1
00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,360
Speaker 1: All right, Zach Eric Ebron told us that you are

2
00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:06,440
Speaker 1: six twelve and you came into training camp with a

3
00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:10,160
Speaker 1: different body and maybe a different way of using your body.

4
00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:15,240
Speaker 1: How accurate is that? Uh uh not quite six twelve.

5
00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:20,080
Speaker 1: I hopefully I'm done girl, and I'm I'm like at

6
00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:23,920
Speaker 1: six eight now, Um, I think I am. Um, But

7
00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,040
Speaker 1: you know, I did. I bulke up a little bit. Um.

8
00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:28,120
Speaker 1: I had to get a little bit of muscle weight, um,

9
00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:30,240
Speaker 1: in order to just make sure that I could be

10
00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:32,200
Speaker 1: more of an inline blocking tight end. And so that's

11
00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:35,760
Speaker 1: that's pretty accurate. But uh, he likes, he likes to

12
00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:37,160
Speaker 1: give me a hard time about some of that stuff.

13
00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:40,879
Speaker 1: So what did you do with this offseason to bulk up?

14
00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:44,199
Speaker 1: I mean, really nothing out of the ordinary. Um, just mean,

15
00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:45,680
Speaker 1: it kind of reminded me of when I was in

16
00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:47,280
Speaker 1: high school and I was really trying to put on

17
00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:48,879
Speaker 1: weight because I was really slender and lean when I

18
00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:51,680
Speaker 1: was a quarterback, and um, just making sure I'm lifting

19
00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:54,480
Speaker 1: all the time and chugging protein shakes and and putting

20
00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:57,520
Speaker 1: good feel in my body. But I mean it wasn't really, um,

21
00:00:57,600 --> 00:00:59,880
Speaker 1: anything out of the ordinary, just I guess more ramped

22
00:00:59,920 --> 00:01:03,319
Speaker 1: up to normal alright, So clearly blocking is something that

23
00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:06,160
Speaker 1: everybody in your room has set needs to improve this year.

24
00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:08,880
Speaker 1: How do you guys go about doing that? Um, it's

25
00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:10,720
Speaker 1: something that our our tight end group has been talking

26
00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,920
Speaker 1: about and Coach Fredo has been talking about during throughout

27
00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:16,679
Speaker 1: this camp as well. And that's just stacking the little things,

28
00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:18,800
Speaker 1: you know. UM, I think that all the tight ends

29
00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:20,960
Speaker 1: and our group are willing and able to block and

30
00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:23,679
Speaker 1: do a good job, but um, the execution comes down

31
00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:26,319
Speaker 1: to the little minute details of you know, hand placement,

32
00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:28,800
Speaker 1: footwork and stuff like that. And so I think that

33
00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:30,600
Speaker 1: that will really improve when we can kind of bring

34
00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:33,319
Speaker 1: the whole package together. As far as you know right now,

35
00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:37,680
Speaker 1: obviously heading into your second preseason game, what is the

36
00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:41,120
Speaker 1: tight ends role in a Matt Canada offense? I mean,

37
00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:42,920
Speaker 1: I think it's a little bit of everything, um, and

38
00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:45,040
Speaker 1: I think even within our group, you see guys that

39
00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:48,400
Speaker 1: have different roles kind of UM, that's been the kind

40
00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:50,720
Speaker 1: of thing that's excited us. Coach Canada's offense is a

41
00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:52,840
Speaker 1: pretty versatile for us, and we're kind of all over

42
00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:54,480
Speaker 1: the field. You know, you've got some place and we're

43
00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:56,960
Speaker 1: lined up wide like a receiver and other times we're

44
00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:59,960
Speaker 1: inline blocking and UM, you know, so I think that's

45
00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:01,880
Speaker 1: the kind of exciting thing for us as a group

46
00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:03,320
Speaker 1: as we were kind of has to do a little

47
00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:07,720
Speaker 1: bit of everything. Huh good fast hand fast, BAK good

48
00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:13,080
Speaker 1: based fast hand fast, be good base T. You mentioned

49
00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:16,320
Speaker 1: your new position, coach Alfredo Roberts. What is he like

50
00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:19,400
Speaker 1: as a leader of your group? He's awesome. He's a man.

51
00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:22,280
Speaker 1: He came in and it really just started. He started

52
00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:24,680
Speaker 1: clicking with us right away, and he's got a lot

53
00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:26,000
Speaker 1: of a lot of energy, a lot of pepping his

54
00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:29,120
Speaker 1: step and being a guy that played tight end at

55
00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:32,120
Speaker 1: the highest level for six years. Um, you know, you

56
00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:34,040
Speaker 1: really listen to everything he has to say because everything

57
00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:37,200
Speaker 1: he says is valuable. He said his mantra is to

58
00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:42,080
Speaker 1: be unguarded, open fair. How have you seen that translate

59
00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:45,760
Speaker 1: during camp? I mean I think, you know, I think

60
00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:49,160
Speaker 1: that's exactly what he is. Um, he's one of those

61
00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:50,840
Speaker 1: guys you can go up and talk to you about anything.

62
00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:53,000
Speaker 1: You know, he is unguarded, Um, he is open. He's

63
00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:55,280
Speaker 1: up in the suggestion and and hearing. You know, maybe

64
00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:57,080
Speaker 1: if you didn't do exactly what he wanted you to do,

65
00:02:57,120 --> 00:02:59,000
Speaker 1: but you kind of explain you know, what the defensive

66
00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:02,480
Speaker 1: position was in. And so he really is open and guarded, um,

67
00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:04,200
Speaker 1: you know. And and he's been a great leader for

68
00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:05,799
Speaker 1: us so far. And like I said, he's one of

69
00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:07,880
Speaker 1: those guys that you can go go talk to about anything.

70
00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:11,959
Speaker 1: He said, his transparency is very evident when it's good

71
00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:15,440
Speaker 1: and what it's bad. Is that accurate? Yeah? It is? Um,

72
00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:17,120
Speaker 1: I mean when you're doing a good job, yeah, he's

73
00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:18,480
Speaker 1: gonna pat you on the back. And when you're not

74
00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:20,080
Speaker 1: doing a good job, he's gonna tell you why and

75
00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:22,560
Speaker 1: how to correct it, which is exactly what you want

76
00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:24,360
Speaker 1: as a professional athlete. You know, you don't want somebody

77
00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:26,240
Speaker 1: that's gonna you know, not I mean what they say

78
00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:28,040
Speaker 1: and you know, kind of play games and stuff. And

79
00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:29,880
Speaker 1: and he's really not that guy. He's a straight shooter.

80
00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:31,959
Speaker 1: And Um, when it's good, it's good. When it's bad,

81
00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:33,600
Speaker 1: it's bad. But you know, what can you do to

82
00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:37,040
Speaker 1: improve rookie Titan Pat friar Muth? What have you seen

83
00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:40,680
Speaker 1: with him since he joined the Steelers? I mean he's

84
00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:43,240
Speaker 1: he's great, he's awesome. Um, you know, he's he's a

85
00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:45,200
Speaker 1: good buddy of mine now and we've gotten pretty close,

86
00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:49,640
Speaker 1: and UM, I think he can do it all. You know, he's, Um,

87
00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:52,600
Speaker 1: he's athletic, he's flexible, you know, he's he's he can

88
00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:54,680
Speaker 1: really be put anywhere on the field, you know, in line,

89
00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:58,280
Speaker 1: you know, in the slot, out wide, and um, he's

90
00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:00,000
Speaker 1: one of those guys. It's just smooth. You know, he's

91
00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:02,480
Speaker 1: super smooth and athletic getting in and out of breaks

92
00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:04,720
Speaker 1: and um, you know he's he's really gonna have a

93
00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:07,400
Speaker 1: big huture emisode for him. I think it's fair to

94
00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,280
Speaker 1: say that Ebron is the loudest person in your group.

95
00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:13,320
Speaker 1: Does that make him also the vocal leader and maybe

96
00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:15,240
Speaker 1: the guy that kind of keeps you guys together and

97
00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:17,640
Speaker 1: also gets you going. Yeah, he I mean he's without

98
00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:19,000
Speaker 1: a death, he might be the lottest guy in the

99
00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:23,960
Speaker 1: team or on any team. Um, but he is uh,

100
00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:25,800
Speaker 1: you know, yeah he is. He is the vocal leader

101
00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:27,800
Speaker 1: of our group just because you know, he's always kind

102
00:04:27,839 --> 00:04:30,400
Speaker 1: of um, whether it's in our year or you know,

103
00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:32,520
Speaker 1: Coach Cannon is a year or somebody. You know, he's

104
00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:35,200
Speaker 1: always saying something on the sideline. So he really makes

105
00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:38,360
Speaker 1: his presence felt that way. And lastly, how does Ebron

106
00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:40,760
Speaker 1: help the younger guys? Yourself, and then Friar Muth and

107
00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:43,680
Speaker 1: everybody else, even Kevin Raider. I mean, he's just one

108
00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:45,600
Speaker 1: of those guys that he's played for. I think I'm

109
00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:49,000
Speaker 1: pretty sure this is eight season in the NFL, and so, um,

110
00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:51,640
Speaker 1: you know, there's nobody plays for that long without you know,

111
00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:54,880
Speaker 1: doing doing things the right way. And so I think

112
00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:56,960
Speaker 1: that just kind of watching him, you know, watching him

113
00:04:56,960 --> 00:04:59,240
Speaker 1: how he takes care of his body, and he has

114
00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:02,400
Speaker 1: a lot of little nuances and things that he shares

115
00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:04,720
Speaker 1: with us, and especially the passing game, um, that are

116
00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:07,160
Speaker 1: extremely helpful. And so he just kind of shares his

117
00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:09,520
Speaker 1: knowledge of us. All right, Zack, thanks for your time.

118
00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:10,920
Speaker 1: I really appreciate it. Thank you.