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Leonard Williams: "It's Really Valuable Getting These Reps" · Seahawks Press Pass

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: So up, everybody, I got to be practice and pass
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: now just this lineman, And how important is out for
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: you to start getting some.
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: Real contact out.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, I think it's really important. We have a
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  Speaker 3: lot of new system in, a lot of new players
• 0:14
  Speaker 3: going in. You know, sometimes it's kind of easy to
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  Speaker 3: see what we're doing on cans and stuff like that
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  Speaker 3: during OTAs when we're just in helmets, but it's a
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  Speaker 3: lot different when you're going full speed. Bodies are moving, Uh,
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  Speaker 3: there's full pass, so guys have to like be moved
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  Speaker 3: out of spots and stuff like that. So I think
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  Speaker 3: it's real valuable getting these reps and getting these really
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  Speaker 3: long practices in.
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  Speaker 1: I let you appreciate.
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  Speaker 3: I appreciated it. Some vests that I played with when
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  Speaker 3: I was young, seeing on my Instagram story that I
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: was like just in just in a helmet and uh,
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: they were like, oh, you finally earned that vet day.
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: So it's funny, you know, now I'm finally year ten,
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  Speaker 3: I finally get to have a day like that. I'm
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  Speaker 3: typically not a guy that likes days off though, because
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  Speaker 3: I don't like to you know, get behind, you know,
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: but I feel like I did a good enough job,
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  Speaker 3: like staying focused on those days.
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  Speaker 1: Really and just walking by you guys, go back to
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  Speaker 1: New York days, your cloth. How happy have you been
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  Speaker 1: for him to see him, you know, get the Pro
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  Speaker 1: Bowl and now the same contracts.
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  Speaker 2: Everything's happened for him. So happy.
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  Speaker 3: I mean even off the field, that's like a brother
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  Speaker 3: to me. We've you know, hung out off the field
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  Speaker 3: a ton of times. My fiancees are really cool with
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  Speaker 3: his wife. You know, we're like a family at this point.
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: We're sharing a.
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  Speaker 2: Sweep this year, and uh, you know, I couldn't be
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  Speaker 2: more happy for that guy.
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  Speaker 3: He's, like I said, he's like a brother to me.
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  Speaker 3: And you know he he deserves everything he's gotten.
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: I assume you've got.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: You've got to get Christan Haynes a few times.
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  Speaker 2: What have you kind of seen from him and have
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  Speaker 2: seen him grow? I guess I feel like he's a
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  Speaker 2: big guy. He's very strong. It's tall. You know.
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  Speaker 3: I feel like I've been doing I've been trying my
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  Speaker 3: best to like try to teach some of these rookie
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  Speaker 3: guys at what I'm seeing. Uh, there's times like even
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  Speaker 3: and yesterday when we were just in uh in shirts,
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  Speaker 3: I was like calling out when those guys were like
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  Speaker 3: pulling because I can like tell because I've been in
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: the league long enough, you know, And uh I caught
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  Speaker 3: it out like two or three times and was like
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  Speaker 3: one hundred percent on all of them. So he was
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  Speaker 3: like asking me, like, you know, what what are you seeing?
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  Speaker 3: Like why are you seeing this? And you know, I
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  Speaker 3: try to give them feedback to let them know because
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  Speaker 3: you know, even though we're out here competing against each other,
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  Speaker 3: at the end of the day, you know, they're on
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  Speaker 3: my side and they're on my team, and I want
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  Speaker 3: them to get better.
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  Speaker 2: You know, you have a book on lineman for brus
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  Speaker 2: like that. Is it a literal go off not to
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  Speaker 2: the guys or is it just in your head playing
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  Speaker 2: them over and over again? Oh yeah.
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  Speaker 3: I actually have like saved a few books from over
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  Speaker 3: the years of like scouting certain teams, certain players. Uh So,
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  Speaker 3: I pretty much have like a stack of like ten
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  Speaker 3: fifteen books that from my over the you know, the
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  Speaker 3: last few years that I like keep on certain guys
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  Speaker 3: and then just over time like learning how to study, learning.
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  Speaker 2: How to watch guys.
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  Speaker 3: Now when I'm on the field, you know, even if
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  Speaker 3: I'm going against a new guy, I can still like
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  Speaker 3: from all the notes and studying that I've done from
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  Speaker 3: the past, I can like see what's going on with
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  Speaker 3: the new guy even you know, what do you see
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: that Iron Murphy? I mean, I think he's a great player.
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  Speaker 3: I don't want to put too much pressure on him.
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  Speaker 3: I know how the media does sometimes. Don't put too
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  Speaker 3: much pressure on him, but he's a great player. He's
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  Speaker 3: working very hard. I think he has like a really
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  Speaker 3: low center of gravity, like just naturally, that's how he's built.
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  Speaker 3: And I think he's like pretty polished to be a rookie.
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  Speaker 3: Like I said before, I think you see a lot
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  Speaker 3: of you know, first rounders or rookies in general that
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  Speaker 3: come in to the league and they kind of have
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  Speaker 3: like god God given ability and and talent, but they
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  Speaker 3: don't really understand the game quite well yet.
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  Speaker 2: I think he has a combination of both. And I
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  Speaker 2: don't think you got to put a channel out last
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  Speaker 2: year at all.
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  Speaker 1: Since coming over, what have you seen out of him
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  Speaker 1: and seeing him on the field as your team.
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  Speaker 2: In Yeah, that's yeah, that's a good point.
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  Speaker 3: I mean when I got traded here last year, that
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  Speaker 3: was like one of the first guys I was excited
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  Speaker 3: to play with until I realized he was hurt. So
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  Speaker 3: now this is our first year like building some chemistry.
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  Speaker 3: We obviously play together at USC, but you know, we're
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  Speaker 3: a lot different from from then. And you know, I
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  Speaker 3: think he's a great leader. He's definitely like the leader
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  Speaker 3: of the outside linebacker group.
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  Speaker 2: Uh.
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  Speaker 3: He sees things like a vet. So sometimes when we're
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  Speaker 3: lining up on the same side, all being a three technique,
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  Speaker 3: and I can't see what's outside of me, so I'm
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  Speaker 3: counting on him to point that stuff out to me.
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  Speaker 3: And uh, he does a great job of like you know,
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  Speaker 3: saying like when the tackle's coming down on me and
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  Speaker 3: things like that. So you know, having a guy like
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  Speaker 3: him next to me is making my job easier.
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  Speaker 2: You know, obviously wasn't out there today. What did you
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  Speaker 2: kind of see from the offense? I guess without Geno
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  Speaker 2: being there, from the other two guys.
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  Speaker 3: You know, I think Gino's a great guy, great leader
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  Speaker 3: on the team. But at the same time, you know,
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  Speaker 3: we understand what type of business we're in. We understand,
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  Speaker 3: you know, guys get rotated replaced all the time, and
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  Speaker 3: it's always like next man up, just keep going. So
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  Speaker 3: I think the offense did a great job of that
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  Speaker 3: next man in stepped up, you know, the whole line
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  Speaker 3: back them.
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  Speaker 2: You know, Sam did a great job today.
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  Speaker 1: What are you learning about Mike McDonald and however, to players.
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  Speaker 3: You know, I'm learning he has a very like almost
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  Speaker 3: like military mindset.
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  Speaker 2: Uh.
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  Speaker 3: There's this like joke that we always say, like when
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  Speaker 3: he like says something, it's like an army thing, I think.
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  Speaker 3: But I think he does a great job of holding
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  Speaker 3: guys accountable. And I think that's like what's really needed
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  Speaker 3: right now because, like I said, there's a lot of
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  Speaker 3: new guys on the team. It's a new staff, so
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  Speaker 3: we're kind of trying to create a new identity.
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  Speaker 2: And in doing that, you.
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  Speaker 3: Really have to have guys like as players and uh,
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  Speaker 3: coaches set the standard and if guys aren't reaching that standard,
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  Speaker 3: you have to hold him accountable to to raise to
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  Speaker 3: that standard. So I think it's really important right now going.
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  Speaker 2: From the coach with a different juice styles of Micron. Uh, Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: I think so.
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  Speaker 3: You know, I think it's always an adjustment when you
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  Speaker 3: have two different head coaches, honestly, but also their styles
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  Speaker 3: were pretty different, you know, when I only had Pet
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  Speaker 3: for not too long, so it's hard for me to
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  Speaker 3: compare because I was only with them for eight weeks.
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  Speaker 3: But you know, this is definitely you know, we're trying
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  Speaker 3: to hold guys accountable this year. We're trying to make
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  Speaker 3: sure everyone rises to the to that level mindset.
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  Speaker 2: What's that? What about Mike McDonald to mind you military mindset?
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  Speaker 3: I think just so far from you know, through ot
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  Speaker 3: as when we went to the military base, when we
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  Speaker 3: had those you know, the guys that have been flying
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  Speaker 3: all over us today, they came in and spoke to
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  Speaker 3: us today, and I think like both both of those times,
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  Speaker 3: you could tell, like Michael's really inspired by what we
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  Speaker 3: heard from the from from those military people, and uh
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  Speaker 3: we kind of like held onto like certain things that
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  Speaker 3: they like pointed out to our team and some of
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  Speaker 3: the similarities that they have in the army and military
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  Speaker 3: and similarities like through football that cross over, you know
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  Speaker 3: what I mean. So, uh, I think the guys have
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  Speaker 3: been doing a good job of like taking those words
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  Speaker 3: and you know, combining it with.
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  Speaker 2: What we do.
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  Speaker 3: Wide receivers are doing push ups after practice. What's one
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  Speaker 3: way that coach is keeping a defense accountable? I think
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  Speaker 3: that's a player driven honestly, and that's one way that,
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  Speaker 3: you know, I could step up, some of the leaders
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  Speaker 3: on the team could step up, because at the end
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  Speaker 3: of the day, although we have a new coaching staff,
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  Speaker 3: if things aren't running the way we want them to be,
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  Speaker 3: to be ran, it's like it's on the players first
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  Speaker 3: of all. So before I go to a coach and
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  Speaker 3: say like, hey, why isn't this right, I have to
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  Speaker 3: like look at myself in the mirror and be like,
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  Speaker 3: why isn't this running right? And I have to first
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  Speaker 3: say something to the team, and then if it's not
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  Speaker 3: running right, then I can say something to coach. So
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  Speaker 3: I think in a way like this, you know, the
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  Speaker 3: coaches always say they want to give the keys to
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  Speaker 3: the players, and this is the time to do it.
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  Speaker 2: Made me feel like you have.
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  Speaker 1: More voice, more ability to step up as a leader
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  Speaker 1: this year, given the affecting that joining mid season, trying
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  Speaker 1: to get up to speed with the group you haven't
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  Speaker 1: been around that if you're here from the start to
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  Speaker 1: kind of maybe use that voice a little bit more
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  Speaker 1: with these guys.
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  Speaker 3: Oh yeah, for sure, I definitely feel a lot more comfortable.
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  Speaker 3: Like you said, last year, when I got here, I
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  Speaker 3: was just you know, trying to learn how things were
• 8:01
  Speaker 3: were here, I was trying to figure out what the
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  Speaker 3: standard was, trying to fit in, trying to learn a
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  Speaker 3: new defense. So I was more just like focused on
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  Speaker 3: myself in a way, which is rare for me because
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  Speaker 3: I've been a VET for a while now, so I'm
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  Speaker 3: usually trying to help out as much as i can.
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  Speaker 3: And uh, you know, now that I've been established here,
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  Speaker 3: i come back, I'm more welcome by my teammates and
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  Speaker 3: it's a lot easier for me to step up and
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  Speaker 3: help out. What you said about his communication style and
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  Speaker 3: the way that he teaches the team, what's up Mike's
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  Speaker 3: teaching his communication style?
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  Speaker 2: Okay?
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  Speaker 3: I mean I think, like I was saying, he's just
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  Speaker 3: big on accountability, which is like really important right now
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  Speaker 3: because it's it's a lot of new players, a new staff,
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  Speaker 3: a new way of doing things around here, and I
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  Speaker 3: think when when you're trying to implement something new, it's
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  Speaker 3: it takes a lot on the players and the leaders
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  Speaker 3: on the team to like hold everyone accountable. So I
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  Speaker 3: think the more he harps on like holding guys accountable,
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  Speaker 3: the more like the leaders will understand that, the more
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  Speaker 3: the coaches coaching staff will underst and that, and uh,
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  Speaker 3: I think he's doing a good job.
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  Speaker 2: So he makes that very clear, you know, the expectations
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  Speaker 2: and that kind of thing.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, we we have this model called like make it right,
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  Speaker 3: So like you know, on the field, if you jump
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  Speaker 3: off sides, like how are you gonna make it right?
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  Speaker 3: Like you're gonna have to get a sack or a
• 9:14
  Speaker 3: TfL like the next drive or on that same drive
• 9:17
  Speaker 3: or something like that. You know, we have like certain
• 9:20
  Speaker 3: fine systems that we make up and stuff like that
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: inside the building that like you know, if you're late
• 9:24
  Speaker 3: or something like that, like how are you going to
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  Speaker 3: make it right? So I think those are like small
• 9:27
  Speaker 3: ways of like how we're trying to hold guys accountable.
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  Speaker 2: Anything else. Thank you, Flying Joe. I don't know.
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: They were telling us a little bit about the seven
• 9:38
  Speaker 3: g's of fors and like stuff like that and how
• 9:40
  Speaker 3: guys can like pass out. I've done a little bit
• 9:43
  Speaker 3: of speaitfishing, so I've done like some breathwork.
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: Uh, but I don't know.
• 9:47
  Speaker 3: That stuff seems pretty intense. Yeah, I would if I could,
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  Speaker 3: I would if I could.
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: Thanks.
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: Thank you,