After a Thursday afternoon practice in Eagan, MN, Mackensie Alexander did something he usually doesn’t do – he addressed the media. In a semi-informal scrum on the sideline, pads in hand, Alexander answered questions.

Usually, I’d take the most interesting quotes and build a story about it, but I was taken aback at how honest and real Alexander was. He seemed reflective, and willing to explain why he barely played his rookie year. So instead of cherry-picking the good parts, I’ve transcribed the whole interview.

This is as verbatim as I could get with what Alexander said, only stopping to fix grammar and skipping, “you know what I mean”. Enjoy.

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Q: Is it mainly just in recognition that you’ve improved, or technique things you’ve been working on?

A: It’s technique, it’s the want to, it’s effort, it’s a whole lot of things, you know, I’m just putting in the work every day, so if I continue to get better it shows up on the field.

Q: Do you feel like it has?

For sure, for sure. I’ve grown a lot. I’m very comfortable. I have an understanding of what’s really going on, and how plays are supposed to be made. I’m making a bunch of plays, I’m having fun. That’s what’s most important, I’m having fun. I’m loving it during the process and I’m getting better every day, that’s the best part.

Q: How do you describe your confidence level now vs your first two years in the league?

I got a lot of confidence, I got a lot of confidence about this year, about me, I got a lot of confidence about this team. You only can be confident if you’re putting the work in and you’re doing great at it, you’re improving, and the body of work will always show. That’s why I’m confident, I’m putting in a lot of work. Still a lot of work to do, but I’m really confident in my game. It’s gonna improve day in and day out.

Q: What have you been able to learn from the receivers?

They change up their techniques a lot, especially Thielen, I go against him a bunch. Great receiver, obviously. He changes up a lot on me and we challenge each other each and every day. He’s doing a great job and I’m competing with him a whole bunch. He’s giving me a lot of different looks, too. They’re all giving me a lot of different looks as receivers. It’s just a fun matchup to be with those guys, competing with these guys. When it comes to Sunday, practice should be harder than the games. It should be a whole lot easier to compete with those guys and win with those guys. It’s a fun battle, it’s cool.

Q: Can you talk about your relationship with Mike Hughes? How have you helped him come along?

Just telling him, don’t do what I did when I was here. Don’t fight the process so much, just learn it. You don’t know where they want you to be half the time. Around here, they bring guys around slower. They don’t put them under pressure, they don’t start guys right away. It’s a process. You learn, you gotta be willing to listen. Be slow to speak, quick to listen. Just let the process happen, and see what happens. That’s basically what I’ve told him through my experience.

Q: You were brimming with confidence at the Combine. Was it humbling coming in and having to earn your playing time?

When you’re a young guy, and you’re successful in one scheme, another defense, another team, you want to bring it to the next place. But that isn’t what that place wants you to be. That’s not what they ask of you, so you gotta check yourself, you gotta be patient. Being young, it’s hard. There’s a lot of things that play a role in the situation, there’s money, there’s new life, there’s new things coming around. New distractions. And you want to be the man right now, and you want to go out and play. It’s a different system, every system is different. Obviously we do a lot different here, we don’t play guys right away. We let them learn, and bring them on slowly. That’s what I love about my process now. I’m merging, and I’m ready to do what I’m supposed to do. I’m ready to make these big time plays. I’m gonna be one of the best guys at my position. You just gotta sit there and watch. It’s a game of patience, that’s all it is.

Q: Was part of that transition also getting used to inside at nickel?

Yeah, exactly. You go from being corner to being the nickel, and that’s a huge adjustment in this defense because of what we’re asked to do – the checks, the different motions, the everything. You’re basically a quarterback inside, you gotta tell your linebackers, safety, corner, everybody what to do. You gotta be on the same page. I wasn’t really used to communicating. I can play man to man. It’s evident that I can do that, I do it really well. That’s what I was asked to do in my last system, and that’s what I did. We do it similar here, but I’m not asked to do that. I’m asked to do a different job, and you gotta embrace it and love it.

Q: Zimmer said he thinks you’re more receptive to coaching. Do you see that, where in your first year you fought back?

Exactly. You’re young, you come into a new system, you don’t know nothing. You know the corner job, but you don’t know the nickel job, and they’re asking you to do something that you’re unfamiliar with. It’s hard to be in a situation where you’re uncomfortable. You don’t know it, you haven’t been there before so it’s kinda different. The comfort level’s not there and you’re like, “Oh my gosh I’m not used to this.” You’re fighting it, “Coach I’m not good at that, I’m good at this, you guys saw my film, I played this, I’ve done this before, why am I not doing this, coach? What’s going on?” You kinda fight it. Now looking back on it, it’s a blessing in disguise. It’s working out for me. I can’t complain about it, no complaints. I’m a hard worker and I work hard, and that’s that. That’s what I’m gonna do, no ifs ands or buts about it.

Q: What was Zimmer’s reaction to all that?

My rookie year, I played 65 snaps. So I didn’t play much. I didn’t like it, I didn’t love my situation, I was the odd man out. I was a 2nd round draft pick. There was a lot of ego. If you don’t have ego in this game, you’re not gonna be as good as you want to be, it’s confidence. I didn’t like my situation, my second year I played about 300-some snaps. Shared it with Terence, I made the most of my opportunities, I made a bunch of plays. I was in the majority of 3rd downs and I made a lot of good plays. We led the league in 3rd downs and stuff like that, we did a lot of stuff. I’m just trying to contribute wherever I can. My skill set, I feel like I can fit in this defense, so I’m gonna allow the fit by not stopping me from doing my job.

Q: Is there something about the nickel where it asks you to do more, so if you can master that you can really stand out?

Oh yeah, if you can play nickel in this league and you can play well, and you got a few guys who can really do it well in this league, it makes you that much more valuable as a player. You just have a lot of value to people, coaches in general because you can do something no one else can do, and you can learn it. The hard part is more mental than anything, it’s not so much physical. You gotta have a mental game to understand, to adjust the check, to do it on the fly. I was capable, I just didn’t want to do it. That’s what I’m showing the coaches now, that I can do it. And I’m not just talking, but I’m putting it on film that I can do it each and every day.

Q: What do you think of the trend of offenses using more 10 and 11 personnel, making nickel cornerbacks more common?

You look at the league and a lot of the 2nd best receivers are inside. They try to get their mismatches, and they move them inside. A lot of times the 3rd best receiver’s on the outside. They spread the ball out a lot, they do a whole bunch of things. They do a whole bunch now so you gotta have a nickel who can go out there and play and do his job against those guys so there’s not a mismatch on the defense so we can win.

Q: Who are some of the best nickels in the league right now?

Chris Harris is one of the best nickels in the league for sure. Love his game. I think, who’s the other guy, I like Logan Ryan. He can play inside, he can play out, Chris Harris can too. Who else? I like Kendall Fuller too, he had a really good year last year, he had a phenomenal year. Unfortunate with the trade but he had a good year. I think he’s at corner now. But yeah, those three guys, they’re really good players that I look after their game. We’re very similar, but I’m inspired to make plays like they do each and every down.

Q: Will the new helmet rule change the way you play?

You just gotta practice right. Practice, make adjustments, play safe, understand what’s going on, how to tackle, how to do things. If you fly and run in, it happens, you’re playing fast and you can’t stop that. Hopefully you can appeal it or something. But you just gotta play fast and see what happens. You can’t really go out there and say “I’m not gonna do this,” it’s all reactions. You don’t know what’s gonna happen, truly. You gotta prepare for it and practice for it.

Q: How does the new rule change your tackling technique?

Not using your head so much, more shoulder work. Hitting with your eyes, seeing what you hit. Putting your head in the right situations, we work that in practice. You just gotta train your body to do it, and hopefully your body does it.

Q: Easier said than done, right?

Exactly. Sounds easy but it’s harder than it looks.