Alex, let's start that year to jump that coach Tomland always talks about when you look back and after talking to coaches, what's I guess the main feedback. Yeah, I feel like this year it was year that I definitely grew. You know, it's not the year that I wanted to have. You I know I can always be better, no no matter how good I do, I know that I can
always be better. But overall, from just a mental standpoint and physical standpoint, I feel like I grew a lot this year and just be my first starting year in the starting role, I feelt like, you know, to take a jump, But at the same time, I want to take an even bigger jump coming into year three, and I know it can be a lot better than I was. I'm excited for the off season ahead and just working to be the best that can be in year three.
You said that your goal for the two thousand twenty one season was double digit sacks close but did not get it. So what do you do in terms of setting new goals moving forward for the next season. Yeah, I think I have a lot of the same goals that I had this year. Um for me, just really working on finishing my coaches really just emphasized with me
just finishing the top of my rushes. There were so many plays and so many rushes where I was right by the quarterback but just didn't finish, whether he stepped up there or the offensive line was still on me. So just really working working on things like that to help me finish my rushes. To be able to reach out to what didact point is something that's going to be emphasis for me in my training this year. Coach Salmon has said in terms of t J Watt, he's not like a raw ro guy. He's kind of quiet,
but he's very technical. What is something that um he has taught you this year that has helped improve your game? Yeah, something that I've always learned from watching the the live TV copies before games to get the to get the cadence for the for the pleasant team. So that's something I did a lot this year, and we would always talk about it in meeting, talk about the different cadence you to talk about what's the hard count, talk about
what's on too. So that was something that helped me a lot, especially for away games this year, to be able to to get work on my get off and be able to get out the ball faster, and so I'm definitely photo translation for it, as I would feel like I was getting on the ball a lot faster than I was last year, and so that's something I
look forward to continue to improve on. I know it's maybe a small thing, but how much better or different was it that there were fans in the stands this year, unlike a rookie or I know you didn't know any better, but it had to be a big difference. It was awesome. I was just so thankful that there was fans in
the stands. I was thankful that my parents, um and and my fiance and whoever wanted to come to the game was able to come this year, whereas last year a lot of the games they weren't able to because of COVID UM, and so it was just awesome to be able to truly experienced steal nation and every time they played really Gate, I get chills, and especially that last game, you know, Ben's last home game was pretty awesome, and so it was awesome to be able to have
fans in the stands. And so I'm glad that we're training in an upboard direction regarding COVID. What are you going to do in terms of the offseason working out, Where are you going and are you meeting up with any teammates? Yeah, um, I'm going. I'm gonna be in Charlotte from the majority of my training this all season. So I got a good training regiment down there, a good trainer, just a good uh just get in a
good flow down there. And so last year I fel like I had one of my best, my best offseason, and like I came into camp in great shapes, in the best ship in my life. And so I think that's gonna be a home baseball me on the off season. And so I'm just that's where I'm gonna be that and try to get some working with t J sometime over all season as well, and some other passbusters as well.
I mean, you guys go to Wisconsin thinking about it, Yeah, So hopefully we can get up there for a week or so and I'll get together and get some get some training and they'll be awesome. Do you guys take some time to um, maybe just you know, do your own thing, and then how do you keep in contact and maybe keep that momentum, that tightness of the group. Yeah, I think, you know, we guys definitely, uh, kind of had their own time and you're right for the season.
You guys go on vacation and guys go back visit the family and stuff like that. And I think, you know, we do have a group chat, so I think we always like to keep that running and stuff like that, and so that's something we'll we like to do to stay at contacts, keep that group chat running. Is it? Linebackers, Whole defense? We do have a D line and we have a whole defense as well. Um, we usually text a lot in the whole defense, so we texted some
funny stuff in there. So it's pretty cool. Who's kind of the ring leader of that? Pay cam? M say cam Yeah, cans and when he created so I say cans and the ring leader of it? All right, Thanks Alex, You're welcome to see