Shiloh Keo Interview
John: How about you starting right now and the coaches saying you’re running first team?
Shiloh: It’s them holding me to a certain standard. It’s going to be my third year, they’re expecting me to play like a veteran, do the right things, be where I’m suppose to be. So far, I feel like I’ve been holding myself accountable to that standard, and I’m going to keep doing my job, and keep making plays out there, and make sure I don’t give them a reason to put me in a different spot.
Sean: Shiloh, your rookie year was the year of the lockout, so that must have felt like a huge blur. Talk about the differences of year three leading into the season, and that rookie year you had leading into the season.
Shiloh: I’m more comfortable now, like you said it was a lockout year. So I didn’t have an off-season to get ready, to get our heads in the playbook, and meet with the coaches and older guys and get a better feel for the system. Now, heading into the third season, I have a couple years under my belt, I have game time experience, and I had a couple veteran guys to learn from. Now I’m comfortable, I feel like a veteran, and I hold myself to a higher standard than I did before, and I think that goes with every player as they grow every year. You’ve got to hold yourself to a higher standard, or you’re not going to have a job in this league.
John: You’ve made a real name for yourself on special teams, that’s gotta be a good feeling that everyone recognizes how good you’ve been on special teams.
Shiloh: Definitely, I had an understanding coming into the league that the best way to make a team is on special teams. And the one thing about special teams is, it is a one play series, and you have one shot to prove a point, and just have to go all-out, you have to understand your job and the guys around you and how they’re going to fit, and just try to make a play. It took a couple years for the guys to recognize my hard work, but I’m not the only guy out there doing good things on special teams.
Sean: When the special teams comes under criticism, do you take that personally?
Shiloh: Oh definitely, and the whole team does. It’s not just the offensive guys, or the defensive guys, and the special teams guys, its the Houston Texans. And after every game week, we come in and watch the special teams as a whole team. And thats the only group that the whole team watches, and thats special teams.We take a lot of pride here on special teams. And everyone understands that it’s a hard play to do, whether its punt, kickoff and punt return. Everyone understands it takes a lot of effort to make sure you do well out there. Sometimes big plays happen, whether you do them or you give them up, and we just have to work on that. We are working on avoiding penalties on special teams because we gave up a lot of yards on penalties last year.
John: Barring injury, lets say Ed Reed is back and Brice McCain is back are you fighting for a starting spot?
Shiloh: Right now I don’t know. As of right now, I feel like I’m still fighting to be a starter in this league. Just because I’m a starter right now, it doesn’t mean I’ll be a starter when Ed comes back. Like I said before, I’m going to do my job to the best of my abilities, and make plays when they come my way, and so that I don’t give them a reason not to put me in two spot, three spot, or back on special teams. Right now I’m excited, I’m out there on the field, and thats what I wanted to do from day one when I was a rookie, is make my way onto the defensive side of the ball.
John: How much have you talked with Ed Reed and picked his brain?
Shiloh: A lot, we’re in the same meeting room every single day, three or four times a day, and whether I’m asking questions on my own, or listening to him, you can just tell he is full of information. Between him and coach Vance Joseph, I have a great group of guys to learn from.
Sean: Is that how it goes in the meeting room when there are older guys in the meeting room? Are there certain guys in the meeting room, maybe younger guys who are question guys, and older guys as answer guys?
Shiloh: Definitely, and even the older guys still ask questions. They see things that maybe a younger guy doesn’t see, like an audible or a check. Maybe getting into a different defense than what we’re in, from what the offense is showing us. It helps us out and the coach will relay back, “yeah thats a good idea, or no it’s not a good idea because of these reasons”. Theres a lot of give and take in the meeting room, and we all work together.
John: Do you y’all give the rookies the business for missing the tackle?
Shiloh: [laugh], Ha! No, everyone understands that at this level that our job is to make that tackle. And there is no need to give him a hard time, and as an athlete you’re already going to do it to yourself. Our job is to get him to the next play so he can make the big play next time.