Jake Haener Locker Room Interview
Jake Haener speaks with the media to talk about his mixed day following Sunday's win over the Chiefs.
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00:00 You're good, Brandon.
00:04 We're trying.
00:08 That last drive, just how good did that feel?
00:12 Yeah, you know, obviously you come out and you want to do a really good job on offense.
00:16 First game as a rookie in preseason, there's some miscommunications, some things that don't go your way.
00:20 I think playing this position, you've got to do a really good job of having a short term memory.
00:24 You hear from all those guys, "Oh, Jake, stay with us."
00:28 But I think it's just staying positive, staying focused, staying task oriented.
00:32 One play at a time and ultimately
00:36 found a way to get it done. -Is that sort of your thing,
00:40 your time, like when you feel comfortable when you get in a situation like that?
00:44 You know, the clock's running, you've got to get something done? -Yeah, I felt comfortable
00:48 that last drive and the previous few drives. I thought we did a good job of
00:52 communicating, getting the play in, and really kind of getting into the flow of the game.
00:56 I'm sure you guys could see that as we went forward, but
01:00 it was great to just be able to get out there, get my feet wet, and then obviously
01:04 orchestrate something to leave people want more. -Does the
01:08 urgency of that situation take out some of the thinking in a positive
01:12 way, like get to what you want to do? -Yeah. I mean I always try to play in flow state.
01:16 I always try to play with that react mindset, try to
01:20 breathe and try to tell myself I belong in these moments, I was born for these moments.
01:24 You just want to go out and execute at a high level when your team needs it and the game's on the line.
01:28 -Seemed like Derek Carver was a part of your preparation when I was looking down in the first half.
01:32 I think after every play he was sitting there kind of talking and diagnosing things with you. How much
01:36 did that help as you got prepared for the second half? -Yeah I thought it was great having Derek there.
01:40 Obviously having Jameis there as well, the energy with him is always awesome.
01:44 But I thought what they were doing to Derek and the ones obviously changed. They played a lot more
01:48 shell coverage against us. They played a little more man coverage, one funnel, different things
01:52 they were doing with Derek and the ones. So it was great to just hear his thought
01:56 process, hear kind of how he looks at things and how the course of the game goes and what to look for.
02:00 So having a guy that's been in the league for 10 years and done some really good things was great.
02:05 -What do you think about Ellis Merriweather? -The kid grinds. He loves
02:09 football and I think in this league everybody's about making a living
02:13 and doing something positive for your family and the people around you. That kid just loves
02:17 playing football. I gravitate towards him and I thought he was a great
02:21 outlet for me today obviously. He showed what he could do and hopefully we can string it together
02:25 for the next two weeks. -I know y'all have been chatting in the offseason about pace timing and stuff.
02:29 Did that kind of help you build a connection? Because it seemed like you guys were in a rhythm there at the end. -I think
02:33 once you show guys that you want to do this, you want to do it at a high level and you really
02:37 care about it, and you put in the time with them, the preparation's gonna
02:41 ultimately set it apart. At the end of the game
02:45 there it was great except for the two point conversion. It was great to be able
02:49 to get some clutch throws, clutch plays, and to be able to connect with them.
02:53 -What did happen on the two point conversion? -I was going to kill the play and I was saying
02:57 easy easy and who that nation was a little loud.
03:01 He thought I said set hut and I was saying easy easy. A little miscommunication.
03:05 Obviously clean it up and make sure it doesn't happen in week two and week three. -That's sort of
03:09 the definition of a preseason mistake, isn't it? -I would say so. There's definitely a lot
03:13 more on your mind. From a college to NFL player there's a lot more kills,
03:17 a lot more checks. I guess you need to do it with the line of scrimmage, so
03:21 obviously working that out with my new center will be important moving forward.
03:25 -Jake, what did you think of Derek's opening drive? -I thought it was very impressive. Did a really good job.
03:29 It looked like he'd been in the league for ten years.
03:33 He made a lot of really good throws and it was really impressive to watch.
03:37 -Dennis said you have mocks. Is that something that you pride yourself in? -I just think I love the game.
03:41 I love competing and obviously there's a lot of people out there when your back's against the wall.
03:46 People watch and see what you're made of. I pride myself on that.
03:50 I pride myself being able to have a short term memory and get wins when
03:54 your back's up against the wall. -How excited were you for it today? -I was
03:58 excited. People make a lot more out of it than
04:02 what it really is. It's a football game. You're obviously playing in the NFL
04:06 now, playing in the Superdome, but shoot man I want to go cut it loose.
04:10 I threw a pick. Great. Move on, flush it, next play,
04:14 try to go win the game and we ultimately did that.
04:17 >> Thanks Jake.