Game Week Interviews: Christo Kelly & Andrew Simpson

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — It had been since Week One leading up to TCU that the Kenan Football Center had housed as large a crowd of reporters and cameras as it did Monday morning. Once the main event concluded, it was offensive lineman Christo Kelly and linebacker Andrew Simpson’s turn to address the media and share their perspectives on the state of the program.

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Watch the complete interviews and read some noteworthy excerpts from their comments.

Christo Kelly

When asked about the state of the locker room:

“What I can speak for is what I see day in and day out, and that’s guys committed to this team, committed to each other, working with each other. Yeah, the results on the field aren’t what we want and it’s tough, right? Everyone wants to win–players, coaches, fans and whatnot. But I see guys that are coming together and stringing along great practices–practices that are getting better each and every day. We’re headed in the right direction, absolutely. We’re just excited being able to keep working…”

When asked if there’s a communication issue from the staff:

“No, absolutely not, it’s world class. From a standpoint with Coach Belichick, it’s the feedback that he seeks from everybody. We talk about in all of our meetings every single day, the emphasis is on communication, whether it’s on the field, off the field, and whatever that is. And you know, Coach Belichick’s and Mr. Lombardi’s emphasis on feedback–how can we improve, how can we get better? There’s an open line of communication. Again, everyone’s focused on winning, committed to winning. That’s really what we’re looking to keep building on…”

When asked about the alleged divide between Mack’s players and Belichick’s players:

“I mean, we’re just one team. What I can speak on in terms of the dynamic of the locker room is no one really sees it as that. We just see it as, these are our teammates, these are our brothers. When you go through a lot, and it starts in the summer with all the training that we do, it’s not easy…”

Andrew Simpson

When asked about a winning locker room compared to a losing locker room:

“I would say even when you are winning a lot of games, it’s not always going well. Every single day there’s something new every single practice, there’s something you can grow in. Whether you win or lose, it’s not always the sunshine and rainbows everybody expects. But I would say doing your best every day to put your best foot forward, being thankful that you get to have another opportunity to grow and get better–that’s pretty much how I look at it…”

When asked about working with Lombardi in the transfer portal:

“I would say the transition was very smooth. He took time to explain to me and my family what we wanted to get to here, and how much buy in everybody had and what we wanted the season to look like. The conversations were really good–brought me and my family in like one of theirs, and it was good…”

When asked about Armond Hawkins:

“Great person. Great coach. He wants the best for everybody, not just the DBs, but the entire defense. Always brings high energy, always has a positive attitude, and he just wants the best for everybody. Regardless of what position you play or where you come from, just a good coach to have on a staff like this.”