Cam Ward: It's been great. Coach has installed the system from the whole offense. I think the position that's been leading us the most has been O-line. Those guys have been bringing it each and every day, with Slidey up front leading the charge. It's been great. So just keying off them, then me and my seven receivers getting our time to make plays.
Reporter: How much better do you feel like the timing got in the offseason program?
Cam Ward: Oh, way better, especially the more reps that we get with each other, instead of just trying to limit people out on certain reps. And that's gonna be something that we continue to get over the summer when we off, then just continue to get during training camp.
Reporter: Picking up on that, Dave, was talking about option routes. How comfortable are you feel you guys are with that, and how super in sync you guys have to be when the season rolls around, I know, to make this offense work.
Cam Ward: Well, just depends on the route running, depends on which option route it is, and just the time and space that I have for that route and the receiver has. So that's just gonna come with getting different looks as we go through practice and training camp, then also during the offseason, just trying to simulate certain coverages and try to put the ball in a specific area that I wanna put it.
Reporter: You think that is a good way to work?
Cam Ward: Oh yeah, for sure. It's not just option routes we do. Everything's gonna be a lot of stuff that no one in the NFL does but us. But, we're gonna be efficient at it, we're gonna be effective at it, and we're gonna do what we need to do to win games.
Reporter: As you continue to get out here and get more throws, and how is the shoulder feeling, and how are you doing as far as getting the mechanics, the footwork and everything that you've been working on this year?
Cam Ward: Real good. Especially just from an endurance standpoint, that was the biggest key for me because I'm just so used to going, going, going. And then when you have to sit back for a while, then get your body going, you gotta stay in that routine of keep going and getting the reps with your guys. That way, when we come back in training camp, there's no hiccups. We should start camp how we finishing this up, good, and just be prepared for the season.
Reporter: How have you worked on improving your accuracy and ball placement this offseason from where you were last year, and how are you continuing to do that going forward?
Cam Ward: Just continue to focus on fundamentals, whether that's feet, arm, everything to being a quarterback. And then having, you know, myself be accurate in certain coverages in the receiver, you know, feeling which way I'm trying to turn his body and stop him if I need to versus certain coverage. So getting that relationship of spatial awareness within the offense, I think that help out everybody.
Reporter: Do you think it's improved enough from last year to this year?
Cam Ward: I think it has been a factor. I think it's more of just consistency on both sides, whether my side or the receiver's side, and make sure we're seeing the same things on the field but the same things on film as well.
Reporter: Coaches have attributed a lot of your misses to new system, new guys, all of that, which, both Robert and Brian. Do you think that's fair, or have there been some that are plays that you should be making regardless of whether stuff is new and different?
Cam Ward: No, I just think it depends on the situation. A lot of times when we're in, I'm gonna do really anything in the world with seven on seven. There's no live rush, it's not football. Then when it comes to team aspect, you gotta have the mindset of you have Jeffrey Simmons coming at you, so you can't sit back there and pity-pat the ball. You gotta get to one read, you probably gotta check it down the next play. So it just depends on the situation, depends on what team period we're in, and, you know, how I feel, what route we have on, versus that coverage of how I need to throw it.
Reporter: When you're in team period, seven on seven, just period out there, like, how much goes into just, okay, I'm trying something, I wanna see if I can get this ball in that spot, or get this ball to that guy. How much goes into that?
Cam Ward: Every play, honestly. It's a time to do stuff that I do a lot in the game. It just depends, you know, what coverage our defense presents. Our defense is really good at disguising. So me seeing it faster, and then already know what route I wanna get to while I'm dropping back, and then declaring whether I have to move in the pocket or not to get to the check down. So it really just depends on what the defense has coverage-wise, and we have to be able to react to it.
Reporter: Coming into the offseason, what are the areas you gotta be better at when the team starts in July?
Cam Ward: I think our biggest stride is just the operation of everything. Everybody knows what to do, from up front all the way to the running backs room, everybody. I think the biggest thing that we can improve on is just continue to over-communicate, make sure everyone knows what we're doing, even if it's the threes guy's not getting a lot of reps, make sure he knows what to do. And then just continue to work on our timing with myself and the backs and the receivers.
Reporter: What do you hope to improve the most, personally, from year one to year two?
Cam Ward: I think just far as a team, to get a chance to be in the playoffs, try to make a run at it. And then personally, just continue to be who I was last year, be an instinctive player, you know, be a great team leader, and win some games. And then, all the other stuff will take care of itself.
Reporter: Do you feel the pressure to get results this year, given that the way the league works, first-round picks usually, if they don't get results by year three, there's a quarterback that's brought in for a competition. And right now, you haven't had that last year or this year. Do you feel that pressure to get the results and the wins and statistics and everything else?
Cam Ward: No. Either win or lose. It's really that simple. You're either gonna win the day on the field or you're gonna lose the day on the field. You're gonna throw an incompletion, you're gonna throw a completion. It's honestly that simple. Football's not hard. The pressure is the pressure we put on ourselves as people in the locker room. It's not whether or not we have a bad play, that's gonna happen. I'm not gonna go out there and go 50 for 50 every time. It's more just how we've limited and not letting just one bad play carry over as a whole collectively, offensively, just try to limit that. I think if we do that, we'll be one of the best offenses out there.
Reporter: How much better do you feel like the timing got in the offseason program?
Cam Ward: Oh, way better, especially the more reps that we get with each other, instead of just trying to limit people out on certain reps. And that's gonna be something that we continue to get over the summer when we off, then just continue to get during training camp.
Reporter: Picking up on that, Dave, was talking about option routes. How comfortable are you feel you guys are with that, and how super in sync you guys have to be when the season rolls around, I know, to make this offense work.
Cam Ward: Well, just depends on the route running, depends on which option route it is, and just the time and space that I have for that route and the receiver has. So that's just gonna come with getting different looks as we go through practice and training camp, then also during the offseason, just trying to simulate certain coverages and try to put the ball in a specific area that I wanna put it.
Reporter: You think that is a good way to work?
Cam Ward: Oh yeah, for sure. It's not just option routes we do. Everything's gonna be a lot of stuff that no one in the NFL does but us. But, we're gonna be efficient at it, we're gonna be effective at it, and we're gonna do what we need to do to win games.
Reporter: As you continue to get out here and get more throws, and how is the shoulder feeling, and how are you doing as far as getting the mechanics, the footwork and everything that you've been working on this year?
Cam Ward: Real good. Especially just from an endurance standpoint, that was the biggest key for me because I'm just so used to going, going, going. And then when you have to sit back for a while, then get your body going, you gotta stay in that routine of keep going and getting the reps with your guys. That way, when we come back in training camp, there's no hiccups. We should start camp how we finishing this up, good, and just be prepared for the season.
Reporter: How have you worked on improving your accuracy and ball placement this offseason from where you were last year, and how are you continuing to do that going forward?
Cam Ward: Just continue to focus on fundamentals, whether that's feet, arm, everything to being a quarterback. And then having, you know, myself be accurate in certain coverages in the receiver, you know, feeling which way I'm trying to turn his body and stop him if I need to versus certain coverage. So getting that relationship of spatial awareness within the offense, I think that help out everybody.
Reporter: Do you think it's improved enough from last year to this year?
Cam Ward: I think it has been a factor. I think it's more of just consistency on both sides, whether my side or the receiver's side, and make sure we're seeing the same things on the field but the same things on film as well.
Reporter: Coaches have attributed a lot of your misses to new system, new guys, all of that, which, both Robert and Brian. Do you think that's fair, or have there been some that are plays that you should be making regardless of whether stuff is new and different?
Cam Ward: No, I just think it depends on the situation. A lot of times when we're in, I'm gonna do really anything in the world with seven on seven. There's no live rush, it's not football. Then when it comes to team aspect, you gotta have the mindset of you have Jeffrey Simmons coming at you, so you can't sit back there and pity-pat the ball. You gotta get to one read, you probably gotta check it down the next play. So it just depends on the situation, depends on what team period we're in, and, you know, how I feel, what route we have on, versus that coverage of how I need to throw it.
Reporter: When you're in team period, seven on seven, just period out there, like, how much goes into just, okay, I'm trying something, I wanna see if I can get this ball in that spot, or get this ball to that guy. How much goes into that?
Cam Ward: Every play, honestly. It's a time to do stuff that I do a lot in the game. It just depends, you know, what coverage our defense presents. Our defense is really good at disguising. So me seeing it faster, and then already know what route I wanna get to while I'm dropping back, and then declaring whether I have to move in the pocket or not to get to the check down. So it really just depends on what the defense has coverage-wise, and we have to be able to react to it.
Reporter: Coming into the offseason, what are the areas you gotta be better at when the team starts in July?
Cam Ward: I think our biggest stride is just the operation of everything. Everybody knows what to do, from up front all the way to the running backs room, everybody. I think the biggest thing that we can improve on is just continue to over-communicate, make sure everyone knows what we're doing, even if it's the threes guy's not getting a lot of reps, make sure he knows what to do. And then just continue to work on our timing with myself and the backs and the receivers.
Reporter: What do you hope to improve the most, personally, from year one to year two?
Cam Ward: I think just far as a team, to get a chance to be in the playoffs, try to make a run at it. And then personally, just continue to be who I was last year, be an instinctive player, you know, be a great team leader, and win some games. And then, all the other stuff will take care of itself.
Reporter: Do you feel the pressure to get results this year, given that the way the league works, first-round picks usually, if they don't get results by year three, there's a quarterback that's brought in for a competition. And right now, you haven't had that last year or this year. Do you feel that pressure to get the results and the wins and statistics and everything else?
Cam Ward: No. Either win or lose. It's really that simple. You're either gonna win the day on the field or you're gonna lose the day on the field. You're gonna throw an incompletion, you're gonna throw a completion. It's honestly that simple. Football's not hard. The pressure is the pressure we put on ourselves as people in the locker room. It's not whether or not we have a bad play, that's gonna happen. I'm not gonna go out there and go 50 for 50 every time. It's more just how we've limited and not letting just one bad play carry over as a whole collectively, offensively, just try to limit that. I think if we do that, we'll be one of the best offenses out there.
