Told us the other day that probably not a lot of starters are going to be playing in this upcoming game.
But what about somebody like Poony that's been working with the first string but who needs experience.
Yeah, we haven't gone through the final I know, I've made my suggestions. I think most of the guys will play up front for a little bit anyway, and I'm not sure what we'll do. There's a couple of spots maybe that won't but we'll look at it and see. And obviously Poony's going to play. I think he's play some extended time. In my opinion, he should. But we'll make that evaluation as a staff and make sure. I'll
make my recommendations which I think he should play. I don't know how much that's gonna end up being, but we'll take a good look at it and see. But he needs some playing time. I mean, it'd be good him go against other people and it'll be great for him. All the guys really good.
Of course, you got three rookies here. You've watched some practice now for a few weeks. What traits stand out about Kingston, Pooney.
And Nuchen, you know everything. It's really really good. This year. I was talking with one of our scouts this morning and we're just discussing that these guys have all they've kind of played out the way we've thought I mean, Poony obviously maybe a little bit better from the fact that how much he's mentally picked up and able to step into this role right now and has done a
good job. Although we saw that in potential in him obviously, the other two guys about what we thought very you know, Kingston, very athletic, quick has the potential to move inside and play guards center for us, and has done that. It's got to learn to anchor some things. And then all that has shown up has showed up on his college tape. It's not a surprise it showed up here today. Same thing with a nugent I mean, tough, tenacious, hard nose, good guy, more of a center than a guard. But
he's filled and done a good job. So all the guys have kind of checked all the boxes that we kind of thought they had, and it's kind of cool to see that that we didn't miss. As far as that goes what their potentials and all that will do, it's still yet to be seen. But as far as the traits and things they had. We like all of them.
What do you what do you want to see Saturday night that you haven't been able to see up to now against each other?
Well, what's a good good thing is our defense does present different things, but we were familiar with our defense. So now you get a new defense, new set of challenges. You want to see how guys adjust on game day. You want to see if you can make some game you know on sideline adjustments, See if they can go out and adjust and do it. See how they play against different people, different techniques. Well, we won't be able to give them as much prep time. That's just a
disappointing thing. You're trying to evaluate these guys and you don't give them the same prep time that you do during the season. You can't spend the whole week on Tennessee and you don't even know who's going to be playing for them. So the guys have to be able to go out there and adjust two different techniques, different fundamentals, and then you see how they do that, especially for the rookies, does it feel like they're kind of itching to get to go against some other people. I haven't.
I haven't felt that way. I mean the young guys. I'm sure the older guys. Well, the older guys don't love preseason games, but they do love the chance to go against other guys. It does get a little bit old going against the same guys all the time. I really think that the young guys just looking for whatever we ask them to do. They've been good, and I
think it will be cool to see another journey. I remember my first preseason game when I was coaching and I wasn't playing, but I was coaching in Minnesota, and we played against the Cowboys in Dallas Stadium and and to me, it felt like it was the Super Bowl. I mean, I couldn't believe it was an NFL stadium, and I quickly realized it was just a preseason game.
But there's that initial moment where they're going to see another team and another uniform, a helmet they've seen on television on Madden or wherever forever, and uh, and it's been like, wow, this is this is pretty cool. And then it'll it'll soon settle down to be a good game, but it'll be exciting for me. It's that first preseason game.
How much value do you think the preseason still has I know, like the kind of down from four to three. There's talk of cutting it down to two or getting rid of it completely. How much value do you think the preseason still still has these guys.
I've always thought it has value. I mean again, I don't say old school, but I do think it has value obviously. And you know the risk reward playing starters that that you know, you risk injury in a game that doesn't that doesn't count. But as far as development of a player going against other players, competing against other players, having the opportunity to show what you can do against somebody you know else and you kind of get into
a routine with guys. You kind of get to know the guy against you, and that's that's important, and that familiarity things. Sometimes you see it happening within the course of a game. A guy becomes familiar with the player, and so how we may start a game and how you end a game. When you get used to a guy or he gets used to you can challenge you. And that's what's good for these guys is to get different opponents, different looks, different things like that. It totally
changes the just the atmosphere of a game. It helps for the younger players. It gives them game rep experience that they wouldn't get. It's now, it's not the same. You notice a tick up from preseason to season, obviously a big jump this season to the postseason, and then every week of the postseason that intensity level goes up even more. The pressure of the stakes and all those things get bigger. But this is different than being out here.
Even though the crowd at four nine four nine is pretty intense, it's not going to be quite like it is in Tennessee. Two of your more experienced guys are Chris Hubbard and Brandon Parker. What have you seen out of them in camp and what do you need to see out of them in the preseason. You know, we've
seen what we need I think in camp. Obviously in the preseason will be nice to see him go out and play in our system because they haven't played in our system before, so seeing that transition will be good to see. But I think we've seen what they will be there there Obviously could be a jump, maybe positive or negative ways, but I don't think there will be. I think these guys are pretty tried and true vets we brought there. They're fulfilling the role we brought him
in for. They're kind of there. It's you know, to steady things. If there would be something go wrong, you have some some some stable veteran backup type players there that are competing and doing a good job. Hopefully they'll be able to just keep doing the same.
Hubard also more versatile.
I guess maybe, like could you move them inside of Maybe it could, it could. I don't see him doing that for us though, I think he's primarily a tackle. Just just after being with the guy for a little while here, I think he's primarily a tackle.
Uh.
Trent continues to hold out. We know what kind of player he is. Does it concern you? And at what point what does he need to get ready for week one in the Jets? And when in this process? Would you be concerned if he's not here?
Yeah, you know, it's every guy's different. I mean, I don't know. I'd have to talk to our strength conditioning people know the exact ramp up time that a guy needs to be ready to play in the regular season game. I mean, is it is hard that those sixties something plays you play that first week? I've stated that's the most tired of ever seen NFL players is when they come to the sideline, if the first drive of the
first game. I mean they no matter how hard they've conditioned, no matter how hard they've trained, they've never competed, you know, full speed competition, which goes back to the question about a preseason game that is more full speed competition than once you get out here. There's that snap to whistle, all the way through the whistle, all the way from the snap to it's never quite you know, and we
always pull off. There's not tackling. There's that little bit left in practice that you don't go the full speed and there's not that one hundred percent strain. They're strained, but each guy lets off a little bit to protect the team and everything else. So that getting a guy ready for that, there's a level that has to be You have to go through practices and I don't know what the exact number is for any any player, it doesn't matter what's Trent or any other player. You have
to prepare properly. We found that when in twenty nineteen we came back. Mclinche and Staley came back from injuries the same week against Seattle, and we've played a long games and an overtime game against Seattle here and boy really found out with offensive lineman it's different than than receivers, Like, for example, you can get a receiver and say, hey, we're gonna run so many you know yards over the course of your rehab time to get their strength and
conditioning back. But it's really hard to get that drive on a player, you know, that hit and that total strain that you get as alignment that how do you measure that getting them ready to play in a game. And so after thirty forty plays, Joe, both Joe and Mike were gassed. I mean, it was unbelievable to see how fast that you hit the wall and then fell off.
So it became really imperative that we figured out how to train guys properly to come off injury and experience that that that push, pull and strain without risking them. It happened to Trent might have been the COVID year we played in LA and he was coming off of an injury and man we played it was we were in the last drive. I think Robbie kicked the field goal to win the game, and he said, I mean, he said, I don't know if he said I barely made it through the dry you know, about the beginning
of the second half he said I was done. You know, there's that level of and he'd come off injury where you know, I think he practiced a little bit that week, We say, oh, yeah, he'll be fine for the games. He practiced on Friday. Well, there's more to it than that long answer here. I don't have the exact thing, but there's something to that strain that pushed that pull. No matter how many games you played in that you have to prep for it because even when you've done the full process, opening days.
Hard, how long after opening day do you see them kind of hit their stride.
It doesn't take long. It's amazing that by the next week it's pretty good. If they've played a game, they kind of know what to expect. They're in great shape. It's just I guess it's that last little you know, over to get over the hump, to try to finish it. It's not like you see it week two or it's just it's always amazed me that that first series, that first game is if you have any plays obviously three and out they're not retired, but if you play well, you can you can get.
Some How often does a guy in a preseason game surprise you completely? Is that something that that happens.
All it can happen, you know, I tell you it happens. It happened with Banks, you know, not in a preseason. In the regular season, he just was okay, he was doing well in camp. But and then all of a sudden we started playing, and then Chicago that year and then on after that, and he just the energy played with, the finish he played with, the consistency was just different than in practice. I think that you know, the grind of period period period after you know, you don't come
to sideline and arrest. You just going and going and going and going. And sometimes some guys don't whether that as well as in any game, you've got the energy of the stadium. You go, plays, you come over, your defense plays, there's just the whole feeling of a game. And so that can happen preseason games. It has too. It's I can't remember offhand guys, but there's always that that guy that when you get in the competition, he
just lights up. It's different. He can go full speed, he can dive over piles, and things like that, so it's kind of fun to watch thank you guys.