Years. As far as you know, the each year come to camp and if you tried to kind of.
Add onto your game, just try to be more consistent. Honestly, it's it's been cool to be in the system for a few years now, getting to work the same stuff, just kind of mastering all the techniques and everything that we do. But consistency has really been the biggest thing for me this year, just trying to stay consistent with my training, my recovery, and then also just on the field, just trying to make sure learning from my mistakes and then you know, capitalizing all the things that I do well.
I can tell sometimes when a guy switches numbers whether he's physically different from from year to year, But you seem slimmer and quicker than.
Than maybe you've been in the past.
Is that Are we seeing that correctly?
I have been hearing that the number is a little deceiving. People aren't used to it. They're used to that fifty nine. I feel better, honestly. I feel like I'm moving better, I feel more in shape. That was a big focus for me. I'm really the same weight, but I feel like I have a better build right now than I have in the past, and you know, I'm glad that it looks that way because it feels that way for sure.
Off season training I saw somewhere with Red and.
Yeah, so we stayed. We stay here in the summer with what take that as far as I mean, I'm used to how they prepare, so with them, the word consistency I've been repeating over and over again. That's really the biggest thing with them. That's why they've had such big success here, and that's why they've been able to
stay here as main stays of this organization. And I realized that obviously last year I wanted something to change, and I knew that if I stayed back and trained with them, Dre's here in the off seasons as well. It really helped me kind of see what it takes from eight am to three pm, whenever we're in and out in those training days, how much really goes in and you know, just kind of falling after their league recognition and stands out.
I mean, you're really recognizing the place quickly and moving fast.
Is that film study or is that being in this defense for a number of years. Where's that come from?
It's a number of things you hit on it film study obviously, but really it's just being in the system and gaining the confidence. Honestly, this is the most confident I've felt since I've been here, and that's testament to Johnny and the other backers, like I said, helping me get prepared and get to that point. But I just feel really comfortable right now diagnosing stuff and and also
just taking the chances and shooting gaps. Like you said, that's one thing I've struggled with in the past is play recognition, almost looking like I'm hesitating a little bit. And that's just the one thing that I have really been trying to work on this off season. In this preseason, learned a thing on.
The tick coverage stuff and how it's gone or is it.
It's definitely a work in progress. It's something that none of us are used to, only the guys and that come from I think the USFL and the XFL have really done it before. We've been working a lot of just technical stuff and a lot of a lot of technique to try and you know, win one on one matchups, but scheme wise, it's it's really is a work in progress.
We're learning as we go. Leverage is the biggest thing for us, honestly, that returner is going to have to make a decision at one point, and if you're if you're playing your leverage, especially to the front side of that return, usually good things are gonna happen.
Some teams are be hiding some stuff that there conna be some unknown something you haven't seen before that you have to deal with.
I feel, yeah, that's a general tendency in the preseason. You're obviously not going to show your complete hand, but I think in years past we know from kickoff return there's only so much that you can do. Obviously, reverses are going to be the biggest thing that we're probably not seeing right now that are gonna come up. And that's just the same thing testing someone's leverage on the
back side. If people are crashing in, not holding another leverage, not playing discipline, I think that's the one thing you'll probably see early on in the regular season. But I think a lot of teams are just gonna try to focus on hitting it downhill and getting good field position to start.
I think some people in your position would probably be looking for gonna go somewhere else. Let's see, you know, if I have a better chance somewhere else. Is your third training camp, fourth year with the team.
Why why forty?
Why do you keep coming back?
Why do you? Why are you devoted to make this happen here?
Yeah? I mean, I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but I really recognize that this is a special place. It's a really special organization, and I've been grateful enough to be here for as long as I have and learn under the guys that I have. And it's like you said, it's not always the easiest thing to not play and to be practice squad over an active roster, But for me, I personally believe I've needed a lot of development in order to actually be prepared
to play and do substantial things in this league. And that's really been my focus, just trying to control what I can as far as the work, and hasn't really shown up on the field yet, but I'm just like I said, I'm trying to keep my head down and whatever happens happens. But I feel good about the work that I put in.
Exactly done quite a bit of self reflection. Has there been something along the way here a frustration level or something else that has kind of got you to this point where you're like, hey, I need to focus in on this so that I can, like you say, achieve the goals that you want to reach.
Yeah. I mean I've been humbled a decent amount in my time in the league. I wasn't necessarily completely prepared. I don't think I did enough when I first came in as an undrafted rookie in Denver, and that kind of showed. And even when I came here, I was rudely awakened to see what it's really like like the guys. Like I said, I'm blessed because of how special that linebacker group is. When I first got here, we had disease,
we had dre fred. Obviously they were a little bit younger, but they were already seasoned in what they did, and I saw a difference. I had never been around a group like that. So for me, I realized I was very behind the eight ball in my personal opinion, and I wanted to be a part of that group really bad. That's still how I feel, and so that's kind of just where my head's been at. Every year, I try to just take a step back and see how have I developed, but also how can I continue to develop
and I think that it's really helped me out. And I have good people behind me, good people, have good support system at home, So self reflection is big for me and I think this every year. It's just kind of trying to chuck forward and continue finding way to get better at some how.
Difficult is it to kind of get to that point where you're looking at yourself rather than like, oh, they're doing me wrong, or you know, whatever kind of excuses that could.
Be out there.
I mean, it's easy to fall back on excuses, but for me personally, I know that if I can control what I can control everything else to take care of itself. I think it kind of shows that way things don't always go your way and that's just kind of how the world works. And like I said, I've been humbled multiple times, so it's it's nothing that's new to me.
But like I said, I have a bunch of great people in this building, not just in the linebacker room, that have shown me that if you put the work in, things will come to fruition more more often than not.
I think to play that NC Championship game or birds was kept out, I think it was almost like a game time decision where they played him instead of you. Was that a hard moment to swallow or did it fuel you through this offseason?
Yeah, it was difficult. I was obviously super excited. Those are moments that you dream of as a kid, you know, playing in a championship game with those types of stipulations, trying to go to the Super Bowl. I was very excited. But at the end of the day, Warren was ready, you know, and that that's just kind of I knew going in that was the case. So it wasn't like
it was a surprise to me. But again, fuel sure, But for me, I'm I'm fueled more so by just my personal aspirations, not necessarily how things have happened over the past. You're the room you guys are in right now, really talented.
Uh, you guys probably watched that scenes film. What's Johnny's saying about about Jalen and Tatum and some of these young kids that they they were.
Following me the night? Yeah? Jo, Like I said, I've said it before, Johnny's the ultimately positive coach, which I love. Honestly, He's he coaches as hard, but he makes sure to find a positive spend in a way to really deal with positive reinforcement with everybody. But Tatum and Jalen are doing amazing. All the young guys did as well. Has had an amazing camp. Obviously he didn't play this week, but he's been doing great. It's really cool to see
their progression, especially Tatum as a rookie. It's really hard to come into this system and show that much flash as a rookie and it's just a testament to him and his skill and how how much raw talent he has. But you know, Johnny has nothing but good things to say about everybody. I'm proud of Jalen too. He's worked really hard to develop and it's shown on the field in my opinion, Thanks guys.
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