00:00Mike Iwenu is joining us from the field level.
00:03Hello. Yeah, I'm here.
00:04What's up?
00:05How's practice?
00:07Practice was good. It's cool out here.
00:09How's this camp been this year compared to previous years for you?
00:14Feels like you guys have had a lot of walkthroughs.
00:17Is it cushy?
00:18I'm not going to say it's cushy.
00:20I would say as far as walkthroughs during the week, it's been new for me.
00:25We usually do have walkthroughs to the end of the day, but it's been new.
00:28I can't complain about it.
00:29It feels good to recover a little bit and get ready for the next day.
00:34How excited are you for tomorrow, Mike, to see some different faces,
00:37compete against a different team when the commanders come to town?
00:39Yeah, I'm very excited.
00:40It'll be nice to compete.
00:42Obviously, we've got the next opponent, and they're the next guy.
00:45So I'm excited for it, and everyone else is excited for it.
00:49What's the biggest thing you can get from these practices for you?
00:51You're a veteran guy.
00:53You played a lot of football.
00:54But when you get an opportunity to go against another team, what can you get from that session that you wouldn't be able to get from a normal practice?
01:02Oh, yeah.
01:02Definitely the competition.
01:04I mean, it's all different guys, different interior guys and different edge guys around the league.
01:09So, I mean, it's kind of like a game without being a game as far as the practice.
01:14You know, you get to work on new technique, try new things.
01:17You're going against guys that you haven't been going against throughout the week that know your tendencies, know how you play and whatnot.
01:25So this is a great time to try new things and just get out your comfort zone and just try new things against new players and good players.
01:32Mike, are you guys finding some regularity in the rotations on the line?
01:35You got some new faces here this year.
01:37Are you guys starting to gel and figure that out?
01:39Yeah, everyone has been gelling.
01:41I mean, anyone that's in there, we're all good.
01:43We communicate.
01:43We over-communicate a lot.
01:45So for anybody, any guy that's in there, you know, the transition has kind of been seamless, just making sure to communicate, make sure that everyone is on the same page.
01:54Well, when you're the guy who's got the experience in Josh McDaniels' system, Mike, my guess is the language is going to be really similar, if not the same, to what it was back in 2021 when Josh was last year.
02:07So do you have to play translator sometimes, whether it's in the locker room or the meeting room?
02:11If there aren't coaches around and guys come to you with questions, how frequently does that happen, you know, because you're sort of the – you're the oracle when it comes to understanding the McDaniels' offense?
02:20Yeah, and I won't say it's the same thing as it was a couple years ago, but it's kind of similar as far as O-line jobs and whatnot.
02:28But I would say I have been in that situation a couple times where it's, you know, translating or just interpreting, you know, what they're saying and just how to voice it to understand it for the whole room or just in general, whatever guy's asking you.
02:40What stood out to you about the two rookies on the offensive line and Will Campbell and Jared Wilson as they transition to the NFL here?
02:47I would really just say their play style and their intelligence, both very intelligent guys that see the game and, you know, the more that they go deeper and deeper through the offense, you know, they pick up skills and tactics and just know how defenses will play against them and reading defenses at that.
03:04Are you seeing a different Drake May in year two?
03:07Yeah, I have.
03:07Drake has been good.
03:08Drake has been slinging the ball.
03:10He's been happy and whatnot.
03:11So, you know, I think he's been good.
03:13So, you know, as long as we're doing our job, then he'll be good.
03:16He's been happy?
03:17Why has he been – how have you noticed that he's been happy, Mike?
03:19He's always happy.
03:20He's always smiling.
03:21But like I said, as long as we're doing our job, he'll be smiling.
03:25We're talking with Mike.
03:25Mike, we were talking to Garrett Bradbury a couple of weeks ago, and I know that he's a former NFL PA rep,
03:32and I know you've got a role in that.
03:34What has been your role here in recent weeks with all the turmoil with the NFL PA in terms of communicating with your teammates,
03:42kind of staying involved and knowing what's going on, and how does that – how do you deal with that right now?
03:47Yeah, I've been pretty new to it.
03:48So, I mean, I've kind of just been picking up.
03:51We had guys that were ahead of me in this role or as the NFL PA – what's the name?
03:59And so, as far as this year, you know, I've just been really taking the feedback,
04:03just understanding, just reading the information in the package
04:05and just understanding what I'm getting myself into.
04:08So, it's been good for me.
04:10You know, I've talked to a lot of guys on different teams
04:12and a lot of guys that have been reps for a long time.
04:14So, I've been learning more.
04:17Mike, we had a chance to talk to Jared Wilson yesterday,
04:19and he's got all sorts of rookie-related duties,
04:23and some of them are similar to things that you, I'm sure, had to do back in 2020.
04:26But the one he kept focusing on was grabbing the snacks.
04:30He's got to get the snacks for you guys.
04:33I mean, does he ever screw that up?
04:35And what's the punishment if you screw up the snacks?
04:37What are we talking about when we're talking snacks for an offensive lineman?
04:40Yeah, it's not only him, but definitely if they don't do it,
04:44then they will get fined or it'll be – they'll have something to look forward to.
04:49So, I'm not going to divulge information,
04:50but if it's not taken care of, then, yeah, it'll be something.
04:54So, we've heard about the rookie dinners over the years where the rookies get the bill.
04:58Is that still happening?
04:59Does that still go on?
05:00Yeah, it's still happening.
05:01We've been having a bunch of dinners and whatnot,
05:03so it hasn't been on them yet, but we've been building anticipation.
05:07I mean, you've got –
05:08Keep on their toes.
05:09For sure.
05:09You've got some high picks there, too, Mike.
05:11High picks.
05:11Right.
05:12Like, rookies –
05:12Right.
05:13Campbell can afford it.
05:14Break out the platinum.
05:14Oh, yeah.
05:15Every time we go out, they get scared a little bit.
05:17They start sweating, but we just tell them to hold on.
05:19We're going to wait until we get some more fees on it.
05:21All right, Mike, appreciate the time.
05:24Appreciate it, too.
05:24Thanks, Mike.
05:25Y'all take care.
05:26Mike and Wenner joining us from the field level.
05:28Can you imagine what that bill would look like with the offensive line,
05:32those guys, just the amount of food they could put away?
05:35First rounder, man.
05:36Big contract.
05:38I always love –
05:39And NIL money.
05:40Yeah.
05:40Yeah, that's true.
05:42I always love in hard knocks over the years,
05:44different teams that make their rookies get up and announce their signing bonus.
05:47That's great.
05:48And more than one team has done that.
05:49Oh, I'm sure, yeah.
05:50That wouldn't surprise me if they had to do that here, too.
