How's it going today, Aaron Banks? Did he cramp up or have an injury yesterday and camp cramped up? Cramped up?
Yeah, I think he lost. The day before, he lost fourteen pounds and that was the day it was kind of like rainy and misty a little bit. Whatever we were getting the remnants of the hurricane or something, whatever we were getting up here. Definitely though, Yeah, he lost a lot of weight, so it doesn't surprise me. It's really hard to replenish all that weight and not and then the next day he cramped up mid practice and wasn't able to which for Aaron is a I mean man
to make it all the way through camp. It's we always joke if he'd got drafted someplace where it was hot, I don't know how you'd have made it. The guys definitely sweats a lot.
Yeah, how is his camp? Banks? A lot of scrutiny and stuff. It seems like this year it's more settled in.
Yeah, Aaron's done a really nice job. Played well in the game on Sunday. He gave up one a little bit of pressure on one. I think that the quarterback scrambled to his right on But Aaron has had a really good camp, Aaron. Surprisingly, it's hard to say if he's a little bit better game day player than a practice player. I think some of that that, you know, the sweating that can. He's in great shape, he's he's his weight's been consistent now for gosh, over about a
year and a half. The guy's in the weight room and nutrition departments kept him in great shape. But yet sometimes in practice he does get a little worn down, and sometimes in practice it isn't always as clean. But in the games he's always fresh, ready to go. And it's had some really good game reps put in there, and so I'm really happy with his performances camp and in the preseason so far.
How would you assess the third tackle competition right now?
It's a great competition, that really is. I really enjoyed Matt Pryor's really come on the last couple of weeks since the Raider game. Had a better game this week. Not not to be confused with perfect and but practice wise and stuff, he's been doing better his conditioning and his and his his weight management and things like that. For our system has been getting better all the time.
UH.
Jalen Moore uh start off camp an offseason. We had a really good offseason and a good camp, then had the bone bruise injury that he sustained during practice just prior to the week before we went to the Raiders, excuse me, and then and then it's kind of lingered a little bit. So he's he's been not maybe everything that we want him to be up to this point. So it's a really good competition between he and Matt at this point for that third tackle spot. And then
don't count Leroy Watson out. Leroy is is a young developing player. He hasn't played a lot of offensive line, and that's really the he's got a steeper learning curve. While he's doing some he's got some really good talent and ability. He's still a ways away, but he's in the mix as well and competing with those guys that probably more for the fourth but but they're all in the mix doing well.
That's the guy Kyle I think said.
The hope is that he would be a guard at some point because venturies and things like that, he's just never had that opportunity.
Is that still something that could be in the cards for him?
You know what's funny is Jalen's body type a little bit. I'm really sorry, guys, I'm trying to shake this thing. The Jalen his body type looks a little bit more like a guard, but the quickness, the twitch, and the things that sometimes need to play a guard isn't there as much. So he's much more more of a tackle than a guard, even though I think that's what everybody
in the draft. We kind of had him, you know, targeted in that direction, but I've always been my personal opinion has been if a guy can play tackle, let him see if he can play tackle. They're harder to find than guards, and so if he can, he can, and he's done a serviceable job. We still are looking for just a little bit more from Jalen and keep hoping that he continues to work.
Mac's still gonna have to show that he could line up on the left side for the I know we talked about it a couple of weeks ago and you said maybe after the Raiders game.
Yeah, we were still Now he's starting to get more comfortable in the system, So now I do think that at some point I thought it might be before this time, but it's not. But that's still again I'm not sure how the roster all shakes down, but if it had to be a right left back up a little bit like it was last year with mckivot's and Jalen, and then I think that it could be that way to start off. Maybe Matt overtime gets more comfortable back on the left side. So and again, it's nothing set in
stone at all at this point. It's a very fluid depth chart at this point except for the starting left tackle.
The next jet for watch and what does he need to kind of build.
Well, you guys have heard me say it before again and again, just how much playing time means. He's so much better this week just having played two preseason games, the Raider game, obviously not neither game being good enough. He's got to play better. But the point of it is is that the guys improving by learning, by getting the experience. He had a little bit of playing time in Atlanta last year in the preseason, and then this
year with us. He's getting the two games up to this point, So as much time as we can give him, that's what he has to get. And obviously there's only so many game reps. There's so many of these guys man. Back in the day, we would have set him to NFL Europe and they'd had a whole offseason of playing games over there and just had a chance to play a lot of football. And they come back to us, even though they're beat up and tired. When they would come back to us, they would have played and they
get you kind of knock off. I don't know what it's not rust, but they get some playing time things that some guys didn't have a lot of in college, or they're changing positions and things like that, Leroy, they don't have that benefit. Offseason OTAs aren't the same as they used to be. Training ca not the same as it used to be. There's just not as many opportunities to get these guys reps to develop them other than practice reps, and they're just not quite the same.
It's common to have players that are better game day players than practice players in your experience.
Not really, I mean it's been it was Aaron kind of jumped off the screen at US when we got to the opening day and he's downfield celebrating the end zone. He's he's cleaning the pile off, he's leading screens downfield, he's he saw the other day he was out in front of Deebo's screen and was almost it was an almost block, but he was down there hustling his butt off to make a play. And it's not often with offensive lineman that you see that drastic It's a it's a big difference for Aaron.
I mean, he's a.
Good practice player, but it's a grinds a grind, and I can't explain it other than I think a little bit the sweat. I hate saying that. I mean, it sounds weird, but it's something about it. But on game day he does actually perform quite a bit better than practice and it's it's cool to watch.
They got that first opportunity yesterday after Aaron cramped up.
Have you been happy with his progress here the training camp?
The same things I just mentioned with Leroy and probably Nick even more so because he's been an offensive lineman even though it was at Fordham. He uh nothing against for him, but just wasn't you know, not the highest competition and and and he really has taken advantage of these reps and through the reps of the first couple of games again not this last game was.
A big step for him.
The energy that he played with, the effort that he played with, the confidence he played with, and so yesterday when he stepped in, it was it was nice to see him in there and really not miss a beat.
He did a nice job and competed well.
And it was practice, obviously, but but I'm really happy with Nick's progress. Again, he could use a whole other preseason to get him ready to go, and and and and he's not gonna get that opportunity, but he's gonna get some more games game reps this week and and then if the time comes during the season and he has to to contribute, he'll be He'll be as ready as he can be at this point.
Kind of wasn't ready to divulge playing time in stuff yesterday, but he did say after the Chargers game he expected the Ones to go at least little bit against the Chargers, and Jake Brandle said, guess his understanding that the Ones were going to play. So what do you think they actually get out of say ten to fifteen snaps in the last preseason game that it helps you going into Pittsburgh.
I mentioned it last week talking about just the most tired I've ever seen players being at the end of that first drive of that first game, because that real true strain. They do get some close to live game reps. I mean they are live game reps. There's no question a preseason game is live. I'll just never forget my Sorry. I always tell stories and we have always had a time crunch.
I'm sorry.
But first, my first preseason game in the NFL in nineteen ninety three was the Dallas Cowboys and we were in Minnesota. We played the Cowboys hole in the stadium, the big star in the middle of the field and all that, man, and I thought it was a super Bowl, you know, I really did. I thought this game meant everything.
And you go out and you realize, oh, this is a preseason game and a lot of guys that are on the team aren't going to make the team, that we're probably not going to have a winning and losing doesn't matter much. In the next regular season game, we played the Raiders in the in the LA Coliseum, how he long and and I went, wow, there was a
huge step up in the level of competition. And then the third one he gets to the playoffs, obviously it steps up again, and I think that's what so there is that you're pushing him as far as you can push them to get them a couple of game reps so that they feel that that that strain, that stress that they're going to feel come opening day, and that's really what there is to benefit from it.
A lot.
He's taken a ton of work in his body, his He's remade himself. He looks like it looks like a different guy. When you watch the tapes from a year ago, you see him walking around now, he's just really worked very hard his nutrition, his diet. He takes seriously what he does his improvement mentally as far as understanding the offense. Uh, best guy I ever described it to him as a guy in Baltimore once said, what's year one? Year one? All I see in the world is what's right in
front of me. That second year, man, those blinders start to come off and you start to see a whole lot more of the total game. Not to be fused with being there yet. He's still got a lot of work to do on that, but it's a it's a night and day difference in his physical maturation and then also his mental understanding of the game.
If it's given you everything you wanted to see from the beginning of training camp to now to be ready.
To step in and knocking on wood. Yes, he has, he's been. He's been everything is advertised. He's a very consistent pass blocker, he's consistent in the run game. He brings a level of toughness and physicality to our front, and we're very happy with what he's done so far. All good, Thanks guys, appreciate you.