October 20, 2025 • 9 mins
Inside Linebacker Bobby Okereke speaks to the media Monday from the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
When you go back to the look at the film.
I know we asked you know, you and separate guys
to see yesterday, But do you guys see ways where
you would have liked to maybe have been maybe be
more aggressive, maybe not just on the last drive, but
in other plays places in the fourth quarter.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
I mean, I think from a play style perspective, yeah,
it just could have been more aggressive with our detail,
whether it's you know, being a certain leverage, being tighter
to a guy, uh envision and breaking our coverages. Uh,
you know some of those plays that you know went
for eight or nine yards, you know, getting them down
to four or five yards and you know, kind of
(00:38):
stopping away they catch it. So that was kind of
the emphasis going back looking at the film, just when
you're getting these fourth quarter games and both teams are
tired and it really comes down to execution. You got
to be aggressive with the details. And I think that's
where we as players are excited to grow.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
And I guess you know, kind of using this and
also yes, going back to the Dallas game, how much
have you guys emphasize maybe more just trying to you know,
like you said, finishing these games. You mentioned this is
a fourth quarter game. You mentioned that that's gonna be
important how much you guys emphasizing that the need to
finish is maybe the biggest lesson from this.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Game or just one of them. Yeah, like you said,
might be the biggest lesson from this game. You know,
obviously it's an emotional loss, but uh, you know, with perspective,
there's lessons you can get in every game, and uh,
to become the team we want to become, and we've
got to go through some growing pains and mature and
you know, learning, learning the lessons that in the fourth quarter,
(01:33):
it really comes down to execution. Uh. You know, it's
got obviously a physical game. Guys are tackling, hitting, but
that fourth quarter, both teams are tired. Uh, drives are
going along. It really just comes down to execution and
getting off the field. And we saw in the film.
You know there's a couple of plays, you know, one
play away where you know we could have turned the result.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Than turning run on.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
What's up, Bobby, what's.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Going on man?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Or how we're doing?
Speaker 5 (01:59):
I'm doing good. There was a video after the game
of Brian Burns obviously very upset kind of with the
rushing three dropping eight. You know, Decks made made a
pretty well known too. You know, that wasn't probably his
preference either. How much did you guys have to talk
about that as a group. I mean, you're a team
(02:20):
leader and stuff for making sure that everyone's you know,
on the same page, and and still you know, not
getting upset with everything else going around.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yeah, I mean that's I think that's part of the
league where a bunch of firey, competitive dudes. Obviously, frustrations
boil over and a tough emotional loss like that, the
way the momentum was swinging, it was up and down,
you know, I think that's a positive for us as
a team to get those frustrations and emotions out and
us as grown men, you know, have the accountability to
(02:48):
get better. And we talked about it today. It's not
one player, one coach, one position group. Everybody really had
their hands in the pot in this loss, and it's
really just that aggressiveness of having the detail to fit
and having the urgency to finish because these games are
going to come down to one score lesson you've got
to win in the fourth quarter.
Speaker 5 (03:07):
Obviously Dallas was kind of similar at the end, so
you view it as an isolated thing. You know, you're
not worried about it being a bigger issue on like
a grander scale.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
No, I mean every game, obviously there's plays that go
one way to the other and you learn from it.
I think that's you know, when you have a growth mindset, Uh,
you know, you don't get too high, you don't get
too low. And that's what we're preaching. You don't let
one big play lead to too and you don't let
one big loss lead to too. So we're compartmentalizing this,
making the corrections, and we're excited for this coming week.
Speaker 5 (03:37):
And in your estimation wise, you think that you feel
like there's full support for Shane, like everybody's fully bought
into what he's what he's doing.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
And I understand we're all we're all hands on deck,
we're all bought in. You know, everyone's got to look
at the man of the mirror. It's easier to point
the finger, but for a team perspective, it's better to
point the thumb and figure out what I can do
better as an individual. So that's what we're all bought
in to do. We're excited for this upcoming opportunity.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Oh sure, Hey, Bobby, are you doing good?
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Paul?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
How are we doing good?
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Good with it? With every call? I mean, what what
is the conviction a player must have in his heart
and his head when the call is in that? All right,
that's not the call I would have made real quickly,
in real time. I don't love that call. I guess
I'll play it, or that's the call, I'll play it
to the best. You know what I'm saying. I mean,
(04:31):
there has to be a conviction in your head that
that that's the call you're going to play, even though
you might not always agree with it.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Yeah, I mean for us as players from our standpoint,
you know, we all love playing football, and we're very
blessed to play this game you know, provides for us
and our family. So regardless of the call, regardless of
the situation. You know, we get paid to play defense
and we're extremely excited to play defense, whatever the coverage is,
whatever the situation is. However we got on the field,
(04:57):
whether who whoever's responsible, So yeah, you got you gotta
have conviction. I mean this NFL guys are great. So
if you're playing, you know, trepidacious and maybe with some
hesitation or doubt, guys get on, you're gonna get beats.
So we're all bought in. We have great conviction, and
you know, we're just excited to make the corrections from
(05:18):
this loss.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
When when you know the the old you know the
classic the line about your first down play when you
guys got on the field, it was rush three, drop eight, Right,
what I mean there were weaknesses and strains to every
every play call. Right, what should that happen? What should
happen there? Because rushing three you're probably not going to
(05:40):
get great pressure up from probably not So what what
what should happen there?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Yeah, in that situation, I think Dave's and Shane probably
talked to it too. We were in a double robber situation.
So you got two free guys kind of sitting there
looking for the inbreakers. You got everybody outside leverage. Uh,
you got me man on the back and the backs
chip and so obviously they're trying to neutralize our pass rush.
And I think, like I said, this is a maturation
(06:06):
process for our team, So just going and growing understanding
how they're trying to attack us in a two minute
situation like that, based off the time, I think time
on the clock was maybe thirty seven seconds or something
like that. That's a lot of time. You know, you're
thinking the game's almost over. They got no timeouts, but
thirty seven seconds there's a lot of time, especially with
the new kickoff rule. And I mean with kickers playing
(06:27):
the way they are, they only got to get to
the forty five to the fifties. So just understanding how
teams are trying to attack you in two minutes. And
obviously this is a painful lesson, but you know, we're
excited for the opportunity to grow from this.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
And one more you don't see. I mean, obviously after
the Dallas game, there were some similarities there, and you know,
people inside spoke up that we wanted our defensive coordinator
to be more aggressive there, and even Shane said, maybe
I can be more or I can be more aggressive there.
And then you see first down and it's rush three,
(06:59):
drop eight. I mean, should a team be more aggressive
there all the time? Or you know, you know what
I'm saying. I mean, you can see from our fans
perspective is saying we learned that lesson, Why didn't we
Why did we repeat that mistake again here?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yeah, I think it's tough it's based on situational it's
based on the flow of the game. You know, you
could say you could get in a similar situation and
you you rush six or seven and you have everybody isolated.
One guy misses a tackle and he goes off, and
you're saying, you know, why don't you have help? So
you know, we got great trust and conviction, and Shane
I thought he put us in a great situation to
execute in that situation. Just us as players, obviously in
(07:38):
the fourth quarter, just got to have that aggressive mindset,
to be more detailed and just understand how they're going
to attack us in those critical situations because it's it's
one play here or there that that will turn the
tide of the game.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Thank you, Bobby, I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Last one. Tom Rock, Hey, Bobby, I'm just wondering, as
as you watched the film, can you remember again where
there was such a disparity in in just the sort
of the tone that you guys played with for three
quarters and then and then it changed into the fourth quarter.
I mean, you got you guys, were you know, really
(08:13):
a physically dominant team. Yea, most of this game, thinking
of the hits you had, and Belton had, and Carter
and Burns and and those seemed to go away. So
did that did that stand out to you, I guess
when you watched the film and and is that concerning
at all?
Speaker 2 (08:31):
I mean, I would say from a play style perspective,
like you said, we came out in the first three quarters,
we played very physical, we played with great urgency, and
once momentum shifted in the game, I feel like that's
where we got to grow as a team and to
you know, stop the bleeding. Because this is the NFL,
everyone's a professional. So whether you get up on a
(08:52):
team three scores and you feel like you know it's
going to go your way, all it takes is one
momentum shifting play for guys to start believe in that,
oh we can come back, especially at home, especially in
the environment they in. They were in all the momentum,
So yeah, I think, like I said, it just it
comes down to execution and detail in the in the
in the third and fourth quarter, at that point in time,
(09:14):
you know, the physicality is still there in the game,
but guys are fatigued, So it's really you know, catching
the ball here, staying on sides here, eliminating a penalty here,
executing the call here. So, like I said, we were
all taking our individual responsibility. We all had our hand
on the pot, and you know, we're excited to make
the corrections this coming week
When you go back to the look at the film.
I know we asked you know, you and separate guys
to see yesterday, But do you guys see ways where
you would have liked to maybe have been maybe be
more aggressive, maybe not just on the last drive, but
in other plays places in the fourth quarter.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
I mean, I think from a play style perspective, yeah,
it just could have been more aggressive with our detail,
whether it's you know, being a certain leverage, being tighter
to a guy, uh envision and breaking our coverages. Uh,
you know some of those plays that you know went
for eight or nine yards, you know, getting them down
to four or five yards and you know, kind of
(00:38):
stopping away they catch it. So that was kind of
the emphasis going back looking at the film, just when
you're getting these fourth quarter games and both teams are
tired and it really comes down to execution. You got
to be aggressive with the details. And I think that's
where we as players are excited to grow.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
And I guess you know, kind of using this and
also yes, going back to the Dallas game, how much
have you guys emphasize maybe more just trying to you know,
like you said, finishing these games. You mentioned this is
a fourth quarter game. You mentioned that that's gonna be
important how much you guys emphasizing that the need to
finish is maybe the biggest lesson from this.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Game or just one of them. Yeah, like you said,
might be the biggest lesson from this game. You know,
obviously it's an emotional loss, but uh, you know, with perspective,
there's lessons you can get in every game, and uh,
to become the team we want to become, and we've
got to go through some growing pains and mature and
you know, learning, learning the lessons that in the fourth quarter,
(01:33):
it really comes down to execution. Uh. You know, it's
got obviously a physical game. Guys are tackling, hitting, but
that fourth quarter, both teams are tired. Uh, drives are
going along. It really just comes down to execution and
getting off the field. And we saw in the film.
You know there's a couple of plays, you know, one
play away where you know we could have turned the result.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Than turning run on.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
What's up, Bobby, what's.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Going on man?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Or how we're doing?
Speaker 5 (01:59):
I'm doing good. There was a video after the game
of Brian Burns obviously very upset kind of with the
rushing three dropping eight. You know, Decks made made a
pretty well known too. You know, that wasn't probably his
preference either. How much did you guys have to talk
about that as a group. I mean, you're a team
(02:20):
leader and stuff for making sure that everyone's you know,
on the same page, and and still you know, not
getting upset with everything else going around.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yeah, I mean that's I think that's part of the
league where a bunch of firey, competitive dudes. Obviously, frustrations
boil over and a tough emotional loss like that, the
way the momentum was swinging, it was up and down,
you know, I think that's a positive for us as
a team to get those frustrations and emotions out and
us as grown men, you know, have the accountability to
(02:48):
get better. And we talked about it today. It's not
one player, one coach, one position group. Everybody really had
their hands in the pot in this loss, and it's
really just that aggressiveness of having the detail to fit
and having the urgency to finish because these games are
going to come down to one score lesson you've got
to win in the fourth quarter.
Speaker 5 (03:07):
Obviously Dallas was kind of similar at the end, so
you view it as an isolated thing. You know, you're
not worried about it being a bigger issue on like
a grander scale.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
No, I mean every game, obviously there's plays that go
one way to the other and you learn from it.
I think that's you know, when you have a growth mindset, Uh,
you know, you don't get too high, you don't get
too low. And that's what we're preaching. You don't let
one big play lead to too and you don't let
one big loss lead to too. So we're compartmentalizing this,
making the corrections, and we're excited for this coming week.
Speaker 5 (03:37):
And in your estimation wise, you think that you feel
like there's full support for Shane, like everybody's fully bought
into what he's what he's doing.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
And I understand we're all we're all hands on deck,
we're all bought in. You know, everyone's got to look
at the man of the mirror. It's easier to point
the finger, but for a team perspective, it's better to
point the thumb and figure out what I can do
better as an individual. So that's what we're all bought
in to do. We're excited for this upcoming opportunity.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Oh sure, Hey, Bobby, are you doing good?
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Paul?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
How are we doing good?
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Good with it? With every call? I mean, what what
is the conviction a player must have in his heart
and his head when the call is in that? All right,
that's not the call I would have made real quickly,
in real time. I don't love that call. I guess
I'll play it, or that's the call, I'll play it
to the best. You know what I'm saying. I mean,
(04:31):
there has to be a conviction in your head that
that that's the call you're going to play, even though
you might not always agree with it.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Yeah, I mean for us as players from our standpoint,
you know, we all love playing football, and we're very
blessed to play this game you know, provides for us
and our family. So regardless of the call, regardless of
the situation. You know, we get paid to play defense
and we're extremely excited to play defense, whatever the coverage is,
whatever the situation is. However we got on the field,
(04:57):
whether who whoever's responsible, So yeah, you got you gotta
have conviction. I mean this NFL guys are great. So
if you're playing, you know, trepidacious and maybe with some
hesitation or doubt, guys get on, you're gonna get beats.
So we're all bought in. We have great conviction, and
you know, we're just excited to make the corrections from
(05:18):
this loss.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
When when you know the the old you know the
classic the line about your first down play when you
guys got on the field, it was rush three, drop eight, Right,
what I mean there were weaknesses and strains to every
every play call. Right, what should that happen? What should
happen there? Because rushing three you're probably not going to
(05:40):
get great pressure up from probably not So what what
what should happen there?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Yeah, in that situation, I think Dave's and Shane probably
talked to it too. We were in a double robber situation.
So you got two free guys kind of sitting there
looking for the inbreakers. You got everybody outside leverage. Uh,
you got me man on the back and the backs
chip and so obviously they're trying to neutralize our pass rush.
And I think, like I said, this is a maturation
(06:06):
process for our team, So just going and growing understanding
how they're trying to attack us in a two minute
situation like that, based off the time, I think time
on the clock was maybe thirty seven seconds or something
like that. That's a lot of time. You know, you're
thinking the game's almost over. They got no timeouts, but
thirty seven seconds there's a lot of time, especially with
the new kickoff rule. And I mean with kickers playing
(06:27):
the way they are, they only got to get to
the forty five to the fifties. So just understanding how
teams are trying to attack you in two minutes. And
obviously this is a painful lesson, but you know, we're
excited for the opportunity to grow from this.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
And one more you don't see. I mean, obviously after
the Dallas game, there were some similarities there, and you know,
people inside spoke up that we wanted our defensive coordinator
to be more aggressive there, and even Shane said, maybe
I can be more or I can be more aggressive there.
And then you see first down and it's rush three,
(06:59):
drop eight. I mean, should a team be more aggressive
there all the time? Or you know, you know what
I'm saying. I mean, you can see from our fans
perspective is saying we learned that lesson, Why didn't we
Why did we repeat that mistake again here?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yeah, I think it's tough it's based on situational it's
based on the flow of the game. You know, you
could say you could get in a similar situation and
you you rush six or seven and you have everybody isolated.
One guy misses a tackle and he goes off, and
you're saying, you know, why don't you have help? So
you know, we got great trust and conviction, and Shane
I thought he put us in a great situation to
execute in that situation. Just us as players, obviously in
(07:38):
the fourth quarter, just got to have that aggressive mindset,
to be more detailed and just understand how they're going
to attack us in those critical situations because it's it's
one play here or there that that will turn the
tide of the game.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Thank you, Bobby, I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Last one. Tom Rock, Hey, Bobby, I'm just wondering, as
as you watched the film, can you remember again where
there was such a disparity in in just the sort
of the tone that you guys played with for three
quarters and then and then it changed into the fourth quarter.
I mean, you got you guys, were you know, really
(08:13):
a physically dominant team. Yea, most of this game, thinking
of the hits you had, and Belton had, and Carter
and Burns and and those seemed to go away. So
did that did that stand out to you, I guess
when you watched the film and and is that concerning
at all?
Speaker 2 (08:31):
I mean, I would say from a play style perspective,
like you said, we came out in the first three quarters,
we played very physical, we played with great urgency, and
once momentum shifted in the game, I feel like that's
where we got to grow as a team and to
you know, stop the bleeding. Because this is the NFL,
everyone's a professional. So whether you get up on a
(08:52):
team three scores and you feel like you know it's
going to go your way, all it takes is one
momentum shifting play for guys to start believe in that,
oh we can come back, especially at home, especially in
the environment they in. They were in all the momentum,
So yeah, I think, like I said, it just it
comes down to execution and detail in the in the
in the third and fourth quarter, at that point in time,
(09:14):
you know, the physicality is still there in the game,
but guys are fatigued, So it's really you know, catching
the ball here, staying on sides here, eliminating a penalty here,
executing the call here. So, like I said, we were
all taking our individual responsibility. We all had our hand
on the pot, and you know, we're excited to make
the corrections this coming week
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