John Simpson is Ready for Year Three with the Las Vegas Raiders

Guard John Simpson

Q: How are you preparing now that training camp is over and where are you in that in that journey getting ready for the year?

Simpson: “I think we are all prepared for the season. We kind of put training camp behind us and now we're just gearing for the season and getting ready for anything that comes our way.”

Q: DJ [Turner] had mentioned that nobody called him and said, ‘Hey, you made the cut. Congratulations.’ Was it the same for you? Were you kind of just waiting around for a phone call?

Simpson: “Yeah, so the last two years it's been the same way. No one really lets you know until you walk in the building. So, if you don’t get the call, I guess that's like a good thing.”

Q: Normally, there's a just a little over a week between the last preseason game and the start of the season. This year, it's a little more than two weeks. Do you like that extra gap for your body to recover or do you want to get right into week one?

Simpson: “I mean either-or would be cool. It doesn't really bother me too much, but I guess having that little break that can get your body right is a good thing. So, I can't really complain about that.”

Q: Was it difficult to see Alex [Leatherwood] waived and part ways with him?

Simpson: “Oh, yeah. I mean, he came in and he's a tremendous worker. Great dude. He's like a brother to me just like anybody else in the building. So, it definitely is hard to see him and anybody else leave.”

Q: Did you sense there was like a lack of confidence potentially in him (Alex Leatherwood) that could have been part of the issue?

Simpson: ““I don't know. He's his own self. I can't really answer a question for him because he's who he is.”

Q: There was an emphasis on playing efficient football this year and you went through a preseason where for the Raiders organization, it's the least yards penalized in 22 years for a preseason. You were the first NFL team not to have a turnover in the preseason since 2011. Do you think that what you guys are emphasizing is starting to take effect?

Simpson: “Oh, 100 percent. I think that's the biggest thing that he (Josh McDaniels) let us know before every game, every day we come in here. Be the least penalized team and things like that, and I think taking those things that he tells us in meetings and applying it to the field is going help us go a long way.”

Q: Why do you feel like this is a little bit different and maybe to another level?

Simpson: “I think we like emphasize it a whole lot. I don't want to say over emphasize it, but he demands those things to be what we really focus on every week and every day.”

Q: How confident are you that this new coaching staff appreciates what you're doing and that you have been a consistent voice in the locker room so far?

Simpson: “I feel like it is what it is when it comes to that. They really care about if you can produce or not, if you can produce it on stage, and if you can't, then they'll find somebody else that will, and I feel like that's the name of the game. It's the NFL. It's a business. So, like I said, if you can get your job done, they will keep you around.”

Q: Can you talk about the power run scheme that is implemented today and how that's going to help your game moving forward?

Simpson: “I think it helped me out a lot because I did it a lot in high school, college, and all that. I think that's like the biggest part of my game, is running power and counter and things like that. So, I think it'll be tremendous for me, and it'll help me get to the next level of where I want to be.”

Q: There are only eight offensive linemen on this initial 53-man roster. How much of a chip on the shoulder do you guys have as a unit going into the season, not knowing if you're going to be at eight or nine or practice squad guys in addition to that?

Simpson: “Yeah, I mean, I feel like it's just football at the end of the day. It's not really a chip. I think as long as we can get our job done, I think we'll be where we need to be. Every day we come in here and put our best foot forward and try to do what we can to get up and get our job done and do what is asked of us from the coaches. So, if it's eight, five, six, 20 of us, I think I think they got the right guys. So, we're just going to do what we can to be our best.”