17 years ago, just weeks before we were going down range to Iraq, I had a medic that was assigned in my personal security Detachment to my, to my my section if you will.
That would travel with Me 3 weeks or so before we were going to deploy.
He slipped on some ice and he broke his ankle.
Well, we asked the Army for a replacement medic and they did not have one for us.
My headquarters first identified another soldier in my Battalion, who’s actually a chemical specialist, had nothing to do with being a medic.
He sent him to a two week, two week emergency medical course because I was the senior guy in their organization.
They were going to put this young man in one of my subordinate elements and bring up, take the medic for them and put in my Pon, and I said no.
I said no one because of all the teamwork that gone on to prepare us to deploy.
I didn’t want to break that up but honestly, more importantly, I said, if that young man was good enough for them and he’s good enough for me, what was I going to say to them if I took their guy and gave him this new guy?
So I kept them.
I’d been to war five times, you know you never, never, you never suspect that something like this is going to happen to you.
That’s when I got wounded and that young 19yearold kid.
He put the tourniquet on my legs.
He saved my life.
I would not be here if that young man didn’t answer the call.
I believed in him, that I believed that he was going to save my life.
No, but I believe in him, and that’s what that’s what being a teammate is about.
It’s really about belief.
Who has it better than us?
No, when I think about that, I think about this team here.
Whether every single one of you from last year’s team was on this team, it would still be a different team.
It’s going to be a different fight you can’t fight.
Fight the war from last year.
You can’t play the season from last year.
This is a brand new season.
Every day you have a chance to build on.
That, can’t Coast?
You have to hold yourself accountable.
You have to hold yourself accountable to being the best that you can be.
Yeah, this what I’m waiting on right here.
Come here, boy, come here, energy, boys, energy.
Let’s go, let’s go.
The approach to the work never change as long as you still have that, that motivation and that drive to want to be better each and every day, and I think that’s just been the mindset for me.
It never gets old.
It’s one of those things that you anticipate, because there’s all these sights, sounds, smells that just remind you that it’s training camp.
Let’s go, fellas, nobody run through the defense.
Baby, set your pad, baby, make sure your pads work in 2024.
Oh good, good Blaster, Blaster, Blaster, good job, good job.
It’s a physical lead, especially planning the Alc.
So if I can keep my body strong, I think that’ll keep me healthy.
Just a reason to come in.
Take advantage of that.
I’m like Batman.
I like to work in the dark.
So your opportunity is now.
Just stay tuned.
It’s going to be exciting.
Everything that you do singularly feeds into you being the best player and the best teammate that you can be, on your way to being a champion, on your way to being successful.
And there’s no doubt, in this campaign, in this season, there’s going to be trying times.
There’s going to be challenges, injury, defeat- that’s all part of life.
But do you have the fortitude?
Do you have the understanding?
Do you have the character that doesn’t allow you to lose sight, doesn’t allow you to lose your commitment and your focus truly on where it is that you’re going and what it takes every single day for you to put this all together.
Here, all guys Thr the bike from for like 3, 4 minutes.
Then we go do the Viper work to get warmed up, activated.
We little total body work.
I came here in um 2017, so I came here and train one time, never left.
Wow, my first impression like man.
This guy is U really really good and he wants to get better every day.
Men, male, like brothers.
I don’t want to be nowhere else.
You know he’s family.
Now he knows me.
I know him.
We have the same type of mindset.
I feel like I’ve grown every year.
I came here as a player, my body, my preparation.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
So it’s been working.
So I’ve been happy.
Good, let’s go in fight mode.
This is where Legends are main sto told.
This is where the we come and perish.
Cuz they fold.
If you want to live forever, got to be bold, Warrior brutality.
You got to be cold.
You got to be aage if you want to take control.
This is what we wi it on.
Good, D, perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect.
Drve your knee up, Drive good.
Drive the Kne the high for you.
Bring your toe up with you.
Let’s go right there.
Perfect Drive, perfect, good, 8 side.
Let’s go, yep, right there, come on right there.
Good balance, control, don’t fall off that thing.
Yes, Sir, one good, two, good, three, two, one, it just work, Baby, Come on.
B done now, perfect, D, good, good, good, good, perfect.
Get them legs up, there you go.
Yes, sir, good day, good Tempo, good, Pace, just work, baby, just little work.
It’s time to bring the.
I’m the new coming, time to pass me the torch inside a new course.
It’s time to bring the force.
I’m the new com, time to pass me the torch inside a new course.
It’s time to Br the good go, good, perfect.
I like that, I like that, I like that nice Ti boss.
Yeah, He comes out, come, comes up with crazy stuff throughout the years.
Any ID do he come up with?
We, we’ll try it.
Somewhat viral.
What derck Henry’s doing right now?
This dude training by sprinting uphills, the defensive end that plays running back.
That’s insane, insane, you know, it’s all of us just trying to find different ways to improve and and get better.
Sometimes it catches people, ey people want to try it, and ends up on Espn or or whatever.
But it’s all, all of us is trying to get better.
Sports, B, mechanics and things like that.
You know, over time you learn more, you train guys differently.
Like said, I think probably year one, year two we’re doing heavy squats, super heavy deadlifts and things like that.
Now we do a lot more functional training with Cle Bells, the Vipers and and things like that.
You know we do still go heavy at times, but there a lot more of functional movement involved.
I mean get more than it used to be good, they good, they good, good, good, good.
I say there is a 1center of people in the world.
I said he shows up to work, does two days.
A lot of days, I mean season ends, like he’s literally here 2 days later and and the goals are just continue to get better and take care of his body every year.
And, like I said, he does have a mindset to be the best.
And like everyday, like we say everyday hard work and like thing with him, and it truly is De like, say there’s not.
One day he’s going to come in, he’s not.
He’s going to complain, he’s not going to work, he’s going to want to get better every day.
The approach to the work never change.
I think it’s just your mindset.
I want to improve every single day, no matter how far you come in life, whether it’s good or it’s bad, as long as you still have that, that motivation and that drive to be better each and every day-
And I think that’s been the mindset for me- just continue to get better every year.
And he hasn’t show signs of slowing down yet, and that’s true.
I mean, like said people, like all running backs, get older as it going, like literally, I mean, as you guys can see today, he he’s not slowing down at all.
Keep grinding until we report.
Um, that’s the mindset.
That’s what I continue to do.
I’m excited.
This is a New Journey for me.
Uh, excited to be a part of this journey, um, to to to be with this organization, and, um, you know, just ready to put the work in and let it all come together.
It starts, uh, Dur, in training camp, but putting the work in until then, go we out here.
We got a camp.
We got a lot of kids.
They love me out here in Baltimore.
I love them.
Tou, how you going to be a Steelers fan, but you on the Ravens playground, I just got everybody here today.
Get them out in the sun a little bit.
Come play on a nice playground, get some good food.
We got ice cream out here.
I just kind of wanted to have like a little a mini fun day out here.
What’s up, bro up?
How old are you dang?
I ain’t no kids bigger than me.
You know it’s great to come back and be in the community.
I love kids, cuz I was a kid once
And I a really get to meet anybody that was in the Nfl, that was in a professional sport.
So every chance I get to do something with kids, I I try to take that chance.
Having my son just made that open my eyes to like how important it is to pour into the youth.
It’s important to me because, being with the Ravens, I’m put up on this pedestal, so my influence kind of spreads out a little bit.
If I pour inspiration to kids like, it’ll help lead them down the right way.
My favorite partner, kids, I broke never what
I we you $20 for.
I’m so confused now.
You got me so confused that I think I might owe you.
I got energy like a kid.
So be around the kids.
They burn my energy.
I burn ass and we have fun more go.
Oh, got him, there we go.
Yeah, Baltimore has poured into me so much financially, just support-wise and love.
So I just felt like it was time for me to start doing my part and giving back.
Weever is watching this live on camera.
I’m so happy right now.
Oh, I’m on top of the world.
I’m on Cloud9 right now just to be able to see the kids smiling and having a good time see them smile.
That’s the best part: just being able to engage with them.
And I mean shoot, I’m like a superstar to these guys.
So I just feel like it’s only right that I come out here and let them know that, like I was in that same shoes once upon a time, and I just want to be serve as motivation for them.
I come from the same thing what what they was trying to do come from little leag.
So just get a chance to get out here in front of the kids and try to be a good role model for them.
Love you.
Go back to your Rav, me, Ra, on three, 1, 2, 3.
Yeah, when you start arriving in training camp, you smell and feel the humidity.
You smell the cut grass that’s wet.
There’s all these sights, sounds, smells that just remind you that it’s training camp where there’s this energy and this feeling of hopefulness.
It never gets old.
It’s one of those things that you anticipate.
You know that we are star for football.
When we are leading the show with a guy walking into a building.
Wake up to the basics.
Everyone loves you.
When you make it, I smile and wake up and sing braces.
Man, Rayy, back.
Man.
Back to work, back to work, back to work.
I love it so much.
All we see is guys arriving, and that is literally my favorite part of all this.
They are here, football is here and it is literally the best I’m ready to go.
Man, how Yall doing.
Feel good, feel great.
We back at the castle, they feeling pretty good.
Man, 27, year, 7even, I can’t complain.
Year five, let’s do it.
The biggest thing I was most excited for coming back was being with the guys.
I was excited to get back with the guys, to get back to work, so we could go after our goal again and knock it out this time.
Who did you miss the most this off season?
That’s tough to say.
Justtin my guy, my boy, Kyle vanoi.
I would say Kyle Hamilton, missing his little corny jokes.
My guy, Michael Pierce, everybody.
Man, I can’t play favorites.
Hey, the grind man, the grind to the Super Bowl.
That’s what it’s about.
Let’s get to it.
See you guys out here at the practice field.
Maybe I’ll invite a couple out soon.
Get out, enjoy it with the kids and whatnot.
It’ll be a nice Camp.
You know, we about to get the day started.
Training camp, man, you know we live in here.
Just check the fit out.
Stup.
Roll here, guys, try to keep moving quick and fast and out point right now.
We got to get ready for what this camp we got.
Get ready for what this hand is.
I mean we’re all thinking the same way.
We have a shared understanding.
We know where we’re going right and we know what we’re capable of.
You have set the stage for training camp with what you’ve done right, and that’s where we are not.
And the purpose of training camp is to make our football team what it’s going to be all Se.
It’s a great opportunity to get a lot of work done, to get really good at what we do, at the methods and how we do it, to get good at offense, defense and special teams.
It’s going to be a gr, but the grind to who we are and, truthfully what we’re capable of accomplishing.
It’s St time and some teams make the most of it and some teams don’t all right and it affects for the rest of the season.
So let’s, let’s come out of training camp way ahead, right by just getting after it and having a great Camp time to be great man all day.
First day it feels good.
The fans out here, nice and hot.
It’s going to be a good one.
They got to bring the music back out.
We need a little music, a little juice.
Yes, Sir, yeah, y’all boys, be great today, man.
We can talk about it that we got to come out here and do it time to be great, time to be great man.
I put my foot down going 100.
I’m going win a race.
Yeah, slow down, never.
Not me.
We not cuing the same cloth and my head down, I my.
The first week is critical for so many people.
It sets the tone for everything that comes after.
It’s such an inspiring couple weeks to watch the dedication and hard work that goes into it.
Honestly, right now we just coming out every day and going to work.
It’s a Grind: practicing every day, going against each other, every day, going out there, giving effort each and every day.
You know, that’s how you make each other better.
We’re just getting started.
You got the opportunity to show yourself how far you come and then to show the coaches and your teammates what you do in training camp shows the coaches and the front office whether you’re able or capable or willing to fit into a certain role, and it’s really an incredible opportunity.
You can control your own destiny.
We out here, man.
We out here, man.
Let’s Camp going.
Set the tone.
Tempo be good, Mama, there go that man 44, so always a great day.
I see you out here, dog.
I think the first thing you see about Zack, or is the energy.
Yeah, this why I’m waiting on right here.
This, what, this why I was waiting on right here.
I want to see if that Ro, I want to see if that Roan Smith.
I want to see if he, that guy they say he is no, feels real good, feel inspired.
We got to come out.
Set the toe early on defense.
You know what I mean.
There you go, good, good, good, good, good, good, good.
Third and four.
Third and four, third and four.
He got like this: energy about him, like like he still plays.
Nah, now, start right here, y’all up here.
All right.
So work your quick game.
Reactions, real quick, all right, here we go.
Boom, I see you got.
See the quick game.
See the quick game, boom, clear that quick game, Marus.
If, if he looking away from you, protect, check down, all right.
If he looking to you, then you push flat.
Right now, all right, go the curl flat.
Y, here we go.
Pop them feet first, All Right, Punch Out.
There you go.
Go again, Nate.
Go again, Nate.
Go again, Nate, it’s just going one line row.
Here we go.
Yeah, quick G, boom, there you go.
Good, here we go.
Here we go.
Here we go.
Here we go.
Oh, here we go.
Here we go.
All right, here we go.
Bring it up, bring it up, bring it up, bring it up, bring it up, let’s get to that ball, man, let’s get to that ball, tag up, get to the ball, tag off.
Get to the ball, tag off, get to the ball.
Oh, pick it up.
There you go.
R, oh, that’s almost.
He still has that hunger, like he’s a player, even as a coach.
Oh good, good Blaster, Blaster, Blaster, good job, good job, good job, good job.
He celebrates as much as the players when they make a play.
Good job, good job, good job, good job, there you go.
Good good, there we go.
There is a standard of defensive football in Baltimore.
Certain things- principles that they do defense ly-
That work for them and that are prime reasons.
They had one of the top defenses in the League last year, Zack or, knows the standard and he’s going to make sure the defense plays up to it.
I think you going to see a bunch of guys out there hunting.
It’s going to be physical, it’s going to be vient and we’re going to be really fast.
Hey, that, like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, man, today was a dog day.
This may be the hottest day.
Yeah, a a little warm.
I I like it when it’s a little.
You know what I mean.
Yeah, you got to have a little hum, man.
Yeah, I need give me some sunscreen.
Know, being able to be coached through the mental part and the physical part in the heat is really important.
You ain’t get in football shape by playing football, by pushing yourself.
You know we want to kick ass and let’s practice like we want to kick ass.
I know Ro talks about it all the time.
We all do.
We all know this, especially when fatigue sets in practicing in the elements and having to deal with weather it.
It always has this psychological component of pushing your mind to places and to limits that are so critical.
When you get deep into the season, you think back to sweating on the field, grinding in the humidity with your brothers, and it makes you want to play a little bit harder for them.
I need a h, some ice.
I think you try to make Camp as hard as possible for yourself is challenges you to push yourself harder.
It’s an opportunity to prepare yourself for when the bullets actually flying.
Oh, Lord have mercy, recognize that time in practice as your opportunity, because fatigue is going to set in in the game, and that’s your opportunity.
Cuz, when you get tired, he gets tired.
All right, make it your business to train yourself to be ready for that opportunity to take over the game against your opponent.
That’s when you take that guy out.
When fatigue sets in.
Okay, late in the fight, who’s going to land the punches?
Who’s going to defend himself?
Energy, boys, energy.
Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go here.
It is right, let’s go.
Oo good ball, throw a flag on you, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it flag with a play.
I need some.
That’s a real good job and a very good start.
All right, that’s our beginning.
We go from here every day a little bit better, watch it.
But, man, I really like the way we just started.
Okay, So now we get in there.
Clean this thing up.
Okay, freaking, even better day, tomor, before we break it up here we’ll get a word from Mark Andrew and man.
Hey, man, training camp have intent every day to be great, get better and better.
But Coach Harb said yesterday: that’s invaluable.
Man, let’s see where this team can go.
Man, a lot of dogs all year we attack everything.
Sir, yes, sir, together, all three, one, two, three.
How you doing, guys, you having fun today, you guys having fun, good, like to introduce myself.
Todd Monin, you had the glass.
I couldn’t see it.
Smile, pleasure, hey, Todd Monin.
Todd Monin, that dude is Awesome.
Thank.
I’m just going to tell you I don’t know what it’ll be in, but he is going to be successful.
Hopefully it’s in football for 10 years.
Hopefully it’s for a long time.
But what a great young man believe in the acorn trees.
Go acorns.
You know what I’m saying.
It’s the way it works, heading over to uh owing Mills and uh Team hotel where they got the players standing for a training camps.
It’s a surreal feeling in that, you know, Kadir is, uh, playing for the Ravens.
Come on, guys, let’s go sign some autographs got.
Sign some autographs for him to be a part of the Ravens.
It’s not like, Oh well, your dad, you know, or anything?
No, he earned it on his own Merit and at the same time, you know, it’s not about him just being some content guy like Gee goly, I got a Raven sweatshirt shirt
And I’m on the team.
No, it’s about.
I feel that I have the skills and I want to show off these skills when my opportunity presents itself and again, however it might turn out, it’s going to turn out.
Yeah, the biggest thing is just, you know, kind of training camp.
Um, how to make the team?
What’s your mindset as far as making the team?
You know, no coach want you to just be like: oh gee, I’m happy to be here.
Nah, screw, all that it’s about.
Like Yo, I want to compete and I want to put myself in great position that when they’re having meetings, it’s hard for them to get rid of me.
How you feeling feel good, had a say drive over man.
That drive was so smooth, so easy Beltway traffic was like less than less than
Yeah.
Yeah,
Yeah, yeah, practices back then, compared to now, were two days, legit.
Yeah, bro, you went by seniority, cuz we only had two floors, so they had all offense alignment on the first floor to stay their knees.
If you were an older vet, D lineman, you would be on the first floor.
Y, but I was fortunate, cuz I had Webster Slaughter, we walking up in there.
Okay, what floor do I got?
I got Webon Slaughter first floor.
Thank you, Lord.
I’m going to get this bed next to the window.
Don’t ask me why, I’m just going to do it.
Cu, you have a roommate, then too.
We have roomm.
Yeah, Like we own room, like now, it’s like, you know.
Oh, you got a double bed in your room.
All the vet get King beds, but other that it’s man.
You got your own room on Space.
Come back to, it’s nice chill.
So yes, special teams wise, though, getting some good ball in there.
Yeah, we did.
Uh, punt, um, first day.
Uh, so that’s just like day one stuff.
So I did some Gunner stuff with Sam.
So my Gunner story is this: I was in Indianapolis my final year.
So that was what 2002 Tony jungie, our head coach.
Uh, Tony goes up in front of the team meeting, our first team meeting.
He goes: guys, we got 53 man roster.
I’mma tell you right now who is going to make the team, and then he picks: boom, you see a gunner out there.
He goes: this guy right here has a little red pin light.
He’s like this guy right here.
That’s the Gunner, that guy, if he can do this, and he show the guy releasing off the line, defeating double coverage, going down there and blowing up the punt.
Return, he goes: if you, that guy, you can do that, you’re going to make the team.
People underestimate the power of special teams and they always think about their individual position rather than like: go out there and bust your butt and get your mind right.
For special teams, yeah, because that’s that’s critical, make sure, I’m on that too.
Yeah, We don’t want.
Yeah, exactly exactly.
Y, yeah,
Yeah, but listen, I know you got to get your rest.
Do all your things, brother, love you, man, appreciate you always.
Keep doing your thing, brother, keep doing your thing, man.
Amen, let’s go hit, let’s just hit 10 here.
Okay, hardest time of the year to come in on your off day is definitely training camp, you know, so shows a lot of dedication, shows a lot of commitment to it, and that’s really who he is.
You got to keep your body strong.
It’s a physical lead, especially playing in the Alc.
So if I can keep my body strong, I think that’ll keep me healthy.
Just a reason to come in and take advantage of that.
I’m like Batman.
I like the work in the dark.
Like what year is this for you?
Is this?
Is this five?
Yeah, That’s G quicky, is this?
Ric Blacko is sacked.
Brck Washington, turning up the heat down.
He go hit on the play by Brck Washington.
Ball comes loose and the Ravens recover, pocket collapsing.
He’s hit inside.
Rodick Washington, coming strong up the middle.
Basically tomorrow, first day of pad.
So we don’t want to do too much.
We still want to be explosive in the workout, but we don’t want to do too much because tomorrow going to be a heavy day.
I probably won’t get up to a crazy weight today, um, but I’ll still be able to come in and like, get good work, good, explosive work.
His first set.
He is going to take here his 405 on the bar plus the chains, and he’ll build heavier and heavier.
But if it’s Pittsburgh we, we going to put 600 on the bar, 600 plus, but not today.
Prey this two to four.
So four and done two, you can split another two.
I’m going to do four if they ever give you a rep count between, like two or four.
You always got to do the most as a big guy, slightly different.
But I like the mentality he approaches it with.
Having the range gives you a little more freedom with that weight to kind of be right and or wrong.
As a lineman I take that as a challenge and I feel like he’s saying, uh, you, you probably can do two,
But I don’t think you can do four, so I do four.
I always do the top number.
Br likes to work and he’s a Phen.
He’s got a phenomenal work ethic.
He’s got a phenomenal drive to do it.
Man, there’s not.
There’s not a weekend when I wasn’t here this year when you w the bus ass.
Oh yeah,
They ain’t going to change, they can’t change, they ain’t going to change at all.
No, working out to me is like selfcare, I don’t know.
I just feel like you got to keep your body strong.
I enjoy lifting and working out.
I feel like it help a lot.
So I’m in here as much as I can.
What’s up you in the summer?
What we tell you to get away for 3, 4 days?
Oh yeah, please don’t let us see in here for the next 4 days.
Yeah, I don’t know.
Man, it’s hard.
You’ve gained experience as well as you’ve been doing this, yeah, of knowing your body and how to get good work.
Yeah, that pairs without there.
So it helps you, not tires you.
Most of my extra work would always be in the weight room, as I’ve been around a little bit more in the league.
Um, I started to like do more football stuff, because, like, you could be like the strongest guy ever, but if you’re not working on your football stuff too, like you, kind of getting stronger and taking away from football.
So you got to do both.
Tomorrow, first day of Pat, it’s less of a leash on you.
Like, we still want to protect our teammates and stuff.
But, like, I think it’s like the real first time you can let all your training, all the stuff you did during the summer, during the offseason, like show.
It’s the first real chance to play like real football when the pass come on.
It’s like everything real.
Now, just stay tuned.
It’s going to be exciting.
It’s going to be exciting.
It’s going to be a great first day tomorrow.
I want to set the agenda, man, how we going to see how we all see pass rush, the same.
Okay, first thing you see: up there are the legendary greatest pass rush groups of all time, the New York sack exchange.
At one time, all time lead sack, Mark Gasau, the purple people eaters.
Uh, fantastic, still curtain Monsters of the mid Midway Bears, Gang Green with Reggie White, Jerome Brown, bullies of Baltimore.
Man.
So, guys, we’re going to talk about from the Baltimore Ravens how, how we see it, okay, and how we can continue to finish games and take it to a whole another level.
Let your skills be the foundation.
Let your athleticism and size be the support system, meaning your skills is what the most important part.
You can be big, small, fast, short, you can be whatever, black white.
If you ain’t got no skills, eventually it’s going to show up.
The athleticism part is: don’t mean nothing.
Size, strength, don’t mean nothing.
Strongest guy in here.
He’s not guaranteed to get sacks, nor is the fastest guy, he, the most skilled guy.
It’s a great day today, man, like, be as real as I possi could be the underwear Olympics over with.
Right.
To be honest with you, everybody could look good and run to the ball, play hard and and and do all that without the pads on.
But the game, football play with pads.
So today, Bro, we need to see we playing ball.
We take care of the offense, we not tackl him, not taking him to the ground, not slinging, guys.
I’m going show you guys examples.
We striking blocks and getting off blocks right, we physically wrapping up the ball, carry all right, we got the pad on.
We need to use them.
So you want to make impression on us.
Uh, today, as, as a football player, want make impression on your teammates.
As a football player, bring your, bring your pad, bring your pad, set your pad, all right, all right.
First day in pad man, you got to set the tone.
Everybody got that, and I’m not talking about just for for for camp, but for the season.
The type of player you want to be, the type of season we want to have, the type of front we want to be right, want to be physical, nasty flesh eating type front, all right, and we have to do those things in practice.
Do those things in game, all right, and that starts, thing which I’m over the moon about, right.
I’m really trying to keep my composure, but um, I’m excited to see Y guys out there perform everybody.
Good, see Y boys out there.
The energy ratchets up in a way when the pads come M, because it’s the Cal before the storm.
F. now, physical day.
Here we go.
It’s the first day of pass.
It’ll be good to let these pads set on down.
It’s almost like everything builds up to the moment of the crescendo, the pad’s coming in when the pass come on.
It’s time to go kick somebody’s ass.
Plain and simple: go, that’s talking about.
That’s how we finish.
That’s how we finish, ain’t?
No more underwear, Olymp pass pass.
That’s how we finish the drill.
So I’m talking about vience with from the moment that players get out there in pads- and we talked about the sights and the sounds of smell- your pads have a smell and it almost triggers something within your mind that makes you act and behave differently out on the field.
So there’s definitely an increased energy when the pads come on, that great sound of football when those two pads come together.
Let’s go, baby, here we go.
Go.
I see you be got to make sure I still got it.
Hey, Chuck, I’m com.
I’m coming out here like a Me machine.
I got to make sure I still got it.
Woo, come here, boy, come here, mat.
Who got that mat?
Just wait till the pads get on.
It’s going to be different, just because the days that we don’t have on pad kind of like a dog on a leash.
But then, once the pads come on, it’s like you can release that aggression from the snap until like getting to the ball carrier.
It’s like really real.
They just want me to go down once I’m done with you.
You witness what I’m made of and you ain’t going to want to go again.
Take the challenge.
Show me what you made of acting so Invincible.
Take a risk and show me what you made of.
Show me what there is I need to know.
Take a chance and show me your potential.
You can’t win if you’re afraid to fall.
I’m ready for the chance to elevate.
Then I take: yeah, be Steve ain’t the underwear Olympics, baby, good work.
W, don’t let it scare you, Marel.
Let’s go, fellas, nobody run through the defense.
Baby, set your pads, baby, make sure your pads work in 2024.
Good Tr, fly to that ball.
This what we build our stamina right here.
Baby, we build our stamina right here.
This is how the game’s played, so just be out here, you know, in front of fans going against each other, making each other better.
It’s good first practice.
So got to build off of that at every point.
It’s going to get hard for each and every one of us.
We about to go on a six day stretch.
We call it hell week, whatever the case may be, whether it’s injuries, getting your body going, depth chart, whatever the case may be.
Bro, the thing that keeps me going every day and the thing that I remind myself of is: this is what I pray for.
So when I was in D1a, all that other stuff, wherever you was in life, regardless where you at in the depth chart, regardless where your body feel, any any other kind of thing like that- just remember it was a time where you was praying to be right here.
Yeah, intensity that we wanted to do right.
We knew it was going to be a fysical day.
Coach talked about it earlier and that’s what you did.
Man, you met it
Full Speed Ahead, and I really appreciate that.
Okay, all right.
So let’s make sure we get back means and continue the day.
Right day is not open.
We still got an opportunity to get better.
Everybody got it.
Keep working, man.
Come on in Jo, your circle, right here, brother in the circle.
Oh, all right, good to see y’all again, all right.
Um, you know, solid first day in pads.
Obviously, some things that you kind of anticipate will happen would be, you know, a little bit more lack of communication, you know, a little bit lack of technique, only because now you’re thinking I’m going to just put my hands and run to stuff which there is an element to that.
Okay, all right.
So obviously, tomorrow we’ll put that whole thing together.
You know, we’re doing big dogs all three, 1, 2, three big dogs.
And so today, in our team meeting, all right, coach talked about: uh, embrace the suck, right, embrace the suck.
What does embrace?
Suck me, going going through like the tough things and not just crying about it, but just going through it, because everybody got to go through it, correct, everybody got to go through it.
So it’s no different than what we talked about.
You know, day one what stands in away becomes away.
You know what I mean, right.
The next thing is the next thing.
You have to go straight through it.
You know what I’m saying, like I gotta go straight through this scoop.
I got.
Go straight through this.
I got go straight through.
Run to the ball.
You know what I mean.
There really no ways around it.
If you want to be great, you know what I mean, which this this room definitely has opportunity to everybody.
Get on that all right.
So let’s make sure our mind set Focus for that.
Tomorrow we’re going all in all right: hitting blocks, get off of blocks, rushing P, doing everything.
Everybody do that all right, not Triple H big dog.
All right, hero hardship, and highlight hero hardship and highlight the triple hes.
I think that’s just a way for us to get even closer.
It’s hard to go to war with somebody, you don’t know.
I think it’s a good thing, because it challenges people that normally don’t talk that much.
To open up Er.
Put your hand in Man Y Gang gang.
Come on.
I actually got a couple Heroes.
My high school head coach, um John King.
Um, he’s my hero.
He’s my hero because he believed in me when I was going through like a kind of rough time in life.
He stayed on me, believed in me and he gave me a vision.
And me, following that vision, has gotten me here today.
Nice, there you go, Brock.
Good, nice, the job.
My hardship was losing my grandmother.
Um, she was kind of like the Rock in my family, like everybody leaned on her if we needed anything, and then she passed away.
So she used to take care of the family
And I kind of put in the back of my mind I was like one day I’m going to be able to take care of my family, like my grandmother did.
My highlighted my life most recently was having my son, that little guy he’s.
He’s been here what seven, seven, almost eight months now, and he’s changed my life tremendously.
I learned things from him about myself every day.
He brightened up my world so much.
I needed him more than he needed me, and that’s my little guy.
All right, we can rolling here while we’re at it.
You might as well have the best meeting in the National Football League tonight and every night.
Let’s be great man.
You guys have been great.
Great two days with pads.
We get a nice rest tomorrow.
We’ll come back and have great two days on Monday and Tuesday, and then we’ll roll from there.
So proud of you.
Love what you’re doing Workwise, love the attention to detail, physicality- all of it just outand competitiveness, coaching each other up.
It’s just outstanding, all right.
So Spotlight tonight, Colonel Greg Gatson- uh, kind of almost known more for the acting part of it, maybe in the last 10 years or so, than before.
But what became before?
That was a uh, decorated military career, very courageous man, great leader, football player at West Point, car gson.
Well, good afternoon, gentlemen.
Coach, thank you very much for for allowing me to to really share a few of my thoughts and perspectives about, uh, about your season, about your journey.
About 19 years ago I I had a chance- uh, selected to to to lead a battalion, to lead a unit of about 400 plus soldiers, much like being the head coach of a a football team, kind of that last position where you get the lead.
Uh, those folks that we, the rubber, meet the road.
The night I was wounded, I would go through 129 pints of blood and die six times that evening.
So, man, I can say that I’m here today because my team, cuz my team, save my life.
You all will be Champions because you play as a team.
You all will be Champions because you’re committed, because you believe, and there’s nothing that you won’t do.
To that end, you got to put the work in, you got to hold yourself accountable and you got to believe in what you’re doing.
You can have no doubt there could be no daylight in that.
You are good enough.
So put the work in.
Believe in each other, hold each other accountable, pick each other up.
Those are all the things that you got to do for this campaign, this season.
That’s going on, and that’s why it’s so hard.
That’s what makes it so tough.
This life, I think, for me, is not about what you achieve- necessarily what you accumulate, but it’s about what you leave.
This team in this form, it can last forever.
It can last forever by what you give it, what you put into it.
My Super Bowl that year, even though I didn’t cross the finish line with my unit, was in April of 2008.
When they returned, we were one of six battalions.
120 men did not come home alive on a 15-month deployment, but my Battalion was the only one in that Brigade that bought everybody back alive.
That’s what belief is.
That’s how powerful it is.
So I wish you all.
I wish you all the best as you take on this season.
Love one another, believe in one another, fight for each other, and you will, you will be champions.
When we think about adults in professions, we think about 9 to5.
We think about jobs where a lot of people get to go home, make dinner, see their kids, be with their families.
An Nfl player and Nfl coach doesn’t have that opportunity, at least during training camp.
They’re Waking Up Football, they’re going to bed.
Football, they’re.
Entire life is football.
Who has it better than us?
No, what I miss most about it is that time we get to spend every day, every day leading up during the offseason, and then, boom, you got to go back to work and you just try to make the most of it.
Tell you, when was that?
Two Reds?
You’re all right, I’m fine.
I know you’re fine.
You’re a Horton.
In this business, we have to say no, quite a bit.
We have adversity and different things.
We don’t always get what we want want.
This is just a reminder of for me that you have to persevere.
