Here’s everything Houston Texans Pro Bowl cornerback Kamari Lassiter said following the second day of OTAs, including the growth of Will Anderson Jr., what to expect from the defense entering his third season and a look at the upcoming offseason workouts.
Question: On the competitiveness the defense has
Kamarri Lassiter: “I feel like coming here, especially on the defensive side, offense too… As a team, but I know on the defensive side, when you have guys that are all like super critical of themselves, it’s like you don’t want to be that guy that gives up a play. On that front line, I got Will [Anderson Jr.], Danielle [Hunter], I got Kayden [McDonald], I got ‘Rank’ [Sheldon Rankins], I got guys on that front end that are depending on me to cover so that they can get a sack. I got guys in the linebacker room that are depending on me to cover so that they can [do their job]. It’s just like, you don’t want to be that guy to give up a play and that just comes with being a competitor and being like, just not wanting to lose. So, I feel like that competitive nature just comes from within and then it just spreads out on the team as a whole and you see it on the offensive side. Those guys don’t want to lose a rep to us. They don’t want to hear coach in the meeting room gassing the defense up because we’re making plays and I dang sure don’t want to hear coach talking about somebody catching the ball on me or them getting a good play on us. That competitive nature just makes us better and whenever you go against the best you want to play the best.”
Q: On what it’s been like getting to know S Reed Blankenship and the culture
“Lassiter: I mean it’s walking a dog. Reed came in here super fun to be around, super easy to be around, really good football player, picked up really fast. We mesh really well, we communicate well, we play fast. He’s going to be just fine with us.”
Q: On if he is surprised at how good DE Will Anderson Jr. is and the plays he makes
Lassiter: “Nothing that Will does surprises me. During football, outside of football, nothing that he does surprises me. He’s one of a kind. So, I feel like whenever I see Will wreck a play up in practice or in a game, I’m just like, ‘Good job, do it again,’ because I know he’s like, he’s going to do it again and again and again. I feel like he hasn’t even tapped into the level that he really wants to tap into and that’s the scary part.”
Q: On what he wanted to work on this year
Lassiter: “For one, I just want to become like a really good leader on the team. I feel like now that I’m in year three, I’m not considered young anymore. There are guys that are younger than me and there’s guys that like, whenever I first came in, there was guys that were year three, year four, they were giving me game. They were helping me with little tidbits like whenever I was having a long day or my head was spinning because I was going from this meeting to that meeting or I was learning this position or it was just a long season. I feel like just having somebody that like you can kind of count on and be like, ‘It’s all right. We done all been through this.’ I feel like that will really help our team.”
Q: On what sets the secondary apart
Lassiter: “I feel like on the field, we’re all dogs. I think that comes with itself, but off the field, like we just mesh and gel so well together. I feel like whenever we hang out off the field, it’s like we’ve known each other since we were kids. We joke, we laugh, we play, but whenever it is time to work, we push each other until we know that we can’t be pushed anymore and I feel like that’s what helps us play at such a high level. We all want each other to win. I get just as excited whenever Sting’ [Derek Stingley Jr.], Pitre, ‘CB’ [Calen Bullock], anybody in the secondary makes a play. Whenever they make a play, I get just as excited as when I make a play. I feel like just having that love and that bond is really critical.”
Q: On how long it took to flip the page at the end of last season
Lassiter: “Flip the page? It’s kind of like give and take because you have to flip the page. I didn’t forget about it but you have to move on because I can’t go back. I can just learn from what I did in that game, what I didn’t do. What we did as a team, what we didn’t do. You just learn from those mistakes and kind of move forward and make sure it doesn’t happen again. You flip the page real fast because you don’t dwell on wins or losses. You learn from your losses and you learn from your wins. As soon as we lost, it’s back to work.”
Q: On whether he’s been practicing for his upcoming softball event and his upcoming first pitch
Lassiter: “I haven’t been practicing. I feel like I’m a natural. I’m just going to go out there and throw a little curveball, I might throw a changeup, I don’t know yet.(laughter)I’m going to go out there and do my thing. For the softball game, it’s on June 20, first annual softball game. It’s going to be a fun time. I have some guys out there, a lot of guys from the team, a lot of guys from around the league, it’s going to be a good time just so you all can see us outside of a football stadium. I feel like you see us a lot in football, me specifically, and I’m always so serious with the guys but that’s not always us. It’s going to be a really good time.”
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Everything Texans Pro Bowl CB Kamari Lassiter said at the start of OTA practices
Reporting by Cole Thompson, Texans Wire / Texans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
