1
00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,280
Speaker 1: How are you guys doing? How are you people? To

2
00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:07,760
Speaker 1: be back? It's an exciting time of year. Um, it's

3
00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:11,520
Speaker 1: kind of like the first week of school. Um. You know,

4
00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:14,720
Speaker 1: you meet new classmates, you're excited about working towards a

5
00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:18,000
Speaker 1: new goal. And uh, you know, I think everybody's thankful

6
00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,720
Speaker 1: to be a year, thankful to be working, happy to

7
00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:22,759
Speaker 1: see one another. So it's a good feeling to be back.

8
00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:25,880
Speaker 1: What's been your first impression of some of those new classmates.

9
00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:30,120
Speaker 1: I think everyone in here has come in with a

10
00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:33,400
Speaker 1: sense of urgency, sense of humility, understand that we all

11
00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:36,360
Speaker 1: have to work. We're all started from ground zero. These

12
00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:38,440
Speaker 1: new guys have been great. They're buying has been great.

13
00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:42,440
Speaker 1: They're veteran players. They understand that this league is as

14
00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:45,440
Speaker 1: a unique Uh, it's a unique place. You have to

15
00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,559
Speaker 1: compete wherever you go and and and they get that,

16
00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:50,800
Speaker 1: and they've done that, and the buying has been great

17
00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:54,240
Speaker 1: thus far. And during the first phase of this offseason

18
00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:56,120
Speaker 1: conditioning program. What kind of stuff do they have you

19
00:00:56,120 --> 00:01:01,080
Speaker 1: guys doing? You name it, we're doing it. Uh. Moses

20
00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:04,160
Speaker 1: Cabrera has a great vision for what we're doing here

21
00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,080
Speaker 1: as a team. Uh. He has a plan that he

22
00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:10,520
Speaker 1: thinks about year round, and he's always tweaking that plan.

23
00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:14,440
Speaker 1: And I think we've seen some some tweaking that's already happened,

24
00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:16,840
Speaker 1: and I think he's gonna continue to make adjustments and

25
00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:19,320
Speaker 1: do whatever he thinks is best to get this football

26
00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:21,640
Speaker 1: team physically ready to go. And I think it's upon

27
00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:23,800
Speaker 1: us as players. We have to take it upon ourselves too,

28
00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:26,840
Speaker 1: to make sure that we're buying in doing what we're

29
00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:29,320
Speaker 1: asked to do and and try to take the coaching

30
00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:33,200
Speaker 1: and try to get better. Mac crag if I'm wrong,

31
00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:34,679
Speaker 1: but I think it's the first time in your career

32
00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:38,360
Speaker 1: where you actually reached free agency, had resigned prior to

33
00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:41,560
Speaker 1: What was that experience, like, was there any uncertainty? That's

34
00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:47,160
Speaker 1: whether you unique experience. Uh, but that's the nature of

35
00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:51,800
Speaker 1: the National Football League free agency in that process. I'll

36
00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:55,680
Speaker 1: just say I'm excited to be bad, thankful to be here. Um.

37
00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:57,840
Speaker 1: It means a lot to me that I'm able to

38
00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:01,000
Speaker 1: continue my career here, and I'm thankful for the belief

39
00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,640
Speaker 1: that the you know, ownership, coaching staff, and teammates that

40
00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:08,040
Speaker 1: they've shown me. So excited to be back. How would

41
00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:10,720
Speaker 1: you describe Matthew what it was like to just sort

42
00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:14,000
Speaker 1: of take a step maybe into enemy territory for lack

43
00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,480
Speaker 1: of better words, and set the Well, you know, I

44
00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:19,760
Speaker 1: have I have a lot of respect for all the

45
00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:21,720
Speaker 1: teams around this league because I know how hard it

46
00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,000
Speaker 1: is to do what we do. And I certainly have

47
00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:28,440
Speaker 1: a lot of respect for, you know, teams that we've

48
00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:32,520
Speaker 1: competed against, coaching staff that un familiar with. UM, nothing

49
00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:35,000
Speaker 1: but respect for them and their players, their organization, their

50
00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:39,919
Speaker 1: ownership across the board. But again I'm I'm very thankful

51
00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,760
Speaker 1: and humbled to have the opportunity to continue to play here. Matthew,

52
00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:47,560
Speaker 1: We've heard some players who have left talk about this

53
00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:51,359
Speaker 1: being a very tough place to play, with the reward

54
00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:56,720
Speaker 1: being you're constantly in it for championships. How would you

55
00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:02,239
Speaker 1: describe what it's like to play here. Well, certainly it

56
00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:06,000
Speaker 1: is challenging. Uh, it's a national football ego. I think

57
00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:09,160
Speaker 1: if it was easy, then a lot more people will

58
00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,079
Speaker 1: be able to do it. Uh, it's tough. It's very difficult.

59
00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:15,760
Speaker 1: I don't think that's just unique here. I think every

60
00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:18,400
Speaker 1: place is tough. This is a very competitive league with

61
00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,799
Speaker 1: some of the best athletes in the world. Um, there's

62
00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:24,920
Speaker 1: a premium put on winning. Wherever you are, everyone wants

63
00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:26,760
Speaker 1: to win and have success, and everybody's going to be

64
00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:30,200
Speaker 1: judged off whether or not there winning. That's what it

65
00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:33,480
Speaker 1: comes down to. So I don't think that this place

66
00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:35,440
Speaker 1: is unique in that regard. I think every team in

67
00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:38,280
Speaker 1: this league is is on a quest to win and

68
00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:41,320
Speaker 1: have success, and and that quest is not an easy one.

69
00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:45,960
Speaker 1: Tougher than the coach. Well, I certainly wouldn't be able

70
00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:49,320
Speaker 1: to speak to that because my experience as a professional

71
00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:52,720
Speaker 1: has only been here in New England, thankfully, So I

72
00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:57,480
Speaker 1: think a big story yesterday was that Tom and first

73
00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:02,640
Speaker 1: day as a leader Captain's friend concerning sort of well,

74
00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:05,640
Speaker 1: I'll say that's those are two men that are more

75
00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:08,200
Speaker 1: than capable of speaking for themselves, so I certainly don't

76
00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:10,400
Speaker 1: want to be out of line and attempting to speak

77
00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:14,520
Speaker 1: for them. This is a voluntary program. Every year, guys

78
00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:17,040
Speaker 1: have different things that come up. Well, there's family issues,

79
00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:20,480
Speaker 1: personal issues, things come up. The guys that are here,

80
00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:22,440
Speaker 1: we're going to do what we can to work hard

81
00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:25,760
Speaker 1: and and come together and take this thing one day

82
00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:28,000
Speaker 1: at a time. And that's really all I can say

83
00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:30,800
Speaker 1: about that. You know, I certainly don't want to get

84
00:04:31,279 --> 00:04:33,040
Speaker 1: put myself in a position or I feel like I

85
00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:37,000
Speaker 1: can speak for those two guys, you guys lost. It's

86
00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,599
Speaker 1: had an abnormal number of kind of high profile after

87
00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:42,320
Speaker 1: free agency this year, which is bars your reaction to

88
00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:46,599
Speaker 1: seeing Danny and Nate, Malcolm and Dion sign else where. Well, certainly,

89
00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,800
Speaker 1: I think from a human standpoint and personal relationships that

90
00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:54,760
Speaker 1: I have with all those guys, you know, it's it's

91
00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:58,520
Speaker 1: unfortunate that your relationship is gonna have to change. Certainly,

92
00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:02,280
Speaker 1: those relationships are not gonna end. But you understand from

93
00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:06,960
Speaker 1: a business side of things, business is business, and things happen,

94
00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:09,760
Speaker 1: and that's just the nature of the natural football leg

95
00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:13,279
Speaker 1: So I wish those guys nothing but success except when

96
00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:15,680
Speaker 1: we have to play against them. But uh, you know,

97
00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:18,920
Speaker 1: I'll be rooting for those guys. Have a tremendous relationship

98
00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:21,800
Speaker 1: with with those guys and am so appreciative of what

99
00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:24,960
Speaker 1: they've meant to me personally over the course of my career. Matthew,

100
00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:29,960
Speaker 1: along with the weight training element of couple weeks, do

101
00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:34,760
Speaker 1: you consider this an important bonding time players, I'd say so,

102
00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:39,080
Speaker 1: especially with new guys. We're trying to invest in relationships

103
00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:41,719
Speaker 1: I think relationships when it comes to a football team

104
00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:45,200
Speaker 1: are very important. I don't think that gets talked about enough.

105
00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:49,039
Speaker 1: But when we're out on the football field doing what

106
00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:52,120
Speaker 1: we're asked to do each and every day, it takes

107
00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:54,040
Speaker 1: a lot of trust. It takes an off of familiarity

108
00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:56,279
Speaker 1: with the man next to you. So this time is

109
00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:58,120
Speaker 1: you know, the guys that are here going to make

110
00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:00,240
Speaker 1: sure that we invest the time and getting no one

111
00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,640
Speaker 1: on the new guys in this time of the year.

112
00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:06,480
Speaker 1: Do they ask you questions about how does it work

113
00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:09,400
Speaker 1: around here with your culture, what's you know, what do

114
00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:10,880
Speaker 1: they need to be doing, what do they need to

115
00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:14,479
Speaker 1: not be doing to sit in Yeah, certainly there are

116
00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:16,520
Speaker 1: a lot of questions, And I think questions are good.

117
00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:20,679
Speaker 1: I think you don't want to come into a situation blind,

118
00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:23,680
Speaker 1: if possible, you want to have a sense of what's

119
00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:26,600
Speaker 1: expected of you, what's your teammates expect of you. And

120
00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:31,440
Speaker 1: I think questions are good. Keep asking questions, keep learning,

121
00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:33,760
Speaker 1: and because we're all trying to get on the same page.

122
00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:36,160
Speaker 1: Whether we've been here eleven years or you've been in

123
00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:38,080
Speaker 1: the building for two days, we're all trying to get

124
00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:40,520
Speaker 1: on the same page. Special teams captain. Do you get

125
00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:42,840
Speaker 1: excited what you can bring in a weapon like Cordarrel

126
00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:46,040
Speaker 1: into the unit. Absolutely been a fan of his for

127
00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,640
Speaker 1: a long time. He's a very unique returner with what

128
00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:53,160
Speaker 1: he's able to do. God's really gifted that young man.

129
00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:55,919
Speaker 1: So we're excited to have him, excited to get on

130
00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:59,320
Speaker 1: the same page and hopefully have some success. But but

131
00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:03,479
Speaker 1: that success this is going to be, you know, built

132
00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:05,280
Speaker 1: throughout the course of the off season. It's not gonna

133
00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:07,280
Speaker 1: happen a one night. We're gonna have to work at

134
00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:09,080
Speaker 1: this thing one day at a time and try to

135
00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:12,400
Speaker 1: put ourselves in good position moving forward. To follow up

136
00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:16,320
Speaker 1: from the perspective of special teams, I don't know how

137
00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:18,800
Speaker 1: much you've followed some of the talk within the league

138
00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:23,880
Speaker 1: I'm about actually maybe even eliminating the kickoff. I just

139
00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:27,440
Speaker 1: love to get your perspective if you've heard about it, Oh, well,

140
00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:31,640
Speaker 1: certainly something like that. It's hard to miss in you know,

141
00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:33,640
Speaker 1: I say a lot of people will say I have

142
00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:36,400
Speaker 1: a bias because it's what I do for a living,

143
00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:40,600
Speaker 1: and I understand that, but I think I think it's

144
00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:42,800
Speaker 1: no mystery that I'm I'm closer to the end of

145
00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:45,960
Speaker 1: my career than I am to the beginning. Um that

146
00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:49,960
Speaker 1: being said, I think you take away this this play

147
00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:53,960
Speaker 1: from football, You're you're taking away you're changing the fabric

148
00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:56,200
Speaker 1: of the game. I think this play is part of

149
00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:59,480
Speaker 1: the fabric of the game, and it really makes me

150
00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:02,360
Speaker 1: ask the question, or where do you go from here?

151
00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:04,440
Speaker 1: What would happen next? And I don't know the answer

152
00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:06,520
Speaker 1: to that. I don't know. But I look at a

153
00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:08,320
Speaker 1: number of players. I look at a goal line stand,

154
00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:09,800
Speaker 1: I look at a third and one think about the

155
00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:14,560
Speaker 1: collisions that are happening there. Those may be deemed unsafe

156
00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:18,000
Speaker 1: by some people. So if you make a drastic change

157
00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:22,520
Speaker 1: such as this, what's next? What happens? The reality is,

158
00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,000
Speaker 1: this is football, This is a contact sport, this is

159
00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:27,480
Speaker 1: a violence sport, and all of us that are playing

160
00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:31,000
Speaker 1: the game understand that they're an inherent risk they come

161
00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,040
Speaker 1: along with playing the game. If you're not okay with

162
00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:37,000
Speaker 1: those risks, I respect that, and maybe you should think

163
00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:39,400
Speaker 1: about doing something else. But if we feel like we

164
00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:42,920
Speaker 1: need to take away this play from the game to

165
00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:47,360
Speaker 1: make the game safer, well then what does that stop?

166
00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:51,400
Speaker 1: You know, the game has changed so much in my

167
00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:55,600
Speaker 1: lifetime since my father played watching him play now, and

168
00:08:55,679 --> 00:08:59,760
Speaker 1: I understand. Look, I'm a player rep, and nobody cares

169
00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:03,360
Speaker 1: more more about player health and safety than the players

170
00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:05,600
Speaker 1: than the men that are out there on the field

171
00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:08,760
Speaker 1: putting their bodies online. But that being said, we understand

172
00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:12,320
Speaker 1: we're playing football, and to take away they kick off,

173
00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:14,400
Speaker 1: I really think it would be tragic. I really think you're,

174
00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:18,320
Speaker 1: like I said, you're changing the fabric of the game

175
00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:21,439
Speaker 1: that we all love to cover, report on, we love

176
00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:24,439
Speaker 1: to play coach, and I think it's very disheartening to

177
00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:29,160
Speaker 1: continue to have this brought up. And I understand, Look,

178
00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:32,040
Speaker 1: people are concerned with the long term health and safety

179
00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:35,960
Speaker 1: of the players, but as I said, no one's more

180
00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,280
Speaker 1: concerned than the men that are actually out there doing it.

181
00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:40,920
Speaker 1: And if we're okay doing it, I don't understand why

182
00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:44,480
Speaker 1: we have to continue to look for alternatives, continue to

183
00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:46,800
Speaker 1: put a show. Those are just my thoughts on it.

184
00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:50,040
Speaker 1: As you can tell, I feel strong only about it

185
00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:54,960
Speaker 1: and would love to continue that dialogue throughout the course

186
00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:57,440
Speaker 1: of the season. So that's what I take. Two more,

187
00:09:58,280 --> 00:10:01,520
Speaker 1: do you think your career Let's say you came in

188
00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:04,080
Speaker 1: and no way and there's no kickout, Like, do you

189
00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:09,840
Speaker 1: think you'd be seeing it here. No, Nate Evner, Brandon King,

190
00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:11,800
Speaker 1: I mean that, I think they tell you the same thing.

191
00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:15,480
Speaker 1: Would that'd be part of the union's contech And also

192
00:10:15,559 --> 00:10:18,000
Speaker 1: Matthews that, guys, will you know this would be taking

193
00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:23,280
Speaker 1: away jobs from players? You know? I would, I honestly

194
00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:25,200
Speaker 1: it would take my union had off when I'll answering

195
00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:29,480
Speaker 1: this question. Look, you take jobs from some guys. It

196
00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:33,040
Speaker 1: gives all the guys opportunities to understand that. But um

197
00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:34,520
Speaker 1: and I think we got we gotta think long and

198
00:10:34,559 --> 00:10:37,520
Speaker 1: hard before you remove a play like this, because you're

199
00:10:37,559 --> 00:10:41,280
Speaker 1: changing football, all right,