1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,520 Speaker 1: He joins us. Now I'm talking about the rookie Alec Pierce. 2 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:04,360 Speaker 1: A lot been thrown on your plate in the last 3 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: couple of days, obviously arriving up at camp, finding where 4 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,160 Speaker 1: you're gonna sleep. But you got that playbook, you got 5 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 1: those walkthroughs, you got practice already under your belt. What's 6 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:15,440 Speaker 1: the difference? Talk about Cincinnati last year, not too long ago, 7 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 1: you were catching footballs down there and now you're at 8 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: the top level in the world. Yeah, I think the 9 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:22,480 Speaker 1: biggest difference probably just you know, mentally, there's a lot 10 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:25,080 Speaker 1: more thrown at you. You know, I guess it's been 11 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 1: a long time since I had to learn a playbook 12 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 1: being a freshman there at since you so um, but 13 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: just mentally, you know, it's a lot more here with 14 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: the meetings and the playbook, just kind of a lot more, 15 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:36,519 Speaker 1: you gotta know. So it's a lot more thinking that's 16 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 1: involved in the game. So he really got to be 17 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: beyond that and studying the playbook every day. We've seen 18 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 1: the tempo in practice so far, and these practices have 19 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 1: you know, they've ended before they were you know, simulated 20 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 1: in because of the quick temple that the quarterback brings. 21 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:52,280 Speaker 1: You have you adapted to that. Oh it's been good, 22 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:54,279 Speaker 1: you know. I mean that's all I've known since I've 23 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: got here, so I just kind of figured that that 24 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 1: was like normal for that. But you know, coach right 25 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: brought that up yesterday that Matt's really pushing the tempo. 26 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 1: So that's good. I like it. Well, one of those 27 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 1: things you talk about with Matt Ryan, how much has 28 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:08,319 Speaker 1: he helped you. You know, you're coming into a whole 29 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: new thing. I mean, the football is now your job. 30 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,400 Speaker 1: You know, before you were a student and a football player, 31 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: now with your job, but you're learning from a guy 32 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: who's been here, done this for fourteen plus years. Yeah, No, 33 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 1: it's it's great. He's he's super helpful. You know, he's 34 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 1: a guy that's there to help you all all the way. 35 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: You know, he explains like why we're doing things, you know, 36 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: just makes it easier on us, so we know, like, oh, 37 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 1: you know we're doing this to make it look like 38 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: this and beat this coverage and all that. So he's 39 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: really helpful with all that. And one of the guys 40 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: we've seen you matched up against with defensively is Stefan Gilmour, 41 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:38,960 Speaker 1: who he's just a couple of years removed from being 42 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 1: the defensive player of the NFL. How much is that 43 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: going to help you as you grow? Oh, it's great. 44 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: He's a he's a tremendous player, a super smart player, 45 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 1: you know, just really good technique. So just learning from him. 46 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: He's one of the best in the NFL right now. 47 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: So I mean, if I can go against him every 48 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: day in practice, will preparing me for the game? All right? 49 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: At the speed of this you talked about a little bit. 50 00:01:57,040 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: These guys are at a different level. You guys up 51 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: here at the NFL. Uh in middle school you were 52 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 1: the best player, I imagine, and in grade school, in 53 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: high school, you're the best best player. You get to Cincinnati, 54 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: you dominate there. Now you have to come up here 55 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: and prove yourself. And you got a couple of practices 56 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:13,320 Speaker 1: under your belt, and then they speed. Do you feel 57 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 1: like you fit in? Do you feel like you belong? Yeah? 58 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:16,920 Speaker 1: I feel like I fit in for sure. Um, you know, 59 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:18,919 Speaker 1: I just got to keep on going in every day 60 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: and improving you know that I do fit in. That 61 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: build confidence with the team, with the offense, with the quarterbacks. Um, 62 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: just kind of having be confident my ability that I'm 63 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 1: gonna be there for them to catch the ball and 64 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 1: make place of them. Okay, you had to walk through 65 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 1: practice today. Give us the normal day so far for 66 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:38,360 Speaker 1: Alec Pierce? What how much is that football? And how 67 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 1: much can you sit back and put the feet up 68 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:42,399 Speaker 1: for a minute and rest the body? You know, it's 69 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:45,080 Speaker 1: they take care of us. We actually do get to 70 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:46,680 Speaker 1: sleep in a little bit. You know, sets up at 71 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: what eight, Yes, that's not normal for for training camp, 72 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: but it's up at eight. You know, come in, eat, 73 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:54,680 Speaker 1: try and study the plays before the walk through, make 74 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 1: sure don't get anything wrong. Um, and then we had 75 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 1: a lift and then another walk through. So yeah, it's 76 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:01,800 Speaker 1: it's very very mental day today. How about at night 77 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:03,720 Speaker 1: any TV? You got any time for that? Check out 78 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:06,079 Speaker 1: what's going on? Maybe a quick movie? No, I mean 79 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 1: we like throw the TV on in the room, but 80 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:10,839 Speaker 1: a lot of times, you know, we're looking at the play, 81 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: trying to trying to make sure it's it's a lot 82 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 1: so I'm sure you know, once you're a vent and 83 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:17,520 Speaker 1: once you know things a little bit more, you got 84 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:20,799 Speaker 1: time for that. I got time, forty time for that. 85 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 1: But when you got to study it take cuts out 86 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 1: of that time. A little bit. So now leading into 87 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,559 Speaker 1: all of this, you were a kind of in combine 88 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: training mode. And then that's one of the things we 89 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: talk about with rookies heading into that second year. They 90 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: always talk about how the off season is so different 91 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 1: because they don't have that How long did it take 92 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: you to mentally prepare that you're preparing for the combine. 93 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 1: Then you get drafted, and now you got to mentally 94 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: repair for getting your body into that football shape instead 95 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: of combine shape. Right. Um, you know, I took over 96 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: the summer. I found it interesting that, you know, we 97 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: did have those OTAs, but then after that we had 98 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 1: just a whole summer off basically like four or five 99 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 1: weeks on your own. So I was down training down 100 00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 1: in Florida. Actually some couple cults guys were down there too, 101 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 1: but just you know, just getting prepared and everyone say, 102 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 1: you know, you're going to be in the best shape 103 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:06,040 Speaker 1: of your life. So it's a lot of condition. You 104 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: just gotta run a lot and get your body ready 105 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 1: to go for camp because that's what camp does. And 106 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: one of the things we've seen at camp, we saw, 107 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: you know, the first day that you're outside, it was 108 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:15,800 Speaker 1: a sellout. What did that. What was that? Like? You know, 109 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 1: you step out there and it packed house out here 110 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 1: at Grand Park. It's great, you know, it's it's great 111 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:21,719 Speaker 1: to have the fans out there. They really bring the 112 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 1: energy just makes it, you know, almost feel like a 113 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:26,560 Speaker 1: game out there with a little bit of atmosphere and 114 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 1: energy and makes it fun. Alec Peers joins us, rookie 115 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: wide receiver. You're learning from the best, a future Hall 116 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 1: of Famer in Reggie Wayne. Take us in his meeting 117 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:36,800 Speaker 1: room for a second or so. Is there any Peyton 118 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:39,280 Speaker 1: stories or hey, I used to do this because they 119 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:41,600 Speaker 1: showed us this look, etcetera, etcetera. Are you there yet 120 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 1: with with Reggie? Yeah? No, for sure. He definitely teaches 121 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 1: us like his little nuances and things that he liked 122 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:49,719 Speaker 1: to do at the receiver position. And you know, his 123 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 1: knowledge is just it's priceless, like it learned. Being able 124 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:54,880 Speaker 1: to learn from that is only going to make us 125 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 1: all better. But yeah, now he does and he does 126 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 1: share some some funny stories or good stuff. You got. 127 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:02,480 Speaker 1: You got preseason games coming up where you're gonna get 128 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:04,440 Speaker 1: the dust, you know, get dusted off a little bit. 129 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 1: How much you want to play in a preseason as 130 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:08,279 Speaker 1: much as you know, as much as they'll let me play. 131 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:10,039 Speaker 1: I'm hoping to go out there and treated like a 132 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:12,359 Speaker 1: regular game. Uh you know, like you said, get the 133 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:15,280 Speaker 1: dust knocked off and makes some place. But one of 134 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 1: the things that we've kind of heard, you know, locally 135 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: and nationally, that you know, this wide receiver group, it's 136 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:22,440 Speaker 1: so young. There's not much experience there. I want to know, 137 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 1: compared to you know, coming from not necessarily a smaller school, 138 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:29,039 Speaker 1: but Cincinnati is not really in that blue blood category 139 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: in college football. How much is that similar kind of 140 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:34,800 Speaker 1: ready to prove something that this wide receiver group has 141 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:37,040 Speaker 1: something that's a yeah, that's a good analogy. I think 142 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:39,839 Speaker 1: it's it is very similar to that. Um you know, 143 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:42,320 Speaker 1: like I think we similar to Cincinnati, Like we know 144 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: we have the talent and we have the ability. It's 145 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 1: just like people don't know about us as much. So 146 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:48,600 Speaker 1: like we we just got to go out there and 147 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:52,479 Speaker 1: prove them absolutely. Alec Pierce joins US rookie wide receiver. 148 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:54,240 Speaker 1: Can't wait to watch you do your stuff. You got 149 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 1: preseason right around the corner, but uh, you know, I 150 00:05:56,480 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 1: got to get some of these camp practices under your belt. 151 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:00,120 Speaker 1: I hope you have time to relax a little bit, 152 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:02,279 Speaker 1: maybe watch a little sports center or a movie you like. 153 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:04,240 Speaker 1: But keep up the great ware. Can't wait to watch 154 00:06:04,279 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 1: you do your thing. Yeah, thank you, Thank you, guys.