Everything Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr. said after Day 6 of training camp

USA Today

2 days ago

Here's everything Houston Texans All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. said following Day 6 of NFL training camp, including his thoughts on rookie Jaylin Smith, expectations for the upcoming season and how linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair could be the most improved defensive player this fall.
Question: What's next after an All-Pro season last year
Derek Stingley Jr.: 'Really the goal is just be better than last year. So, whatever comes with that.'
Q: On how he accomplishes that
Stingley: 'The same process, just going out and trying to make sure that I'm better than the day before. Or if I'm working on my feet one day, just making sure that that looks good or my hands, on my eyes, or anything like that.'
Q: On the addition of S C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the secondary
Stingley: 'He adds a whole other level to the defense. He fits in. He's going to fly around, he's going to talk, he's going to dance and do all that. He's a good piece to the defense, I'm glad he's here.'
Q: On if that attitude is contagious for the rest of the secondary
Stingley: 'Yeah. We all feed off each other, so it's good energy.'
On if that's different from coming into Training Camp this year or is it the same
Stingley: 'No, it's the same. As long as you're working, you shouldn't…you should be all right.'
Q: On what he's seen from CB Jaylin Smith and how he's helping him like former Texans CB Steven Nelson helped him
Stingley: 'Shout out to my dog, Steven [Nelson]. 'J-Rock' is going to make a lot of plays. Every day he does something and it's like, 'All right, you moving around, you making plays.' But he's smart. You don't have to say something to him more than once, really. He knows the whole defense already, every position. So, it's just cool to see him just being a player that he is.'
Q: On if he feels like a veteran
Stingley: 'A little bit. Sometimes I'm looking and I'm just like, 'Oh, that's crazy. I'm older than all of them.'
Q: On how he expects opposing teams to attack him
Stingley: 'I don't expect a quiet [game] or a lot. I can't really go into a game thinking like that. The season's a long way away. But I'm just going into every game the same, just do my job.'
Q: On what it's been like to get to know S C.J. Gardner-Johnson rather than hear about his reputation around the league
Stingley: 'There's a narrative about him, from people that don't know him, whatever you assume that narrative is. But he's a great person. He just loves football. He's going to go out there, he's going to compete every single day. He's going to pay attention. He's going to talk in meetings, express what he thinks about a certain play or something. Then we're just going to talk about it. I don't know. He's a great guy. So, I don't know.'
Q: On how he's able to take himself away from individual accolades and make them team accolades
Stingley: 'I wouldn't be anywhere without the team. Everybody has to help each other in order for stuff like that to happen. Like, we make plays as a group. We just got to trust and have that chemistry that the player next to you is going to do what he has to do.'
Q: On if he sees differences in CB Kamari Lassiter going into Year 2
Stingley: 'From the outside looking in, it looks like the game has slowed down a lot for him. He knows what to expect through the course of a day, through camp or even within a play. Once he sees certain things, he knows that he can trust his eyes because he's seen it at this point a lot of times. So, it's cool to see him get comfortable out there.'
Q: On what he loves about gaming
Stingley: 'The NCAAs and the Maddens, it's just football. You get to exploit a whole bunch of coverages, especially if you're going against somebody like [Jalen] Pitre who doesn't know how to play Madden that well, you just practice. So, it's just more practice.'
Q: On LB Azeez Al-Shaair joining the defensive backs for their workout in Puerto Rico
Stingley: 'It was good. We had a lot of fun out there. We had good work. Seeing him move around, it's crazy because obviously you could tell that he's a linebacker because he's swole, but he's moving around just like the defensive backs that were out there. I think it was good off-season work.'
Q: On if he sees it paying off now
Stingley: 'Yeah. He's going to catch all of them now.'