Q. What has the preparation really been like since fall camp ended, and how much different was it compared to last year in your mind?
JEREMY CRAWSHAW: Me personally or the team?
Q. The team.
JEREMY CRAWSHAW: Well, it's a different approach. It's a new staff. I think they kept us around here more often as a more team environment. So we're just like around each other more. There's more of a team bond between everyone.
But as far as football goes, I mean, fall camp is fall camp. It's a grind. But everyone showed up and wanted to give their all.
We have a chip on our shoulder this year. We want to prove ourselves. We're coming for everything.
Q. Dante mentioned the emphasis on special teams and how that's changed this season compared to last season. Just curious about what you've seen from the coverage units, the return units, things like that. What have you seen from camp?
JEREMY CRAWSHAW: It's been really good. They've bought in. We've rotated in a lot of young guys as well as old guys. We're trying to get everybody core special team players. In order to go the next step, you've got to be able to play special teams, and that's a big emphasis for us. Just not only me as a KPS, but for the younger guys coming through.
The real emphasis is that this will get you to the next level. If you know your ins and outs of the special teams, then you can go play on an NFL team for a long time.
Q. From the standpoint of strength and conditioning, do you feel that you're better prepared this year, you're able to kick the ball better, you've got more strength in your legs, et cetera?
JEREMY CRAWSHAW: Yeah, I said at the start of camp I put on some pounds, and I joked about becoming a tight end. I'm still following that up with Coach Peagler. He wasn't given me anything yet. I'm still waiting (laughter).
No, it's definitely been good for all of us. I feel stronger, and also just like the knowledge of playing last year. Being my first year last year I was kind of just whatever was happening was happening, and I was just trying to go with it. But this year now that I have the experience under my belt of playing last year, I know what to work on. I know where I lacked and I was weak last year. So I've been able to work on those points so that I'm better all around.
Q. You said this team has a chip on its shoulder. How do you know that? Where does that manifest itself? Is that from losing six games, seven games, whatever it was?
JEREMY CRAWSHAW: It just comes from that drive, you know. We knew we didn't play up to our standard last year, but we've come hungry every time, every practice, every lift session, every film session. We're hungry, and we're talking about it. We're saying to each other, like, it's coming. This weekend's coming, and we know we're not ranked. They are. We know they're a top ten opponent, and we're ready for it. We're hungry.
Q. Does that help, the fact that they are No. 7 in the nation? Billy said it kind of gives maybe a little bit more of an edge when you have that respect coming out of the gate for them?
JEREMY CRAWSHAW: Yeah, like a top ranked team, you have to give them respect because we know they're good, but I think it could be any team. We want to go win it all.
Q. Coach Napier said last week they're still not really sure what's going on at kicker. There's still a battle going on there. What have you seen out of the two guys competing there, Trey and Adam, just throughout fall camp?
JEREMY CRAWSHAW: They're both doing really well. They're both giving each other a competitive edge. They're both competitors. Neither of them want to lose. But they're doing really well.
As I said, Trey came in as a freshman. He's learned a lot. He's adjusted really well. Adam has also come in with that mindset that he's ready to go. So it's just between those two. I couldn't tell you what Billy Napier is thinking about it, but we'll see.
Q. Also, Billy had said the idea of maybe having one guy on placekicks, maybe one guy doing kickoffs. What about you doing kickoffs? Is that something you would be comfortable doing?
JEREMY CRAWSHAW: I would love to kickoff. I just physically can't do it. I can't do it. I tried it. I got Trey and Adam to try and help me, and they're like, Mate, you're a bit of a lost cause. But I'm trying. I would love to kickoff.
To go to the next level in the NFL, a lot of punters are kickoff guys. We tend to have a bigger leg than the kickers on the kickoffs. If I can manage to wrap my head around it, I'll do it. At the moment, yeah, that could be a possibility. We'll see what happens this Saturday.
Q. What's the issue? Can't be the height? Is it the distance?
JEREMY CRAWSHAW: I don't know. You tell me. I can't figure it out.
Q. When you kickoff, what's the issue? Accuracy? Distance? Height?
JEREMY CRAWSHAW: It probably goes about ten yards. I can't get my foot to the ball properly. Punting and kicking are two very different swings. I just can't get my head around it yet. I'm still cracking at it. I'm not putting it to bed just yet. I'd like to kickoff.
Q. What are the differences between Adam and Trey?
JEREMY CRAWSHAW: Maybe just like the experience, to be honest. They're both really good kickers in their own sense. Probably just the fact that Trey got here a month or two ago. We've had fall camp where we were able to get adjusted with the rush. That's probably it, just the sense of experience between the two.
Q. Did he kickoff from the ground in high school? Some high schools don't.
JEREMY CRAWSHAW: I have no idea.
Q. (No microphone)?
JEREMY CRAWSHAW: They both feel good. They've got a lot of power on it, so yeah.
Q. Australian rules or rugby? Which one for you?
JEREMY CRAWSHAW: I played both. I played rugby league for about nine years, and I made a couple of like development squads for professional teams. Then kind of just wasn't making the upper levels, and I said, no, I'm done with that. Had a couple years off and went and played AFL. That's where I learned to kick. So both.
I love just playing any sport to be honest. Chuck me in there, and I'll have a good go.
Q. What's been the biggest change since Billy Napier got here nine months ago that's going to manifest itself this week?
JEREMY CRAWSHAW: I'm hoping the team chemistry. Billy came in, Coach Billy Napier came in, and he was just really -- like a lot of emphasis on the whole team coming together because kind of at the start of this year, we might have been a bit divided. It might have been a bit offense versus defense kind of mindset.
In practice that's good because you want offense versus defense to try and help each other get better, but in the locker room sense, that's probably not a great thing.
Probably just the sense of family coming together, just doing a lot of activities, creating team bond. I'm pretty sure it will come out this Saturday when it gets tough and we start coming together and pulling stuff out of the hat.
Q. Billy kind of believes that better people make better players. What has that meant to you personally, and what have you seen that means to your teammates?
JEREMY CRAWSHAW: I believe that 110 percent. During the off-season, Coach Napier, we have the leadership team each week. Each Tuesday, Thursday, somebody from the leadership team had to step up and talk about a word. Mine was ownership. I chose to talk about the All Blacks rugby team. One of the things they say is better men make better All Blacks.
So the All Blacks are the most successful sporting team in history. I bet you guys didn't actually know that. But, yeah, I chose to speak on that because, if you can show up, if you can have integrity, if you can stand up to your own word outside of here, you say, yeah, I'll help you, I'll do this, I'll do that, outside of football, you can bring it in here. You've already got that characteristic in here.
I believe that I try to be the best man that I can be every day, and I hope that translates into football. I hope a lot of people can see that. But I definitely strive to be a good man all around.
Q. Based on what you just said, though, with the family and coming together, do you feel like some of the games last year where frustration set in, there might have been some divisiveness? Maybe not even divisiveness, just not supporting each other as much as possible on the sidelines?
JEREMY CRAWSHAW: Possibly. Losing in big games, it can happen, and it just can happen in sports in general. When it gets tough, people can turn, start pointing fingers. It's the easiest way out. Place the blame on someone else.
That could have been the issue, but I think we've turned around and we've come together, and we're ready to go.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports