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AJ Barner: "Success Leaves Clues" · Seahawks Press Pass

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Regular.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess so.
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  Speaker 3: Be a little bit about a primetime game at home.
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  Speaker 4: Personally, I love playing on primetime Monday night, Thursday night,
• 0:10
  Speaker 4: Sunday night, get the whole nation watching playing at night.
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  Speaker 4: It's always special, especially in Lumen. So I think everyone's
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  Speaker 4: excited about it.
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  Speaker 3: You think about being and knowing what to expect at
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  Speaker 3: this point in the season, Is it a little bit
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  Speaker 3: easier just with sample size?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I would say so.
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  Speaker 4: I mean you have plenty of games on film, but
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  Speaker 4: you know, you always need to be aware of different
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  Speaker 4: change ups that people are gonna throw at this point.
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  Speaker 4: But yeah, I think you know personnel, you know, you
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  Speaker 4: know what you're gonna get to different personnel groupings. But
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  Speaker 4: those things can change throughout the game, and that's what
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  Speaker 4: we have to be prepared for.
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  Speaker 5: On Cooper's crossing route where he kind of exposed to pass,
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  Speaker 5: you sold it to the linebacker. Is that something that
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  Speaker 5: you came into the league kind of knowing how to
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  Speaker 5: sell those those place actions?
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  Speaker 4: I think the old line and you know myself just
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  Speaker 4: getting downhill on that play, I was in a full
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  Speaker 4: back alignment, and uh yeah, that just helps, you know,
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  Speaker 4: running running the rock the way that we do and
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  Speaker 4: committing to the run game.
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  Speaker 2: It helps sell those things.
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  Speaker 4: And Cooper's able to get open and Sam had a
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  Speaker 4: great playfake. So not really anything special that I did.
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  Speaker 4: I think anyone any of our fullbacks could do that
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  Speaker 4: or tight ends and that's just the way our coaches
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  Speaker 4: coached it, so kudos to them.
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  Speaker 1: We've heard a lot of stories from from Mike, from
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  Speaker 1: other players about Cooper and just like how Smarty is
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  Speaker 1: football wise, Yeah, helping coach out and all that.
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  Speaker 2: What have you not this in your inner Yeah.
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  Speaker 4: Uh, the biggest thing is that I think success leaves clues.
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  Speaker 4: And Cooper's in here at five am, you know, in
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  Speaker 4: the morning, first first car you see in the parking lot.
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  Speaker 4: I know he's up in the film room watching film.
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  Speaker 4: Been in the league for a long time now and
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  Speaker 4: has seen a bunch of things and is a really
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  Speaker 4: smart player. And uh, it's it's nice for us young
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  Speaker 4: guys to be able to, you know, pick his brain
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  Speaker 4: and ask questions. But you know, like I said, the
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  Speaker 4: proofs in the pudding with Cooper and he's a pro.
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  Speaker 1: So anything particular stand out when you picked his brain, that's.
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  Speaker 4: Really helped you more So, like I'll ask questions. But
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  Speaker 4: I like to watch, you know, just watching on film,
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  Speaker 4: and Coop's a perfect person to try and emulate. And
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  Speaker 4: I think it was kind of the same thing with
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  Speaker 4: Lock last year, Like whenever you watch Lock on film,
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  Speaker 4: you see different stuff that he did to get open
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  Speaker 4: in his later years here, which was cool to see.
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  Speaker 4: And obviously Cooper has that as well.
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  Speaker 5: I'm sure you go up against Drake Thomas a lot
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  Speaker 5: in practice.
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  Speaker 2: What's he like as a player?
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, Drake's physical player. Took a ton of reps in camp,
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  Speaker 4: and I think it's really paying off for him.
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  Speaker 2: Versatile guy.
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  Speaker 4: Played really well at NC State and he's a competitor too.
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  Speaker 4: He knows his job, works extremely hard. So I think
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  Speaker 4: Drake is, you know, reaping the benefits of that.
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  Speaker 1: Statistically, there's one of the better defenses you'll probably all year.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, jumps out when you look at them.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, they got real physical players. I think the back
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  Speaker 4: end has has popped on tape. The guys up front
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  Speaker 4: to fifty one fifty five zero linebacker. You know, they
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  Speaker 4: got they got talented players. So it's a it's an
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  Speaker 4: exciting challenge for us, uh, something that you know, I'm
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  Speaker 4: really looking forward to and Uh, yeah, it'll be. It'll
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  Speaker 4: be a great opportunity. Obviously, their head coach is a
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  Speaker 4: defensive guy as well, so you know it'll be it'll
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  Speaker 4: be a great opportunity.
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  Speaker 3: When you've got a guy like Stingley, you talk about
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  Speaker 3: the back end events popping and you know how proficient
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  Speaker 3: he has been defending passes. What becomes the message to
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  Speaker 3: you guys's past catchers when you know that that's what
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  Speaker 3: he does.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, and you know he's one of those guys in
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  Speaker 4: the perimeter, So I think that's you know, the receivers, Uh,
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  Speaker 4: me too obviously, but I think you know, just maybe
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  Speaker 4: picking up on tendencies in the film, knowing what coverages
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  Speaker 4: that they're gonna play, knowing when when you think you
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  Speaker 4: might get the matchup with him if he's playing to
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  Speaker 4: the andre, if he's playing in the field. But I mean, yeah,
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  Speaker 4: he got drafted very high, one of the best corners
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  Speaker 4: in the league. And uh he'll have to deal with
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  Speaker 4: our receivers too though, So I mean it'll be a
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  Speaker 4: good matchup for all of them.
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  Speaker 1: Bringing a new quarterback in is always kind of unknown
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  Speaker 1: for a team. How quickly did you realize, like, Okay,
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  Speaker 1: Sam Darnold's got it like we were in good hands here.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah.
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  Speaker 4: I mean last year, I think he had an incredible
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  Speaker 4: season last year. Third pick of the draft, so you
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  Speaker 4: know that, you know, he has all the intangibles to
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  Speaker 4: be a great quarterback. And as everyone is starting to
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  Speaker 4: find out in the league, like it's really about you know,
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  Speaker 4: what's surrounding that position, organization, players, scheme, so all that
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  Speaker 4: is in place here and uh you know, Sam's doing
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  Speaker 4: a great job of doing his job and doing it
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  Speaker 4: at a very high level.
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  Speaker 5: When that play call got made to the game on
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  Speaker 5: your big catch, Yeah, when did you know it's gonna work?
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  Speaker 2: Do you know it's gonna work? In the huddle? Did
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  Speaker 2: you know it's gonna work? Yeah? Uh yeah in the huddle.
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  Speaker 4: I think anytime you get a play ca like that,
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  Speaker 4: it's like, yeah, I'm gonna make it work. But once
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  Speaker 4: we had the look with the safety and I kind
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  Speaker 4: of knew who I was playing off of felt confident
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  Speaker 4: about it, and uh yeah, I think that's you know,
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  Speaker 4: the mindset whenever you hear one of those plays, it's like,
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  Speaker 4: all right, like let me get an opportunity, And that
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  Speaker 4: was the case there.
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  Speaker 2: It's kind of the idea of that play.
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  Speaker 5: Maybe you catch the defense thinking that you're just going
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  Speaker 5: to be in four minute mode trying.
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  Speaker 4: To Yeah, yeah, I think so. I mean especially the
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  Speaker 4: timing of the play right, like you're trying to run
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  Speaker 4: out the clock there. Maybe based down we'd been running
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  Speaker 4: the ball a lot and I was able to get
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  Speaker 4: to sell that run action and up to that point
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  Speaker 4: in the game, you know, I hadn't really been down
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  Speaker 4: the field too much. So it was just a great
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  Speaker 4: call at that point in the game and well executed play.
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  Speaker 5: When's the last time you had to play that that
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  Speaker 5: lasted that long?
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  Speaker 4: My sophomore year at Indiana, I had a seventy six
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  Speaker 4: yard touchdown against Idaho, So against the Jaguars in the
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  Speaker 4: NFL is probably a little better, but no touchdown. But
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  Speaker 4: I mentioned I think it's greg People knock my forty
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  Speaker 4: time coming out, and uh maybe if I had a
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  Speaker 4: better forty time, I'd be able to keep it up
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  Speaker 4: the sideline.
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  Speaker 2: But I'll take sixty one.
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  Speaker 1: How cognit a long run like that, how much you
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  Speaker 1: have to be aware of, like what's coming behind you?
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  Speaker 1: You covered the last minute, but yeah, you have to
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  Speaker 1: be aware guys coming up trying to punch.
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  Speaker 2: It out very aware.
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  Speaker 4: I think you know, we we we watch those clips,
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  Speaker 4: you know, and especially in camp of just guys punching
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  Speaker 4: out the ball from from behind, and you know, when
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  Speaker 4: you're trying to take off down the sidelines, it might
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  Speaker 4: be a little easier to have some air in the
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  Speaker 4: ball because you're trying to, you know, really run faster.
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  Speaker 4: So just keeping it glued to your chest I think
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  Speaker 4: is very important. And especially at that point in the
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  Speaker 4: game too. It's like once we get down there in
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  Speaker 4: that range, like the last thing you want to do.
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  Speaker 2: Is turn the ball over.
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  Speaker 4: So those are just kind of like you know, habits
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  Speaker 4: that you create in the offseason.
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  Speaker 2: It just becomes second nature. You've mentioned a couple of times.
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  Speaker 5: Yeah, looking back now that you've gone through it, Yeah,
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  Speaker 5: how overinflated is that in the pre draft?
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean it's important and mine's definitely not the fastest,
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  Speaker 4: but I don't think it's maybe nearly. I mean, it
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  Speaker 4: really depends on the guy too. Like I think everyone
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  Speaker 4: is deceptive in whatever way that they want to be
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  Speaker 4: or use their speed, And for me, I think I
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  Speaker 4: can reach my top speed, you know, pretty quickly, and
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  Speaker 4: it is you know, somewhat fast, but I'm just never
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  Speaker 4: a guy that's really you know, a burner per se.
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  Speaker 4: Bring that up at all or not really, but it's
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  Speaker 4: kind of something that I've been aware of. Like but
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  Speaker 4: I mean quite frankly too, like I'm not slow by
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  Speaker 4: any means, so, but that's just the tight end position
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  Speaker 4: in itself, and you find different ways to to use
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  Speaker 4: your skill set. And I think that's important for any
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  Speaker 4: player in the league, is just like not really like
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  Speaker 4: like taking things to emulate, but also to just like
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  Speaker 4: buying into what you're good at.
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  Speaker 2: So that's what I've been doing.
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  Speaker 5: You guys, got a little extra time off this week.
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  Speaker 5: What's an ideal.
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  Speaker 3: For you?
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  Speaker 2: Really? Just a lot of recovery.
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  Speaker 4: Film for sure, but just trying to do something outside
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  Speaker 4: like I was in Seattle earlier this week, getting out,
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  Speaker 4: maybe getting some nature, you know, just trying to be
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  Speaker 4: normal as I can. But honestly, football is on my
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  Speaker 4: mind a lot, so definitely that, but it kind of
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  Speaker 4: depends on the day too. I'm getting better at scheduling
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  Speaker 4: stuff now and being an adult, but it used to
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  Speaker 4: be just like I'm a wake up whenever I wake
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  Speaker 4: up and get out of bed and do whatever. So
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  Speaker 4: now off days are a bit more structured.
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  Speaker 3: Going back to the forty seven, did you play at
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  Speaker 3: the Senior Bowl?
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  Speaker 2: I did. It seems like now teams.
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  Speaker 5: Are starting to use the pay attention to the GPS speed.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, so did you do you guys wear those in
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  Speaker 3: like in your.
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  Speaker 4: Own college before you get Yeah, yeah, no, that's a
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  Speaker 4: good point. I think you know that game speeds a
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  Speaker 4: little different than your speed without the pads on. So
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  Speaker 4: I was at the Senior Bowl and they did try
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  Speaker 4: that stuff, So it's kind of interesting analytics.
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  Speaker 2: So like your own college games too.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, in game and practice all that the choice to everyone,
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  Speaker 4: I think, you know, at the big schools everyone, So.
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  Speaker 5: Why'd you start making your days more structured?
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  Speaker 4: Just honestly better for you know myself, you know, start
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  Speaker 4: making some plays, you get a little more busy, but
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  Speaker 4: just trying to be more of an adult, just trying
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  Speaker 4: to grow and you know, have a bit of a
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  Speaker 4: support staff around me and really be more of a
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  Speaker 4: pro on and off the field and structure all the
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  Speaker 4: things with my diet, my recovery and just the outside
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  Speaker 4: stuff that I might want to do as well.
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  Speaker 2: So yeah, I'm learning to do that.
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  Speaker 5: What do you think of Indiana's rating this week.
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  Speaker 4: Really impressed, And uh, you know, I I love Michigan,
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  Speaker 4: and I gotta love a lot of love for Indiana too,
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  Speaker 4: and honestly, it doesn't get to show that much. And
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  Speaker 4: you know, people kind of at Indiana, I'm not sure
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  Speaker 4: how they feel about me too much. But I'm still
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  Speaker 4: a Hoosier in some ways, obviously claiming Michigan for sure,
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  Speaker 4: but I'm super proud of them and always a fan
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  Speaker 4: of them and always supporting them. And when I was
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  Speaker 4: at Indiana, just like when I was at here and
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  Speaker 4: at Michigan, like I gave that program my everything, and
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  Speaker 4: so it definitely still means a lot to me.
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  Speaker 1: What do you make of you guys's run game right now?
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  Speaker 4: Just continue to chip away at it. It's not something
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  Speaker 4: that we're gonna get away from. And honestly, it's might
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  Speaker 4: not show up crazy in the statu sheet, but you know,
• 10:33
  Speaker 4: we're doing a great job. Aligne's doing a great job.
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  Speaker 4: Running backs are hitting the holes. And as these games
• 10:39
  Speaker 4: get colder, I think it'll be better and.
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  Speaker 1: Better sramatically, even when it's not working, maybe to the efficiency,
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  Speaker 1: you guys, can you see teams still respecting it too.
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  Speaker 2: For sure.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, the run game is a softening process, and I
• 10:51
  Speaker 4: think the run game will always work as long as
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  Speaker 4: you're not getting negative plays and negative yards. A run
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  Speaker 4: of you know, two three yards is more efficient than
• 11:00
  Speaker 4: a penalty or you know, an incomplete pass, So you know,
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  Speaker 4: I think we just stick with it, and like I said,
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  Speaker 4: I think we're doing a great job and we'll continue
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  Speaker 4: to do it.
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  Speaker 2: Anything else. Thanks,