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LANDOVER, MD — August 31, 2020, Washington Football Team defensive end Chase Young met with the media following the teams practice at FedEx Field.
On being out there on the field:
“It was so good just knowing I’m about 12 minutes away from my house. It feels good that I can just come back and play where I’m from. It just feels good. It’s been a long time coming.”
On how he feels now being back to practice:
“I feel good. I feel about 97 percent. It’s just, still taking care of it every day, doing what I need to do so that it just keeps improving day-by-day. That’s definitely my number one priority right now just to get it to 100 percent.”
On being in the stadium without fans:
“I felt good. If it feels just like a scrimmage or practice, then that’s how it feels. I feel good out there. I feel comfortable. So, it’s always good to move around. It just felt good out there.”
On where the defensive line is now:
“I think since we’ve started, we’re a lot of steps ahead of that. I would just say we’ve gotten better with our detail. Our technique, we’re learning [defensive coordinator Jack] Del Rio’s defense. We’ve still got a long way to go, but right now I think we look pretty good.”
On the competition and relationship between himself and QB Dwayne Haskins Jr.:
“It’s really good. I would’ve gotten him out there, but we can’t touch the quarterbacks. We can’t be in the vicinity of the quarterbacks. But, every day is fun. Every day I love to compete. Dwayne loves to compete. We all love to compete. When you have one of your good friends as quarterback and be able to compete against him the other day, that just makes you bring more juice every day.”
On what it would mean for him to start Week 1:
“It definitely would mean a lot because I’d be playing on this field, but really because it’s something I worked for my whole life. To be able to go out and start, that would just be a blessing. Right now, I’m just worried about getting this defense corrected and getting my head right. That’s just my number one priority.”
On if he has received any valuable advice:
“I know [DE] ‘R.K.’ [Ryan Kerrigan], he tells me every day, always reminding me: ‘What did I do for my body today?’ So, one thing I can take from being in camp my first year is the strain and just taking care of your body. They tell you that in college and in high school, but I feel like when you really get to this level, that’s when you really understand that you’ve really got to take care of your body.”
On playing for his childhood team:
“I went to a [Washington] game when I was coming up. That’s when they played the Eagles. I mean, it was an exciting game. I never thought I would be here, being at that young age. It’s crazy, but it is what it is. I’m ready to go.”
On his mindset for today’s practice:
“Well today, the whole process, getting on the bus and getting to the facility, I tried to treat it like I was in the game and it was actually a game day. I tried to get my mind right. I tried to do everything just to prepare in terms of locker room, in terms of warming up, just everything—in terms of just that first step on the field, is it as fast as I can go? So, that was really my mindset during the day.”
On his big tackle on RB Adrian Peterson:
“[It was] definitely just another snap, but just to know it’s Adrian Peterson, that’s a first ballot you’ve got. A guy that I watched growing up in middle school—I just get excited to practice every day because I get to go against him. But the actual play, that’s just football. Just another play. A.P. runs hard. I knew he wasn’t just going to stop. So, I said ‘I’m going to have to tackle him,’ so that’s what happened.”
On the chemistry on the defensive line:
“We definitely have gotten really comfortable. I feel really good about where we are right now. I feel really comfortable out there. I feel like, you give us two more weeks, I think we can definitely put our best foot forward.”
On how he locks in on game day:
“It’s really just going to a different zone. When I put the helmet on, I’m not Chase Young anymore. I turn into something different. That’s how I have to think about it. When you’re on the bus, you’re just locked in. You’re focused. You’re thinking about stuff I need to do; stay low, get off the ball, use my hands. Just little tips that I just keep in my mind so you know that first play going into the game. That’s some of the things that I do.”