Q: Was it kind of tough to wait? I know you were hurt for a long period there. To finally get that chance; was it nice after that long period?
McGill:"Yeah. I was just trying to honestly just keep my head on straight and just watch the guys on the field, and trying to keep that tight chemistry in the secondary room. Just waiting for my time to step up and I finally got that opportunity."
Q: Did you get a lot of counseling from the veterans?
McGill:"Yeah. I would say I got that a lot from the coaches and the veteran players. Having a lot of these veterans on the team and me going up to them, and not all of them were first round draft picks and some of them sat early in their careers, so having that definitely helps."
Q: Was it nice to get this experience in before this season was out, so you could go into the offseason with two quality games under your belt?
McGill:"Yeah. I mean, it's always going to be nice to get game reps and you just have to build off of whatever kind of foundation you have. Mine is kind of late in the season, but like you said, those last two games, they're going to be important and I just have to go in there and try to do my job as best as possible."
Q: To go from none to almost 48 snaps, and then 17 special teams snaps, how did you feel after the game?
McGill:"I felt alright. It felt good to get back in there. You can't complain when you're just a little winded. You complain on the sideline more than being in the game. When I was finally able to get those reps, I didn't even know the numbers but you just told me, I just had to be ready and practice was a big part of that."
Q: I'm sure that were confident going in, but was it nice to kind of get the positive results that you did? I mean, you were hardly even targeted.
McGill:"Yeah. I missed a tackle so I have to make up on that, but other than that, I want the ball to come my way as much as possible, that way I'm able to have an impact on the game. I just have to be ready when it comes my way and I can't' really control that."
Q: On the other side, it must be good coverage then.
McGill:"Yeah. That's a good way to look at it."
Q: You've had a lot of moving parts back there in the secondary, and people being thrust into the action and having to then produce, and you have a lot, especially in the second half of the season. Is that the way you prepare, you think? What have you been able to glean about why you can change things around and still be effective as a secondary?
McGill:"I just think it's the secondary room as a whole. Everybody has that chemistry and everybody is on the same page, and when you have, obviously, great veterans back there and people that have been making plays for some years now it makes it a little bit easier to trust them and follow them. Having the veterans back there and then having the rookies or the not so older players come in and having the confidence within the veterans and yourself, it helps a lot. Honestly, I just think it's chemistry, no matter who it is, we were all in the same room, watching the same plays, listening to the same checks, watching the same film so whoever's job it is to step up, I think everybody has done a great job doing it all year."
On the secondary becoming a core of the defense going forward:
McGill:"I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be. We're all good players. Who knows the players that are going to be here next year and who knows the players they're going to draft, but the three players that you just mentioned; I wouldn't have a problem playing with any of those guys on the field."
Q: With your size and your range, where do you feel like you match up best on the field? Do you feel like you can play in the nickel too, or are you primarily on the outside?
McGill:"As of right now, I'm just taking reps where I can get them. I started learning nickel late in the season. I started learning a little bit of safety, but I've always been primarily a corner here and honestly, it was me just trying to get on the field, just learning those extra positions and trying to help the team out any way possible."
Q: How do you evaluate yourself against Sammy Watkins? You got a lot of positive reviews; how do you feel like you did?
McGill:"I think I did alright, especially for it being my first game. The bullets were flying and it just felt good to finally get back in there and play some defense and play what I got drafted to play, which was corner."
Q: Are you really excited for this opportunity going against that Denver offense?
McGill:"Definitely. I think every week we've gone against a pretty explosive receiver. Obviously, this week going against Peyton Manning, it just adds a quarterback element in that picture, so whenever you're going to play against him I think you're going to raise your game up, so with him and the receivers around him, I think we're going to be ready for it."
