00:00I just think we know where we needed to be better and we went out and
00:06aggressively made it happen. We filled some holes that we that we had from
00:12years past, got better at a lot of positions, signed the best free agent
00:18safety, got the best D-tackle in the league in my opinion. We have a lot of
00:26depth now in the defensive line. That's exciting not just for me but for those
00:31guys so they don't have to play as many snaps you can have more rotation. So we
00:37have everything we need in that locker room we just gotta go and make it
00:39happen. What makes Dexter Lawrence so tough to deal with? It's bigger and stronger than
00:44everybody and you know getting to know him means a lot to him. He wants to to go
00:51out and perform well and assert his will so when you have a guy like that
00:56it's gonna be exciting to watch for me and be a part of.
00:59What was your react to the news when you found out on Saturday or if you found out
01:03whatever when you did find out? Yeah I was fired up obviously. Tough to find a guy
01:10at pick number 10 that's gonna have more of an impact than Dexter will and so it's
01:17exciting that you know we went made that happen. Do all the moves, Joe, increase your
01:22sense of urgency that the team the organization front office went out and
01:28did what they did and now it's up to you guys to perform? Yeah I would say that's fair to
01:33say you know.
01:36The front office has taken a lot of heat from fans, the public, the media and you know we can
01:44put all that behind us. They went and made it happen with free agency. I thought the draft obviously we'll
01:51find out. We don't know a ton about these rookies yet but it seems like they brought the right kind
01:57of guys in. And then obviously with Dexter making a trade like that.
02:02That doesn't happen a ton in the NFL. So it's exciting to see.
02:06You wanted to see them make moves obviously. Talk with them at the end of every year. Are you satisfied?
02:14Certainly. No matter who we have in the locker room we're gonna try to go out and make it work.
02:20We got guys that work really hard to put themselves in position to perform well, perform to our standard. We
02:31haven't necessarily done that for a couple years so we brought some guys in who've been there and done that
02:36and have their own standard of play and are gonna live up to that. So now we just have to
02:42come together as a unit and do it as collective.
02:44Just following up on what you were saying about the fans and the media about the front office and the
02:52way these last three years have gone. Just for clarity's sake there was a lot of talk rumors that you
02:59might have perhaps mandated things to the front office about what you wanted and was the fan base worried about
03:05you and your happiness and your future here.
03:07Did you, did you, did you have a mandate to the front office about what you wanted to happen this
03:13off season?
03:15No, I would say, you know, we had a lot of communication during free agency. You know, we didn't have
03:22our post, post season meeting like we, we typically have. So, you know, I would say if anything, I was
03:28less involved this, this year than years past. You know, there's no secret that the last several years didn't go
03:38the way we wanted to. And there's a lot of blame to go around for that, myself included.
03:43And so we're in a great spot this year. We brought in, like I said, great people and great players.
03:48And you can feel the vibes of the locker room. You know, the energy is elevated right now.
03:59And we have some veteran guys that can, can, can come in and show the younger guys on defense, what
04:07it takes, what it means to, to be great every day. And so that's, like I said, exciting to be
04:15a part of.
04:16Why did you, why did you, why did you, how important was that piece of it? The, that established veterans
04:20on defense that can show the younger guys that you're also banking on, what it looks like. And have you
04:25seen that already?
04:26Yeah, you, you see that already. You see that out of, out of Brian Cook from day one. You can
04:32tell that he's going to set a standard in that room and make everybody live up to it and put
04:38pressure on everybody if they don't. And, you know, you have Jonathan Allen and Dexter and BJ and TJ in
04:45that defensive line room now to push the younger guys.
04:51You have Miles and Shamar and Cassius and Boye on, on the edges. And so when you're four deep at
05:00every position on the D line, usually you're going to be a pretty good defense. Doesn't really matter what, what's
05:06happening everywhere else.
05:07And then, you know, we have a lot of trust in the, in the linebackers that we're, that we're bringing
05:11back. Those guys have taken leadership roles this off season.
05:16That's been exciting to see. We know they have the talent to do it and they just got to go
05:19make it happen.
05:21With everything from, you know, the experienced signings to, like you mentioned, you know, you still feeling ready to go
05:26at the end of the season with, you know, not playing the full year.
05:29Is there kind of a different feel coming into the building to start this season and added excitement for you
05:35or is it just, you know, normal year in, year out?
05:37Yeah, you definitely feel it. You definitely feel the excitement and the energy from a lot of different guys.
05:44You know, obviously the veteran guys that we brought in, but then the young guys who were eager and hungry
05:49to prove themselves as well.
05:51Why didn't you all have the meeting at the end of the season?
05:54The timing just didn't play out right. You know, we, we talked a lot on the phone, but I'm just
06:00not the in-person one this year.
06:02Was it intentional to kind of maybe pull back a little bit these years? What was that, what was that
06:06like for you?
06:06No, I'm not sure. I'm not sure that's, that's the case. That's just kind of how it happened.
06:13Joe, you in the last couple of years have wondered, maybe your entire career here have had question marks in
06:19front of you on the offensive line.
06:21We don't have that this year. How nice is it to come into the offseason and have five guys in
06:27front of you that project to be all starters?
06:29How good of a feeling is that?
06:31Yeah, it's so beneficial at the beginning of the season when you have the reps of communication that we've had
06:40with those guys.
06:41O-line is all about communicating, knowing where your help is, playing off of each other.
06:48And when you have five returning starters, number one, that have done that, number two, that have all the talent
06:54to go and make it happen.
06:57And that's a great feeling for me. There's no question that we have to be better in the first couple
07:03of games at those positions.
07:07And the last half of last year, they were unbelievable. And we just have to carry that into the first
07:13couple of weeks of this year and beyond.
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