Commanders
Commanders WR Jahan Dotson has a chip on his shoulder entering his second season in the NFL due to him feeling disrespected by the lack of recognition in the media.
“Honestly, I think it’s from me watching TV, and honestly, we live in the age of the internet, so you always see these sports analysts talking about this guy is bound for a breakout season, and this guy’s gonna do this, and this guy’s gonna do that,” Dotson said, via Around The NFL. “I’m never mentioned, and I keep that in the back of my head. That’s what I work for. They don’t say my name, and that’s what I want. I take it personal.”
Dotson was motivated last year to prove every team that passed on him wrong.
“That’s why last year, when I felt like they passed up on me in the draft, all those teams, I had to make them feel me,” he said. “I felt like I had to make them respect me. I felt like I wasn’t getting the respect that I needed. I had to make them respect me.”
Dotson believes his second year will be a breakout year for him.
“Honestly, I feel like this is my breakout year,” Dotson said. “It’s what I’ve been working hard for, and I’ve got to make them feel me.”
Eagles
Eagles DE Brandon Graham spoke about the slippery playing surface in the Super Bowl, bringing up when DE Josh Sweat slipped trying to sack Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes.
“We could not believe it. You need that traction to be able to get off the block and we were slipping a lot,” Graham said, via Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star. “I don’t make excuses. I just know that that’s what was being talked about, us trying to get out of our own heads a little bit, too. I’m telling you that O-line, they got blessed, I’ll say that.”
- ESPN’s Tim McManus writes that Eagles LB Christian Elliss made “several highlight plays” throughout their offseason program and had an interception return for a touchdown in 7-on-7s.
Giants
Giants LT Andrew Thomas explained having a second year with the team’s coaching staff will help his development.
“It is great to be in the same system back-to-back years, so I’m looking forward to us growing as an offense,” Thomas said, via Giants Wire. “It’s great. I mean, we’re not learning each other. We already understand what makes each other tick, understand the offense. You can start asking more questions, like really understanding the full process and not just regurgitating information. I’m looking forward to it.”
Giants RT Evan Neal is also excited to be able to have continuity within the offensive system, particularly as he tries to improve on a rocky rookie year.
“It’s extremely helpful,” Neal added. “I mean, this is the first time that I’ve played the same position consecutive years in my life, you know what I’m saying? Even going back to high school. So, I’m definitely excited to see how I feel, for sure.”
Neal is looking forward to taking a big step in his second year and is focused on the positives that he gained from his rookie year.
“I feel like I gained a lot of experience going out there at right tackle,” Neal said. “I gained a lot of valuable experience that’s going to continue to carry me for the rest of my career. As far as meat on the bones, I guess you can say there’s just a lot left out there for me, you know what I’m saying? Obviously, I played through things, missed five weeks, had a couple of poor performances, and things like that, that I had to just kind of shake back from. But all in all, I’m proud of the way that I performed and I’m proud of my resiliency from my rookie year.”
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