49ers
49ers LT Trent Williams is turning 37 but made it clear he has no plans to retire and wants to play into his 40s. He noted that he could continue to go until he is 41 as long as he still has gas left in the tank.
“I just feel like I do myself and my teammates a disservice if I’m looking toward the end,” Williams said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “I’m paid. People count on me to be here now. We’ve got goals and aspirations as a team. I just don’t think putting brain power toward that helps us get to where we want to go. When it happens, it happens. I think, one day, coming in, I should know when it’s getting that time, and then, I do the responsible thing and let them know early enough so that they can make the adjustments needed.”
“I would love to make it into that special group, but if it’s not in my cards, it’s not in my cards,” Williams added on playing to 40. “I’m going to do everything physically possible. I’m going to stay engaged. It’s one of them things to where I’m going to do everything possible to play as long [as I can]and to put a good product of football out there, and then, when it’s not going my way, then I’ll know. But I could play until I’m 41. Who knows? But that is a goal of mine. I’m definitely not going to retire with some left in the tank.”
Cardinals
Cardinals TE Trey McBride knows that he’s going to be a center point of defensive game plans and has to continue to sharpen his game in order to continue being a meaningful contributor.
“Consistency is big for me,” McBride said, via the team’s website. “The great ones do it all the time. It’s no secret anymore what (the coaches) are going to do – they are going to get me the ball. Now I have to continue to make plays when it comes to me … and elevate my teammates around me. Defenses know what I’m going to do. I have to continue to be me.”
Cardinals WR Marco Wilson said that the team has enough weapons but needs to do a better job of creating opportunities after the catch.
“Receivers are always a position you will point at, because to the untrained eye I think it’s that and the quarterback that’s the easiest to critique,” Wilson said. “If you see a guy covered and you’re like, ‘I just saw Tyreek Hill burn someone for 70 yards, why can’t our guys do that?’ I will say, in terms of producing more in our room, I think something we can all do a better job of is yards after catch. The targets are going to be what they are. When we do touch the ball, we have to come alive more. That’s what will take the offense to the next level.”
Rams
The Rams started 1-4 a year ago but won nine of the final 12 and came up two plays short of beating the Eagles in the Divisional Round. Los Angeles HC Sean McVay expressed his faith in the staff to handle that adversity. He also talked about his personal development after admitting he wouldn’t have been able to succeed in that situation earlier in his career.
“I did not like being 1-4. But you know what I know about people? They can handle it,” McVay said, via Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. “I know our coaching staff can handle it. … A few years ago, we wouldn’t have been able to do the things we were able to do in terms of my role and responsibility as a leader. That’s the truth. There’s no f—ing way. I would have melted.”
“I still am who I am. But these are skills you develop. … You’re building skills and you’re building opportunities to be resilient by acknowledging whatever those shortcomings are.”
McVay discussed how he has tackled feelings of burnout, helped by mentors such as former Washington and Boise State HC Chris Peterson. After openly contemplating retirement at one point, McVay now says he couldn’t imagine not coaching.
“He has helped me see this game and this profession in (such) a totally different lens that the idea of not coaching feels so laughable,” said McVay. “I get so much more joy out of things that I just didn’t give a s— about before.”
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