Player Interviews: Shea & Cesar on the Offense in Fall Camp

Summaries:  

(Not that much to reveal here as usual with player interviews with the media, but still fun to hear from the guys - wasn't sure if I should split these up as it'll be long but not trying to dominate the board. I left out some really fluff answers to questions that didn't have much value/insight)

Shea Patterson:

On what he likes the most so far from the offense: Likes the transition from spring to fall, Likes how close the guys are as a unit, feels like family vibe, likes how smoothly the offense is being run.

On Cesar's comments that he's doing "Shea Things" and how he thrives in this offense: Going out there and making plays. Familiar with scheme concepts from Ole Miss. So many guys out there in space to make plays and it feels "a lot more natural."

What does he want to see in the opener to know offense is on track:  Execution, he has a good feeling for where they are now, very happy with how camp has gone. Ready to play

Does offense have big play capability to win the games they haven't won in recent years? Yeah - have a good group of leaders, best teams are player-led and they have a ton of leadership on the team. Offense should be set up to make big plays. 

Where has he improved the most since last year? Leadership - off the field included. The other leaders have pushed him. Works on it every day.

What's an alternate captain and how does he feel about it? He voted for the guys who were captain and he's thrilled for them. He's not too sure what it means. The D will follow Josh and the O will follow him. 

Does the Offense help them attack the tougher teams on the schedule? { Laughing}...yeah. Last year they had good stuff to draw on but have trust in Gattis and Harbaugh and excited to get out there. 

Who are the RBs going to be? Know they have three guys - Wilson, Turner, Zach - that are doing well

Last season with Cesar, How's that feel, What that relationship like? "He's a clown but I love him though" It's awesome - played together at IMG and then here again. Offense line was good last year and improved this year

On Him +Dylan both playing: Not sure how it'll work - he wants to be out there every play and wants the ball in hands, but up to Coach Harbaugh. Both working their asses off and pushing each other

Is he comfortable in the new offense, if so when did that happen? He's really comfortable, Gattis makes sense and McDaniels laid it out really well for them. He was all spread at Ole Miss. 

How fast will the offense be and what can it achieve? Sky's the limit, speed in space, control the tempo.

How's his relationship with Dylan? Push each other but he really just competes with himself, friends off the field. {big pause on this one - dunno what to read into that}.

 

Cesar Ruiz:

Where has he seen the most team progress in fall camp? Intensity of practice has really picked up - things are really fast right now. 

What is he looking forward to most this year? Competing - getting out there and playing the game. 

What has he seen in the offense that would tell him it is paying off? Scoring a lot of points, put up great numbers on offense and really execute well - do it the right way. See everyone do their job correctly.

Does he see big play impact of the new offense? Yep definitely - all different guys making big plays all over practice. Big plays can happen from anywhere all over practice. Is it different than in year's past? Yeah he'd say so - they know the athletes they have and they can show what they're able to do.

How is tempo affecting him? Nothing really changed for him - basically the same. Still making protection calls, IDs, has to do it a little faster

What's benefit of having so many guys back on the line?  It's great - chemistry came right back and that's already built, which is great for them. 

How's the D Line, who's playing well?  They're great - they are all playing really well

How's Shea? Is he any different than last year? He doesn't remember last year...haha...Doing a lot of "Shea Things" in practice - he's more comfortable doing what he does. Shea Things to him are him making something out of nothing and blowing your mind. 

On Mayfield: He's young but that's not a problem - practicing hard, He's all in and working hard. Cesar's really excited to see what he can do. 

Was he skeptical about the offense when Gattis was hired? Nope not at all - he was excited and he likes the stuff the offense lets him do in terms of how he's blocking, pulling, getting in the open field. 

Area of most improvement? Football IQ - figured it out last year but feels like he's more mature and put more on his plate as a leader and recognizing things faster and being more comfortable. Comes from experience, learned from his mistakes, and fixing those things and feeling really comfortable with where he is and more on his improvement list he wants to tackle.