This is Part II of Steve McLendon’s press conference on Zoom with Jets reporters:
Mark Cannizzaro – New York Post: What do you know about your new teammate, George Fant? Have you dealt with him at all, gone against him, obviously not in practice yet here.
Steve McLendon- New York Jets defensive tackle: I don’t know him by name. The center/guard? Is he the one who came from Carolina?
Cannizzaro: From Seattle.
McLendon: I haven’t really looked too much into it, man. I’m still trying to learn everybody’s name. Everyone we drafted. I am still trying to learn them first. The way I look at it is, whoever comes on this team, I am willing to help, with the same common goal to win a championship, that is all that matters.
Rich Cimini – ESPN: You seem pretty confident in saying that the team will be better this year. Why do you believe that?
McLendon: Because I believe in my team and I always will. I just know the type of work that we will continue to put in. I have been talking to a lot of the guys. We have been communicating this whole off-season. We have been doing little at home workouts, pushing each other. We continue to push each other when we are not together, so I can imagine what it will be like when we get together.
Brian Costello – New York Post: How do you go about building team chemistry when your not together?
McLendon: The biggest thing is everybody getting on those calls (the virtual off-season program), trying to learn as much as possible. A lot of my teammates are here in Georgia. I’m going to do some things in Georgia for the guys who are here, especially a lot of these young guys. I want to get them to come out so I can just meet them, know more about them, not only know more about them, especially the young guys who have just been drafted or the free agent guys.
I want to give them the opportunity to come in ahead of the game. It’s a very unique situation for them and us. If they are already in Georgia, I am going to have them come and check [my] gym out, then I can teach them how the game goes and slow the game down. It’s a lot to learn. This is a tough situation. I’m open to it.
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