Q. What's it like for you now heading into camp with this team as the guy? How comfortable do you feel with everyone around you, and as Deshaun has been on the field?
TYROD TAYLOR: I feel comfortable being on the field. It's been a good three days. We've done a lot of good things on offense and continue to keep correcting and building as training camp continues to keep progressing.
I know guys are eager to get out and get full speed 11-on-11 reps, and we've been able to compete at a high level the last three days. So just taking it one day at a time, focusing on getting better, and I think we're making good strides in that area.
Q. What do you think about having Deshaun out here?
TYROD TAYLOR: He's part of the team. When we come out here, we're all focused on working and getting better at every aspect, and that's different for every person, but my focus has been leading the group, executing when the opportunity is presented, and just focusing on being better each day.
Q. Is it a challenge for you personally in moving to a new team and trying to get acclimated to all your new players?
TYROD TAYLOR: I would say that's probably it, just new players, new faces, understanding personalities, understanding how to talk and deal with certain people. Certain people respond to different motivation or conversation. And just learning the guys.
Of course in the spring, having limited time around one another, you don't get a feel for everyone, but as camp progresses, as things get back to normal with the vaccinated, unvaccinated, guys being around each other in the locker room, being more of a normal locker room, you get a chance to learn one another, and that's what the time has been other than being on the field and competing.
Q. Given what you've been through in your career, what does it mean to have this opportunity at this stage of your life?
TYROD TAYLOR: It's a wonderful opportunity. Every time I get a chance to lace up my cleats and play the game that I started playing when I was 5 years old is a blessing. I don't take any day for granted. I'm excited to be able to go out and lead the group, to be able to go out and continue to make plays. Like I said, it's a joyful feeling to be able to go out on the field and compete. That's what I look forward to each day.
Q. Which of your years in the NFL have prepped you for what you're doing now?
TYROD TAYLOR: I always say each year is a learning opportunity. Whether it's good or bad, you're able to -- in the off-season, you're able to reflect on the year previous and the years prior and working on how can you become a better player? How can you become a better student of the game? How can you be better overall? And reflect on all those things. I think the ten years prior in professional football has definitely prepared me for the moment I have here, the opportunity I have here, but also the years of playing football as a youth.
As a kid, high school, college, you go through so many things. You don't lose memory of them. You just allow them to better yourself moving forward.
Q. Even though he's not a full participant, has Deshaun been any sort of resource for you as far as understanding the offense?
TYROD TAYLOR: Absolutely. Me and Deshaun are friends. We've known each other for a number of years now. We've had conversations on the field, off the field, about football, about life. Everything has been a positive conversation, and it will continue to be that way.
Q. Has it been a distraction at all having him around here?
TYROD TAYLOR: No, ma'am, it hasn't.
Q. You talked a minute ago about every off-season you reflect on the previous year. Was this last off-season one of your more painful reflections considering it might be a missed opportunity?
TYROD TAYLOR: It could be. I believe everything happens for a reason whether you understand it or not. You have to find the positive of everything. I'm completely healthy now. I'm not lingering, anything. I feel great to be in year 11 and be running around fresh as if I was in year 1, it's a blessing itself.
Like I said, it wasn't a hard thing to reflect on. Maybe it wasn't what I liked to see happen last year, but you move forward and you learn, and I definitely learned from it.
Q. What do you think of Anthony Miller and Nico Collins?
TYROD TAYLOR: They're doing a great job. Anthony has been playing primary to slot receiver for us, and he's made a ton of plays. Nico, I'm sure you see as practice goes on, his size, he's able to go up and get those passes, those second level passes. He's competing. I know a lot is thrown at him, first training camp in the NFL. He's not shying away from the competition. He's stepping up each day and having fun on the feel.
Q. Has your mindset changed at all from when you signed here through OTAs and training camp?
TYROD TAYLOR: No, it hasn't. My mindset has been the same since I was drafted back in 2011 in Baltimore, to walk in here every day with your best attitude, compete, prepare like a starter, and go out there and make plays.
Q. Coach Culley said you could still run like you could back in Buffalo?
TYROD TAYLOR: Yeah, I can.
Q. Do you feel good hearing that from your coach?
TYROD TAYLOR: Absolutely. I feel faster.
Q. Does it feel like your team? Is that something you can consider?
TYROD TAYLOR: I definitely feel that guys look for me for leadership, and obviously that comes with the quarterback position, and I welcome that role. It also comes with experience in the NFL. Guys naturally gravitate to older guys and want to learn and pick their brains, and that's what we need. It's not just me on this field. Of course, I'm a natural leader, but we also have other natural leaders on the field as well, and veterans who have been other places and guys who have been here that have a ton of knowledge of the game. It's up to the young guys to ask those questions, but it's also the responsibility of the older guys and the veterans to share that knowledge because it all brings us up.
Ultimately, we want to be a better team. The more information, the more we can share with those guys, the better we are as a team.
Q. How do you feel about your mastery of this offense three days into camp?
TYROD TAYLOR: I feel good. I think those spring sessions we had, whether full speed or not, it was very educational for myself but also for the group who was able to catch a lot of young guys up to speed. As far as the scheme and the playbook, it's been very few mental errors out here on the field. Somethings can be corrected, and they've been corrected the first two days, and we'll watch the film from today and continue moving forward.
Q. As part of the conversation about wide receivers and running backs, can you talk about your offensive line?
TYROD TAYLOR: They're doing a great job. Those guys are competing every day. I know they can't wait to get the pads on. The one-on-ones, I've heard, I didn't get a chance to watch them. I did watch some of the pass rushers yesterday when we were finishing up one of the periods. They look great. The camaraderie in the group is amazing. All those guys come out with the right mindset each day. They want to compete. They want to dominate practice. That's the attitude we need going into the season.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports