WEBVTT - Keys to success with Eric Bieniemy | Bears, etc. Podcast 0:00:00.640 --> 0:00:05.960 Gout open that DJ Moore and zone touchdown touchdown Bears. 0:00:06.080 --> 0:00:12.000 I am Jeff Jonia Blitz is not don go what 0:00:12.240 --> 0:00:14.920 was like playing for Coche Good. I don't want to 0:00:14.920 --> 0:00:17.640 answer any questions like that pressure coming is a big trouble. 0:00:17.920 --> 0:00:30.360 Dotty goes Motest Sweat. 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:28.479 Bears, et Cetera brought to you by Miller Light with 0:00:28.560 --> 0:00:31.680 the voices that the Bears Jeff Joniac and Tom Sayer. 0:00:32.680 --> 0:00:35.599 Well with every passing day, I gotta tell you Bears fans, uh, 0:00:36.400 --> 0:00:39.160 I'm getting overly excited about what is about to take 0:00:39.200 --> 0:00:41.640 place with the Chicago Bears. And I think you would 0:00:41.640 --> 0:00:43.920 all agree with Super Bowl winning Bears guard top theyre 0:00:44.440 --> 0:00:46.680 Jeff Joniac. Episode one thirty seven of the Bears et 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:50.360 Cetera podcast are brought to you by Middle of Light. Tom. 0:00:50.479 --> 0:00:52.240 I've been dwelling on this and I've been on the 0:00:52.320 --> 0:00:54.400 road a lot, so I've been driving a lot of hours. 0:00:55.880 --> 0:00:58.560 I'm losing my mind in the car, but just contemplating 0:00:58.600 --> 0:01:01.360 what's been going on. This feels different. Does it feel 0:01:01.440 --> 0:01:03.560 different for you? We've been through a lot of change 0:01:03.600 --> 0:01:05.120 in our long time together. 0:01:05.000 --> 0:01:07.039 You know, Jeff, I like your excitement because I think 0:01:07.080 --> 0:01:09.080 a lot of the initial steps have been taken in 0:01:09.120 --> 0:01:11.319 the right direction. And when you look at where the 0:01:11.360 --> 0:01:14.680 Bears are going with identifying the head coaching candidate and 0:01:14.760 --> 0:01:18.160 then him putting together a quality staff, Ryan Poles and 0:01:18.240 --> 0:01:21.399 his scouting department, figuring out who are some key assets 0:01:21.760 --> 0:01:25.280 in the veteran free agency market that we need to target. 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:26.360 And they have gone out and done that. 0:01:27.040 --> 0:01:29.920 Now Here we said one month before the draft, and 0:01:30.600 --> 0:01:32.560 you know one thing about football people, it's hard to 0:01:32.600 --> 0:01:35.840 ignore the draft because there's so many different opinions of 0:01:35.880 --> 0:01:38.440 the draft where the teams are going to pick, how 0:01:38.440 --> 0:01:40.440 they're going to pick, the decisions they are going to make, 0:01:40.880 --> 0:01:45.320 and then it's kind of a confusing draft because there 0:01:45.360 --> 0:01:49.840 are no clear cut Caleb Williams a guy that's guaranteed 0:01:49.880 --> 0:01:52.200 above them beyond the rest of being the number one 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:54.720 round draft choice. So I still think there's a lot 0:01:54.760 --> 0:01:57.480 of intrigue that we're going to talk about on these 0:01:57.520 --> 0:01:58.840 podcasts through the next month. 0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:01.880 Yeah, I mean you mentioned it without the quarterback. Who 0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:04.120 would be the number one overall pick because teams are 0:02:04.120 --> 0:02:06.680 going to go for quarterbacks. I'm expecting cam Ward to 0:02:06.680 --> 0:02:08.840 be the number one pick. I don't think Travis Hunter 0:02:08.840 --> 0:02:10.960 would be, but maybe it would be in a normal 0:02:11.040 --> 0:02:14.120 situation if you're just taking will you believe will be 0:02:14.160 --> 0:02:17.079 the number one impact player Abdul Carter Penn State, you. 0:02:17.040 --> 0:02:19.240 Know, I mean, definitely his name is up there for 0:02:19.320 --> 0:02:22.160 a consideration, just like it is for Travis Hunter. If 0:02:22.160 --> 0:02:24.600 you look at some of the quality offensive linemen in 0:02:24.639 --> 0:02:26.600 the draft, is there a team out there that's in 0:02:26.639 --> 0:02:31.040 a desperate need of a protector of their quarterback asset? 0:02:31.160 --> 0:02:34.640 One of those guys could climb up the ladder. But 0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:38.639 this is probably the most confusing draft that I've studied 0:02:38.680 --> 0:02:41.280 in the last twenty or thirty years, just because every 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:44.079 time I look at something coming out with their draft 0:02:44.120 --> 0:02:48.520 point whatever it is, it's changing in the direction of 0:02:48.720 --> 0:02:50.840 the picks. And I saw one this morning that the 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:52.960 Bears picked Mason Graham at number ten. 0:02:53.240 --> 0:02:54.600 That was Mike Tannembaum. 0:02:54.919 --> 0:02:55.160 Yeah. 0:02:55.360 --> 0:03:01.000 Yeah, So it's just whatever person that you have respect 0:03:01.040 --> 0:03:04.840 for or you believe in their investigative background, look at 0:03:04.840 --> 0:03:08.720 those mock drafts and maybe that'll tell you where things 0:03:08.720 --> 0:03:09.079 are going. 0:03:09.240 --> 0:03:12.600 That's bread crumbs, Tom, bread crumbs, follow the bread crumbs. 0:03:13.280 --> 0:03:14.680 But you also got to take you got to take 0:03:14.680 --> 0:03:18.040 a look at this. So depending on how things fall 0:03:18.080 --> 0:03:20.880 in that top ten. Obviously, hey, maybe maybe Ryan doesn't 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:23.320 even keep the tenth pick, maybe he moves down. Maybe 0:03:23.360 --> 0:03:27.160 you don't know, We don't know. But if Team X 0:03:28.280 --> 0:03:33.600 picks player A, that then will allow Team Y to 0:03:33.720 --> 0:03:37.560 go and pick player B down the line. It's all 0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:41.200 based on it's not gonna be the top ten best 0:03:41.240 --> 0:03:44.960 players in this draft that will go one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. 0:03:45.160 --> 0:03:47.440 In my opinion, it's not gonna be. It's gonna be 0:03:47.880 --> 0:03:51.680 the flavor of the day for one of these ten teams. 0:03:51.760 --> 0:03:55.000 And that's gonna either push somebody down that's gonna make 0:03:55.040 --> 0:03:59.920 it an intriguing decision for Ryan Poles, or allow him 0:03:59.920 --> 0:04:02.360 to move down further to get a guy that you know, 0:04:02.480 --> 0:04:04.640 this is the guy we really want, so we can 0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:07.040 get him here. I think that's how this draft is 0:04:07.080 --> 0:04:07.520 going to fall. 0:04:07.960 --> 0:04:09.600 Well, you know one thing about this draft. 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:12.480 There is no defined mathematical equation that can tell you 0:04:12.560 --> 0:04:14.680 exactly who you're going to pick, why you're going to 0:04:14.720 --> 0:04:17.520 pick them, and the number associated to the reason you're 0:04:17.560 --> 0:04:20.440 picking them. Because when you look at all these mock drafts, 0:04:20.440 --> 0:04:23.680 and like I said, maybe I've looked at thirty different 0:04:23.760 --> 0:04:27.520 drafts since the end of the NFL season to write 0:04:27.560 --> 0:04:29.960 where we are when not right now a month before 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:33.880 the draft, and I've seen Shador Sanders go from three 0:04:33.920 --> 0:04:38.279 to twenty yeah, and everywhere in between. So when you 0:04:38.360 --> 0:04:41.880 have a player that one time was thought of of 0:04:42.000 --> 0:04:45.400 possibly the first pick in the draft now sinking down 0:04:45.440 --> 0:04:49.120 into the mid to late teens to early twenties, it's just, 0:04:49.400 --> 0:04:52.320 you know, every every ball is in the air. If 0:04:52.400 --> 0:04:54.720 you're a juggler man, you got to pay attention to 0:04:54.760 --> 0:04:57.320 every one, and there may be one added into the 0:04:57.400 --> 0:05:00.240 hand that you have to be able to absorb. And so, 0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:03.760 like I said, the podcasts are fun, but I think 0:05:03.920 --> 0:05:07.480 each week it's there's gonna be a different intrigue. 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:10.920 In the latest MOCKWAB, I look at two defensive players too, 0:05:10.960 --> 0:05:15.360 defensive linemen that could be top five or they could 0:05:15.360 --> 0:05:20.400 be twenty five. Shamar Stewart from Texas A and M 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:23.320 because he hasn't sacked the quarterback a lot, but boy, 0:05:23.440 --> 0:05:26.040 he's got every tool in the shed. He's a monster. 0:05:27.000 --> 0:05:31.600 James Pierce of Florida. Last year, I was listening to 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:37.560 a podcast on the draft from ESPN. I believe it 0:05:37.640 --> 0:05:41.279 was ESPN. Yeah, and James Pearce was considered to be 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:45.200 the possible number one overall pick in the draft heading 0:05:45.240 --> 0:05:49.360 into the twenty twenty four college football season, regardless of position. 0:05:49.680 --> 0:05:52.680 So but that player may not be in the top 0:05:52.720 --> 0:05:55.920 fifteen or twenty. I mean, so, I just think it's 0:05:56.040 --> 0:05:59.680 it's again the breadcrumbs, whatever teams are allowing in for 0:05:59.800 --> 0:06:03.800 me to escape their building. It is the lying season, 0:06:03.800 --> 0:06:05.560 of course, and so you just try to put the 0:06:05.560 --> 0:06:07.680 puzzle together. That's why we love this. We love this. 0:06:07.920 --> 0:06:08.839 I love the draft. 0:06:09.040 --> 0:06:10.200 Love well. 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:11.200 In five years from night. 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:13.080 Right now, we're going to be doing a podcast, so 0:06:13.120 --> 0:06:15.000 we're going to talk about a second round or in 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:18.440 this draft has elevated himself into one of the top 0:06:18.480 --> 0:06:19.640 picks of the draft. 0:06:19.960 --> 0:06:22.320 And I think that always goes without saying. 0:06:22.360 --> 0:06:27.480 And maybe it's an unheralded offensive lineman that's come in 0:06:27.560 --> 0:06:30.080 drafted into the third round that's a Day one starter 0:06:30.520 --> 0:06:33.440 and goes on to have a lengthy all Pro career, 0:06:33.920 --> 0:06:37.800 or a defensive lineman like you're talking about. Because Mason Graham, 0:06:37.839 --> 0:06:41.280 who was picked the tenth for the Bears today, he's 0:06:41.320 --> 0:06:43.960 a guy that's been picked in the mid teens. But 0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:47.520 when you look at his background, his accomplishment, you know 0:06:47.600 --> 0:06:49.240 he's going to be a guy that's going to be 0:06:49.400 --> 0:06:52.120 hard and not to pick if he, you know, is 0:06:52.160 --> 0:06:54.480 passing the vision of a general manager. 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:57.440 Gotta remind you were brought to you by PNC Bank, 0:06:57.520 --> 0:07:00.680 the official bank of the Chicago Bears. We also got 0:07:00.680 --> 0:07:03.920 a great interview coming up Tom Eric Benemy. I sat 0:07:03.920 --> 0:07:06.240 down with him last week at Hallas Hall, the Bears 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:08.799 new running backs coach. He brings the fire, he brings 0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:10.920 the heat. I love this guy. We'll hear from him 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:13.560 in just a moment. But you know, from the process 0:07:14.080 --> 0:07:17.720 of hiring Ben Johnson, then the meeting the man and 0:07:18.760 --> 0:07:21.600 who he's hired on the coaching staff, the moves to 0:07:21.640 --> 0:07:25.120 get Joe Tooney, Jonah Jackson in the trade market, signing 0:07:25.200 --> 0:07:28.720 Drew Dahlman, Grady Jarrett, just to name a few, the 0:07:28.760 --> 0:07:32.120 prior moves that had given the Bears this draft capital 0:07:32.160 --> 0:07:34.640 over the last couple of seasons. The value of that 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:38.800 tenth pick, five picks in the top one, fifty fourteen 0:07:38.840 --> 0:07:42.200 additions to the roster already nine on offense, five on defense, 0:07:42.280 --> 0:07:45.160 including a new b veteran cornerback Nick McLeod coming Aboard 0:07:45.160 --> 0:07:47.240 on a one year deal, played with the Giants in 0:07:47.640 --> 0:07:50.360 forty nine ers last season. Speedy ran a four to 0:07:50.400 --> 0:07:53.720 four to six half a snap special teams half on defense. 0:07:53.800 --> 0:07:55.640 Last year for the Giants in San Francisco, he was 0:07:55.640 --> 0:07:58.480 an undrafted free agent. So I just that's why I 0:07:58.480 --> 0:08:00.720 feel I got, you know, again, being in the car 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:04.320 for ten hours yesterday driving down to South Florida, I 0:08:04.400 --> 0:08:07.520 just started going over this in my mind and I 0:08:07.640 --> 0:08:11.320 just became very intrigued. And then to think about what 0:08:11.360 --> 0:08:13.760 Ben's going to create, what Dennis Sound's going to create. 0:08:13.840 --> 0:08:15.720 We really haven't talked about that, and I want to 0:08:15.760 --> 0:08:17.600 talk about that a little bit on this podcast. But 0:08:18.720 --> 0:08:21.800 I'm feeling you share the same optimism, especially with what's 0:08:21.800 --> 0:08:22.640 been done in the trenches. 0:08:23.400 --> 0:08:23.800 Oh, I do. 0:08:23.920 --> 0:08:25.840 And I'm sure that you're the type of driver that 0:08:25.920 --> 0:08:28.280 keeps your blinker on too long because you're not paying 0:08:28.320 --> 0:08:30.840 attention that you've already changed lane and it's on for 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:33.480 another couple miles time out because I know your thought 0:08:33.640 --> 0:08:37.800 captivated in the thought of football that every other sound 0:08:38.120 --> 0:08:38.960 you ignore. 0:08:39.200 --> 0:08:43.240 Well, but yes, that's exactly what I do. And I 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:45.280 don't know why it happens. Why can't I hear the 0:08:45.280 --> 0:08:48.280 turn signal? Why can't I hear the click click? 0:08:48.960 --> 0:08:51.000 Why do you forget your car keys on the desk 0:08:51.040 --> 0:08:53.760 of a head coach and walk out with somebody else's 0:08:53.880 --> 0:08:57.200 But you know everything that the Ben Johnson has set 0:08:57.200 --> 0:08:59.439 his sights on to make sure that this team has 0:08:59.440 --> 0:09:02.520 improved before they ever take a meeting room or a field, 0:09:02.920 --> 0:09:05.560 I think is really important because when you talk about 0:09:05.559 --> 0:09:07.400 all those new guys that have. 0:09:07.360 --> 0:09:08.160 Been brought aboard. 0:09:08.800 --> 0:09:11.080 First of all, when you're a player and you walk 0:09:11.160 --> 0:09:14.480 into your meeting room and you don't know your position 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:17.000 coach yet and they're getting to know you for the 0:09:17.040 --> 0:09:20.760 first time, everything is even. So this guy doesn't have 0:09:20.880 --> 0:09:23.760 expectations for you, or he doesn't have disappointment in you. 0:09:23.840 --> 0:09:27.280 Already everybody is starting off, and then you come into 0:09:27.320 --> 0:09:31.160 these meeting rooms that you've brought a number of guys aboard, 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:34.920 and there's some introductions that have to take place, because 0:09:35.120 --> 0:09:37.560 even though Grady Jarrett has been around for quite a 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:40.240 while and he has the reputation of success that he has, 0:09:40.520 --> 0:09:43.600 there's some young kids in there that may not know him, 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:46.880 may not know what he is able to accomplish. And 0:09:46.920 --> 0:09:51.680 so all these new pieces that are in place right now. 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:55.560 I think it's only going to increase the competition on 0:09:55.600 --> 0:09:58.280 the practice field, but it's also going to create competition 0:09:58.360 --> 0:10:01.480 in the meeting rooms when you get asked a question 0:10:01.960 --> 0:10:04.360 and a little bit of that you talked about with 0:10:04.559 --> 0:10:08.360 Eric b Enemy about learning this new terminology. It's new 0:10:08.400 --> 0:10:12.200 for everybody, so that is a way to compete that 0:10:12.760 --> 0:10:15.160 you know, your hand's never in the ground or you're 0:10:15.160 --> 0:10:16.640 never taking a step forward. 0:10:16.840 --> 0:10:18.880 All right. With that being said, Tommy, open the door, 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:21.559 so let's kick it open. Sit down with running backs 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:24.319 coach Eric be Enemy coach, is a pleasure to meet you. 0:10:24.320 --> 0:10:26.480 Effort so much about you over the years, and I 0:10:26.480 --> 0:10:28.080 couldn't wait to meet you, honestly. 0:10:27.920 --> 0:10:30.120 What nice meeting you as well. And it feels good 0:10:30.120 --> 0:10:32.240 to be a part of this family. I mean, I've 0:10:32.240 --> 0:10:34.120 had an opportunity to meet a number of people who've 0:10:34.120 --> 0:10:36.839 worked in this organization or played in this organization. So 0:10:37.160 --> 0:10:40.320 I'm looking forward to just getting something restarted with the 0:10:40.360 --> 0:10:42.840 new coaching staff and the new regime and ready to 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:43.320 move forward. 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:45.719 Yeah, that's the key in this sport. You got to 0:10:45.760 --> 0:10:49.160 move forward. Everything else is history. It does not matter. 0:10:49.240 --> 0:10:51.440 You know it does, but it doesn't and you know, 0:10:51.480 --> 0:10:55.480 a new page. But talk about just the intensity I 0:10:55.520 --> 0:10:59.200 would imagine of the offensive coaching staff, in particular here 0:10:59.200 --> 0:11:02.720 with Ben Jonson, and bring in all these different influences. 0:11:02.840 --> 0:11:05.160 I just got done talking to Press Taylor, for example, 0:11:05.200 --> 0:11:07.600 and just what those meetings might be like. I mean, 0:11:07.679 --> 0:11:10.600 because you all come from very significant backgrounds. You've all, 0:11:10.800 --> 0:11:13.800 most of you have won a lot of games, won 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:15.040 super Bowls in your case. 0:11:15.400 --> 0:11:17.040 Coach Benn has done a hell of a job putting 0:11:17.040 --> 0:11:21.560 together staff offensively, defensively, obviously special teams. Wise, it's good 0:11:21.600 --> 0:11:24.360 having an opportunity to work collectively with some of these 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:29.160 young coaches. We've got some brilliant minds, some very very 0:11:29.200 --> 0:11:33.520 creative individuals. I'm just looking forward to us getting everything established, 0:11:33.920 --> 0:11:36.120 making sure that we can get everything on the same page, 0:11:36.160 --> 0:11:39.320 which we are, and just ironing out all the details, 0:11:39.360 --> 0:11:41.400 because when it's all said and done with, it's not 0:11:41.440 --> 0:11:45.480 about all the collective brains, you know, having a brilliant 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:47.920 idea about what we can do or what we know. 0:11:48.240 --> 0:11:50.720 It's about making sure that we can hammer it down 0:11:51.080 --> 0:11:53.400 so our guys can go out and play more be 0:11:53.480 --> 0:11:56.760 as efficient and effective as possible. And so that's what 0:11:56.800 --> 0:11:59.400 this process is about right now, just making sure that 0:11:59.440 --> 0:12:01.440 we'll all stayed and getting on the same phase. 0:12:01.600 --> 0:12:03.120 And Ben even in a minute, you know, I didn't 0:12:03.160 --> 0:12:05.080 go about this just hiring friends or people. I know 0:12:05.120 --> 0:12:08.160 there's a couple from Detroit certainly, Antoine Rendel, Gt. Barrett 0:12:08.160 --> 0:12:11.080 for example. Is it a cool thing that he did 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:12.800 by doing that, because a lot of coaches do they 0:12:12.840 --> 0:12:15.760 just they feel comfort in people that they trust. 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:17.640 He's done a hell of a job, but just going 0:12:17.679 --> 0:12:22.199 out and finding good people who happen to be very 0:12:22.240 --> 0:12:25.800 good coaches, you know, who are team guys that get 0:12:25.840 --> 0:12:29.640 the big pitcher. So yes, he's built a diverse staff 0:12:29.679 --> 0:12:31.960 of people, but on top of that, people that he's 0:12:32.040 --> 0:12:34.920 not really affiliated with. So he's bought a lot of 0:12:34.960 --> 0:12:38.120 different minds from different areas just so you can always 0:12:38.160 --> 0:12:40.720 help yourself to be better in certain areas. So the 0:12:40.760 --> 0:12:43.880 beauty of it is, it's it's it's fun because right 0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:44.840 now we're undefeated. 0:12:45.160 --> 0:12:49.600 Oh yeah, nobody got a bloody nose yet nobody ain't 0:12:49.640 --> 0:12:50.280 black and blue. 0:12:50.520 --> 0:12:52.960 But the beauty of it is is just listening to 0:12:53.000 --> 0:12:56.400 all the creative minds and then just really focusing in 0:12:56.480 --> 0:12:58.280 on some of the things that he has done and 0:12:58.320 --> 0:13:01.280 has success with at Detroit, and it's been fun learning 0:13:01.320 --> 0:13:04.680 that system and actually growing in it, and so I'm 0:13:04.679 --> 0:13:06.920 looking forward to it. This is a brand new journey 0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:09.840 for me. It's a different language, and I'm enjoying it. 0:13:10.240 --> 0:13:12.679 And the beauty of it is it just opens up 0:13:12.679 --> 0:13:15.120 the mind and it gives you an opportunity for growth. 0:13:15.280 --> 0:13:17.520 Well that's a great point, right there, a new language 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:19.160 for you, and you've been in the league a long time, 0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:21.000 played it at a high level for a long time. 0:13:21.120 --> 0:13:24.640 Ricky prol once told me, and it's been repeated many times. 0:13:24.880 --> 0:13:27.000 Learning a new offense is like learning Chinese in a 0:13:27.040 --> 0:13:29.440 week's time. Of the essence, I mean, I know there's 0:13:29.559 --> 0:13:31.880 a long time before kickoff, but not a long time 0:13:31.880 --> 0:13:34.439 before mini camp and training camp. So do you guys 0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:37.720 feel the urgency to get this playbook? Yes? Written? 0:13:38.000 --> 0:13:40.439 Yes exactly. I mean there's a sense of urgency. Every 0:13:40.480 --> 0:13:43.679 single day, every morning we're spending time about four hours 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:47.200 of just going through the offense, making sure that we're 0:13:47.240 --> 0:13:50.680 hammering out all the details, whether it's run game, past game, 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:54.080 different situations that can be presented throughout the course of 0:13:54.080 --> 0:13:57.000 a game, but just hammering out all the details, making 0:13:57.040 --> 0:14:00.360 sure that there is a familiarity with it. Beauty of 0:14:00.440 --> 0:14:04.760 it is not everybody's gonna catch on, include myself. That's 0:14:04.800 --> 0:14:07.040 why we take notes. We detail of notes as much 0:14:07.040 --> 0:14:07.600 as possible. 0:14:07.760 --> 0:14:08.439 You can. Have to study. 0:14:08.679 --> 0:14:12.000 You got to study, have to study. Yes, you got 0:14:12.040 --> 0:14:14.480 to take work home. That's the only way that you're 0:14:14.520 --> 0:14:18.040 gonna become efficient and effective. But also to give yourself 0:14:18.040 --> 0:14:20.160 an opportunity to become the expert at what you do. 0:14:20.560 --> 0:14:22.640 And so you got to take it home because those 0:14:22.680 --> 0:14:24.880 guys are gonna be looking back at me right you know, 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:26.640 it's my job to make sure I can give them 0:14:26.680 --> 0:14:28.800 the answers, not early on. I may not have all 0:14:28.800 --> 0:14:33.280 the answers, but I'm gonna make sure I find something that. 0:14:32.280 --> 0:14:34.880 You've had quite the career. Let's begin at Colorado. You 0:14:34.920 --> 0:14:36.440 were a hell of a player. I'm a big eight 0:14:36.520 --> 0:14:39.880 guy back in the day. I'm Iowa State cyclone. So 0:14:39.960 --> 0:14:42.160 you're the all time leading rusher at Colorado, all time 0:14:42.240 --> 0:14:44.680 leader in touchdowns. You were a third in the Heisman 0:14:44.800 --> 0:14:47.840 voting during that nineteen ninety national title season. So you 0:14:47.920 --> 0:14:49.520 learn how to win early, didn't you? 0:14:49.520 --> 0:14:51.400 You know what I say this and bless us so 0:14:51.800 --> 0:14:54.960 coach Mats coach Bill McCartney did a great job of 0:14:54.960 --> 0:15:00.080 bringing a diverse group of men just to buy in 0:15:00.120 --> 0:15:03.040 to his dream and in his vision, and he gave 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:05.440 us an opportunity to be a part of it and 0:15:05.480 --> 0:15:09.360 buy into his dream. And it's amazing how much success 0:15:09.600 --> 0:15:12.680 some of those players, include myself, all of us have had, 0:15:13.120 --> 0:15:15.800 not just on the field, but also off the field, 0:15:16.320 --> 0:15:20.520 and just having that opportunity just to share that experience 0:15:20.560 --> 0:15:22.960 to be a part of a winning a winning team, 0:15:23.200 --> 0:15:25.320 not just winning on the field, but winning off the field. 0:15:25.320 --> 0:15:27.600 Because the majority of us has been in each other's 0:15:27.600 --> 0:15:30.480 weddings we've had I mean, I can't tell you how 0:15:30.480 --> 0:15:33.640 many times we've been all god parents to certain kids. 0:15:33.920 --> 0:15:39.160 But it was an unbelievable, amazing opportunity to just grow, 0:15:39.480 --> 0:15:42.640 but just to be a part of history because coach 0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:45.400 Mack was a brilliant man that cared about his. 0:15:45.400 --> 0:15:50.160 Players just recently passed away, and nobody has ever said 0:15:50.200 --> 0:15:53.040 anything different than you. Now, do you have you adopted 0:15:53.120 --> 0:15:55.320 kind of his way a little bit and how you 0:15:55.360 --> 0:15:56.480 treat players. 0:15:56.120 --> 0:16:00.400 Well, yes, it's forever. It's all about winning, but it's 0:16:00.440 --> 0:16:03.200 all about getting to know the people that you're working with. 0:16:03.560 --> 0:16:07.360 But on top of that, developing the relationships and finding 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:10.520 out their limits and how to push them and get 0:16:10.560 --> 0:16:12.600 the very very best out of them. And like I 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:15.040 always tell young men when I'm coaching them, I said, listen, 0:16:15.200 --> 0:16:18.640 I'm gonna coach you hard, I also coach fair. I'm 0:16:18.680 --> 0:16:20.760 gonna be your biggest advocate when you do it the 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:25.960 right way. But it ain't personal. I'm coaching that behavior 0:16:26.040 --> 0:16:28.880 that you put on tape because that behavior is at 0:16:29.080 --> 0:16:31.760 some point in time, if it's not done the right way, 0:16:32.040 --> 0:16:35.240 we can impact a game. We can also cast somebody 0:16:35.280 --> 0:16:37.480 an injury or whatever. So we want to make sure 0:16:37.880 --> 0:16:41.400 that we're doing things fundamentally right the right way, but 0:16:41.560 --> 0:16:45.240 also making sure that we understand that accountability goes a 0:16:45.280 --> 0:16:48.240 long way in this industry. And if we can be accountable, 0:16:48.480 --> 0:16:51.000 now we got a chance to grow. Now we have 0:16:51.080 --> 0:16:52.960 a chance to become a winning organization. 0:16:53.400 --> 0:16:55.360 I got to ask you what your definition of hard 0:16:55.400 --> 0:16:58.760 coaching is, because some players like it, some don't, some 0:16:58.880 --> 0:17:01.520 want it, so deal with it. I mean, it's all 0:17:01.640 --> 0:17:03.360 different across the rainbow, and. 0:17:03.600 --> 0:17:08.040 It's basically challenging your guys more than anything just to 0:17:08.080 --> 0:17:10.560 get the very best out of it and more than anything, 0:17:11.160 --> 0:17:16.480 just demanding a certain type of ethic. There's gonna be 0:17:16.480 --> 0:17:18.679 a code and how we handle ourselves. You know, I'm 0:17:18.720 --> 0:17:20.800 from the old school. Always tell them, if you don't work, 0:17:20.840 --> 0:17:22.920 you don't eat, all right, And if we're not eating, 0:17:22.920 --> 0:17:24.800 we're not giving ourselves a chance to be the best 0:17:24.800 --> 0:17:27.440 that we can be. So it's important that we understand. 0:17:27.680 --> 0:17:30.680 It's gonna be an imaginary sign outside that door every 0:17:30.680 --> 0:17:34.639 single day that says hiring all applicants, because if we're 0:17:34.680 --> 0:17:39.639 applying ourselves, that means we're not wasting any opportunities. We 0:17:39.720 --> 0:17:42.000 have to learn how to make sure that we're not 0:17:42.640 --> 0:17:46.080 taking anything for granted. And if we're not taking anything 0:17:46.119 --> 0:17:48.600 for granted, we're doing the very most of it because 0:17:48.640 --> 0:17:51.199 now we're learning to make second effort to happen. And 0:17:51.240 --> 0:17:53.480 if we're playing with that second effort, now we're giving 0:17:53.720 --> 0:17:56.359 ourselves a chance not only to be the best running 0:17:56.359 --> 0:17:58.639 back group, we're giving ourselves a chance to be the 0:17:58.680 --> 0:18:02.000 best team. Because if we put that infectious behavior on 0:18:02.040 --> 0:18:04.000 the tape, players are going to want to follow that. 0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:07.200 I don't know if there's any room in your room, 0:18:07.480 --> 0:18:09.359 I like to sign up, because you got me excited 0:18:09.480 --> 0:18:11.960 right now. I'm literally breaking into a sweat right here 0:18:12.280 --> 0:18:15.920 on the roster as it's currently constituted, Guys like Roshan Johnson, 0:18:16.000 --> 0:18:20.000 Guys like DeAndre Swift, Travis Homer re signed recently. You've 0:18:20.000 --> 0:18:22.359 had a chance to look at these guys, obviously, but 0:18:22.440 --> 0:18:26.760 in a different context, different offense, but just your familiarity 0:18:26.880 --> 0:18:29.479 with the names and the men that they are. How 0:18:29.520 --> 0:18:30.480 do you feel about this group. 0:18:30.520 --> 0:18:32.400 I feel pretty good about the group. I've had an 0:18:32.400 --> 0:18:35.480 opportunity to watch DeAndre, spent some time with DeAndre when 0:18:35.480 --> 0:18:38.000 he came out during the time when he doing the draft, 0:18:38.040 --> 0:18:40.760 so I know all about him. A very very hard 0:18:40.800 --> 0:18:44.159 working kid that doesn't take anything for granted. He loves 0:18:44.160 --> 0:18:46.600 to work now more than anything. We just got to 0:18:46.600 --> 0:18:49.360 make sure that he understands that he can find four 0:18:49.359 --> 0:18:51.399 and a half in between the tackles, but also hit 0:18:51.440 --> 0:18:53.840 the home run when he needs to. But he's a 0:18:53.880 --> 0:18:58.000 great young man that works his tale off. Roshan young 0:18:58.080 --> 0:19:02.280 up and coming player, big key it plays hard, doesn't 0:19:02.320 --> 0:19:05.040 take anything for granted. Looking forward to working with him. 0:19:05.359 --> 0:19:08.720 Travis's by far, first of all. He brings a tremendous 0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:11.040 amount of energy. He does a hell of a job 0:19:11.080 --> 0:19:13.919 on special teams. He's a four phased guy, you know, 0:19:13.960 --> 0:19:16.359 which you love that about him because you can't have 0:19:16.520 --> 0:19:18.879 enough of those team players. And then we got a 0:19:18.920 --> 0:19:20.879 young kid by the name of Ian who's coming off 0:19:21.000 --> 0:19:24.960 Ian Wheeler and Ian, I mean just terrific preseason exactly, 0:19:25.359 --> 0:19:27.920 and he showed flashes. So we want to see exactly 0:19:27.960 --> 0:19:30.240 what all we can continue to develop with him and 0:19:30.280 --> 0:19:32.760 see how we grow. So I'm excited about the group. 0:19:32.840 --> 0:19:35.439 Nobody's got bigger thighs than Travis Homer. He works on 0:19:35.520 --> 0:19:38.199 those bad boys. He works on those bad boys. But 0:19:39.000 --> 0:19:41.760