LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (12.14.23)
You’ve been flying around the ball lately. Is this the best ball you’ve been playing uour career?
“Flying for me, you know, the games that we win, I feel those are the best games. The games that we lose, whatever you see from my performance, it’s really not enough, right? I think that’s really what it comes down to, wins and losses, able to put ourselves in a position to get to the playoffs. And ultimately the Bowl.”
Is this the most comfortable you felt though, in this scheme?
“I think any defense, the more you play in it, the more comfortable you get. Any sport, the more that you play the sport, especially at a high level like the NFL, the more comfortable, the better you get. I think with the scheme, with the players, with the speed of the game, I think that’s just where it’s where I am. I think I’ve seen just the amount of ball to be able to make that.”
You like having another dual-threat quarterback to chase around?
“Yeah, I’ll put it like this. Similar to the Baltimore scheme a little bit in reference to kind of like how the quarterback does some options and stuff like that. So, I like how coach (Jim) Schwartz puts the defensive schemes in relation to those dynamic quarterbacks.”
Did you learn by facing other dual-threat quarterbacks this year to be more prepared for Justin Fields?
“Well, I mean, again, they’re similar players, not exactly the way that Lamar (Jackson) plays, but they have similarities. Very diverse, very strong. Looking forward to seeing how it plays out.”
How would you describe the job of the linebacker in Jim Schwartz’s defense?
“The job of the linebacker is really to be the nurse in the defense. Not to get too rattled, not to get in a position where screaming or your palms up and doing a bunch of things that are causing the defense to get out of whack. I think ultimately, it’s to fill in the gap. To make sure that the engine is moving, which is our D line, and communication is there, which is the back seven or really the back behind the linebacker, but ultimately it’s being the nurse.”
Is there anything you have to do differently, in defending like a dual-threat quarterback, mindset wise as you’re thinking through it versus when you’re defending maybe guys in the pocket because you shoot a gap, maybe you jump the gun and he gets out of the way and makes the play. So just what goes through your mind?
“Yeah, I think everything is by personnel. So, I mean, of course, it’s slightly a bit different when we’re playing a dual-threat quarterback like that. You have to be more patient with your fits and making sure that you’re in the right places because if the mistakes do happen, they can really hurt you with their feet.”
I’m sorry if you answered this, but have you addressed all the TFLs that you have been getting so far this season?
“To be honest, if I give you the TFL to the D line, that’ll make more sense. I think it’s a huge applause and huge praise to the defensive line. What they’ve been able to do, even the corners of it, to be able to hold off defensively, to allow the footer that maybe hold the ball a split for a second, definitely praises to them.”
It just seems like there’s a little bit of you involved in that, too, though. Your speed is really showing up well.
“Again, it comes down to the crowd and you guys may not necessarily see that’s inside of the scheme. Again, I think that praises due to the defensive line.”
You guys have obviously lost a lot of people. Grant (Delpit) is on IR, Ogbo (Okoronkwo) might be out for the year. How have you guys kind of been able to deal with all these injuries?
“Yeah, it is tough. I spoke to Ogbo the other day and everything. It is tough, but I think that ultimately it really comes down to next man up. You hear it all the time. When people get hurt, things come down. But I think what’s the best thing is that we’re not like losing them in a sense, right? They’re still in the locker room and we still talk to them, facetime and we still get their experience, we still get their information, their wisdom on the game. So, it’s really about that. Some young guys are going to have to step up and earn their way, right? So, I think that’s what it comes down to. Next man up and seeing if they execute, maybe not in the same way, but enough to where we can do well.”
Why do you think those young guys have been able to step in? Because that doesn’t happen everywhere. Why do you think they’ve been able to be?
“So it’s a bit of the culture, I think, that we’re building. When you are developing, you have a good leader, you have good leaders and there’s a pride on your back. You know what I mean? When you have a family that has a family creed and a family mission, gives those, the players and people that’s inside of that family a bit more pride to go towards something we have established here looking to build continuously. I think they want to be a part of it and it’s a bit more help.”
We hear next man up all the time throughout the NFL, but we’ve also seen teams that have had those season ending injuries that haven’t been able to emulate it. I mean how many season ending injuries you guys have had? How have you guys been able to mimic that next man up and been able to actually follow through on it.
“Yeah, I think it’s the focus. I’m not focusing a bit more on the coaching, but coach (Kevin) Stefanski does a good job with allowing us to know that it’s not Sunday that’s the emphasis or Saturday that’s the emphasis, but it’s the day that we are living on right now. It’s the hour we’re living in. It’s the second we’re living in. And when the young guys step in, they really embrace that. So, for them to focus on the now, focus on the responsibility, each and every play think it’s those little things that mean a lot.”
How about Joe Flacco? What has he brought so far in terms of leadership and poise and just kind of confidence to the room?
“Joe is a guy that’s had a lot of experience, he’s been able to establish himself, whether by word or by deed. I think that he’s done a great job being able to lead the offense and stepping in, doing exactly what the coaches want him to do. Being a good teammate to us, whether it’s helping us out, maybe a look or helping another quarterback out and give us a better example of what to do with a different type of offense. He’s done a great job and I’m looking forward to seeing him progress more. ”
You speak about on the field but what about off the field. I know you have wisdom from a mental standpoint. You’ve been learning from ancestral lore. Can you speak on that briefly?
“Yeah, I think my personal side is my personal side, but I think more so off the field it’s really about how can I reset everything? How can I say, okay, today was a decent day. I have awareness of what mistakes I might have made today and what I need to do better at and then correct those mistakes. And that’s it. And those things are really what’s important. Can a person reset every time that person makes a mistake? They have the responsibility to be able to correct those mistakes. And I think that’s been the emphasis this year.”
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