Man, I felt like a young guy again. No, I felt like a twit year event these practices. Is a tough, man, But obviously it's fun. It's fun being out here with the guys.
Man. They keep me young man. And obviously it's no place I'd rather be.
So, you know, grind, that's what training camp is about. Man, good start for us man offensively and defensively. So we're just getting things flying and going from there.
At the last season, did you you have to kind of sit down with yourself and figure out if you wanted to keep playing? Oh?
Yeah, I think that that's always when you get to this age. Man, kids getting older, you missing a lot of things. You know, the life outside of football become a little more important. Have three kids now, so you know, my kids getting older. Man, My my kids is more active in sports and stuff like that. It gets tough missing it, man, But I love the game of football so much it kind of you know, I sat down, Man, it was a no brainer. I still felt like I
had something left in the tank. Man, And obviously, uh, it was a no brainer. That'll be back here in San Francisco for sure.
What are the things that keep you coming back? What really did you still want to accomplish a Super Bowl? Man? You know, at this point, I think that being so close last year.
Obviously we know how that game ended, and we've heard about it all off season, obviously, but just being able to win a Super Bowl, and it's not often that you be able to play on teams like this. I mean, you look at offensively, the guys that we have, defensively, the guys that we have, Uh, you'd be foolish not to want to be a part of it, man. And they wanted me back, and it just was a no brainer for me.
Man.
And obviously it'll be no better story ending than than then than winning the Super Bowl this year.
I think that's everybody's expectation this year.
Even before you got here last year, they come close a couple of times. Did you feel right away when you got here that this is a team that is really urgent.
To push through this right?
Uh?
You know, just coming here when I came, Man, I was at I was at home. I was a little league coach a little bit, Man, I was training my son. So from the time I walked in a building, it just was a no brainer that you could feel that energy here and from the day. From day one, you just step on a practice field, you see, Man, this is a championship football team.
You know. Obviously can't say I played.
On a lot of championship football teams in my career, Man, but I've had some success, you know. Obviously in Jacksonville, he was a championship football team, Man, And you know what it feels like being around long as long as I have, and from day one it was a championship football team. Once we caught our groove, we was rolling and we played championship football, Man, twelve straight. Obviously we couldn't close the deal. But that's why we hear now, Man, new season, new opportunities.
Okay, Like defense is always a little bit ahead of the of the offense and the early part of training camp any but She's like, maybe this year's been a little bit more pronounced. You feel pretty good about the way you guys are covering past plays and getting your hands on footballs.
Oh absolutely, I think that.
You know, it's huge the confidence that you see in these guys play with Obviously, Man, some of these young guys, Man Demo, I don't think get talked about enough.
From his stretch at the end of last season.
Man, the confidence that he's playing with now, maybe it's the number that he wearing number two.
I don't know.
Man, he playing different obviously. Man, I've always respected his game, but man, he's taking his game to another level. Guys like Woman, we got guys out there. Obviously, we know what Mooney Ward is capable of doing, but young guys are stepping up and uh, you know in the secondary and we being able to be contested contested these plays. You know, these some good receivers. We're going against b A. I mean BA is adult.
Man. Deebo obviously we know.
So for us to be able to be competitive with those guys, someting gonna help those.
Guys get better. And they're competitive out there.
Man, I mean you're going against those guys day and day out when the game come, and you're not gonna see too many duos like Being and Deebo weekend and week out. But uh, man, you can't can't stress enough how good those guys been in the confidence. You gotta be confident playing dB International Football League, and those guys are confident.
Do you it's a younger room this year than last year.
Do you feel the need to be a vocal, more of a vocal leader than you were when you first got here.
Absolutely, I think that you know, find your role.
Last year I came here, man, that we had guys like j v Man, Jimmy Ward, you know those guys, man, I just played.
I just played my role obviously.
Man, let those guys do what they You know, you have guys like Jimmy who've been here for a long time. Was wherever the captain. I didn't need to be that vocal leader because man, it was covered.
You know.
I just did my part, did my one eleventh obviously. So obviously I don't try to do too much. That's just never been my game. But being a vocal leader for these young guys to shoes for these guys, man, because when I was coming in, I think that leading by example is one thing. But obviously, man, you got to be able to tell these guys and coach these guys up.
And that's my job. That's my job to coach.
These guys up, man, especially young guys like tig I mean, Jaire, he gotta earn the name tig Man. So like Jire and those guys like that, coach them up man and things like that.
So you know hearing my hearing me be more vocal.
Man.
It's beneficial for those guys, man, Obviously.
I know those guys look up to guys like myself and things like that, man, And it's just a blessing to be able to coach those guys up. And they give me their ear to listen, man, And obviously they want to get better, and I'm here to help them get better.
He can just to be vocal and more animated on the field, but not so much off the field. But he needs to kind of step that up a little bit.
Do you see that in him? Man? Obviously, I think that Huff is just Huff is who he is. Man. His energy is just so different. And Huff is young.
Man.
You gotta think some of our rookies are still older than Huff. So it's Huff having grasp man. You know, he's still a young kid, obviously. But you hear him on the field, obviously. I think that nobody knows the defense better than Helf except for Fred maybe.
So obviously on the field, it just comes natural. He's that guy back there. Man. You hear him sometimes more than Fred.
Each and every play, Huff kind of gets everybody lined up man, smart guy from day once this last year, he's being kind of like that vocal guy on the field.
His personality is a real laid back guy outside of the building. That's just who he is. Some people come around, man, but eventually he will. Man. But right now he's a leader. Man. Obviously, his play speak for himself. So he's a leader in himself.
Man, we understand that Heuff is gonna practice hard, healf is gonna play hard.
He's one of the best safets in the league. Man.
In my opinion, it's not mean safet that could do what he can do. That's not no safety in my opinion, who could do what he can do. Man, Huff is just he's that guy. So obviously he continued to lead by example and on the field he is that vocal god and that's what matters right now, you know, and obviously everything else is gonna come with it, uh for sure.
So keep Wilks told us yesterday that he showed you that that played from the Miami game last year.
This it's the seventy five yard touchdown.
W What was the context of that, I mean, what was he was that.
Before training camp? And was he trying to kind of.
Show you guys that you know you're you're not invincible. That there there were some plays last.
Year, you know, just communication and things like that. How you gotta communicate on plays like that. Lack of communication can lead to those type of plays. Hurt a couple of feelings in there, obviously every time that play come up, Man, I try to go to the bathroom.
You know what I'm saying, go to the bathroom. I don't wanna see it.
But you know, obviously it was just more of a communication kind of deal where it's like, hey, man, you gotta communicate. If you can communicate out here, Man, things like this can happen in the National Football League. Those guys are good football players just like we are. Man, just a lack of communication it. Lack of communication can sometimes lead to explosive plays and sposive plays can get you beat in this league.
So obviously, man, he won't gods to.
Be more evoking and communicating back there, man, and things like that, so you can avoid those type of mistakes.
Scream yeah, yeah, if you had a teammate like that as well as.
Man, I I I would say Fred's energy and things like that. I haven't had been around many guys like that in my life.
Uh.
And I've played a lot of football, man, a lot a lot of football. Man, I haven't seen many guys with that that type of energy day in and day out. Fred don't seem to have any low days, truly, I can say, Man, I play with some good football players, man. Uh, I think Fred is probably one of the best, if not the best football player I've ever played with.
Man.
And that's saying a lot. Just the energy, the way he practiced away, he ap proast the game. You see it from afar, Man, I didn't really respect it. I I I knew he was a great player, man, but seeing it up close in person, Man, you gotta respect respect his greatness.
So you know, that energy right there is contagious. Man.
Fred gets going, Man and Fred going Man from play one Man, we rocking. You know, that's our leader, that's our vocal leader, that's our emotional leader. So you know, obviously having a guy like that on the practice field, it's very beneficial, man.
And it gets to juice is going.
Man.
Obviously, the old guy like me, I need that sometimes, Man, get me going a little bit.
I appreciate y'all