In this week’s round of Leftovers, Andre talks about how the team has changed over the season, if there’s any competition between him Orakpo for the team’s sack title and more.
THN: You had two sacks on Sunday but Brian Orakpo still caught up to you. Since you were ahead of him all year but now that you both have 11, is there any type of competition brewing between you two now that the numbers are so close?
AC: We compete to get to the quarterback but as far as who gets the most sacks, we never talk about it. I always mess with him and ask him to go on the left side when we are [in] nickel and dime situations. He shakes his head and says no. We both laugh about it but at the end of the day we just rush and make plays.
THN: Since the coaches have seen how successful he can be playing as an end compared to standing up as a linebacker, do you see him playing on the line with his hands down for the majority of the rest of the season?
AC: That will be the coaches’ call. Brian is so versatile he can do anything the coaches ask.
THN: Fred Davis declined to go to the USC game during the bye week and instead stayed in Ashburn and worked on his craft. How much does stuff like that get noticed by the veterans?
AC: Sometimes, as vets, we notice it and sometimes we don’t. We are grown men and when it goes to the bye week, it’s every man for himself.
THN: How would you assess the team’s overall performance Sunday?
AC: We won and it was a great victory. We played hard and the important thing was that we finished.
THN: Since starting out 5-0, the New York Giants have slid pretty badly over the past month and a half. While the records don’t indicate it, the Redskins have played better than the Giants over the past month and a half so this matchup will be much more even than the Week 1 contest, which is strange because of the number of injuries the Skins have dealt with since then. What have you learned about yourselves and the Giants since Week 1 and why do you think the matchup this time around will be so different?
AC: I have learned that we have overcome a lot of adversity through injury, tough losses, play callers etc. No matter what has happened, we have come to each game determined to win and play at a high level despite the team record or score.
THN: Were you able to watch the Eagles-Giants Sunday Night Football game on the plane ride back from Oakland? If so, what did you gather from it? There seemed to be no defense and all offense.
AC: Unfortunately I didn’t catch the game.