Press Pass | Oluokun & Strange on Road Success, Liam Coen's Leadership

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

I mean, off season, early this season, at any point, was there something that, like, you saw or heard or it just clicked and you were like, oh, no, this is different?

Foye Oluokun (0:08)

I think teams do a good job in off season of always having positivity that you're working towards a good goal. So I think it's kind of starting the year. You always feel like you got the good equation in the building and everything's going to work out. I think it was really as the year started going on when we started realizing if we play the way we're supposed to play, we can win any game. Like, I think the Rams was on the team early that were like, oh, we lost that one. But the rest were, you know, we're in every game. We feel like we should be winning every game. And obviously, we didn't come out the way that we wanted to against the Rams. And that happened. So like we felt like when we take control of what we're supposed to take care of, we're going to be in position to really win every game. We should win every game. So it was kind of as that year started. And then even in our losses that we had early in the year, we felt like, you know, it was us, you know, not being disciplined or beating ourselves a little bit, that we take care of that, we'll be in position to win games going forward.

SPEAKER_1 (1:03)

And what's your favorite thing about Coach Camp's defense?

Foye Oluokun (1:07)

Just attacking games 11 is one. Everybody owning their roles in their game is not, no person is going to shine just doing their own thing. Everybody has a little role to do in the defense. And then we are very opportunistic getting that ball back. But it's all with communication and being in the right spot. So everybody hunting, flying around. So it's been very fun to be a part of.

SPEAKER_1 (1:29)

Appreciate you, Foye.

Foye Oluokun (1:30)

Appreciate you.

SPEAKER_1 (1:32)

Mark Long, then to D-Rock.

Mark Long (1:35)

Belts in the locker room. Is that the first time or last time or best time?

Foye Oluokun (1:42)

It must be a TikTok thing for the kids. I don't know, man. Belts, I know what it means. We got two more games to keep doing that though. I love the energy and stuff. I never bring no Belts. I told people to hide their kids, man.

Yeah, shout out to my dad. I love the energy in the locker room after the games. And, you know, we put a lot of hard work in through the week to come out with a victory like that. You know, everybody celebrates how they want, but it was a very deserving victory, but it's a testament to the process that we had through the week.

Mark Long (2:16)

There's a lot of things you can maybe fake or manufacture, and it's like, you can't fake that, right? That's genuine, like, real. This is who this team is.

Foye Oluokun (2:26)

Yeah, I think we are ourselves in the building and we don't really care about outside the building. So obviously, there are cameras showing that stuff for outside the media and all that stuff. But we took it upon ourselves earlier in the year to just look inward and be, you know, a part of this little brotherhood, this little community that we're forming inside this building. And everybody's really coming together tighter. So everybody's allowed to just be themselves and be happy after these wins. We know what it takes to really come out on top. And obviously, it's the game that you guys marked up to be whatever it was. But it was just the next game for us. And I think we like the role that we're going on. And just got to continue that all the way through the season.

Mark Long (3:04)

Thank you.

Foye Oluokun (3:05)

Yes, indeed.

SPEAKER_1 (3:06)

D Rock, then to Justin.

SPEAKER_4 (3:09)

Well, yeah, you guys get hurt on defense, especially on the secondary. And then the next guy just gets in. And it doesn't seem to be any kind of, you know, drop off or anything like that. And I know that it's always the next man up mantra. But generally, there is a little bit of a drop off when you're in those situations. So why has there not been one here with you guys this year, especially in the secondary?

Foye Oluokun (3:30)

I feel like we've kind of gone through some things earlier in the year in the secondary. I know Eric was out for a little bit. Corners have been rotated through with injuries and stuff. I remember Jordan was hurt. So a lot of these younger guys has been able to step up earlier in the year. And we had to learn early, learn what it takes to be successful there. But they're all ready to play with communication, the standard that we challenge the routes and being in the right spots. And then as our defense grows and being more comfortable with our own calls, understand how it seems to attack us so that when the next guy comes up, it's stuff that they've already seen or they know how to handle.