, obviously you have a Hall of Fame lineback player that's done a lot, a big brother to me and stuff like that. So, I kind of just picked up on stuff that he did and how he led and how he used his voice in certain situations. And now he's not here, so it's like, now it's my team for sure."
On starting practice with the red zone:
"It was competitive. Just going out there and whatever [Head Coach Dan Quinn] DQ has up there for our competition for the day. We're competing now. We're competing in all the team drills, so just get the juices flowing, get the guys ready and getting that competitive edge."
*On what he worked on during the break: *"Just keep trying to mesh with the offense over this summer break. Just keep working my craft: bigger, faster, stronger, just doing everything. Finding little edges I could do to get better and keep up with my VR [virtual reality] also."
On what he noticed about the defensive work during this practice:
"We bring in those guys that come in and get after the quarterback. It's good work on both sides that at the end of the day, that's all camp is really is. Building our identity, making sure guys get good work, make each other better."
On adjusting to the new offense:
"More comfortable than I was in the spring. Like I said, it just comes with reps over time throughout the spring. And you go inro the summer, and you got more of a grasp and concept of how he wants to do things, how he wants to accomplish things like that. And then, as time and time goes, you know, we're in camp now, so turning my back to defense isn't a problem. Stuff like that. It's a weapon for me. I try to master it in every way I can."
On his post practice process for improvement:
"It's really just a process. I mean, you're gonna have good days, you're gonna have bad days. It's a part of football, it's part of camp. This is where you go out there, you fail, you try, I'd rather fail in camp than come the season. So, you try to be critical, you take the coaching, you kinda see what you could do, what you can, what you can't get away with, and you move forward and you learn."
On learning new plays:
"I think everything at once and then you just break it down and see what questions I have for [Offensive Coordinator David] Blough and what questions do you have for me or what the answers are. You kind of just walk through it and try to make it make sense in your head in different ways. You try to, not necessarily like this exact play call, but you try to correlate to stuff that you've done in the past and things like that. Blough has been doing a great job of just breaking it out to me in that sense. And obviously, I gotta go out there and be a pro and steady and prepare myself."
On getting into great shape for the new season:
"Me and my trainer got after it, so I don't know. I feel good though. I feel really good."
On being featured in Netflix's Quarterback series:
"It was cool. like a different side of me, stuff like that. It was a cool experience. I'll say that, man. shout out to [QB] Peyton Manning and what they did, how they portrayed it and I heard it was a hit. I haven't watched it. I'm not gonna watch it. So yeah, it was a cool experience."
On the energy of the new team so far:
"I would say it's just a new team. Every year is a new year. From my rookie year, second year, to this year, this field has guys that bring energy themselves, within their own, on each side of the ball. You have those guys that have been here for a couple years, so you kinda know what DQ wants and what's his standard, what he expects from everybody. We push that standard. You got great leaders on both sides of the ball. You know, me, [WR] Terry [McLaurin], [LB] Frankie [Luvu], you got [CB] Mikey [Sainristil], "Revo" [S Jeremy Reaves], etc., that's been here and kinda knows the ropes."
On if the GoPro's have helped in film sessions:
"Truthfully, it's going back and hearing, seeing if you called the play right. I think it's stuff like that. I don't really necessarily go back and watch it, because it's on top of the helmet, so it's not truly, my eyes might be somewhere else, but my helmet's that way. But it honestly helps you. Going back, you want to listen to it, listen to how you call the play, how you're calling to play and make sure you're delivering a message, painting a picture to the other guys in the huddle to understand the play so we're all on the same accord."
On leading rookies like LB Sonny Styles and WR Antonio Williams:
"I'm still young, so you don't got to age me. I'm still young. I'm still young. But it's dope. Like I said, I was blessed to be a part and have some teammates that have a lot of knowledge and if they ask me questions, I play some ball in this league, so, I give them as much as I know. I don't know a lot, but I'm still learning. I'm still young, like I said, but obviously it's their first time going through a camp. So, they're asking me about my routine and stuff like that, trying to figure out little things. So, just give them little nuggets here and there."
On how last season led to the type of training he's doing now:
"Bigger, faster, stronger, stuff like that. With my trainers back there, and it kind of just left a bitter taste in my mouth. You move forward and you go out there and you try to get better and get back to it. You can't really rush the days when the season comes back, but you just attack it with a different mindset, different approach to things."
On doing more huddles and play calls:
"I would like to say I got a good little recall. So, once I hear a play, I can go out there and articulate it to the other 10 guys in the huddle. I have my struggles here and there. It might be some longer play calls and stuff like that where me and Blough gotta have talks about that, but it's no problem. It's no problem at all."
On how he thinks defense will come at him this season:
"I don't know. We gotta see. I don't know how they're gonna play us, play the offense. It's a different scheme, I don't know. I mean last year, everybody knows in and out the lineups, so, they gonna really find a groove, so I guess we'll have to find out come week one."
On if training camp feels any different given last season:
"Nah, training camp don't. I was in training camp last year. I was in training camp. It does not feel like I'm a rookie, so still these long days. I didn't miss training camp, so long days and stuff like that, so just take care of your body, hydrating, getting some sleep, things like that."
On how his California workouts during the offseason have translated into training camp:
"Yeah, for sure. It's kind of just time where you work out, try to get a good couple days in. Don't go too crazy, but it's also just bonding off the field and, I say what better place to go than Southern California. Some other people right here might disagree, but if you ask anybody, they had a good time. There's a lot to do out there, great weather. So yeah, what better place than it is to go out there."
On Terry's presence in practice:
"His presence, his voice. I mean, this is a guy that's been doing it for countless years. Yeah, I did age Terry. Terry, man, he's just a true pro, true vet. You guys see him after practice, coaching up the younger guys, giving the game back, the knowledge, just bringing that energy. So, last year was last year, but now we're happy to step forward and then hit day one of training camp moving forward and hit the ground running."
On if he's bought any housewarming gifts recently:
"Nah, not at all."
On his communication with WR Brandon Aiyuk over social media:
"It's private. We handled everything privately."
