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O-Zone Podcast: TE Chris Manhertz · The Jacksonville Jaguars Official Podcast Network

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Ozone Podcast, presented by by Star Credit
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Union with Jaguars senior writer John Osan. This week's guest,
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: I'm excited about if somebody. I don't think Jaguars fans
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: know that well yet he's relatively new to the team,
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: uh signed in March, has a fascinating story that some
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: people may know a little bit about. We'll try to
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: dig in a little more. The first of all, Chris
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: man Hurts, Jaguars tight end. Welcome in to the ozone Podcast.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Appreciate you guys for having me absolutely looking forward to
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: it obviously, Chris, I know you've talked about your story
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: a whole lot, But what I want to ask you
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: first is I keep hearing that Chris man Hurts is
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: a blocking tight end. And yet when I walk out
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: of the practice field and watch your practice, when I
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: see games, I keep seeing you catching. I keep seeing
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: you catch the ball. Uh what are you? Are you
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: blocking tight end or receiving tight end? And period? I
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: would like to think that I'm able and capable to
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: do both, but um, you know, I try not to.
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: You know, feed into the labels and and and boxing
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: yourself and into being one dimensional. So those are both
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: parts of my game that you know I take pride
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: in and you know, make the most of the opportunities
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: when they come. Now, all joking aside. You know I've
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: written it, other people right about it. It's always blocking
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: tight in with you at some point does that irritation
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: and say, hey man, I can catch the ball at
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: this point. No. Um, at the end of the day,
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: I know it's a it's a big task and a
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: big requirement and our job description and um, it just
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  Speaker 1: so happened to be something that I do a lot
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  Speaker 1: um But I don't for once want to want to
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: get it twisted with myself and like I said, boxing
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: myself in and and seeing myself as a one dimensional player.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Now your story, I'm gonna repeat it a little bit
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: for people who don't know, and I'll try to hit
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: the high points. And there's a lot more to it.
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: Played it kin easiest, played basketball, didn't really have any
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: thought of the NFL, and then Buffalo Bills brought you
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  Speaker 1: in for a tryout. You didn't try it out with
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: the Saints made it and then since then you've been
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: in the league. But if the fascinating thing is is
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: this right that you never had a helmet on until
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: your first tryout. Never. Never. My first time putting on
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  Speaker 1: pads and hearing horns and the ebbs and flows of
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: a football practice was you know, day one of O
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: t A. So it was kind of a whirlwind for
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: me to in the beginning. Um, you know, just to
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: say the least, it was a whirlwind. Now take me
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: through that a little bit. It It wasn't like you
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: just gotta try out and then made it. You gotta
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: try out and then had to sort of train yourself
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: to get into the league. Can you take me through
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: that phase of your story a little bit. Yeah, especially
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: coming straight off the hardwood. You know, I had to
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: put on probably twenty pounds. Um. So I invested a
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: lot of time and getting my body right, eating the
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: right things, and you know, training specifically for football. Um.
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  Speaker 1: Obviously both sports will require a lot of athleticism between
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: football and basketball, but football was a different type of
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: training for me, something very new. Um. Just learning the
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: techniques and the nuances of the tight end position. So
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: that was probably the most difficult thing. Um. But over time,
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: you just wrap it, you know, you can keep sticking
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: to it and and eventually it starts to become natural
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: for you. Now here's what's fascinating to me yet and
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: some people who fall the league don't really realize. But
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: there's not a lot of time except during the season
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: and training camp to learn how to block. So it's
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: not like you can go off in March and block
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: somebody in pads. So when did you actually learn how
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: to block? I assume on the practice field during training
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: camp is when you get your first reps actually blocking
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: human beings. Right, Yeah, that is correct. And it was
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: one of those things to where I had to kind
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: of be real with myself in the position I was in,
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: not ever playing the sport and competing with guys that
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: UM obviously was doing it for their whole lives, and
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: I had to figure out a way to kind of
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: kind of sort of get my edge UM and and
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: the situation I was in UM, it was a lot
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: of past catchers, but I had to find a way
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  Speaker 1: to separate myself and you know, ultimately just see the field,
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: see the field and eventually get opportunities and make the team.
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  Speaker 1: So I I just took it head on and took
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: pride in that UM. I worked with a great coach
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  Speaker 1: and in Jim McNally, UM, longtime NFL coach, offensive line coach,
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  Speaker 1: and he was one of the first people to really, uh,
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  Speaker 1: you know, teach me the ins and outs of blocking,
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  Speaker 1: foot work, hand placement, um, things like that, and you know,
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  Speaker 1: I just just kept rapping it. Now, how did you
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  Speaker 1: hook up with him? Because people who don't know Jim
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: McNally might be on the rushmore of offensive line coaches
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  Speaker 1: of all time. He's he's one of the guys. How
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: did you manage hook up with hm? And how did
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: that relationship developed? I'm great friends with uh, one of
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: his good friends, and John Shabetter, and they're all based
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: in Buffalo and Jimma's Jimmas from Buffalo, and um, uh
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: kind of connected the dots with that, and he he
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: connected me with him, and UM, he took the time
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: out to really to really help me. Um. Obviously he
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: was kind of busy with all the NFL stuff, but
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: connecting me with the right people, UM and and and
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  Speaker 1: helping out whenever he could was was of great value
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: for me long term. So is there ever a time now?
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: I mean, it probably seems like forever since you've been
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: in the hardwood, does basketball come into play? I mean,
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  Speaker 1: do those skills still help you or is it all
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: football now? It's all football now. Obviously, the skills and
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: trades that you take from the basketball court, you you
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: kind of carry it over, things like footwork, uh, spatial awareness,
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  Speaker 1: catching the ball, um, you know, red zone stuff, those
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: things you could really really implement and take from the
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: basketball court. But as far as playing basketball or you know,
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: I don't even watch it anymore. I'm I'm fully invested
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: in being a football player and being the most rount
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  Speaker 1: rounded type nowhere close nowhere close to as much as
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: I did, you know, So do you miss it? I
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: mean you must have grown up pretty much all basketball, right,
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: all basketball, And honestly, it's funny. I was thinking about
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: it the other day. I was telling somebody that I
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: don't miss it as much as I thought I would,
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: you know, because I'm just so in golf and in
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: all this football stuff and it's just been taken over,
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: and it's a lot different knowing that this is what
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: I do for a living now. So it's it's a
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: different gear that you you you kind of u turn
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: it up to to invest time and get and get
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: better at your craft. Did you follow the NFL at
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: all growing up. No, no, did you know what teams were?
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: What I knew what teams were? What I didn't you know,
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: I didn't even play video like. It was so foreign,
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: so new to me, and obviously I was mad. No, No,
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: so it was it was in the beginning. It was
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: a I kind of compared to an accelerated program for
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: me and just catching up and learning even the history
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: of the game, you know, even the history of the game,
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: the people that came before me, the great tight ends
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: that you know, kind of pounded the payment for basketball
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  Speaker 1: players like myself, like you know, Antonio Gates and Tony
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: Gonzalez and those guys. So you have you got a
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: pollard at all? Oh? Absolutely, yeah he didn't. Yeah, but
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: again he was receiving. Whereas that's what makes the transition
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: so unique. I guess to go from not playing to
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: be in a blocker, you know, may make you the
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: unique story out of this botch. Yeah, and I kind of, um,
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: you know, put that just to having the mindset, the
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: right mindset to really be violent and and you know
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: and try to you know, own somebody in front of you.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: You kind of have to put your in mind in
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  Speaker 1: another gear. And you know, make your mind up and
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: make it happen. I think a lot of tight ends
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  Speaker 1: are capable of doing. It's just a matter of making
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: up your mind and doing it. You must have destroyed
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: people in basketball, right, I was a garbage man. I
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: was a glorified guardage. Yeah, something like that. Okay, that's right.
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: Those guys had a role too. Hey, uh, just fun.
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: There's a couple of final quick thoughts on the Jags
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: themselves obviously tough games Sunday. Uh this week, how is
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: the team bouncing back? What are you seeing? We're bomping
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: back great? You know. Um, the best things that you
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: could you could do for from a week like last
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: week is just, uh, you know, own it and learn
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: from the mistakes of what transpired. And I think we've
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: been doing a great job of just turning the page
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: and getting ready for these guys on Sunday. Now. Is
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: this stat right? I was told this, and to man,
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: I didn't make sure. You've caught touchdown passes from Christian
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: McCaffrey and Trevor Lawrence. Yeah, those are the two. That's
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: a pretty unique Which one through better? I'm not gonna say,
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: but I caught both of them, both of them that's
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: a pretty unique claim to fame. Yeah, it's it's kind
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: of ironically, I mean ironically, it didn't even feel like
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: my second touchdown. Um, just knowing the amount of reps
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: you get in practice, the amount of times that happens
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: in practice, it kind of felt, uh, you know, second nature.
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: So it was good. Final question for you get to
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  Speaker 1: the end. What's your ceiling? Are you approaching it? Yeah?
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  Speaker 1: I mean is there a long way for you to
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: go in terms of developing your overall game? Yes? I
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: think so. Um, I don't even think personally that I'm
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: I'm you know, even scratch my surface. Um, And it's
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: it's just about continually just trying to get better every
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: single year. And I probably mysel and I hang my
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: hat on on having a better year than the previous
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: year whatever, whether it be just seeing the seeing the field,
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: just understanding the game, the i Q, the production on
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: the field. Um, I don't think that I've scratched my ceiling,
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  Speaker 1: and um, it's always something to work towards. Hey, Chris,
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: the last thing we do here we call it the
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: ozone five five five quick questions. It's all fun stuff,
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: very quick. What's your last binge watch? Wow, House of
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: Cards when you watch I just recently, uh Mark before
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: training camp. I got you. I got you. The last
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: song you heard on the car on the way into
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: that uh certified Love a War Drake's new album got you.
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: It's pretty obvious question for you. It's not football what sport?
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: I assume basketball basketball got you because that was so obvious.
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: M J or Lebron m J? Is that just because
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: you're old school non negotiable as m J? I like that? Yeah? Yeah,
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: I did too. Um your go to breakfast food, uh,
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: probably four eggs scrambled from French toast and uh some bacon.
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: You were ready for that one every morning. Final thing,
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: who's the person in your life most responsible for you
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: being you? My parents? I have to Yeah, I have
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: to credit it to my parents. I mean that's where
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: it started and instill the great values in me, great work,
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: ethic and things that I could, you know, move forward
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: and carry on those same values to to my newborn sons. So, um,
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: that's the form of that I'm sticking to. And uh,
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: I credited a lot of where I'm I'm at today
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: because of them. What's your son's name? Chris Jr? Changes everything? Then?
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: Oh man, it's amazing. It really does Chris Man hurts.
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: I knew I would enjoy this. I was looking forward
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: to it. Fantastic job today. I look forward to working
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: with you down the road. And thank you for joining
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: the ozone podcast today. It's appreciate it. I appreciate you
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: for having me on. Thanks buddy, Take care, sh