From Raiders Training Camp: CB Nate Hobbs

HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders have opened their 2023 NFL Training Camp, and CB Nate Hobbs took to the podium to address the media.

You can watch his entire comments below and read the transcript:

Cornerback Nate Hobbs

Q: We have to ask you about the fly ball in the softball game. What was going on there?

Hobbs: "I'd seen the ball, it was in the air. It was one of those Aaron Rogers -- just floating the ball up there and I'm like: 'Alright, it's coming. No it's not coming. Now it's coming. No it's not coming.' I tried to catch it and the rest was history."

Q: It happened on the eve of training camp. Did you kind of instantly know this might delay the start a little bit?

Hobbs: "The way my mind works, it really wasn't like that. I just got in the face. As you can see, I've got a couple scars on my face. So I'm like: 'It's cool, it is what it is.' I didn't even know it was bleeding that bad and it was like that until I saw it. But it is what it is."

Q: We've seen you move back to the slot a little bit so far in training camp. Is that a place where you're really comfortable?

Hobbs: "Yeah, I'm comfortable there. I get to open my vision, see the field, use my instincts. But honestly, I'm ready to go wherever I need to -- corner, nickel, it doesn't really matter, I just want to help the team."

Q: This defense has been extremely more aggressive, you've gotten a lot more picks, a lot more sudden change plays. I'm just curious how does having a Marcus Peters and Marcus Epps and those guys help you guys be better?

Hobbs: Man, MP [Marcus Peters], I just think his football IQ is on another level. His instincts, his feet, body position. A guy like that, he just brings a whole new energy to our defense and there's nothing like having a vet back there who can just see everything, it's crazy to me. It's like he's in practice and in a walk thought, so slow. And then Marcus Epps, man he's a general out there, he knows what he's doing, he's getting everybody in the right position, and he just knows the defense like the back of his hand. He's always in the right spot, always knows the right call to make. So I think he's just a real valuable addition to our defense that's going to take our defensive back position to the next level."

Q: After your rookie year, you had surgery and kind of had to spend a lot of offseason rehabbing. This year, you're mostly healthy. How much of a difference does that make just kind of being able to prepare it as normal?

Hobbs: "Definitely makes a little bit of a difference because coming off of a surgery, you can't get started right away like you want to, can't go jump into whatever you want to full speed. Being in rehab, that's the worst part. Six o'clock, seven o'clock rehab for me. I don't really care coming off the injury -- that's fine, but it does take some time off. But I feel great. I'm just blessed to be here in Vegas again with the guys and to experience another year."

Q: When you look at Marcus Peters -- seven years, 32 interceptions, six that he took back for a touchdown. Those are kind of crazy numbers when you think about it. I would imagine that that doesn't just happen as a cornerback. Do you feel like the way he sees it and what he does can help some of the other guys?

Hobbs: "I'm always asking him questions. I played with Casey Heyward, Desmond Trufant. I played with Rock [Ya-Sin]. I played with some pretty good cornerbacks over the years, and I just tried to pick their brain apart. But MP [Marcus Peters], it's like his mind works on another level with that stuff and he trusts his instincts and he sees it before the quarterback is even going to throw and it's crazy. So I try to pick his brain apart. But that's not normal at all, some of the stuff he does is superhuman at the cornerback position. If you get a pick in the league, you get 30 picks, you're superhuman."

Q: Something I kind of noticed as you're get a couple of reps in as a punt returner and kick returner, I know you did a little bit of that in college, was that an opportunity that was presented to you or just something you want to try out in training camp?

Hobbs: "Actually coach, he told me jump back there. He was like: 'Jump back there, get some KOR reps.' He has probably seen me catch a pick one day and get nice on my feet and was like: 'We like him.' So, he threw me back there, but yeah, I did that KOR and punt returning in college, so that's something I'm comfortable with and I like to do it. It turns me up for real when I've got the ball in my hand. It adds to my game."

Q: You mentioned Marcus Epps, it seems that he and Tre'von Moehrig have clicked pretty quickly together. Has that your impression, that those two guys have gotten in sync pretty quickly?

Hobbs: "Yeah, definitely. They're both light skins so you know how that goes. But for sure they have a pretty tight jell right now."

Q: Last year you were banged up, but you still played being banged up with a cast on your hand. What was the hardest part about playing with the cast on your hand when you know you're playing boundary cornerback or lined up in the slot and have to use your hands?

Hobbs: "Like you just said, you can't really use that hand. It's about a pound or two of weight, but really honestly you can't think about that. It's not where your mind can go. You're in a football game, you've got a job to do and if you're going to step on that field, nobody cares about that little injury you've got. You've got to do your job. So that's my mindset with it."

Q: Getting your hands on the ball has been something that's been an emphasis, all the coaches have talked about it. How big has that been for you guys just trying to make sure you're either punching out or trying to intercept it?

Hobbs: "Game changing plays. When you do that every day in practice, you create a habit. When you create a habit, that's just who you are, it's your psyche. You don't know any better, so in a game you see the ball, your mind is going to say: 'Punch it', without you even having to do it. So when you're conscious of it in a game, it just makes it all better. I think that's what 53 for the Colts [Shaquille Leonard], that's all he does. That's his psyche, so that's why you see him getting all those balls out."

Q: You're talking about game changing plays. It sounds like you're pretty excited about kicks. I mean, do you dream about taking one back? is that something you think about?

Hobbs: "Let me tell you bro. I used to be like 10 years old watching Devin Hester highlights and I was just thinking the other day like: 'Damn, this is crazy. I'm in the NFL and I've got an opportunity to catch a kick and take it back.' Even if I don't get on there in a real game, it feels good in practice. But for sure, I feel very confident with the ball in my hand. I know I'm an athlete, so when I land on my feet I'm thinking I can go to the crib."

The Silver and Black open the preseason by hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT.

Please tell us your thoughts when you like our Facebook Page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

Add us as a preferred source on Google