Cole Smith: Bye Week media availability
Q: You guys get a chance this week to kind of get healthy for the stretch. What are you doing, and what’s practice been like this week?
A: Really just going out there and focussing on technique, focusing on little things we can get better at as a unit, as a team, and just keeping the main thing the main thing, which is winning football games.
Q: I know Will got banged up in that last game and didn’t come back in that one. In the event that Mike Wright ended up starting in Arkansas, how confident would you be in him going out there?
A: You know, it’s the next man up mentality. (I have) 100% confidence in all of our guys.
Q: When you’re practicing with both of those guys every day, what’s snapping to them like? Are there any changes?
A: Oh it’s the same thing.
Q: In terms of blocking for two very different kinds of quarterbacks, how is that different when Will is in the game versus Mike?
A: Well, they both play quarterback. Obviously, Mike can run, you know, and so can Will, too. It doesn’t really change for us up front, you know, we’re just trying to protect the quarterback, protect the ball carrier by any means necessary.
Q: How much does not having a game and just the rest…How big is the rest factor?
A: Oh, it’s a big factor, you know, getting the best rest you can get and maybe getting the young guys reps. But the biggest thing is just maintaining focus in a bye week, you know, not losing sight of the big stretch we’ve got coming up, so just maintaining focus. That’s the big thing.
Q: How much pride is the line taking in the way y’all have run the ball in the last two games not just with Woody, but the younger guys that are making positive gains on the ground?
A: Oh yeah, it’s great to see those younger guys get chances with touches and everything. To be able to see them pop some runs off, it’s a big pride thing for us up front to see that.
Q: Another good day running the ball for this team this past weekend, how much more do you as an offensive lineman enjoy being able to get downhill instead of sitting back in pass pro(tection)?
A: I think it definitely puts a lot more of the tone setting on our shoulders. I think we like that collectively as a unit. We like that opportunity to be able to put it on our shoulders and run the ball.
Q: This was probably your best weekend in pass protection, though. (You) didn’t allow a sack. Is that a big point of pride with no sacks allowed last week?
A: Oh yeah, absolutely. Week to week, every defense is going to change the looks they show. Everything they throw at us is going to be different, so yeah, it was big for us.
