WEBVTT - Chris Conley Discusses 2024 Preseason Slate | Press Pass

0:00:03.080 --> 0:00:05.440
<v Speaker 1>How was this I guess this campaign for you, Chris.

0:00:05.440 --> 0:00:07.600
<v Speaker 1>You're obviously you've done a lot on special teams and

0:00:07.800 --> 0:00:08.479
<v Speaker 1>at split ends.

0:00:08.520 --> 0:00:11.920
<v Speaker 2>So how have you approached it? I mean we approach

0:00:12.000 --> 0:00:15.560
<v Speaker 2>uh really every day the same, you know, attacking it

0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:19.560
<v Speaker 2>and uh being available and and doing whatever is asked.

0:00:19.560 --> 0:00:21.520
<v Speaker 2>You know, the last couple of years of my career

0:00:21.560 --> 0:00:24.079
<v Speaker 2>have been a lot of things. You know, played a

0:00:24.079 --> 0:00:27.400
<v Speaker 2>lot of roles, and uh, I've prided myself and being

0:00:27.440 --> 0:00:31.200
<v Speaker 2>able to play each of those roles well. And uh,

0:00:31.240 --> 0:00:32.800
<v Speaker 2>you know, I've been asked to do some of those

0:00:32.880 --> 0:00:35.519
<v Speaker 2>things here, whether it's on teams and and on offense

0:00:35.600 --> 0:00:39.919
<v Speaker 2>and uh having that trust uh from coaches and your teammates. Uh,

0:00:39.920 --> 0:00:41.800
<v Speaker 2>it's a good thing. And so we're attacking it the

0:00:41.800 --> 0:00:43.239
<v Speaker 2>same way and trying to be dependable.

0:00:44.600 --> 0:00:48.520
<v Speaker 3>If you're sometimes I asked to do roles that much

0:00:48.560 --> 0:00:51.320
<v Speaker 3>younger players are asked to do special teams, goals and

0:00:51.400 --> 0:00:54.520
<v Speaker 3>stuff like that. How how do you feel about, you know,

0:00:54.640 --> 0:00:57.240
<v Speaker 3>being asked to be a gunner or or who other

0:00:57.280 --> 0:00:59.720
<v Speaker 3>things like that, you know throughout the season.

0:01:00.280 --> 0:01:02.600
<v Speaker 2>Oh, you know, I actually take pride in it now.

0:01:03.520 --> 0:01:07.440
<v Speaker 2>I think that you know, there's a misconception that certain

0:01:07.480 --> 0:01:11.120
<v Speaker 2>things on the football field are more valuable than others.

0:01:11.720 --> 0:01:15.759
<v Speaker 2>And I think that with time and experience, you realize

0:01:15.800 --> 0:01:19.160
<v Speaker 2>that each of those roles are equally important and they

0:01:19.200 --> 0:01:23.600
<v Speaker 2>contribute to your success on Sunday or Monday or Thursday,

0:01:23.720 --> 0:01:26.000
<v Speaker 2>and you know, ultimately getting where your team wants to go.

0:01:26.880 --> 0:01:29.400
<v Speaker 2>And so if I can be one of those roles

0:01:29.480 --> 0:01:33.839
<v Speaker 2>that helps the team, you know, secure a victory, I'm

0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:36.280
<v Speaker 2>content being that I'd rather be in one of those

0:01:36.319 --> 0:01:39.640
<v Speaker 2>spots helping the team win than being helpless on the

0:01:39.680 --> 0:01:41.280
<v Speaker 2>sideliner at home and just watching.

0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:45.560
<v Speaker 1>So you came out of Georgia with all the measurables,

0:01:45.600 --> 0:01:48.320
<v Speaker 1>try forty six inch vert and four to three speed.

0:01:48.560 --> 0:01:51.720
<v Speaker 1>How are you a better player though today than you

0:01:51.800 --> 0:01:53.000
<v Speaker 1>were when you came.

0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:53.640
<v Speaker 4>Into the league.

0:01:54.280 --> 0:01:58.040
<v Speaker 2>I think multiple things. You know, there are so many

0:01:58.280 --> 0:02:01.720
<v Speaker 2>instances in my career where things went incredibly well and

0:02:01.800 --> 0:02:05.080
<v Speaker 2>times where things went incredibly wrong, and so many lessons

0:02:05.080 --> 0:02:07.920
<v Speaker 2>that were learned along the way on good teams, on

0:02:08.120 --> 0:02:11.520
<v Speaker 2>terrible teams, and locker rooms where guys were locked in

0:02:11.560 --> 0:02:13.760
<v Speaker 2>and they wanted to see everyone succeed, in locker rooms

0:02:13.760 --> 0:02:17.040
<v Speaker 2>where people could care less. So I think that that

0:02:17.160 --> 0:02:21.240
<v Speaker 2>wealth of knowledge has made me a better teammate. I

0:02:21.280 --> 0:02:23.920
<v Speaker 2>think that those experiences on the field have made me

0:02:23.960 --> 0:02:26.160
<v Speaker 2>a better player. They made me more decisive. I play

0:02:26.200 --> 0:02:29.240
<v Speaker 2>a lot faster now than when I did when I

0:02:29.280 --> 0:02:31.200
<v Speaker 2>was younger. You know, the body is obviously aged, but

0:02:31.240 --> 0:02:32.400
<v Speaker 2>the mind is much sharper.

0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:36.680
<v Speaker 4>You've seen George Odom's step up in CAPA guy's kind

0:02:36.720 --> 0:02:40.200
<v Speaker 4>of a core special team throughout his career and get

0:02:40.200 --> 0:02:42.560
<v Speaker 4>a shot at strong safety or at safety and with

0:02:42.639 --> 0:02:45.680
<v Speaker 4>the ones and really whole eposite of the bargain it says,

0:02:45.880 --> 0:02:48.280
<v Speaker 4>and you're willing to do whatever it takes, but it's

0:02:48.280 --> 0:02:50.400
<v Speaker 4>still a part of you that says, you put me

0:02:50.440 --> 0:02:52.960
<v Speaker 4>on a wide receiver for X amount of snacks a game,

0:02:53.000 --> 0:02:54.280
<v Speaker 4>you're going to get production from me.

0:02:54.520 --> 0:02:57.680
<v Speaker 2>Of course, I think that any any opportunity that you

0:02:57.720 --> 0:02:59.280
<v Speaker 2>step into, you want to go out there and you

0:02:59.320 --> 0:03:03.359
<v Speaker 2>want to take and you know you make no there's

0:03:03.400 --> 0:03:06.080
<v Speaker 2>no mistake about what the offense is capable of here

0:03:06.680 --> 0:03:08.840
<v Speaker 2>and being a part of that, being asked to be

0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:10.880
<v Speaker 2>a part of that is an honor and it is

0:03:10.960 --> 0:03:13.720
<v Speaker 2>something that you don't take lightly. At least I don't,

0:03:14.080 --> 0:03:16.400
<v Speaker 2>you know, knowing how short and how hard to come by.

0:03:16.400 --> 0:03:19.200
<v Speaker 2>Opportunity is in this league. But yeah, and you know,

0:03:19.240 --> 0:03:21.240
<v Speaker 2>I have all the confidence in the world that whatever

0:03:21.280 --> 0:03:22.600
<v Speaker 2>it is that you asked me to do out there,

0:03:22.600 --> 0:03:25.160
<v Speaker 2>that we can get it done. And then also just

0:03:25.919 --> 0:03:28.080
<v Speaker 2>part of the DNA of what it is being a

0:03:28.080 --> 0:03:30.400
<v Speaker 2>forty nine er, you know, a lot of that has

0:03:30.480 --> 0:03:33.080
<v Speaker 2>resonated with the way that I've approached the game my

0:03:33.120 --> 0:03:33.639
<v Speaker 2>whole career.

0:03:34.080 --> 0:03:38.080
<v Speaker 3>You're one of three or four receivers on this team

0:03:38.360 --> 0:03:40.920
<v Speaker 3>who haven't been injured this summer, a lot of pan

0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:45.480
<v Speaker 3>string strains things like that. Does that surprise you? Is

0:03:45.520 --> 0:03:48.040
<v Speaker 3>that Do you think that that's a result of just

0:03:48.080 --> 0:03:51.320
<v Speaker 3>how hard you guys or how fast you guys go

0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:53.120
<v Speaker 3>in these practices.

0:03:53.720 --> 0:03:55.120
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I think that there's a little bit of a

0:03:55.200 --> 0:04:00.200
<v Speaker 2>learning curve for getting your body in the place that

0:04:00.240 --> 0:04:04.480
<v Speaker 2>it can approach practice with the same intensity every single day.

0:04:05.000 --> 0:04:08.200
<v Speaker 2>And that's part of, you know, learning how to be

0:04:08.240 --> 0:04:11.880
<v Speaker 2>a pro as a rookie. There's just a different tempo,

0:04:11.960 --> 0:04:15.400
<v Speaker 2>there's a different speed, the volume is different, the intensity

0:04:15.440 --> 0:04:17.840
<v Speaker 2>is different. So even if you were to pull back

0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:20.440
<v Speaker 2>the reps, you're still going to be getting more here

0:04:20.520 --> 0:04:22.480
<v Speaker 2>than any practice you've ever had in your life. Because

0:04:22.480 --> 0:04:25.599
<v Speaker 2>the competition is just better. It's more intense, there's more

0:04:25.640 --> 0:04:29.280
<v Speaker 2>at stake, there's more eyes, and so all of that

0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:32.440
<v Speaker 2>stress is cumulative on the body. And so some of

0:04:32.440 --> 0:04:35.960
<v Speaker 2>those guys have to learn that what that means and

0:04:36.080 --> 0:04:40.520
<v Speaker 2>learn how to get warm and stay loose and be ready.

0:04:40.560 --> 0:04:43.000
<v Speaker 2>But obviously, you know, you see some of the veteran

0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:44.960
<v Speaker 2>guys who have been through that, they understand what it

0:04:45.000 --> 0:04:47.440
<v Speaker 2>takes and they get ready early. You talk about what

0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:49.239
<v Speaker 2>it means to be a forty nine or what's different

0:04:49.240 --> 0:04:51.120
<v Speaker 2>about the culture here compared to maybe some of your

0:04:51.160 --> 0:04:52.040
<v Speaker 2>other stops.

0:04:51.680 --> 0:04:52.200
<v Speaker 4>In the NFL.

0:04:53.160 --> 0:04:56.760
<v Speaker 2>It's about ball. It's about ball, and it's about it's

0:04:56.800 --> 0:04:59.800
<v Speaker 2>about doing what's necessary to win. You know, the details

0:04:59.839 --> 0:05:03.800
<v Speaker 2>are important here, and I've always been someone who's loved

0:05:03.839 --> 0:05:08.360
<v Speaker 2>when people harp on detail. And Kyle is one of

0:05:08.400 --> 0:05:10.880
<v Speaker 2>the most detailed coaches I've been around. You know, I

0:05:10.960 --> 0:05:14.400
<v Speaker 2>can't I can't really think of many others who are

0:05:14.480 --> 0:05:19.039
<v Speaker 2>that detailed, and that attention to detail, that attention to

0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:24.680
<v Speaker 2>intensity intent is integral to putting that helmet on. And

0:05:24.720 --> 0:05:27.160
<v Speaker 2>he makes no mistake about letting people know, like, hey,

0:05:27.200 --> 0:05:27.480
<v Speaker 2>you have.

0:05:27.440 --> 0:05:27.880
<v Speaker 3>To earn it.

0:05:28.279 --> 0:05:30.680
<v Speaker 2>You earn everything here, and everything is about doing things

0:05:30.760 --> 0:05:33.320
<v Speaker 2>the right way and attacking it. And you know, that's

0:05:33.360 --> 0:05:35.000
<v Speaker 2>something that I believe into.

0:05:37.240 --> 0:05:40.919
<v Speaker 4>Look at the as we did the practice with twenty

0:05:40.960 --> 0:05:45.760
<v Speaker 4>three guys out canceled the Saints' scrimmages and so Okay,

0:05:45.800 --> 0:05:47.919
<v Speaker 4>from the outside, maybe it looks a little dire, but

0:05:48.960 --> 0:05:51.880
<v Speaker 4>the way football is practiced now as opposed to way

0:05:51.880 --> 0:05:55.640
<v Speaker 4>it was maybe you know seven eight years ago, are

0:05:55.680 --> 0:05:57.679
<v Speaker 4>things not nearly as bad as they love for you guys.

0:05:58.640 --> 0:06:01.400
<v Speaker 2>I mean, I think that you obviously want guys to

0:06:01.440 --> 0:06:04.600
<v Speaker 2>be healthy, and uh, you know, there's a lot of

0:06:04.600 --> 0:06:06.919
<v Speaker 2>guys who are working through through plenty of things, some

0:06:07.080 --> 0:06:09.880
<v Speaker 2>that we know about something that we don't. And I

0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:12.960
<v Speaker 2>think that Kyle was being cautious and uh and looking

0:06:13.000 --> 0:06:15.920
<v Speaker 2>out for guys and then also just making an opportunity

0:06:15.960 --> 0:06:18.400
<v Speaker 2>for people to continue to get work. You know, things

0:06:18.400 --> 0:06:20.880
<v Speaker 2>are modified this week, but that doesn't mean that we're

0:06:21.120 --> 0:06:23.880
<v Speaker 2>we're not going out there to get better. The intent

0:06:24.000 --> 0:06:26.720
<v Speaker 2>is still there, uh, and sometimes you just have to

0:06:26.760 --> 0:06:30.000
<v Speaker 2>shift the physicality and really hone in a little bit

0:06:30.000 --> 0:06:32.920
<v Speaker 2>more mentally, and uh, that's what we're that's what we're doing.

0:06:32.960 --> 0:06:36.320
<v Speaker 2>So to us, I don't think that people are panicking,

0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:39.480
<v Speaker 2>you know, if anything, it's it's a time to focus

0:06:39.520 --> 0:06:42.240
<v Speaker 2>in and make things right, because when things don't feel right,

0:06:42.560 --> 0:06:43.640
<v Speaker 2>that's when it's got to be right.

0:06:44.400 --> 0:06:49.479
<v Speaker 1>Appreciated monster hitting the super Bowl and it was you know,

0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:51.320
<v Speaker 1>you take a pride in that part of your game now,

0:06:51.440 --> 0:06:53.279
<v Speaker 1>kickoff coverage and being super physical.

0:06:53.680 --> 0:06:56.360
<v Speaker 2>Uh yeah, I think that physicality is something that I've

0:06:56.360 --> 0:06:59.159
<v Speaker 2>always tried to add and have a part of my game.

0:06:59.279 --> 0:07:03.120
<v Speaker 2>But just really being being effective and being someone who

0:07:03.120 --> 0:07:05.680
<v Speaker 2>can be counted on and in open space running down

0:07:05.680 --> 0:07:08.120
<v Speaker 2>the field. Obviously the kickoff and kickoff return is much

0:07:08.160 --> 0:07:11.320
<v Speaker 2>different this year. We're still figuring out how that looks

0:07:11.400 --> 0:07:13.040
<v Speaker 2>and how that we can you know, how we can

0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:16.440
<v Speaker 2>be most effective. But whatever game plan we come up,

0:07:16.520 --> 0:07:18.720
<v Speaker 2>I'm you know, one of the people with my first

0:07:18.720 --> 0:07:21.240
<v Speaker 2>people with my hands up saying hey, I want in there,

0:07:21.280 --> 0:07:22.600
<v Speaker 2>and I want to be at the point of attack,

0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:25.440
<v Speaker 2>you know, because I think that it's something that can

0:07:25.520 --> 0:07:27.120
<v Speaker 2>affect and change games and I want to be a

0:07:27.160 --> 0:07:27.480
<v Speaker 2>part of that.

0:07:28.920 --> 0:07:29.040
<v Speaker 4>Right.

0:07:29.280 --> 0:07:29.760
<v Speaker 3>Thanks us.

0:07:30.760 --> 0:07:31.360
<v Speaker 2>The problem