Kansas City Chiefs Quotes: Bob Sutton, Phillip Gaines, Tyler Bray
By Ben Nielsen
Jul 26, 2014; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Phillip Gaines (23) defends against wide receiver Kyle Williams (19) during training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
PHILLIP GAINES
Q: What’s been the biggest thing you’ve focused on this offseason to get better?
GAINES: “Technique; I’m always going to go back to technique because once you perfect your technique, then everything else becomes easier; if you try to work something else before that, then you’re never going to be at the top of your game, but if you perfect that technique first, then everything else will come.”
Q: What specifically in the technique do you think you need to improve at?
GAINES: “I would just say being patient because that’s really what corner is. These receivers are so good off the line that sometimes you can get antsy, and their job is to move you off of the spot. So if you’re too quick to jump off the spot, they’ve got you right where they want you. If they move you left, and you react really quickly, then they’re just going to beat you back inside. So (I’m) definitely staying patient and just playing with confidence and don’t guess.”
Q: What else have you learned out here during your first week at training camp? Does anything surprise you at all – anything quicker or faster than you thought it would be? What do you think?
GAINES: “Not really, like I said, at the end of the day, it’s football. I’m really just out here trying to have fun; it is tough when we’re running a lot of plays each day, but if you come out here with the right attitude and just have fun, then everything will be all good.”
Q: Who’s taking that leadership role in the secondary? They had a lot of turnover in that unit this year.
Gaines: “I would definitely say EB (Eric Berry). I love watching him because not only is he just a really good athlete, he really understands the game, and that’s what makes him excel so much. If you combine those two – being a really good athlete and knowing the game, then that’s when you get the best player. I always go ask him questions like ‘how do you get out of your t-step faster, how do you speed turn faster?’ And then all of the players, really, (Husain) Abdullah, he’s a really good person to talk to, I talk to him a lot. Anybody who has a voice can talk, that’s the good thing about our group; no one feels like they’re ahead of anybody or anything like that so we all talk and so it’s just a really nice group.”
Q: What’s been the most helpful advice a veteran has given you over this week?
GAINES: “Just keep pushing. It gets hot out here; you run a lot of plays. Once you kind of let that mental fatigue set in, then your body’s going to go after that. You have to stay mentally strong, and like I said, keep working your technique, and you won’t be as tired. Once you let your mind go then your body’s going to go right after.”