Eku Leota - Press Conference, cardinals Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-03 | Full transcript (primary source).
Eku Leota addressed the media during a press conference for the Arizona Cardinals on September 3, 2026. The event focused on his experiences during training camp and his reflections on personal growth and adaptation within the team's defensive scheme.
Transcript
Leota: Just feeling grateful, you know and that hard work really does pay off at the end of the day and just to have the right people here at my corner and you know teammates coaches pushing me every day, you know, I know it's a competition, but the person I was competing with the most was myself every day.
Leota: That's how I looked at it throughout the whole training camp is me being better and then every day and peeking at the right time which is right now.
Leota: So, you know, it's my fourth team I've been in for four different schemes and just being able to take everything that I've learned from other teams, but trying to put it in the right areas within this game and I feel like they let me play free.
Leota: You know to the from a schematic standpoint here and being able to play within the scheme but with my skill set as well, so being able to get off the ball and then using a lot of speed and converting that speed into power.
Leota: But yeah, that's and then just being able to drop as well and coverage and yeah, that's one of the things that was the hardest part for me to learn here was we're actually in coverage, you know, and we have a lot of rules in coverage.
Leota: So, you know, it's not a spot.
Leota: If I have any questions, I'm always on Zavin's asking Zavin, you know, so.
Leota: It's really it's a great group. It's probably the funnest group I've been a part of because there's so many different characters and it is just a good room to be in.
Leota: You know, everybody talks to each other and we're not afraid to ask each other questions.
Leota: And yeah, it's just a nice group to be in and coach Feeney as well. Just a great coach.
Leota: Oh, it helped out a lot. I know I was a P squad last year, but just being a scout team player and I'm sure I'm gonna be a scout team player again this year and which I need those reps, you know.
Leota: I like going against the ones and those are my game reps throughout the week because I'm not gonna get a lot of game reps so I try to get my game reps in throughout the week, but your special teams though is where I'm gonna get my reps, so that's where I take pride in in special teams.
Leota: But um going back to you are you saying from my last team? December yeah, but I was definitely paying attention and during a position meetings and it was still a lot and I really didn't get a hang of it until OTA's but getting a head start really helped.
Leota: I don't think so because this is my role that has been like this every year.
Leota: You know, I've been on p-squad every year so but I've also gotten credited every year.
Leota: So I have those game reps in Carolina. I played a lot of defense as well so I'm learning learned a lot from the mistakes that I made in Carolina as well.
Leota: But yeah, just here I feel like a lot more confident in myself and in the team.
Leota: Yes, I think so just especially because Nick with our DC is just he believes in my ability and he told me to go play free and I did so.
Leota: It's grateful for him to have a coach to believe in you. It helps out a lot.