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Press Pass | Travis Etienne Jr. On Run Game Revamp and Forming an Identity · Press Pass

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  Speaker 1: Travis, if you could just describe when Press says that
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  Speaker 1: the run game was taken down to the Studs this offseason,
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  Speaker 1: what does that mean the Studs and rebuilt.
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  Speaker 2: I feel like just this's kind of a whole revamp,
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  Speaker 2: just the way that they kind of been installing, just
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  Speaker 2: the way he's kind of emphasizing more of the run
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  Speaker 2: game and just making it our identity, just really just
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  Speaker 2: putting a lot of more focus on coming off the
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  Speaker 2: ball and just being disciplined and being a physical football team.
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  Speaker 3: You obviously ninety overall in that and just what was
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  Speaker 3: it feeling like when you saw that, and just how
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  Speaker 3: are you feeling?
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  Speaker 2: And now I feel great, man, because I remember my
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  Speaker 2: first time when I first got here, I was a
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  Speaker 2: seventy eight, and then I was kind of anxious to
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  Speaker 2: get that up and then I got injured. So next
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  Speaker 2: year I was a seventy eight again. So it's a
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  Speaker 2: long way from that seventy eight, and I just have
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  Speaker 2: that nine as of starting point. Is a great feeling
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  Speaker 2: as a competitor as a running back, and just just
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  Speaker 2: one continue to get better, continue to do what I
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  Speaker 2: can do, be the best player for myself, for the team,
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  Speaker 2: and it's going to work out well for him.
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  Speaker 1: Is anyone ever happy with your Madden raiding ever?
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  Speaker 2: Oh? I mean you and I not. I mean that's
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  Speaker 2: the only way you're truly happy with your h with
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  Speaker 2: your MAD rating.
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  Speaker 1: How is it being back out there with pads and
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  Speaker 1: being able to be more physical?
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  Speaker 2: Like, it's a lot better because I feel like the
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  Speaker 2: defense is always physical, that overphysical when youever you don't
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  Speaker 2: have pads, and now when you do have, pass's able
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  Speaker 2: to just to define a little more, a lot more
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  Speaker 2: for you and I'm able to like to deliver a
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  Speaker 2: little blow and they're not even like just a tag
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  Speaker 2: off on me and say I'm down. It really got
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  Speaker 2: to kind of wrap up and uh really just trying
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  Speaker 2: to bring me to the ground.
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  Speaker 3: Take had a couple of different Skirmishess. Does he seem
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  Speaker 3: like he has a little bit more bite to him
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  Speaker 3: this year? A little bit more edge?
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  Speaker 2: I would say, I want to say edge. I would
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  Speaker 2: say he's a lot more smoother, He's a lot more confident, confident,
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  Speaker 2: he's a lot more just he's not as ancists he
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  Speaker 2: was last year. I feel like you could just kind
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  Speaker 2: of tell he got he getting the swadder U behind
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  Speaker 2: behind his pads, and I feel like I love that
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  Speaker 2: for him because he's going to build vit apart for
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  Speaker 2: us to be able to just be a great team.
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  Speaker 1: You've seen from the younger guys in the running background.
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  Speaker 2: I feel like the ability to learn, the ability to
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  Speaker 2: pick up. I feel like they all kind, they're all
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  Speaker 2: like physical. I feel like they all want to run
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  Speaker 2: behind their paths. But I feel like this guy learned
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  Speaker 2: the NFL and learn that you can't just bounce everything.
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  Speaker 2: Everyone's got to speed. Everyone's fast, and you gotta just
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  Speaker 2: kind of just get vertical, give what the defense gives you.
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  Speaker 2: And let's saying the next down you.
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  Speaker 1: Think everybody did.
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  Speaker 2: Did you go through that?
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  Speaker 1: Now? Everybody like getting the confidence after you missed that
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  Speaker 1: first year? So do you kind of understand what Tank
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  Speaker 1: was going through last year a little bit, you know,
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  Speaker 1: and now trying to figure it out a little bit?
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  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, most definitely, because I feel like you got
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  Speaker 2: to understand whenever are you coming from Compton in the NFL.
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  Speaker 2: You used to being the guy, the big guy on campus,
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  Speaker 2: and then when you get to the NFL's kind of
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  Speaker 2: like being that freshman all over again, Like no one
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  Speaker 2: really cares who you are. No one really knows who
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  Speaker 2: you are. You gotta kind of just rebrand yourself. And
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  Speaker 2: I feel like last year was a kind of learning
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  Speaker 2: curve for him because he was always the guy at
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  Speaker 2: Ardman since he came in so and just he never
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  Speaker 2: really had a guy like me in the running back
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  Speaker 2: room with him. So for him to just understand that
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  Speaker 2: he was locking and do his part, I feel like
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  Speaker 2: he really learned. And I could just tell just the
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  Speaker 2: way that he's been just approaching the game. And I
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  Speaker 2: feel like coach Macki has been helping him a lot,
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  Speaker 2: just get his IQ so much more further along, and
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  Speaker 2: you can see it in his play. He was making
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  Speaker 2: a lot of players out there on the field for us,
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  Speaker 2: just the way he's marine just waiting hitting the hole,
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  Speaker 2: just him catching the ball, looking the ball in. I
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  Speaker 2: feel like it's not even day for what he was
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  Speaker 2: last year.
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  Speaker 3: Impressive to talk a little bit about getting him going
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  Speaker 3: and ideally how that would take a bit off your work.
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  Speaker 3: But do you agree, do you see that as a
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  Speaker 3: potential being to hit period or how would you see
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  Speaker 3: that way?
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  Speaker 2: Most definitely, I mean, anytime you can have two guys
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  Speaker 2: out there just being who they are, as players. That's
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  Speaker 2: really great for the team. I've seen about Jamar Gives
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  Speaker 2: and David Montgomery, both guys in the same system, going
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  Speaker 2: over one thousand yards, and I feel like, why can't
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  Speaker 2: that be yes, And I feel like it's only going
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  Speaker 2: to help the team be so much better and the defense,
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  Speaker 2: Like when I come out of the game, the defense
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  Speaker 2: still Tank still brings a threat, and I feel like
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  Speaker 2: it's going to continue to just help prepare less further
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  Speaker 2: and whenever we're like so much further down the line
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  Speaker 2: week seventeen, I don't really have all that back banging
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  Speaker 2: and being up on my body. Tank really been helping
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  Speaker 2: me and then, uh, I feel like it just helps
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  Speaker 2: me fresher for a long time, and it really like
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  Speaker 2: extend the longevity of my career forever a long time.
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  Speaker 2: Because he's still the same guy like off the field
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  Speaker 2: in the locker room that he was when he came
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  Speaker 2: into Clungson.
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  Speaker 1: Ah.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, mother, definitely, That's what I love about Trevor. I
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  Speaker 2: feel like nothing much really changed. I feel like he's
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  Speaker 2: still the same same humble guy that he's been to being.
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  Speaker 2: I feel like, although who he has everything he can
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  Speaker 2: have worldly I feel like it never changed who he
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  Speaker 2: was in his heart, and I feel like that's why
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  Speaker 2: guys are here just just able to go out there
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  Speaker 2: and just play for him because I feel like he's
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  Speaker 2: a great He's a great guy, great, great person, and
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  Speaker 2: I feel just gonna be a great father. So I
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  Speaker 2: feel like I just love to just be with him,
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  Speaker 2: and I feel like that's why we're able to go
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  Speaker 2: out there and just get behind him through the ups
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  Speaker 2: and downs and beable just keep pushing forward.
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  Speaker 1: What did it mean to you in this locker room
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  Speaker 1: to see him get a contract extension?
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  Speaker 2: I feel like that was great. I feel like it
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  Speaker 2: just kind of does shows that uh here, that that
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  Speaker 2: the the higher ups want us to be here. I
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  Speaker 2: feel like they they kind of see them the that
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: we made around here and they kind of just kind
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  Speaker 2: of want to just give back and keep the cour
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  Speaker 2: together and feel like we just keep doing what we're doing.
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  Speaker 2: We have a real chance to win the Super Bowl.
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  Speaker 1: A liven more better this.
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  Speaker 2: Year than you did.
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  Speaker 1: Throw flies, like, when what are you expecting out of
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  Speaker 1: yourself this year?
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  Speaker 2: Unbelievable year. I feel like I want to go out
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  Speaker 2: there and just be the best player that I can
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  Speaker 2: be for the team. I feel like week in the week,
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  Speaker 2: I would just just get my just being healthy. I
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  Speaker 2: feel like for me, health as wealth and I'm able
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  Speaker 2: to go out there and just present a missimatch and uh,
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  Speaker 2: I just really want to see Coach just kind of
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  Speaker 2: explore those matches more this year, and I feel like
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  Speaker 2: that's going to help us be much better. And I
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  Speaker 2: feel like they kind of get me more involved here
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  Speaker 2: in the passing game. That's it's going to take my
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  Speaker 2: game to another level because I feel like I've always
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  Speaker 2: been electric with the ball on my hands is handed off,
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  Speaker 2: but just from the gamme, the ball in the space
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  Speaker 2: is going to be so much more crucial because I
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  Speaker 2: feel like the first guy is never gonna talk on me,
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  Speaker 2: and now just being out there one one with a back,
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  Speaker 2: I'm gonna make a miss every time. That's gonna just
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  Speaker 2: help just help our receivers get open so much more,
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  Speaker 2: just help the defense so much more, Just just help
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  Speaker 2: the run game. Just it's going to just turn the
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  Speaker 2: offense like it's a whole new level.
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  Speaker 1: Have you acquired George Georgia running black?
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  Speaker 2: I do have an easy and jersey black one. I
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  Speaker 2: got the black one with the little red my mom
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  Speaker 2: asked me what I was going to wear it to
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  Speaker 2: the game. So I was kind of thinking just put
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  Speaker 2: my brother jersey on with a Clemson hat. I'm still
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  Speaker 2: conflicted about that.
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  Speaker 1: So we're gonna see pretty excited.
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  Speaker 2: Oh no, they are excited. Tyson asked me who I'm
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  Speaker 2: asked me if I wanted to make a bet of it.
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  Speaker 2: I'm like, man, heck no, I got to probe with
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  Speaker 2: my little brother. So he was trying to get a
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  Speaker 2: free with them.
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  Speaker 1: You wear your own You should wear your own Clemson
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  Speaker 1: dur should should?
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  Speaker 2: I would, but then you retire my jersey. Yes, so
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  Speaker 2: it ain't even my jersey no more. They didn't move
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  Speaker 2: on from me.
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  Speaker 3: I think at the end of last season, you talked
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  Speaker 3: about wanting to take another step in leadership. Coach Matt
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  Speaker 3: called you the alpha dog in the running back room.
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  Speaker 3: What does leadership look like for you going into this year?
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  Speaker 2: Just been there for the guys, just uh, just being
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  Speaker 2: a show that could lean on, uh me, just kind
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  Speaker 2: of just being oldheaded room. Now you know you're four.
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  Speaker 2: I got a lot of experience under my belt and
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  Speaker 2: just being there for them whenever they have questions, whenever
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  Speaker 2: they need something, just reaching out on what I'm saying,
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  Speaker 2: how they feeling outside of football, and just checking on
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  Speaker 2: them just to make sure they're mental right, because this
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  Speaker 2: is a very physical sport and I feel like if
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  Speaker 2: you don't have your mental together, it don't matter like
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  Speaker 2: that you won't be who you are as a person,
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  Speaker 2: you won't be already as a player. So I fe
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  Speaker 2: just checking on them from a mental standpoint is really
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  Speaker 2: going to just help them move much forward and just
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  Speaker 2: understand that that it's okay to be vulnerable and we
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  Speaker 2: all hurt, we all got weaknesses, and we all need
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  Speaker 2: to get better, and just kind of making those guys
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  Speaker 2: feel comfortable in the room that way they don't have
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  Speaker 2: to like try to hide, try to try to not
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  Speaker 2: be who they are, and just let them feel vulnerable,
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  Speaker 2: make it a safe space for them to come out
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  Speaker 2: here and be open, talk to us, and we know
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  Speaker 2: what's going over everybody in the room.
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  Speaker 3: Thanks.
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  Speaker 2: Thank