LB Anthony Walker Jr. (9.20.23)

Hey, Anthony. Two games, defense has looked really strong. The offense is still working to get up to speed. How can you guys help facilitate that boost in the offense from your end when you’re playing so well? Get that translated over. 

“Yeah, I think we just got to find a way to give them more possessions. We got to get up off the field a little bit more. A couple of plays that we want back as a defense that we feel like really changed the momentum of the game. Me on the third and ten, the running back catches the ball for a check down, gets eleven yards. The next play they score a touchdown. If I make that tackle, we’re off the field and office has the ball again. Another third and something in the third quarter, they throw a dig route. If we get off the field on that play, the offense has another opportunity. So we’re not playing perfect as a defense. Offense is making plays. We just got to find a way to give them more opportunities, obviously. And we got to be clean in our technique and everything like that. We want to go out and we want to be the best defense so we can’t give a team anything.”

 

Hey, Anthony, that was a nice little greeting there for Kareem (Hunt). Can you just talk about perhaps what a little bit of a morale boost it is for you guys to have Kareem back in the building after the devastation of losing Nick (Chubb)? What’s it like now to have Kareem back for you guys?

“Nick. Special player, man. Special person off the field. As you know, me and him have a very close relationship. He really helped me throughout my process of getting back last year. So hate to see Nick go down, but when you have a Kareem Hunt, a guy like that who’s been in our system, been in Cleveland, as a Brown through and through, he understands what we need. His energy. He’s a boost of energy. As soon as he walked through the door, a lot of guys got excited when they seen him, so you never take that for granted. Man a great teammate, obviously a great runner, great catcher out the backfield. He’s definitely going to help us in a huge way this year. Like I said, you can’t replace a Nick Chubb, but we can start to fill those shoes with Kareem Hunt and the rest of that room. I thought the rest of our backs play well as well, so it’s going to be a group effort and a team effort. We can’t place it all on the running backs. Even though Nick Chubb, he is Nick Chubb, but it’s going to be a team effort, and we understand that we’re going to play the rest of the season for 24.”

 

Speaking of team efforts, what’s it like to tackle Derrick Henry? 

“Yeah, it’s not easy. It’s not easy. Like you said, I think you hit it right on the head. It’s eleven of us and it’s one of him, so we got to get eleven hats to the ball. We understand that. He’s been the top five back in the NFL since he’s been in, and we understand that we give him his respect. But it’s eleven of us. With all eleven of us getting to the ball and flying to the ball like we do, we got to make it hard on him. So obviously it’s a huge challenge for us. But I think, like I said, if we get all eleven guys running to the ball, like I know we will, we’ll be up for it.”

 

Statistically speaking, you guys are amongst the top in so many categories defensively A Walk.  in terms of the third down conversions, though, how much is that a point of emphasis by Coach (Jim) Schwartz? 

“Yeah, we got to get off the field. We got to get off the field. You never want to give a team free plays. I think this is the least amount of plays I’ve played in two games as far as us being able to get off the field, and we even left some out there, like I said. So when you talk to our team, our defense especially, you hear in our locker room last week after the game, just a lot of guys wanting to play back. And from the outside looking in, you’re like, oh, they’re playing great defense. We thought we played okay. We played okay last week, but we left some plays out there that we know we shouldn’t give up as a defense, we hold ourselves to a high standard and that’s just what it is, and we got to live up to it every week. So we got a long way to go, but we’re trending in the right direction. And like you said, third down is going to be a huge point of emphasis for us.”

 

Hey, A Walk, just wanted to ask you about Ryan Tannehill and the difference in him, what you saw in him last week against the Chargers. When he’s playing like that, how different does that make their offense? 

“Yeah. No, I have much respect for Ryan Tanhill. I played against him every year I was Indy. Obviously respect his game a whole lot. He makes that offense go. When he’s hot, and obviously they’re able to run the ball and he’s throwing the play action pass, throwing the boots and all that stuff and taking the shots down the field. He’s very dynamic. So we got to make sure that we’re on our P’s and Q’s and we are where we need to be as far as the defensive coverages and all that stuff. And don’t make it easy on him. We got to make sure that he sees a lot of bodies. We’re getting pressure on him and then he’s seeing sticky coverage outside and guys in their spots. So, like I said, a huge challenge for us defensively with the run game, with the play action pass and all that stuff. But like I said, if all eleven guys are working and doing what they’re supposed to do, then we’ll be fine.”

 

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