Speaker 1: The Official Jets Podcast is presented by win Bet. Betting
Speaker 1: is a team sport, but together at win Bet. Eric
Speaker 1: Allen here with Jets assistant GM rex hogin what's it
Speaker 1: like right now as far as the point of time
Speaker 1: here the roster, your initial fifty three is set, you're
Speaker 1: getting to practice squad finalized, and oh, by the way,
Speaker 1: in the distance not too far away now Jets Bills,
Speaker 1: Monday Night Football, September eleventh.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's exciting because how we've built the fifty three obviously,
Speaker 2: and we're able to retain some of the guys who
Speaker 2: we had on the roster previously, and then we've also
Speaker 2: gone out and got a handful of guys to add
Speaker 2: to the practice squad that we got from other clubs
Speaker 2: and the pro department, pro staff, all those guys did
Speaker 2: an unbelievable job to get those guys and to evaluate
Speaker 2: the number. How the markets flooded with all the free
Speaker 2: agents who hit it cut down. So I had a
Speaker 2: long night and worked through it and identified the guys
Speaker 2: that we wanted to get and we were to get
Speaker 2: them after the claims went in.
Speaker 1: How would you describe how far the roster has come
Speaker 1: since Joe Douglas was hired as GM in June of
Speaker 1: twenty nineteen, and shortly there after he brought you back
Speaker 1: to Floren Park.
Speaker 2: Yeah, just the turnover, Alan, I don't know the exact numbers.
Speaker 2: I wish I did off the top of my head,
Speaker 2: but it's it's unreal how we've gone from I think
Speaker 2: maybe a handful of guys who were on the initial
Speaker 2: roster in twenty nineteen to now what we have. So
Speaker 2: it's been quite a work in progress and we're still
Speaker 2: going to build.
Speaker 1: Now. The big fish for you guys this offseason was
Speaker 1: acquiring Aaron Rodgers. Joe just talked to the media here
Speaker 1: downstairs and he said, at the start of the offseason,
Speaker 1: I would have thought this was very unrealistic, but with
Speaker 1: each passing day, it became more realistic. From your view,
Speaker 1: what was it like as you watched the process and
Speaker 1: fold and you're a central character in.
Speaker 2: This, Yeah, it was. It was wild because you know,
Speaker 2: you think about having the opportunity to be able to
Speaker 2: go and get one of the best quarterbacks in the
Speaker 2: history of the game, and you know, just seeing it
Speaker 2: unfold in each step and how there became a little
Speaker 2: more clarity with it each time like this is realistic.
Speaker 2: We've got a chance with this, and you know, the
Speaker 2: anticipation builds and until that moment when he went on
Speaker 2: the McAfee show, and then then you know, word was
Speaker 2: spread around the world, so to speak, and it was
Speaker 2: it was wild. And then not only that, once you
Speaker 2: know he decided to come play for us, but having
Speaker 2: to work through the process with the packers of the trade.
Speaker 2: So once that was done, it was it was really
Speaker 2: a cool moment. I mean not only for us in
Speaker 2: player personnel, but obviously for the organization of the.
Speaker 1: Fan base watching him every day here out in camp.
Speaker 1: What were your takeaways because fans were able to see
Speaker 1: glimpses of that and one juts drive of course, and
Speaker 1: hard knocks as well. But for a guy who's here
Speaker 1: in the building, what stands out to you about Rogers?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think they get a they're getting a glimpse
Speaker 2: now of who Aaron is and how he is on
Speaker 2: a day to day basis within the building and the
Speaker 2: impact that he makes not only on the team, but
Speaker 2: in the locker room and in the building. Like you mentioned,
Speaker 2: he it's really cool because he has a certain level
Speaker 2: and standard that he in accountability that just with him
Speaker 2: entering the building, there's this instant credibility obviously with his
Speaker 2: talent and his experience and his production, and now everybody else,
Speaker 2: not only on the team but in the building has
Speaker 2: to rise to that and reach those standards. And it's
Speaker 2: a constant drive and constant improvement is what we feel
Speaker 2: with that growth mindset throughout the team.
Speaker 1: Can you talk about his intelligence, His football intelligence is
Speaker 1: overall intelligence, but also the fact that he has an
Speaker 1: aura of relatability to him where he can go downstairs
Speaker 1: and talk to somebody in the locker room who's a
Speaker 1: rookie order his second year and connect, but he also
Speaker 1: can come upstairs and talk to you or Joe and connect.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's on that not only offensive side of the ball,
Speaker 2: but defensive side of the ball. I think we saw
Speaker 2: it throughout the spring in OTAs how he would take
Speaker 2: Sauce out to dinner, or go to a basketball game,
Speaker 2: or go to a hockey game with some other guys
Speaker 2: on the other side of the ball. Maybe take CJ
Speaker 2: out to dinner and talk about, you know, the impact
Speaker 2: that both of them have as captains on offense and defense.
Speaker 2: And like you're saying that his relatability is incredible, and
Speaker 2: it's just the subtle, subtle conversations that he has pull
Speaker 2: a guy to the side and you know, talk about
Speaker 2: the details of a route or a formation and the
Speaker 2: impact they have within that play. And not only that,
Speaker 2: it's how he interacts with everybody else in the building.
Speaker 2: Like like you said, he'll come upstairs and make his
Speaker 2: way down the hallway just to introduce himself to everybody
Speaker 2: else within player personnel. And he just has an instant relatability.
Speaker 1: Like you've said, Joe said, five or six times each
Speaker 1: day he'll do something that's amazing. Would you echo with
Speaker 1: those sentiments.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely. It's whether it's a pass, a community vcation,
Speaker 2: something he sees, whether or not it's a run check
Speaker 2: to get us into a good run, just what he's
Speaker 2: seen he's seen off the defensive formation, just a little
Speaker 2: tendencies and the things that he does in the two
Speaker 2: minute drill and the small things and how he'll he'll
Speaker 2: bring the other qbs in and communicate it right before
Speaker 2: he goes in the huddle. But his ability and understanding
Speaker 2: of the big picture is super impressive.
Speaker 1: Did you see progress from Zach Wilson here throughout the summer.
Speaker 1: As far as his preseason play, you see him a
Speaker 1: practice every day, but getting those game reps and you know,
Speaker 1: you guys for the staff are hoping you don't see
Speaker 1: too much is Zach this year, but obviously you know
Speaker 1: from Afar it looked like he was a different person
Speaker 1: in terms of a confidence level.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you can. You can see it in his in
Speaker 2: his body language, how he commands the huddle and communicates
Speaker 2: how he's watching Aaron's subtle details of how he addresses
Speaker 2: the huddle and commands a hub and then when they
Speaker 2: break and the things he sees. Zach just has this
Speaker 2: more confidence in what he's seeing, how he's running things,
Speaker 2: and you see it how it's it translates onto the
Speaker 2: field with you know, he's quiet at his feet in
Speaker 2: the pocket, He's playing with a more efficient understanding of
Speaker 2: the of the position, and the effectiveness has been much better.
Speaker 1: What do you think about the offensive line now? Heading
Speaker 1: into the season, you get Dwayne Brown back off of
Speaker 1: pup and I think a lot of people, rightfully so
Speaker 1: didn't know what to expect for Makai and he came
Speaker 1: out transformed his body and he continues to elevate his game.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Mackay has done a tremendous job. But you know,
Speaker 2: physically you can see the change, how how he's handled himself,
Speaker 2: how he continues to get better every day, how the
Speaker 2: selflessness of you know, he wanted to be a left tackle,
Speaker 2: and with Dwayne coming back, he did it for the
Speaker 2: good of the team and moved to the right and
Speaker 2: has been extremely effective moving over to the right. And
Speaker 2: it's kind of given us that they've solidified as a
Speaker 2: group now with it, because there were a lot of
Speaker 2: moving parts throughout, not only OTAs with the injuries, with
Speaker 2: Dwayne being out, Makai returning, and then we were moving
Speaker 2: a lot of parts between you know, Max Mitchell and
Speaker 2: Billy Turner at the tackle positions. We're flipping those guys consistently.
Speaker 2: And then also the addition of Carter Warren and then
Speaker 2: you know Carter being injured, is gonna be out for
Speaker 2: a little bit, but can't wait to get him back
Speaker 2: and have him in the rotation as well. But offensive
Speaker 2: line as a whole man, they've really come together and
Speaker 2: jailed between you know, Lake and McGovern a v T
Speaker 2: and the addition of Joe Tipman West Schweitzer, so that
Speaker 2: whole group that's made up the fifty three offensive line
Speaker 2: group is going to be jailed and keep coming together.
Speaker 1: You excited to see what Dwayne can do with two
Speaker 1: arms because last year he got it out with one arm. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and then he got the surgery and the off season
Speaker 1: and for people who aren't here every day, dude's a workout.
Speaker 2: Yeah, no doubt. I was the word. You know, it
Speaker 2: gets thrown around a little bit in terms of Warrior
Speaker 2: and how those offensive linemen played. But what he did
Speaker 2: last year was incredible with the playing through the injury
Speaker 2: and then not only since the season's been over, the
Speaker 2: surgery that he's had in his recovery and how hard
Speaker 2: he's worked to get back, and I mean, he's as
Speaker 2: strong as ever and he is a true pro in
Speaker 2: every sense.
Speaker 1: Tipman, can you talk about his development really quickly because
Speaker 1: Joe Robert excuse me said, pleasant surprise when he got
Speaker 1: those game reps and he started to come on at
Speaker 1: the center position. Then you guys had some injuries you
Speaker 1: were dealing with on interior, but that was something that
Speaker 1: you also talked about when you drafted him, is that
Speaker 1: we see position flexibility in Joe. Can you so, can
Speaker 1: you talk about what he did at center during camp
Speaker 1: and came on, but also getting those valuable reps at guard.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's just the typical rookie transition. It's tough,
Speaker 2: especially when you're going to center and having to make
Speaker 2: the calls with the potential Hall of Fame quarterback behind you.
Speaker 2: So again those standards that you have to meet for
Speaker 2: him and what errand sies and so tip when he
Speaker 2: was thrown as he worked his way up and was
Speaker 2: thrown into the mix with the ones, as you know,
Speaker 2: starting center, getting reps with the ones, he showed each
Speaker 2: step of the way, whether it was with the threes
Speaker 2: at center, twos at center, twos at guard, and then
Speaker 2: they even put him in at left guard and right
Speaker 2: guard to deal with some injuries, so he showed position versatility.
Speaker 2: You know. Obviously we were impressed with his size, his strength,
Speaker 2: his athleticism, and his football intelligence and instincts, and those
Speaker 2: are all kind of coming together now and helping him
Speaker 2: make that transition and step. So I'm sure he's going
Speaker 2: to continue to push Connor McGovern for the starting spot.
Speaker 1: What about the wide receiver group, I think a lot
Speaker 1: of people maybe on the outside slightly surprised that Exavier
Speaker 1: Gibson's on the roster, not only him, but Jason Browne
Speaker 1: and then.
Speaker 2: IRV Charles as well. Right, So, yeah, we went with
Speaker 2: seven guys at the receiver position, and obviously all all
Speaker 2: those guys earned it. And you know, you try and
Speaker 2: do who are guys who are fifty three quality player
Speaker 2: in the level of roster ability, and each one of
Speaker 2: those guys proved it, and they're each different in their
Speaker 2: own right, you know, talking about X. First, he's a
Speaker 2: slot receiver who's got great speed, quickness, ability after the catch,
Speaker 2: and in addition to the return value, he's going to
Speaker 2: be our starting punt returner and compete for the kick
Speaker 2: return spot. And then what Jason Brownly has shown from
Speaker 2: the one hand catch and OTAs to his leaping ability,
Speaker 2: his body control, his rout ability in his hands, and
Speaker 2: how he's a different athlete than X and a different size.
Speaker 2: And then you have IRV with his combination of height,
Speaker 2: weight and speed and power. He's built more like a
Speaker 2: power forward compared to those other two guys. But Irv's
Speaker 2: made a serious jump in special teams and has really
Speaker 2: leaped to the forefront as our right one of our
Speaker 2: best special teams players on the roster and probably our
Speaker 2: best special teams player as a receiver to earn that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Roberts said that her Charles Special Teams Wolf Wolf,
Speaker 1: We'll be watching I like it. We'll be watching him
Speaker 1: here early in the fall. Does Garrett Wilson have a ceiling?
Speaker 2: I don't want to talk about a ceiling for it,
Speaker 2: because I think it's everybody can see where he can
Speaker 2: go with this play and as he continues to develop
Speaker 2: that rapport with Aaron, and that relationship with Aaron, it
Speaker 2: showed on in the game against the Giants. Man with
Speaker 2: just a couple, you know, a couple of drives, but
Speaker 2: you know the catch and the way Aaron gave him
Speaker 2: the look and the release and the timing of the
Speaker 2: route and accuracy of the throw, and how quick Aaron
Speaker 2: or Garrett's hands word of the ball. The receiver didn't
Speaker 2: even see, I mean the defender, he didn't even see it,
Speaker 2: how quickly it happened crazy.
Speaker 1: Yeah, That's why I'm on the rocker saying that fifteen
Speaker 1: hundred is not the ceiling this year, but potentially you
Speaker 1: could see that kind of season from him as far
Speaker 1: as the yardage is concerned. Other side of the ball. Well,
Speaker 1: Dremaine Johnson. Yeah, what kind of steps did he take
Speaker 1: throughted off season?
Speaker 2: Yeah, what he added to his body, you know, twelve
Speaker 2: pounds of muscle, and how he's up in the high
Speaker 2: two sixties now and it's shown you know, he'd always
Speaker 2: played with an edge last year. Now he's developed more power,
Speaker 2: more arsenal in terms of his pass rush repertoire, and
Speaker 2: it's all coming together for him. How he's playing on
Speaker 2: first and second down in the run game with violence
Speaker 2: and capturing the edge and setting the edge, not only
Speaker 2: setting yet but defeating and playing you know, behind the
Speaker 2: line of scrimmage and what he's shown as a pass rusher.
Speaker 2: You know, the guy's going to have a tremendous year.
Speaker 2: We feel great about him. How what he did in
Speaker 2: the offseason to improve and he's going to continue to
Speaker 2: impress us.
Speaker 1: Is this the deepest defensive line you've ever been part of?
Speaker 2: Yes? Absolutely? When you know in Chicago when we had
Speaker 2: the Super Bowl run with the defense was either number
Speaker 2: one or number two. We had some standouts, but nowhere
Speaker 2: near the depth of this group.
Speaker 1: Getting Quinna done before camp, how big was that? And
Speaker 1: can you talk about his mindset, because everybody in the
Speaker 1: building says that, hey, he got the bag now, But
Speaker 1: this is just he just wants to accelerate everything as
Speaker 1: far as he wants to take it to another level.
Speaker 2: Yeah. The cool thing I think it shows the locker
Speaker 2: room is a you know, homegrown talent so to speak.
Speaker 2: Guys we draft, guys, we develop, and then guys get
Speaker 2: rewarded for it, not only as a person but as
Speaker 2: a player. What Q brings and I don't I haven't
Speaker 2: seen a change at all in Q. He's the same guy,
Speaker 2: like he knows what he wants. He wants to be
Speaker 2: one of the best, if not the best, at his position,
Speaker 2: and he works like that and lives his life like that.
Speaker 2: And it continues to show for us.
Speaker 1: I could ask you about each of those guys up front,
Speaker 1: we don't have enough time to do that. I mean,
Speaker 1: Bryce hawf had a great summer. Will McDonald, I mean
Speaker 1: he has shown his past rush skill set, his moves
Speaker 1: more than just a speed.
Speaker 2: Guy, know that.
Speaker 1: But John Franklin Myers, I think he kind of goes
Speaker 1: under the radar a little bit. How valuable of a
Speaker 1: player is he and what can he do.
Speaker 2: In the system. Yeah, JFM is like a traditional base
Speaker 2: end for us, but he's a bigger base end, being
Speaker 2: a two hundred and ninety five pound guy who can
Speaker 2: instantly kick inside as a nickel three as a rusher,
Speaker 2: and when we go in those nickel rush situations, we
Speaker 2: can move him in add one of those edge guys
Speaker 2: that you just talked about, and so he gives us
Speaker 2: a lot of position flex as being the base defensive
Speaker 2: end or kicking inside as a nickel or essentially anywhere
Speaker 2: along the front with his skill set and athleticism. Not
Speaker 2: only him, but you have Michael Clemens, who's another guy
Speaker 2: who worked his ass off to get to two hundred
Speaker 2: and close to two hundred and ninety pounds, and he's
Speaker 2: different too because he's another power forward bill with super
Speaker 2: long wingspan and length and power. And so each one
Speaker 2: of those guys brings a different type of body type
Speaker 2: and rush. So you can't as an offensive tackle, you
Speaker 2: can't just oh, okay, I got to prepare just for
Speaker 2: this type of rush because they're coming in waves and
Speaker 2: each guy's different.
Speaker 1: Speaking of different body type, how about Al Woods coming
Speaker 1: in here at thirty six years old, you're going to
Speaker 1: have This is a little bit unconventional for Sala. He
Speaker 1: even mentioned at that, hey, we haven't had this kind
Speaker 1: of guy in our system. And then Quentin Jefferson is
Speaker 1: a guy who's coming off a career high sax season
Speaker 1: last year, longer player, and he's going to be able
Speaker 1: to give you guys more pass rush than inside as well.
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly. And you know, Quinton has a versatility to
Speaker 2: play both in interior spots as a two technique or
Speaker 2: a three technique. He's shown that in Seattle and the
Speaker 2: previous defenses he's been in. But he's an active rusher
Speaker 2: who's another different variety, kind of like Solomon. Maybe a
Speaker 2: traditional undersized for the position, but he's got a skill
Speaker 2: set in terms of his quickness and his ability to
Speaker 2: win on the edge against blockers and then matched when
Speaker 2: you bring al in whether it's first and second down
Speaker 2: or if OL's in the game on third down, because
Speaker 2: of his power to push. He's such a huge man
Speaker 2: with you know, giant look like Catcher's mets for hands.
Speaker 2: The guy's so strong and powerful and it's hard to
Speaker 2: move that guy on the anterior and so he's gonna
Speaker 2: eat up blocks, and not only eat up blocks, he's
Speaker 2: gonna win and make plays inside a rock.
Speaker 1: Quincy has really developed since you guys claimed him off
Speaker 1: of waivers from Jacksonville. But what about those other three guys?
Speaker 1: He got Zaire Barnes, Jamie Surewood with his opportunity this year,
Speaker 1: and then how about Chez Sarat making this roster.
Speaker 2: Yeah, just starting with Sherwood. Wood has made a tremendous
Speaker 2: jump from the last couple of years. You know, he
Speaker 2: suffered the Achilles injury. Coming off of it last year,
Speaker 2: he made strides and then spend every day of the
Speaker 2: offseason here and dedicated himself to be becoming a starting
Speaker 2: level NFL backer. And the guy's done it. He's done
Speaker 2: it in the offseason, he's done it during the training
Speaker 2: can up in preseason games. He's proven it. Super proud
Speaker 2: of him on what he's done. And then chaserratt Hiss
Speaker 2: continued to show NFL linebacker ability. There's a reason why
Speaker 2: he was a third round pick for the Minnesota Vikings
Speaker 2: out of North Carolina because of his his speed and
Speaker 2: his athleticism and tackling. And it was a former quarterback
Speaker 2: from North Carolina and started some games and made a transition.
Speaker 2: So probably a little bit later in his career, but
Speaker 2: he's shown he's worthy. And then then Zaire has had
Speaker 2: a typical you know, rookie transition, had some ups and
Speaker 2: some downs, and we're going to continue to keep working
Speaker 2: with him, obviously and proud of the steps and strides
Speaker 2: he's made. But all three of those guys still have
Speaker 2: upside that Rudy's done a great job, and Brick's done
Speaker 2: a great job, and Salad Roberts done a great job
Speaker 2: with developing those guys as linebackers and identifying guys that
Speaker 2: are fits for our defense.
Speaker 1: You can make an argument that you guys have the
Speaker 1: best cornerback group in the National Football League. Of course,
Speaker 1: that's led by Sauce Gardner, DJ Reid. Michael Carter's second
Speaker 1: such a valuable piece back there. But let me ask
Speaker 1: you about what do you think about the safety combination
Speaker 1: and how Tony Adams took advantage of his op here.
Speaker 1: And also we saw a little bit in the summer
Speaker 1: where you guys were exploring with some big nickel with
Speaker 1: Adrian Amos, Right.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, first of all, too and Markwan, what
Speaker 2: they've done to develop each one of those groups has
Speaker 2: been tremendous. You know, the attention to detail, always proverbial,
Speaker 2: dangling the carrot for these guys and having them work
Speaker 2: and grow each day. And both of them are great
Speaker 2: teachers of the game, and you see these guys absorb it.
Speaker 2: But along the lines of just the corners talk about
Speaker 2: JFM being kind of under the radar type guy, I
Speaker 2: think MC two kind of falls in that category because
Speaker 2: he's playing at a very high level in matching what
Speaker 2: Sauce and DJ are doing. So really proud of that group.
Speaker 2: And then we've got depth out at the outside corner
Speaker 2: spots and guys who are pushing them as well and
Speaker 2: have made some real growth with it. But trans to
Speaker 2: the safeties. Man, what what Tony Adams has done from
Speaker 2: an undrafted free agent, it's a testimony to you know,
Speaker 2: total buying.
Speaker 1: And you were talking about him in this chair last year.
Speaker 2: Yeah, we're excited. Yeah, we're excited about I mean, because
Speaker 2: you get the guy after the draft with that type
Speaker 2: of talent and speed and athleticism and love for the
Speaker 2: game and desire to improve, and he has taken advantage
Speaker 2: of every opportunity he's been given and risen to the challenge.
Speaker 2: Because Adrian, you know, came in late but adapted quickly
Speaker 2: to the defense and you know, hated losing Chuck Clark
Speaker 2: with the injury. But the addition of Adrian has really
Speaker 2: stabilized the back end for us and it's given us
Speaker 2: some flexibility and like you're talking about he when when
Speaker 2: we go big Nickel, Adrian's really comfortable down there. He's
Speaker 2: a bigger body type who can almost play like a linebacker.
Speaker 2: So with him and Jordan and then Ashton who's really
Speaker 2: coming on and as a special teams leader and continuing
Speaker 2: to grow at safety seen in training camp in the preseason.
Speaker 2: So feel really good about that the back end of
Speaker 2: the group.
Speaker 1: No waiver claims. What does what does that say about
Speaker 1: the depth in the house.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it means that, you know, we've kind
Speaker 2: of solidified the roster and we're going to continue to
Speaker 2: grow and and we've we really looked at the best
Speaker 2: possibility of of who can we upgrade and we're always
Speaker 2: going to look to upgrade, but you know, we didn't
Speaker 2: didn't really see it for the claims. Uh, it felt
Speaker 2: really good about the guys we had knew we had
Speaker 2: an opportunity to go get some guys to stabilize for
Speaker 2: the practice squad who can challenge and so going out
Speaker 2: and adding those guys, feel really good about it, but
Speaker 2: hated losing two more guys uh through the waiver water
Speaker 2: and claim with you know, with Tristan and losing Tristan
Speaker 2: and then you know Bam Knight going to Detroit with
Speaker 2: his selection for practice squad. But you know, Claude Cherlist
Speaker 2: did a really good job for us as well. So
Speaker 2: moving on to care he's moving on to Carolina with
Speaker 2: the claim.
Speaker 1: What about the potential running back position with Subrey saw
Speaker 1: excel and first seven games last year and then you
Speaker 1: guys come back and you add Dalvin Cook to the group.
Speaker 1: Michael Carter Roberts said it in the spring, and I
Speaker 1: think mc has really followed up with this summer where
Speaker 1: Roberts said, I think he's going to get back to
Speaker 1: that level that we started seeing at the end of
Speaker 1: his rookie year. And I think Michael had a really
Speaker 1: great camp.
Speaker 2: But can you talk.
Speaker 1: About the potential with those guys not only running the football,
Speaker 1: but Aaron's going to have the ability to hit these
Speaker 1: guys in the passing game. You guys can exploit a
Speaker 1: lot of this matches with those dudes on the linebackers.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, the top three backs you've talked about
Speaker 2: with Brice and Dalvin and MC. You know, first of all, MC,
Speaker 2: you know, carrying the load throughout OTAs and training camp
Speaker 2: while those guys were coming back and waiting to sign. Dalvin.
Speaker 2: MC did an incredible job of, you know, providing the
Speaker 2: leadership for the rest of it because we had a
Speaker 2: young room at that point with without you know, with
Speaker 2: Brice being out in Dalvin being out, and MC took
Speaker 2: that by the reins and was really good within the room.
Speaker 2: On the field, made gross returned to the guy that
Speaker 2: we had seen in his rookie year. So really proud
Speaker 2: of him. But you know, like you said, all three
Speaker 2: of those guys, in addition to Izzy, the top three
Speaker 2: guys can all run, block and catch, which which you
Speaker 2: really look for is he is making the strides in
Speaker 2: the you know, again he used the typical rookie transition,
Speaker 2: but but coming from the college game where you're not
Speaker 2: asked to pass pro as much or maybe not catch
Speaker 2: the ball as much on third down, he has really
Speaker 2: made growth with that. And he's obviously talented with the
Speaker 2: ball in his hands as a runner and with his
Speaker 2: speed and breakaway ability.
Speaker 1: So how impressive is Cook because you know about his production,
Speaker 1: but just the way he goes about his business. He's
Speaker 1: another guy who loves ball and who seems like he's
Speaker 1: going to fit in seamlessly here.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's got a real presence to him. Obviously you
Speaker 2: talk about Aaron, but Alvin has you know, the vet factor,
Speaker 2: the production, the credibility, the respect. You know, not only
Speaker 2: from us, but from around the league. You know what
Speaker 2: type of playmaker he was for Minnesota and he is
Speaker 2: older guy in the prime of his career, so to speak,
Speaker 2: and like he's done a really good job. Just watching
Speaker 2: him interact and give some some subtle communication to Brief
Speaker 2: or Michael or Izzy or even the other guys before
Speaker 2: we moved on from them with the cutdowns, it's been
Speaker 2: great to see him interact with him. How cool is.
Speaker 1: The mix between your veteran leaders and also the young
Speaker 1: guys who are coming into a culture that continues to
Speaker 1: be I guess I don't want to say created, because
Speaker 1: it's already started. I mean, it's well underway, but it
Speaker 1: seems like you guys get the roster exactly where you
Speaker 1: would want it at this point of the season.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's really been been cool because you talk about
Speaker 2: some of those vets that we've added with not only Aaron,
Speaker 2: but you know, Billy Turner and within the offensive line
Speaker 2: room coming from outside in another VET presence and west
Speaker 2: Schweitz or another VET presence. Then each one of the
Speaker 2: rooms has now like Randall Cobb, Randall's come in right
Speaker 2: and taking taking a lot of guys under his wing,
Speaker 2: you know, specifically with Xavier being in the slot and
Speaker 2: he can teach him some details of it and what
Speaker 2: you know, his experience that Xavier can lean on. And
Speaker 2: then then you have Dalvin and you know, defensive side,
Speaker 2: we've we've done the same thing. So every room there's
Speaker 2: a VET leader who has kind of taken over and
Speaker 2: helped the other guy because we got young guys who
Speaker 2: lead to right and so you know, the blend of
Speaker 2: the VET leadership and the and the youth and the
Speaker 2: youth movement across the the roster has been cool to
Speaker 2: watch those guys.
Speaker 1: What do you think about the expectations you go about, Yeah,
Speaker 1: your business and you're out there in the street and
Speaker 1: people are stopping you. I mean it feels a little
Speaker 1: bit differently. Heading the twenty twenty three than it has
Speaker 1: the past couple of years.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, you hear, you hear the outside noise,
Speaker 2: so to speak. But what I think we've continued to
Speaker 2: focus on is what are weekly expectations. Let's focus on that.
Speaker 2: Let's focus on who's our upcoming opponent. Don't talk about
Speaker 2: down the line, you know, all that's in the distance.
Speaker 2: And if we handle everything in a weekly expectation and
Speaker 2: that opponent, then everything else will take care of itself.
Speaker 1: What do you think about that Week one opponent, They've
Speaker 1: won the last three AFC's Division crowns. When you saw
Speaker 1: the schedule, yeah, the last game of opening weekend Jets Bills.
Speaker 1: What do you think?
Speaker 2: Yeah, First and foremost, it's going to be an electric environment.
Speaker 2: I mean, I think our fan base, they're incredible, and
Speaker 2: not only just being at home on nine to eleven
Speaker 2: that's going to amp it up even more because of that,
Speaker 2: but the fact that it's Buffalo that we're opening up with,
Speaker 2: and how we've had some really good battles in the
Speaker 2: last couple of years and how we split last year.
Speaker 2: I think it's going to be a wild, wild scene,
Speaker 2: and I know that our fans are going to be
Speaker 2: hyped the team's going to be hyped for it, and
Speaker 2: it's gonna be a fun game to watch.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it is gonna be a fun one to watch.
Speaker 1: It's always fun catching up with you.
Speaker 2: Thanks for coming.
Speaker 1: By the studio here and uh we wish you good
Speaker 1: luck as you start
Speaker 2: Seasoning LESCo Jets.