Here's everything Houston Texans All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr. said after Tuesday's joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Question: On joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders Will Anderson Jr.: "It was a really good matchup for us. That was the first time that the ones got to go up against another opponent. We kind of started a little slow, but that's as expected. First joint practice, getting out here, getting in a groove, but as the practice kept going we kept getting better and better. We ended it right there in the two-minute drill. That is what the NFL is, coming down to the wire and finishing the games when it mattered." Q: On Raiders rookie QB Fernando Mendoza "A ton of respect for him. I loved his energy; I loved the way he was cheering his offensive line on and cheering his team on. He's going to be a really great quarterback in this league?"
Q: On the Houston Texans' defense Anderson: "I think we picked it up right where we left off at. Everybody is swarming to the ball. Of course, when we watch the tape, there's going to be room for improvement as always, but that's what practice is. That was our first time going against another opponent, first time seeing another offense on short notice. For us to go out there and do what we did. I felt the energy; we could pick it up a little better, but ultimately, keep growing, keep getting better and keep playing to our standard." Q: On going against another opponent Anderson: "We've been going against our same guys since the beginning of camp and just to break the ice and go against another team, to see where we are as a defense, to see where we need to improve at, that was really big for us. When we go back and watch this tape tomorrow and see the things that we need to improve on, the precision that we need to play with and then when we get to the game on Thursday, we execute those things."
Q: On the process this offseason compared to last season Anderson: "Strength, physicality and precision, those three things right there. We've been talking about that for the last couple of weeks. How does your strength look? How does your physicality look? How does your precision look? That's what's going to get us to the big show. We just got to come out here and keep being consistent. Every day showing up, being the same guy, being the same player, being the same teammate and coming out here and executing. 'Rank' said something really good, he was like, 'Being a pro, you can't keep letting the coach say the same thing to you.' I think for our team, we can all take heed to that. Let's not keep correcting the same thing. Let's not keep having coach go over the same technique that he's been going over since the beginning of camp. That's one thing that we've really been trying to hold our hands on. It's let's get it fixed right now so when the game comes, we already know what to expect and we can get it done because we did it a million times in practice the right way." Q: On if they kept the standard up during practice against the Las Vegas Raiders Anderson: "Most definitely. It was some good, it was some bad and we got to clean it up. I think for our first joint practice I thought we'd look really good. There's going to be a lot of stuff on tape that we have to look and get better at. For our first time coming out as a group, coming out as a defense, I was really proud of the guys. We just have to keep climbing that tree, keep chopping wood and keep getting better."
Q: On Raiders DE Maxx Crosby Anderson: "It's crazy because me and Myles [Garrett] kind of talked about that this offseason. I have a ton of respect for Maxx. Maxx is a big bro. Him and I talk a bunch, all the time and he's been really great for me. I know he's over there, but for me, I'm also worried about the tackles and who I'm going against. We'll catch up after practice and see how it went. A ton of respect for Maxx. He's an awesome player in this league, one of the top guys in this league. I look up to him. Danielle [Hunter] and I at the front, we always say when we get in that three-point stance, I look down at the ball and I see Danielle over there, it just gives me so much confidence because I know I'm out there with my dog." Q: On DE Logan Hall and DE Jadeveon Clowney Anderson: "I'll start with Logan first. I think he's going to unlock so much. Both of those guys are going to unlock so much for what we want to do at this front and things that we can do defensively to get a lot of guys going. Both of those guys rush really well and I can't wait to see how we use them."
Q: On his game-changing ability Anderson: "My confidence has been really high, but it's not because of the check or anything like that. It's just more so because I've seen the preparation and the consistency that I've been going through all season and now in camp. I've seen my pass rush grow. I've seen my run game grow. I've seen I've grown as a leader. It just gives me so much confidence and when I step on the practice field and I step into these games or I step into joint practice, I have that much confidence because I've prepared the right way. I've trained my body the right way. I've put my body in those positions to be able to go make the plays that I need to play or be in positions that my coach need me to be in." Q: On DT Kayden McDonald Anderson: "I've been really pleased with him. He's grown a lot over these last couple of months. Has his body in good shape. His mindset's getting there. He's been leaning on us big time. He's been learning the system. He's been good, taking care of his body. We told him we need you. You're going to be playing a lot for us. He's taking that as a challenge. He's gotten better every single practice. Every practice we watch, he's taking that step of becoming exactly who we need him to be on this defense."
On his mental process during reps "Mentally, it's taking yourself to that zone. Mentally, it's taking yourself to that place where you won't be denied. We have a saying, 'Leave no doubt.' I think that's our mentality. Let's go ahead and put it on their mind right now. Let's leave no doubt about who we are as a defense, who we are as a defensive lineman. Come out here with the right mentality. Come out here and work. We say every time we touch this grass, that's an opportunity to get better. I think about a mentality. I think about mindset as what you bringing to the field? How you feeling when you come to the field? You just want to be average or you want to be great? And, you know, I think everybody's been taking it like, 'We want to be great.' So, I think that's been our mentality." Q: On Head Coach DeMeco Ryans talking about precision Anderson: "Precision is, one, everybody getting lined up. Everybody getting lined up. Everybody communicating. Everybody being in the right position they need to be in. Going over their technique, being in the right place at the right time. Making sure that their technique is on point. Making sure their eyes, feet and hands are exactly where they need to be so when the ball snaps, we know exactly what we're doing. We just talk about precision. We talk about communication. We talk about getting lined up with urgency and just being where you need to be at."
Q:On needing to increase the energy level from Preseason Week 1 and how the team came out to this practice Anderson: "I talked to the defense after the game and I was like, 'That wasn't our standard. You never need somebody else to get you motivated for a game. For a lot of you guys, that was your first time taking the NFL field.' They responded the right way. Those are the type of guys that we have in the locker room to respond the right way. To know I have to look myself in the mirror, my brother's are counting on me. It starts with the leaders on the team, just as us, because we should have better energy as well. It's not just those guys, but all of us as a collective. I thought we did a really good job of bringing the energy today and so far throughout camp." This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Everything Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. said following joint practice with Raiders