Panthers Live Press Conference
Carolina Panthers
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19:05 right.
19:05 First of all, early happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there.
19:08 Uh grateful um you know, uh a group of men doing what we get to do.
19:13 Uh it's a great time for us to be able to celebrate
19:15 that and and be so thankful and grateful for all the hard work,
19:19 the love, support, the Gatorades, the cleats,
19:21 um all the things that come with it.
19:23 And so, uh happy Mother's Day there.
19:25 And we'll open up for questions.
19:27 Any takeaways specifically, Dave, about Monroe's two days here,
19:32 whether it's in a meeting or something he did out here?
19:35 I mean, first of all, he looks great.
19:36 Um he's been uh he's been working really hard just just trying
19:39 to continue to you know uh increase his strength and do those things.
19:44 Um showed up I think he was you know about 325 um and uh looked great moved well
19:50 um showed the length and all the things and you
19:52 know he's just got to get comfortable with some
19:53 of our schemes and concepts playing next to a tight
19:55 end who might be blocking front side and going
19:58 backside and uh settling into some of those things
20:00 but um looks like a guy that really enjoys football.
20:03 Those are the types of guys that we'd love to have here.
20:04 25's a little bigger than he played at I think was that's
20:08 something that you guys talked about maybe him getting a little bigger.
20:11 Not really.
20:12 That was just kind of an emphasis of his and I
20:13 mean if you think the guy's 21 years old, you know,
20:16 so um he's still growing into whatever his frame is and um I think
20:20 he played somewhere in the 310sish
20:22 or something like that, 315 during the season,
20:24 but as we know, seasons get long and guys have a chance to kind
20:27 of settle in and focus on some things and and the work showed up.
20:30 But he he looks great.
20:31 He's moving well.
20:32 So really pleased with that.
20:33 Do you almost have to make an allowance
20:35 for guys out here during this camp because
20:37 most of these dudes have been in combine
20:39 training or pre-draft different kind of not football.
20:44 Abs.
20:44 Absolutely.
20:44 Uh that's something we have to be really aware of as we
20:48 come into these camps where um you know the guys are working out.
20:51 They're they're practicing drills that they go
20:53 through at pro days or the combine.
20:55 Um, and those drills are pretty set, you know,
20:56 but once you're starting to react to movement and you
20:58 get back to playing a little bit of football,
21:01 um, that does work different parts of your body.
21:03 And so, you know, postdraft, they really have two weeks,
21:06 some guys a week before they hit rookie mini camp.
21:08 We always do it on the second uh, second weekend after the draft,
21:12 you know, to hopefully give those guys a chance to, you know,
21:14 get their cleats on and just kind
21:16 of settle into their normal type of football training.
21:18 Two days outside with Haynes King.
21:20 What has stood out to you about him?
21:22 Yeah.
21:22 Um, you know, first of all, off the film, the thing I was most excited about is
21:26 you just watch his offense move the chains.
21:29 Third and fourth down, two-minute drill.
21:31 The ball goes down the field, they score points.
21:33 Um, and there's a bunch of ways you can
21:35 affect the game as a quarterback with your mind,
21:37 with your arm, and with your legs.
21:39 And he's got a way that he's able to find wins that way.
21:42 Uh, it was great to see him in person.
21:43 Um, just, you know, work around coming off play actions.
21:46 Um, the bootlegs.
21:48 Um, and then just certainly seeing the athleticism that he
21:50 has in his body show up through his arm.
21:52 A lot of zip, a lot of pop there.
21:54 And and a guy that really was um he did a great job in the classroom
21:57 also just making sure like these camps only
22:01 go as well as a quarterback's ability to operate,
22:04 get them out of the out of the huddle to the line of scrimmage with a cadence.
22:08 I think we might have had two pre- snap penalties in two days.
22:12 That's pretty rare for a rookie mini camp.
22:14 And so I got to attribute that attribute
22:16 that to Rashad and also to Haynes for operating that way.
22:19 And um Brad has spent a lot of time with the quarterbacks particularly today.
22:23 Um is that a function of him just calling the offense
22:26 in rookie mini camp or is that um is there something more there?
22:29 No, that's been something that Brad's been doing
22:31 for for the last couple of years since we've been
22:33 here is trying to make sure that he he's
22:35 got a lot of familiarity with the wide receiver play,
22:37 but getting into the quarterback room um especially now, you know,
22:41 calling plays and and being in in really in charge of the offense,
22:44 putting the implementation of it just to make sure that the language is
22:47 on the same page and the intent of what we're trying to do is there,
22:50 but also just a growth opportunity for Brad to continue
22:52 to press into uh the training of a quarterback.
22:55 And uh that's something that I had great
22:57 mentors that taught me and something that I'
22:59 I've loved to be able to have conversations
23:01 with for Brad to continue to, you know,
23:02 look at the whole group and be able to uh impact it that way.
23:05 We've heard you talk a lot about the the kind
23:08 of mental side of things for the center position.
23:10 What has uh what's been your takeaway on Sam from that regard?
23:15 Yeah, Sam's handled this in stride.
23:17 Um he's done a great job in these last couple of days.
23:19 Excited to throw more on his plate as we get back together with the full group.
23:23 But, um, again, what showed up for Sam is on film,
23:25 you see a guy that's under control, a guy that, uh,
23:28 plays the center position really well, um, you know,
23:31 at a professional level, even from his film last year.
23:34 And that's what showed up in these last two days is,
23:36 you know, the his ability to stay calm, make the point,
23:39 work his combos with the guys, um,
23:41 and just kind of bring that that type of balance
23:43 and cohesiveness that you need to have with the inside three.
23:46 Coach uh Chris Bazard, uh um after the draft selection,
23:49 one of the talking heads um says it's
23:52 a great pick for if he holds it all together,
23:55 indicating that there's some kind of locker room potential there.
23:59 Um he comes from an athletic family.
24:01 I'm sorry, but there's a one arrest that he had regarding driver's license,
24:06 but other than that, there was nothing else.
24:08 Chris has done a great job.
24:09 He's uh he loves playing.
24:10 He loves working on his craft.
24:11 Um we that kind of emerged in the process as we were talking to him.
24:15 is a guy that loves to get out
24:16 there and work his footwork and do different things.
24:18 And um you know, I have a friend who actually coaches
24:21 in the area um that has had exposure with Chris before,
24:24 you know, and has worked with him on the field.
24:26 And so um the whole process gave us confidence in this guy.
24:29 Um being able to just continue to have
24:31 the uh the foundation to build his skills,
24:34 to build all the the tools that he needs because he's really into it.
24:37 Um that's what we're mostly concerned with and uh you know,
24:40 as far as like the last couple of days, he's done a great job pressing into it.
24:43 But as you can imagine,
24:44 I think we talked about this yesterday, you know, this is different.
24:47 You know, we have all these different splits and where we put guys in stacks
24:50 and um you are you inside or outside the numbers and all those things.
24:54 Those are going to be the things that Chris
24:55 is going to really need to dive into.
24:57 You do put a lot of obviously on character.
24:59 Were there any questions with him that you wanted to have answered?
25:03 Not at all.
25:03 I think it was just a matter of us getting to know the guy and and how
25:06 he learns um how he relates from a personal standpoint and we did the work.
25:10 you know, we we had him in the uh at the combine in the formal meetings.
25:14 Uh we brought him in for a 30 visit.
25:16 We followed up with Zooms.
25:17 Um just to check all those boxes of this is a guy that we
25:20 would love to work with because the football skills and you know the speed,
25:24 the ability to track the ball down the field
25:26 at his height to be able to drop his weight,
25:28 get in and out of breaks.
25:29 It's rare.
25:29 And uh we were just really really excited u that we were
25:33 able to just stay put where we were at and he came
25:34 to us in the third round and um so excited for to see
25:38 what happens when he gets with the rest of the guys.
25:39 How important are reps like this for a guy like Justine Reed?
25:43 And you know, what have you what have you seen from the wide receiver?
25:46 Justine's done a great job for us since we got him here.
25:48 Um, you know, we have a little bit of a commonality.
25:51 He went to University of San Diego.
25:53 That was our opening day at ISUsa Pacific way back when.
25:56 So, um, but anyway, speaking to like what he's doing now,
25:58 getting to this camp, um, to really show us what he knows and also,
26:03 uh, the training that he's gotten from Rob, um,
26:06 it really shows up and and when you get
26:08 a a new group of wide receivers out there,
26:10 it's good to have someone like Jim out there with them where
26:12 they can kind of see this is how we want this route run.
26:15 This is how we want this drill done.
26:16 He did a great job these couple of days.
26:19 Coach, sorry, go.
26:20 Hanks is an older guy.
26:21 When you when you get a guy like that that's been in college for a while,
26:24 which has kind of become the norm the last couple years,
26:26 how much of a difference can you tell when you get him out here for the first?
26:29 There certainly is.
26:30 Um, for the guys that we're seeing, you know,
26:32 24 and 25 year olds coming out and there's a maturity to them.
26:36 Uh, there's a professionalism about how they u handle
26:38 their life inside the building and outside of the building.
26:41 Just kind of having their world in order.
26:43 Um, Hayes gives that feel, you know,
26:45 like he's he's a pro, you know, me mentally speaking.
26:48 And now the challenge is how quickly can we
26:49 get him caught up in all of our schemes, concepts, protections,
26:52 all the different things at the line of scrimmage and and right
26:54 now he's pouring himself into it doing a great job.
26:57 Dave, the nickel position seems like something
26:58 that you're very much open competition with.
27:00 Dvonte Smith has plenty of playing time at the college level.
27:04 I don't know if you've watched all the film from him yesterday,
27:07 but what stood out to you about him?
27:09 Yeah, versatility.
27:10 Uh spent a lot of time in the slot playing the nickel,
27:13 but a guy that can certainly play outside, too.
27:15 So, um it's a good group.
27:16 you know, Will Lee, uh, the length, you see that too as well.
27:20 Um, these guys are, you know, that position right there.
27:22 We have Shaw coming back.
27:24 We have Corey Thornton, um, who really, you know,
27:26 won the job during the season last year and got an opportunity till he got hurt.
27:29 So, there's a great competition already happening.
27:31 We love to throw more more possible guys at each position.
27:35 Uh, competition just breeds success.
27:37 It breeds growth, development, and um, guys really start to push each other.
27:41 So, I'm excited to to get those guys with the full group.
27:43 Coach Brad is getting like the to the level
27:45 of energy that the rest of receivers are out there.
27:48 You know, how important is the match
27:49 the energy of the players out there as coaches?
27:51 Yeah, we set the tone.
27:52 You know, that's a reminder for us.
27:53 This is our sixth day in a row on the field and uh
27:55 we got to treat it like it's our first and bring that same int
27:58 intentionality uh the intensity to the individual
28:01 drills and uh making sure we're pushing
28:03 these guys so they can understand what the expectation is of how we practice.
28:06 And so really critical uh that the players,
28:09 they got their own energy that they come
28:11 into with this excitement of this opportunity and the competition,
28:14 but as coaches um we have to just make sure
28:16 that that stays at a fever pitch so that we have great speed.
28:20 Uh that's the best way you learn is is we can
28:21 push the guys and and also just to enjoy what we're doing.
28:24 You know, we get to come out here
28:25 on the grass and coach football one more day and um
28:27 that part I know the co the players will
28:29 look at us and they see us excited about it.
28:31 They'll they'll maintain that energy.
28:33 All right.
28:33 Thank you very much.
28:34 All right.
28:34 Thank you.
28:34 Thanks.
28:36 Did you put the music?
29:00 Hello,
29:02 why was the Panthers the right fit for you
29:04 when you got the calls after the draft?
29:07 And what have you learned about this organization over the last few days?
29:11 Yeah, I feel like it's the right fit and you know what I've learned is you
29:15 know they they care about their culture uh
29:17 their their locker room who they bring in here.
29:19 They do a lot of research on that and you know there there's a lot
29:22 of great people in the building and I love that that aspect of it.
29:24 When I talked to you in Indie, you talked about the mindset of a backup
29:27 quarterback and serving the the starting quarterbacks.
29:30 What is it about that position right now that you kind of have to hone
29:35 in on as you you know gradually get into the flow with Rice and Kenny?
29:40 Yeah.
29:40 Uh really just focusing on being a one a great
29:44 person and two the best teammate I can be.
29:46 Uh whatever it is, helping out, you know, Bryce or even the team.
29:51 Um and just kind of owning your role
29:54 role throughout the year and you know that that's
29:56 part of being like like you said the the best person and best teammate I can be.
30:01 What's it like going to uh Chris Bazard and over the last couple days?
30:04 What's it been like as a teammate?
30:06 Oh, he he's a heck of an athlete.
30:08 uh different different type of level uh for sure.
30:12 And you know, he he's just he makes plays.
30:14 He he's made plays throughout this camp.
30:16 And you know, he's going to continue to develop and and continue
30:20 to to hone in on his game and and you know,
30:22 just like him, he he's a great person as well.
30:25 You know, we've had a bunch of conversations,
30:26 got to know him um over this weekend,
30:29 and you know, it it's only only good news from him for sure.
30:32 How would you describe his personality?
30:35 Oh, he he's funny for sure.
30:36 Uh, great guy like I said and just, you know,
30:39 he wants to be good and he's going to work his work his tail
30:42 off to to be the best person and and and best player he can be.
30:46 I read that you um transferred to Georgia Tech without any promise of NIL money,
30:52 any promise of starting there.
30:54 How does that experience of betting on yourself compared
30:58 to this experience of being a rookie in the NFL?
31:01 Um, I honestly I I believe it it's
31:04 kind of the same through throughout any situation.
31:07 You know, you could just bet on yourself that that's part of the confidence
31:09 of of what you need to have to even play this position.
31:13 Um, and and to have any sort of success, you have to have, you know,
31:17 self-confidence in what you do and and you got to own your own yourself,
31:21 own your role, and uh, you know, just work work from there.
31:25 Kind of building off that, can talked about your maturity,
31:28 just kind of being an older guy as well.
31:30 How much does that help in a weekend like
31:32 this where it's a little bit of baptism by fire?
31:35 Yeah.
31:35 Uh, you know, the older you are, the the more you get to experience.
31:39 Um, and you know, like like you said,
31:43 sometimes maturity comes with age and you know,
31:46 I I feel like I'm pretty mature and and I've seen a lot happen.
31:49 So, you know, I get to when you experience it now, you're like, "Okay,
31:53 I've seen this or you might have even done this before."
31:55 for and you know you can learn off off nowadays that you
31:59 learn off of either seeing it or doing it and um
32:02 you know that that's a big part of the maturity I believe
32:05 back on Brazil he's a guy with pretty big catch radius saw that today
32:10 in the back of the end zone what what's it like throwing him in that regard
32:16 coach just get in his area you know he's got a huge catch radius and and just
32:20 give him a chance on the ball he's going to come down with it for sure
32:24 how are you with catching the All
32:27 uh I mean I I would say I'm pretty good.
32:29 You know, I got to catch the snap every day, every every play, you know.
32:32 Uh so quarterbacks have to have sort of some some sort of good hands.
32:38 Well, a lot of insiders been saying maybe
32:40 you could be a Jason Hill uh type player.
32:43 You know, can you get out in the flat?
32:44 Can you uh
32:46 can you make those plays?
32:48 That's what the team needs.
32:49 uh you know, I I'll do it like like I said earlier with with owning your role,
32:53 owning who uh who you are and and what's best for the team.
32:56 You know, be a great teammate.
32:57 Do those types of comparisons like do they I don't want to say upset you,
33:03 but it's sort of a knock on what you've done as a quarterback when
33:07 you hear like he can be a gadget type guy at the next level.
33:11 Um, I mean, not not too much because, uh,
33:15 at the end of the day, everybody kind of wants to play.
33:17 Uh, and, you know, also Taesm Hill,
33:20 he's pretty good athlete and a pretty good ball player as well.
33:23 But, you know, I I feel like, you know,
33:25 in in my confidence that I can play quarterback at this level.
33:28 Uh, so, you know, that's my first goal is make
33:31 it as a quarterback and and do as best I can.
33:33 But, you know, also at the end of the day,
33:35 if the team needs that, you know, I'm down for it.
33:38 But, you know, first and foremost, I'm going to try to make it as a quarterback.
33:43 What have the last
33:45 those couple of months been like for you going through the draft process,
33:48 signing as a free agent, picking a team?
33:51 What What has that been like for you?
33:52 And then what have you learned about yourself?
33:55 Yeah, it's been a lot of fun.
33:57 Uh, exciting things going going on, but you know,
34:00 a lot of uh anxious anxiously waiting,
34:03 you know, because you just kind of don't know where you're going to end up.
34:06 don't know what's going to happen, but you know,
34:08 just got to do it with with the people you love,
34:11 your your small circle that you have,
34:12 whether it's family, friends, uh, all that.
34:14 And when you do that and you just kind of be
34:17 in the moment and experience it through that, everything's kind
34:20 of fun and you just kind of put it in God's
34:22 hands and and let him have it even more like, oh yeah, for sure.
34:27 I mean, going through that, like, you know, experience does that as well.
34:30 you know, when you're going through this, it's a lot of, you know,
34:33 uh, I guess mental adversity going like you not knowing what to do.
34:37 Uh, and now it's like, okay,
34:39 now I'm probably a little bit more patient than I was before this process.
34:43 So,
34:44 talked about patience, talked about your age.
34:47 You're also the son of a coach,
34:50 a pretty legendary high school football coach in Texas.
34:52 What is it like?
34:53 What's it been like for him to kind of uh see you achieve these NFL dreams?
35:00 And I mean I mean how has being a son of an NF
35:03 or a son of a coach helped you to this point?
35:07 It's helped me out a lot.
35:08 You know, he he was hard on me.
35:09 He never gave me anything.
35:10 Uh and you know, to win the job,
35:13 I had to like win over the f the whole team at first,
35:15 you know, so it wasn't easy.
35:17 But uh you know going through this process with him
35:20 and especially you know this this even just this past year um
35:24 you kind of look at life differently like I don't know
35:26 if you know this but he had called uh mouth cancer.
35:29 Um and just to be able to go through that I
35:33 mean it it just shows like who he is as a person.
35:37 And then like I said when you go through that it it hits harder when it
35:41 hits close to home you know uh and kind of gives you a new perspective of life.
35:45 And uh but I I think it's been good.
35:48 It's been good for me.
35:48 Good.
35:49 Been good for the family as well.
35:51 Thanks, H.
35:52 Thank you.
35:53 Thanks, H.
35:54 Good to meet you.
35:55 Your person.
35:55 Good to see you.
35:56 Yeah, man.
35:59 Likewise.
36:06 [music] Heat.
36:12 Heat.
36:43 [music]
36:52 What up?
36:52 What up?
36:53 What up?
36:57 What was the last couple days like?
36:59 It was fun, man.
37:00 Uh I'm going say it again.
37:01 my favorite team.
37:02 So, to be out here is a blessing.
37:03 Uh, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
37:06 Have you been able to dig up more pictures of you like in Panther stuff?
37:08 I know we saw the one of you and your mom.
37:10 Yeah, I got plenty of Panther stuff.
37:11 I just I only posted uh I posted two, but I got like a lot.
37:15 Oh, you talking about that photo?
37:17 So, I got photos when I was like young young and Panther stuff, but yeah.
37:20 I mean, has it hit you yet that this is where you're at?
37:23 Yeah, it hit me uh the first day I was here.
37:26 uh not uh training camp, but the first day we came in, did the physical,
37:29 signed paperwork, it was like, "Yeah, I'm really really on the team." So,
37:34 Chris, is there just Reed's been around the offense.
37:38 Is there like a guy or coach that you're really
37:40 kind of leaning on as you're learning this this weekend?
37:43 Uh Brad, uh my receiver coach, uh uh Reed, you just named uh really everybody,
37:48 all my resources, the quarterback,
37:50 me and him did a couple walkthroughs, talked about it.
37:52 So, yeah.
37:53 Is there um a lot of people talk about the difference between the two-lane tape
37:57 and the Tennessee tape where you were kind
37:59 of more of a route runner at at two lane.
38:02 Why were you not allowed to maybe or maybe why weren't
38:05 you used kind of in a similar way in that in Tennessee?
38:08 See, I'm not sure like see everybody knows
38:11 Tennessee as the running gun which they're right.
38:13 I'm not going to sit here lie.
38:14 So 2024 year, like I said it a lot, like that was a lot of running and gun.
38:18 But this year, if you really watch my film,
38:20 you know, man, I'm running dang near everywhere in the playbook.
38:22 Like every route I don't ran here, I ran at Tennessee.
38:25 There's not a route I don't ran here that I have not ran.
38:27 So uh Tennessee is definitely evolving the playbook.
38:30 They're getting more pro style, more friendly.
38:32 Uh so yeah, I haven't really ran a route here that I haven't ran at Tennessee.
38:37 Dave Dave Canales was asked yesterday if he thought
38:40 you had a build physical build similar to Robbie Anderson.
38:45 He said I don't like hair guys but kind of built similar.
38:48 Have you heard that from anyone?
38:50 Uh slim me slim.
38:52 Uh so y'all see a slim guy.
38:53 I I get it.
38:54 So yeah, I see what y'all saying.
38:57 What do you know him at all?
38:59 Yeah.
38:59 Yeah.
38:59 What what would you say about him and his career?
39:02 Good player.
39:03 Definitely a good player.
39:04 Uh, I know he played on I think he played on the Dolphins.
39:06 Uh, the Jets.
39:07 I know he played here.
39:08 Uh, he had like 1,000 yards here or something like that.
39:10 Yeah.
39:11 Yeah, he was a bother for sure.
39:12 So, respect to him for sure.
39:14 All right, Chris.
39:14 A couple years ago, he had to run
39:16 in with the law regarding his driver's license.
39:19 Exactly.
39:19 What happened there?
39:20 Was that a learning experience?
39:22 Yeah, experience.
39:22 Uh, it's a long story.
39:24 Uh, long story short, I just really didn't know my license was suspended.
39:28 It wasn't one of them things.
39:29 I'm just driving on a suspended license like a dummy.
39:31 In the state of Tennessee, they issue you a suspended license.
39:34 They never tell you.
39:35 So, my license was suspended for like a year and a half.
39:38 I don't get pulled over a lot.
39:39 So, it took me a year and a half to get pulled over again to be like,
39:41 "Dang, my license suspended." And then I was in jail for like 30 minutes.
39:46 No bond, leaving a ticket.
39:47 Went in there, walked out.
39:48 Uh the people in jail were telling me I'm
39:50 not supposed to be in jail to be honest.
39:51 So, it was just a it was a learning lesson.
39:54 Just pay your speed tickets on time.
39:55 That's it.
39:57 That's something teams last in the pre-draft.
40:00 Yeah, they asked me.
40:01 Uh, but they understand.
40:02 It's not like I'm not a troublemaker.
40:04 Uh, I've been 22 now.
40:06 That's my only experience with the laws or anything bad.
40:09 But, uh, like I said, it's not like I was on some dummy stuff.
40:12 Just driving around, suspended license.
40:14 Uh, I just got honestly didn't know.
40:16 Uh, Tennessee understood that I didn't know cuz the cops talked to him.
40:19 So, it was one of them things.
40:20 Uh, like I said, pay off speed tickets on time.
40:23 So, yeah.
40:24 Chris, when uh you were drafted,
40:26 Canalis went into a lot of detail talking about the way you run routes,
40:30 different things about it.
40:31 What's it like to come in as a rookie when your head coach
40:34 used to be a receivers's coach and can't go into that level of detail?
40:38 A man's amazing.
40:39 Uh just kind of like I went to Tennessee,
40:41 uh head coach there was a quarterback, won a national championship.
40:44 He like to throw the ball, like to catch the ball.
40:46 So to have a head coach that coach receivers,
40:48 likes receivers, and hearing the feedback from him is amazing.
40:50 I go to him, ask him what he thinks about this, what he thought about that.
40:53 So, yeah.
40:55 Obviously, you've been a fan of this team for a while,
40:56 but over the past couple weeks,
40:58 have you gone back and watched any of last year's tape,
41:00 maybe specifically just with a a more closer eye?
41:03 I have.
41:04 I watched the Rams game for sure.
41:05 Uh I watched the Falcons game.
41:08 Uh I watched the Cowboys game.
41:10 My dad a Cowboys fan.
41:11 I watched that game live.
41:13 Uh me and my dad, he was actually in Tennessee when we watched it,
41:15 so it was a little back and forth.
41:17 Uh so, yeah.
41:18 What were your takeaways about maybe Bryce or the receivers and how
41:21 they're used and what you can kind of how you can fit in?
41:24 Bryce is a baller.
41:24 Uh team a baller.
41:26 Uh Jaylen Cooker or Coker, excuse me.
41:28 He's a baller.
41:29 Leg get a baller.
41:30 Uh all them guys from ball.
41:32 So yeah.
41:33 How do you fit into that room?
41:35 Uh however I fit in.
41:36 How would the coach want to fit in?
41:37 Uh be used how they want to be used.
41:40 So yeah.
41:40 How has this process been getting to know the coaches,
41:44 guys around the building and and your teammates?
41:47 So, I took a 30 visit here.
41:48 So, the coaches, I met kind of everybody already.
41:50 Uh, teammates are new.
41:52 Everybody's cool.
41:53 We looking pretty good.
41:54 Receivers are cool.
41:55 So, yeah.
41:56 Is there a guy that's stood out whether you know the name
41:59 or number over the last two weeks while you've been playing here?
42:02 Yeah.
42:02 Her sorry, over the last two days.
42:04 Yeah.
42:04 Yeah.
42:04 Uh, I mean, Hunter Hunter's big Hunter's a big old dude.
42:08 So, when I sent him like, "Yeah, okay.
42:10 I'll see why I got him in a second." So, yeah.
42:12 Chris, what about Haynes King?
42:14 Did And also, did you know him?
42:15 Like did you wa keeping up with him while he's playing in college?
42:19 Talking about the quarterback.
42:21 Yes.
42:20 Yeah.
42:20 Um I believe I watched him play Georgia one year.
42:24 They took him like five overtime.
42:26 So I did watch him back then.
42:27 So yeah.
42:28 Yeah.
42:28 Oh.
42:28 What's it been like playing with him past?
42:31 Great guy.
42:31 Uh he's a leader for sure.
42:32 Uh he wanted to do a walk through yesterday in the parking lot.
42:35 Uh go over the plays.
42:36 He's in the locker room helping me go
42:38 over the plays talking the plays out for me.
42:40 So he's a good leader.
42:42 In the parking lot.
42:43 In the in the parking lot, man.
42:44 Yeah.
42:44 Was that strange or like No, I mean you got to get where you get it at.
42:48 So, yeah.
42:49 Was that something with Was that something with the coaches or something?
42:52 No, it was just he called it.
42:54 We was all trying to get together.
42:55 Uh first day, everybody was kind of in a little bit.
42:58 Everybody's a little rough.
42:59 Uh he wants to be great.
43:00 I want to be great.
43:01 A lot of people want to be great.
43:02 So, he decided he was like, "Man,
43:03 we go to the parking lot and do the walkthrough." So, and this is right up here.
43:06 Not like in the No, no.
43:08 Right here.
43:08 Right around here.
43:09 The parking lot here at the stadium.
43:11 A couple more.
43:12 And you come from an athletic family.
43:13 you know, your dad and your mom and um
43:17 what is it like to have that background and how much did it help you,
43:20 you know, growing up and be here?
43:22 So, I mean, my dad played the NFL when, uh, I was a kid.
43:25 So, I mean, I was brought into the NFL family.
43:28 I've been playing football since I could walk.
43:29 Uh, watching him train.
43:31 Uh, also, I feel like the reason, well, I know the reason why I am okay.
43:36 You feel what I'm saying?
43:37 Because my dad, uh, like that's NFL guy.
43:40 Everything I learned really came from him.
43:41 So, yeah.
43:42 Going back to your route tree, it's it's easy to kind of watch you and go,
43:46 "Okay, well, the speed is definitely there,
43:48 the downfield." But what's something in your game that maybe people
43:51 don't is a little underrated or people don't pay attention to?
43:55 Uh underrated?
43:59 I'll say either my route running cuz
44:01 for some reason uh because I went to Tennessee,
44:04 I guess I can run routes, which is it is what it is.
44:07 I'm just going to, you know, it is what it is.
44:08 But uh I'll say that aspect and definitely my run after the catch.
44:12 Uh hopefully I'm able to show you a little bit more this year.
44:14 So yeah.
44:15 Is there a story behind you picking 19?
44:18 Nah, it's uh they had this number.
44:20 They had 14.
44:21 No, they had 14.
44:22 They had this number.
44:25 16.
44:24 16.
44:24 They had 16.
44:25 So uh decided to go 19.
44:27 So yeah.
44:29 All right.
44:29 Thank you, Chris.
44:31 Appreciate the time, man.
44:33 Thank you.
44:47 [music]