00:00Morning.
00:01Good morning.
00:03How you doing?
00:04How's it going?
00:04Good, how are you?
00:06Have you ever been spit on in-game?
00:12Yeah, football, there's a lot of crazy things that happen in football.
00:16I'm sad to see something like that happen last night.
00:19It really is.
00:20Two great players, two faces of the league.
00:24I hate to see it happen.
00:26You spit on me, it's up.
00:28So, Robert, when you look at this game here,
00:33you're going against your former team, what's that mean for you?
00:36Because I remember playing against the Patriots when I played for Minnesota
00:39and I wanted to absolutely destroy them, not only win the game,
00:43but individually have a great game.
00:45What's your feeling heading into this game against your former team?
00:49Yeah, to me, this is the most important game in the season.
00:53Why?
00:53Because it's the next one.
00:54We prepare for 17 games, one at a time.
00:59Just so happens to be the Raiders, the team that I played for the past two years.
01:03Got a lot of great friends still in that building, but it's one week at a time.
01:10And we're putting all our eggs into this one basket for this game.
01:14And we'll do that for week two as well.
01:16Robert, you've had preseasons with the Titans, the Steelers, like what you said, the Raiders.
01:21Where would you compare this Patriots preseason among the other ones you've experienced?
01:27I'm really excited about our guys.
01:31The defense in specific, the guys I get to work with most.
01:35I'm just really proud of how we all came to work this offseason.
01:40And Sunday is just an opportunity for us to put it on display.
01:45What was your experience like with, were you with Josh McDaniels when he was in Vegas?
01:51Yeah, Coach Josh brought me out to Vegas.
01:54What was he like as a coach and why do you think that ended abruptly?
01:58You know, I think he's a really good coach.
02:05He pours his heart and soul into game planning, into preparing on a weekly basis.
02:12He's consistent.
02:13He tries to get everyone on the same page.
02:15So I'm excited to see what he has prepared for the Raiders this week.
02:20What's it mean to you to be a captain of this football team?
02:23It means that my teammates have confidence in me to be a good person, both on and off the field.
02:32It's an honor and a blessing.
02:34And I truly hope to make them proud with my play style and my leadership abilities on and off the field.
02:43Robert, you talk about your play style.
02:45Obviously, a middle linebacker, you've got to be able to make tackles.
02:48I know it's difficult because you haven't seen much of Aston Gentry.
02:53What are some of the problems that he can present to you guys, especially being a shorter, shiftier running back?
03:03Yeah, he has some elite traits as a running back.
03:06I think he's going to be a great player in this league for a very long time to come.
03:11We have to do a great job getting 11 hats to the ball.
03:14He's going to break tackles.
03:15He's going to find a way to get to the second level.
03:19So we've got to be able to bring him down on a consistent basis.
03:23Robert, as a captain, when you consider this preseason and the media attention you guys have gotten,
03:28with Mike Vrabel being the new head coach, a lot of new faces on this team,
03:32how do you get your younger guys, especially, to block out the outside noise,
03:36to not worry about what the media is saying or where they have you in preseason standings?
03:45Yeah, just try to be there for those young guys.
03:48Try to look them in their eyes and tell them that this is football.
03:52They've been playing this game their whole lives.
03:54Trust themselves.
03:55Go out there and have fun.
03:57And that is a big part of being a leader, trying to look people in the eyes
04:02and see who's ready to go, who might need a little pick-me-up and move forward.
04:07Robert, I know that Will Campbell is dealing with an ankle injury.
04:14What have you told him and the rest of the offensive line that they need to do
04:19when it comes to blocking a guy like Max Crosby and the problems that he can present?
04:27Yeah, they spend probably eight hours a day with their coach on how to block Max Crosby
04:33and the guys with the Raiders.
04:35I don't need to tell them anything.
04:38I know Will Campbell is coming here every day, willing to work, willing to get better.
04:42And his coach, I'm sure, has been coaching him up very hard,
04:45as my linebacker coach does for me.
04:47So, same thing.
04:50Was there any, like, advice you would say, oh, he loves the speed rush,
04:53he loves, you know, speed to power, he loves the, you know.
04:56I mean, this is literally what they do for a living.
04:59They watch film on him all day, every day.
05:01They don't need to hear it from me, tell them, yeah, Max is relentless.
05:06He will never stop on a play.
05:08He will always go to the echo of the whistle.
05:12Yeah, for me, it's the motor with Max.
05:16He never stops.
05:17He's the hardest working player in the NFL on a consistent basis.
05:20So, he's a tough block.
05:23It's going to be tough to block him.
05:24Yeah, you have to forgive Wiggy because he played in the NFL for the Patriots
05:28before film existed.
05:30So, just.
05:32Well, no, I always like to pick the brain of the defensive guys or, you know,
05:36maybe to see what made, you know, guys special.
05:39So, you know, having Max and, you know, Robert talks about his motor.
05:42So, that's something that they got to make sure they don't stop moving their feet.
05:46Not to mention, he's one of the most talented players as well.
05:51So, when you have that combination of talent and motor and size and length,
05:57he's a tough player to block.
05:59Robert, we thank you for taking the time, and we wish you luck for Sunday.
06:04So, go.
06:04I appreciate you guys.
06:05Have a good one.
06:06Appreciate you.
06:07All right.
06:09That's Robert Splane.
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