ILB Brian Cushing
(on going to the CMAs with JJ Watt) “It was definitely a different experience. It was good though, a lot of fun. It was a good bonding experience to go up there and see some guys in their craft and their professional hobbies and jobs, and just a really cool experience. Great town, just a great time overall.”
(on Bill O’Brien talking about his standout performance today and progress) “It just feels really good to be getting my range back. I felt very limited last year, and just kind of my health, coverage, and a lot of things I couldn’t do really on the field. Really feeling like myself again and kind of feeling like I can play anywhere on the field and make a play anywhere on the field. I’m getting, like I said, that range back and feeling very explosive and very happy about that.”
(on if it was just a matter of still not being 100 percent last year) “I mean I guess so. I was talking with my doctor after the last injury basically telling me that it could take me up to a year, year and half to really recover from something like this, especially back-to-back years on the same leg, and really the degree of damage I did to that leg. It was frustrating, but at the same time I’m a stubborn person and felt I could go out there Week 1 and be myself, but I think the coaching staff and myself eventually convincing me that I couldn’t do that, really looking out for me and I think it’s really paying off this offseason just for how I feel right now.”
(on Bill O’Brien saying he has changed his training regimen) “Well I can train again. You know, I can work out again, so that was the biggest thing and I think that’s what he means. A lot of things I wasn’t able to do last year and I was very limited in the things I could do. I just really focused everyday on getting my leg back, learning how to walk again at one point, that’s how far it went. It was just a very severe and rough time I had to go through, but it also limited my offseason on how I could really train and work out. I didn’t have any of those kind of setbacks this year and could really just full go on the offseason.”
(on learning to walk again) “No, well both times actually. The second injury was really a lot worse because I was finally getting back and my quad and my whole leg still wasn’t back from the first injury and then you hurt the same thing again, so it was tough but it was a long time ago and I’m just feeling a lot better, way better.”
(on if it was more difficult mentally or physically to get over the injury) “Probably mentally, probably mentally. Physically you’re inhibited, but it really takes a toll mentally because it’s somewhere you don’t want to be, especially the second time going through it. You finally get over it the first time and then it happens again. It’s devastating, but having a really good support system and having a lot of people to help me push through it, like I said I’m just really happy where I am now.”
(on the mental demands the defense puts on his position) “Yeah, no question, no question. I mean I remember still going into the first and second games last year and really still learning. Romeo (Crennel) has got a big playbook, and you said it, it asks a lot out of the Mike linebacker, and really everyone on the defense. We have a ton of play calls, ton of different looks, ton of different schemes, substitutions, fronts, all that, so you really have to know what you’re doing on all different situations and downs and distances and all that. Really the second year going into it, I feel way more comfortable, way more comfortable. Just even OTAs how much smoother running and better we feel on defense, a lot more confidence, guys are talking to each other, communicating and we’re anticipating things a lot more instead of really just trying to figure ourselves out and figure our defense and our identity. We’ve got that down and now it’s just building upon that.”
(on if he feels 100 percent) “Yeah, yeah. If it’s not 100 percent, maybe it’s 98, 99, so I mean, I can say that up here and really mean it. I’ve said it before and really haven’t, so I’m telling you the truth right now. I feel great and just really excited to be back out there. Mentally the best I’ve been in a while because physically it’s the best I’ve been in a long, long time.”
(on how special this defense is) “It’s special, we know we’ve got really good players on defense but the thing is we really want to play together as one, play really good. We don’t look at it as levels, d-line, linebackers, defensive backs, we look at it as just one defense. Every time we go out there we have a lot of confidence and a lot of trust in one another. When we do that, we can really come together as one and play as one, so it’s a really good feeling with these guys.”
(on if he’s reached out to Jadeveon Clowney and given advice about recovering from injury) “Yeah, absolutely. We’re all sort of right next to each other in the locker room and we talk a lot. He’s doing a really good job. I know there’s a lot of anticipation and a lot of people out there that want to see him play and obviously was an extremely high draft pick, very rare talent who’s going to help this football team a lot. At the same time, he’s a young kid who’s already gone through a pretty traumatic injury and has to be smart, take care of himself, and be out there when he’s ready, and he will be. He’s done a really good job, and I’ve tried to just extend my knowledge as much as I can to him and let him know what he’s going through is normal right now, he’s going to have ups and downs throughout rehab coming back and that’s just how it goes.”
(on Romeo Crennel’s strategy for calling the defense) “It definitely gives you a lot of confidence when someone’s up there in the front of your meeting and you know all the games he’s won, and defenses he’s coached, and great players he’s coached. I’ve been very fortunate of the defensive coordinators I’ve had in the league and played for. Romeo is really kind of an icon and seeing him up there sometimes can be surreal, just knowing that he’s your coach, he’s talking to you. He’s got a lot of trust in us, we’ve got a lot of trust in him, you know it’s a two-way street. We really appreciate everything he does and like I said, it’s a lot of confidence going into a game knowing he’s making the calls and kind of the studying and research he puts in all week to attack an offense.”
(on the inside linebacker group and Max Bullough) “It’s very deep, it’s a very deep group and very competitive. Max is doing great. Max is one of the smartest if not our smartest inside linebacker, maybe the smartest guy in the whole defensive meeting room. I know that might be the first time you heard that, but he really is. Very good football IQ, very smart guy, knows the ins and outs of football. Anytime he gets the opportunity to go out there he competes, he does well, makes a lot of plays and just a really good football player all the way around.”
