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Press Pass | Ryan Nielsen on D-Line Rotations, Antonio Johnson Growth · Press Pass

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Paul. He's one of the guys who maybe was a
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: surprise to some of us to be on the roster.
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: What did you see from him throughout training camp for
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: the preseason.
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  Speaker 2: That you like?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, he made a lot of plays. I mean he
• 0:08
  Speaker 3: was all over the place.
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  Speaker 2: There's a play last game he was outside one hash
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  Speaker 2: made the play all the way outside the other number
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  Speaker 2: athletic player plays, really good fundamental technique, really bought into
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  Speaker 2: what we're doing.
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  Speaker 3: He's done a really good job.
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  Speaker 2: Good pass rusher, so good combination. Still a young player
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  Speaker 2: and there's a lot of.
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  Speaker 3: Upside to him.
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  Speaker 2: But his body of work and we talked about this,
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  Speaker 2: the body of work over the time training camp and
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  Speaker 2: even in OTAs was it was pretty impressive.
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  Speaker 3: So really happy that he made the team.
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  Speaker 2: How hard is it for a guy like Miles Cold
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  Speaker 2: to sort of once you get into the structure of
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: the season to kind of get the extra practice time
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  Speaker 2: or the actual development of any means where you are
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: you're trying to game play games. Well, you know, part
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: of the thing with having the cutdowns is that there
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: is more time for the guys that are left over,
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  Speaker 2: you know that do make the team. So even though
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  Speaker 2: the time is cut down a little bit. There's less
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: guys and so he'll still get the same amount of
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  Speaker 2: reps and things like that in practice.
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  Speaker 3: Make sure he's ready to go on Sunday.
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  Speaker 1: A defensive end on that ros, playing to play more
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  Speaker 1: of the edge than maybe the only inside.
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  Speaker 2: Time to play them all over yeah, all over all
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  Speaker 2: the positions. Smart player, he can do do it all
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  Speaker 2: in the run in the past game, so just was
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  Speaker 2: he's going to be all over the place.
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  Speaker 1: Seven in tier defensive linemen listed big number is their versatility.
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  Speaker 1: Part of why there were so many cap there.
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  Speaker 3: Sure, I think it's a combination of everything.
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  Speaker 2: You know, we've got some good really interior players, but
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  Speaker 2: then some guys that can flex out and play out
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  Speaker 2: on the end. Different personnel groups and packages and things
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  Speaker 2: like that. So it allows you the flexibility of maybe
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  Speaker 2: getting a little bit bigger in times when we need it.
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  Speaker 2: But I think over all the group has done done
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  Speaker 2: a good job and those guys are deserving of being
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  Speaker 2: here and they've earned the spot.
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  Speaker 3: You know.
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  Speaker 2: Now it's just let's take the next step and get
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  Speaker 2: into the game week next week and see how it.
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  Speaker 3: Goes outside it. Are you as a coach for Josh and.
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  Speaker 2: Trayvonn to be on the field together and play in
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  Speaker 2: your system.
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  Speaker 3: Very excited.
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  Speaker 2: Really good players have done a really good job. Last
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  Speaker 2: preseason game was awesome have them out together. You had
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  Speaker 2: Eric back in this some of the tackles that you know, like,
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  Speaker 2: we've got a good group.
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  Speaker 3: That group's gotta gotta play.
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  Speaker 2: They gotta play hard and they gotta play tough. Those
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  Speaker 2: two guys, they got to do really good job on
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  Speaker 2: the edges of crushing the edge and be able to
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  Speaker 2: provide some pass rush. You know, you don't always want
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  Speaker 2: a pressure in the league, and you know, good defenses
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  Speaker 2: have four man rushes and so those guys, look, they
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  Speaker 2: can play with finesse, they can play with power. They've
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  Speaker 2: done a good job in the run game, you know,
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  Speaker 2: playing on the coming out of three point stance, things
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  Speaker 2: like that. So yeah, it's exciting. Good players, great people.
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  Speaker 2: There are awesome guys to be around, and they come
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  Speaker 2: out to practice. The thing about them that make them,
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  Speaker 2: you know, the next level and the next step is
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: they practice every day. There's not a day off. They
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  Speaker 2: come out there. They're working every day to get better.
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  Speaker 2: That's what you appreciate as a coach. You see their
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  Speaker 2: body of work and it's very impressive.
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  Speaker 1: Is the collection of talent in that defensive line room.
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  Speaker 3: Well, we'll see.
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  Speaker 2: I think the season will tell us, right, you know,
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  Speaker 2: it's it's talent is one thing, but you know, the
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  Speaker 2: production and what we do and and things like that,
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  Speaker 2: those are the things that we'll be judged on, right,
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  Speaker 2: you know, how many plays we make, how many games
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  Speaker 2: we win? You know, so yeah, you'd like to think
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  Speaker 2: everybody say, hey, we got a talented group and things
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  Speaker 2: like that, right, and so let's get into the season
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  Speaker 2: and then you know, let's talk about that midway or
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  Speaker 2: three quarters away at the end of the season, and
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  Speaker 2: then we'll have a good evaluation your impressions.
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: Just seeing Darnell out there in a game setting with
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  Speaker 1: the rest of his demails on product.
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  Speaker 2: Speed, he can run, I mean, he's in the racer,
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  Speaker 2: he can close quickly like you know, and he's on
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  Speaker 2: the physical tackler. It's really good to see it. A
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  Speaker 2: couple of tackles on the sideline that was impressive. Threw
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  Speaker 2: himself around in the run game, sure, you get everybody
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  Speaker 2: saw it. You know, he was in the box and
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  Speaker 2: you know he's trying to do his job the best
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: of his ability, and so just that combination of run
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  Speaker 2: and pass but coverage skills was really impressive. Star he
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  Speaker 2: came here as a three four edge guy, So how
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  Speaker 2: different is what you're asking him to do now as
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  Speaker 2: a fourth three linebacker. Don't see a big difference because
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  Speaker 2: he's still playing on the edge, he's still rushing, you know,
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  Speaker 2: things like that. The thing that give him a lot
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  Speaker 2: of credit is his coverage. His zone coverage in space.
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  Speaker 2: Been very impressive with what he's done with that.
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  Speaker 3: Just learning.
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  Speaker 2: Matt's done a great job coaching teaching him, like getting
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  Speaker 2: him in space and his match route matches and things
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  Speaker 2: like that. But like you saw in pass rush, it's
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  Speaker 2: the it's the other stuff that you know, he's grown
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  Speaker 2: his game. He's improved a lot. So that's it's really cool,
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  Speaker 2: Like you know what, when we get here and you
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  Speaker 2: kind of work it out and you start visiting with
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  Speaker 2: the coaches where you kind of see these guys and
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  Speaker 2: he's in the right role, Like he's in the right
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  Speaker 2: spot and he's done a.
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  Speaker 3: Really good job.
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  Speaker 2: But it's his role, Chad, that that's a unique role
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: in our defense, and and those guys have done a
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  Speaker 2: really good job. They made some plays. Now, like in
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  Speaker 2: coverage wise, it's like it's pretty good.
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  Speaker 1: Eric's presence similar to what it was like coaching Khalais.
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  Speaker 2: Last year in Atlanta.
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  Speaker 1: Obviously bigger versus defensi linement, but also you know.
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  Speaker 2: How a little bit a little bit. Eric's such a
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  Speaker 2: look very good person as well as Kalais. Like there
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  Speaker 2: there are awesome people and and really looking forward to
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  Speaker 2: see Kalais after the game, you know, but because he's
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  Speaker 2: a he is a good person, awesome guy who was
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  Speaker 2: really fun to be around him. Last year, Eric provides
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  Speaker 2: the veteran leadership. He's a coach like you hear him
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  Speaker 2: in the meeting rooms and hey, I see it like
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  Speaker 2: this and I'm talking and it helps the younger guys
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  Speaker 2: very So it's a similar role. You know, we're gonna
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  Speaker 2: play him maybe a little bit similar, but then differences
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  Speaker 2: too now because two different players, you know. So, but
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  Speaker 2: there's there's some similarities to him. But I can't say
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  Speaker 2: enough about the people, really great great guys, found fantastic men.
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  Speaker 3: Basis, you'll get in there. We're getting there.
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  Speaker 2: I mean it's it's it's a work in progress. I
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  Speaker 2: mean it's gonna be that's gonna be the same answer
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  Speaker 2: throughout the season, you know, every day. Is what you
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  Speaker 2: want him to do is just take a little step.
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  Speaker 2: You know, Game one to game two will be the
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  Speaker 2: biggest jump. That will be the big you know, preseason
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  Speaker 2: game one to preseason game two that was a jump
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  Speaker 2: game one. When it's you know he's playing to game two.
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  Speaker 3: That will be a jump.
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  Speaker 2: And then we'll just keep working him, you know, one
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  Speaker 2: day at a time, just getting better. But he's done
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  Speaker 2: a really good job and fundamentals and technique, playing tough.
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  Speaker 3: He can rush the passer. Now you see that. We
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  Speaker 3: just got to finish on the quarterback and so we
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  Speaker 3: can help him with that.
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  Speaker 1: Top a group about rotating defensive line, this rout is
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  Speaker 1: you've got what you envisioned to do that and keep
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  Speaker 1: you sure.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, look, it's it's kind of what you we
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  Speaker 2: want to keep them fresh, right and and keep them
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  Speaker 2: on a on a rotation where the guys are fresh
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: into the fourth quarter.
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  Speaker 3: And and when.
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  Speaker 2: You do that, it's it's instead of playing, you know,
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  Speaker 2: their fortieth play, maybe they're at their twentieth play and
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  Speaker 2: so now they're they're ready to go, you know, in
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  Speaker 2: the fourth and that's when the game's on the line,
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  Speaker 2: you gotta win it.
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  Speaker 3: So yeah, we want to, we want to rotate. It's
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  Speaker 3: gonna be the same ass.
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  Speaker 2: But there's some of that, you know, when we rotate,
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  Speaker 2: you know, who's got the hot hand and all that
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  Speaker 2: stuff kind of fits in the personnel groupings and packages
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  Speaker 2: that we have that also fits in there too. But
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  Speaker 2: you know, we've got a good group and they order
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  Speaker 2: to you know, some guys can and we talked a
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  Speaker 2: little bit ear flex positions things like that and keep
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  Speaker 2: them on fresh into the fourth quarter versatil they you
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  Speaker 2: have to and we you know, we have them, you know,
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  Speaker 2: and our guys coming here and uh, you know getting
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  Speaker 2: here with this group of guys and a lot of
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  Speaker 2: these guys have made the team. Like we have a good,
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  Speaker 2: good collection of talent in that position and so that
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  Speaker 2: that matters.
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  Speaker 1: A growth BC for Antonio Johnson from like day one
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  Speaker 1: to now, you know, expect you to have.
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  Speaker 3: Them much bigger role this year.
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  Speaker 2: And here too, he's his say this, he's really learned
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  Speaker 2: how to be a pro.
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  Speaker 3: You see him around the building, you see him doing
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  Speaker 3: the extra things.
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  Speaker 2: The extra meetings are coming in the right questions things
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  Speaker 2: like that and not just hey, I show up at
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  Speaker 2: this time and I leave.
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  Speaker 3: It this time. And he's really he's grown into that.
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  Speaker 2: And Chris and Corey have done a great job kind
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  Speaker 2: of nurturing that and you know, helping him along the way.
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  Speaker 3: You know, hey, try it like this, do it like this.
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  Speaker 2: Coaching and fundamentals and technique like this, but hey, spend
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: a little extra time watching this cut up and that's
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  Speaker 2: helped him mature and grow and things like that. And
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: so now now the process is, get on your routine.
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: I'm sure they've talked to him. Get on your routine
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: in the season. What's your Mondays? All the Mondays look
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: the same, and the Tuesdays and the Wednesdays and work
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: all the way up until Sunday until game day. So
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  Speaker 2: that's been the biggest thing. It's been cool to see
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  Speaker 2: the maturity of you know, he's just continues to mature
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  Speaker 2: and get better. I think that's what you're seeing on
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: the field.
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  Speaker 3: I think you mentioned that before.
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  Speaker 2: Making sure everything is the same, whether it's pretty season,
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: training camp, wherever, and why is that important?
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  Speaker 3: Treat every game market every day like it's Sunday.
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  Speaker 2: So so Sunday is not different you know, like we
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: want to wear the same same gear, same price. And look,
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: that's easy to say, right, that's you know, everybody's.
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  Speaker 3: But if you can take that.
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  Speaker 2: Approach in the mindset, then when Sunday comes, man, I'm
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: ready to go. It's I don't have the there's the
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: indecision and the things like that create kind of uneasiness
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: for the player. We want everything to look and sound
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: and everything to be as close as we can to Sunday.
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: So the player shows up, he knows his alignments and assignments,
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  Speaker 2: and he goes plays a million miles an hour and
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  Speaker 2: plays fast and executes.
• 9:47
  Speaker 3: That's really important this league.
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: You have to execute, execute, play fast, play hard, play tough, violent,
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: those things like that, and we we want to do
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  Speaker 2: that every single day, so it's not different on Sunday.
• 10:01
  Speaker 3: Awesome. Thank you guys out grating