00:00Good morning, Robert.
00:02Good morning, guys.
00:03How's it going?
00:04It's going great.
00:04How are you?
00:05I'm doing well.
00:07Thank you for having me on.
00:08How are you feeling?
00:09I'm feeling fired up, gassed up to, you know, host our first home game this weekend and be a part
00:17of that.
00:18We haven't spoken to you, I don't believe, since your Broncos, your Western Michigan Broncos, were robbed of a win
00:26by the officials.
00:28How do you feel about that?
00:31You know, you saw them come out with that news yesterday that the protocol wasn't followed, the proper protocol.
00:39So, at the end of the day, hopefully you can get them to rectify the situation, but I doubt that
00:46will ever happen.
00:47We'll just have to wait and see.
00:48Yeah, it's a tough one because they should have beat Michigan.
00:51We talked about this yesterday or the day before or whatever, but what's the point of having an oversight committee
00:57if they're not able to fix the situation?
01:00It doesn't seem right.
01:02Makes zero sense.
01:03Yeah, it doesn't.
01:04Robert, I'm always being asked this question about preseason and training camp.
01:10Obviously, it's a lot different nowadays versus when I played.
01:14And as somebody who's out there tackling on a consistent basis, how do you feel like, what can help you
01:22out when it comes to tackling?
01:23Or just players in general, when you don't, you're not able to hit as much or tackle as much or
01:29you don't play in preseason games?
01:30What are some of the things that you can really work on that will, that, so there won't be so
01:35many missed tackles early in the season?
01:38Yeah, it really all comes down to footwork, being great with your feet, winning to the spot in a great
01:44football position.
01:46When you're in a great football position, you're going to give yourself every opportunity to make a play on the
01:51ball carrier.
01:53And that's really, at the end of the day, what's most important when it comes to tackling, being in great
02:00position on the ball carrier and getting off blocks and playing great team defense.
02:07And I think we did a great job this offseason, working all the drills necessary to prepare you for games.
02:14And we just got to continue throughout every season, get better every week tackling.
02:20We want our missed tackles to go down every week throughout the season.
02:24Robert, looking towards Sunday in the Steelers, you picked off Aaron Rodgers last season.
02:29How difficult is he still to defend at his age?
02:32Yeah, it's going to be such a fun matchup for us.
02:35We were just talking about it.
02:37A guy that plays 23 years doesn't do it by accident.
02:42He's doing a lot of great things still to this day.
02:45He's able to get the ball from sideline to sideline, down the middle of the field.
02:49And he gets it out quick to his backs, to any open receiver.
02:55So a really fun challenge for us this weekend, as a back seven especially.
03:01There's been a little bit of a back and forth on the result for you guys week one.
03:07So I would ask you whether we should be in full panic mode or should we just relax?
03:13I mean, if you're focused on the result of week one, that's on you.
03:18We're really focused on doing everything we can to get a W in the column this weekend.
03:24And I'm really proud of this week of work.
03:28You know, it's felt like a week and a half because it's been a week and a half since our
03:32last game.
03:33And I thought our coaches had a great plan for us in the off time and really prepping us for
03:38this week.
03:39Robert, what makes Aaron Rodgers so special is his ability to kind of the off script throws, the ability to
03:46feel like he can make every throw.
03:47But that also, in my opinion, is his greatest weakness.
03:50So I think, you know, when you think about the back end guys, linebacker group, make sure you guys are
03:55getting on that ball machine because he's going to give you some opportunities with getting your hands on footballs.
04:01And so how important is that that you as a defense, especially the linebackers and secondary, when you get those
04:09chances to be able to take advantage and create those turnovers?
04:12No, it's vital. It's huge. You know, we want to score on defense.
04:15And when the ball comes out quick, we've got to identify early in the down.
04:19Is this a quick game? Is the ball coming out now? Can our D-line get their hands up, maybe
04:23bat one in the air for us?
04:25Is it drop back, pass? Do we got to get a great rush into the middle of the pocket and
04:29get some more depth as a linebacker?
04:32Is this a play-action shot? So I think identifying what they're doing early in the down,
04:37and really understanding what formations they're giving us will give us the best keys to help us go play fast.
04:44Robert, when you lose a guy like A.J. Brown on offense, does it add more pressure to the defense
04:49moving forward?
04:51No, our job as a defense is always to get off the field, get the ball back to Drake May
04:55and get the ball, ideally, to Marcus Jones if we don't take it away ourselves.
05:01So we got two all-pro players. We always say, you know, Marcus Jones being an all-pro returner,
05:06and Drake being an all-pro quarterback, get them the ball, and they're going to make great things happen with
05:11it.
05:12Robert, is there any conversation you have captain to captain with Drake after a tough end of the game where
05:17you kind of pump his tires a bit?
05:19What has your interactions been with him?
05:21I mean, everyone's interaction is different. Everyone's relationship is different.
05:25All I told him was, dude, stop taking blame for it.
05:28You know, this is a team game, and he feels like he has to put all the pressure on his
05:34shoulders.
05:34But at the end of the day, this is a team game, and we all support him, and we know
05:40he's going to go out there this weekend and really knock your socks off.
05:44How difficult is that, Robert, though?
05:46Being in the locker room, you know how much pressure quarterbacks put on themselves because, you know, it's the highest
05:53paid position.
05:53It gets all the glory when they win, but it also gets all the blame when they lose.
05:59It's like, how difficult is that to do and to be able to make sure that you're not doing that
06:05as a player?
06:08Yeah, I mean, that's our job.
06:10We get knocked down.
06:11We throw interceptions.
06:13We miss tackles.
06:14Our job is the next play to get out there and to make it right and respond.
06:19And no matter how long we play in this league, we're going to continue to fail.
06:24But at the end of the day, we've just got to keep getting back up and making the next play,
06:28make the next play.
06:29We know these games can be anywhere from 50 to 75 to 80 snaps long.
06:35So just keep playing and realize that when you're on the field, you're giving yourself an opportunity to make that
06:40next play.
06:41We have a Wiggy who you just spoke to, Jermaine Wiggins.
06:45I know he's very humble, but he won a Super Bowl, Super Bowl 36.
06:48Without Wiggy, there's no Tom Brady.
06:49And he has proclaimed that Sunday against the Steelers is a must-win.
06:54Do you agree, Robert?
06:55Do you guys have to win to go to 1-1 and avoid going to 0-2?
07:01I mean, every game is a must-win in my mind.
07:04That's the only reason we play.
07:05We go out there to compete to win every single weekend.
07:07And that's our only goal when it comes to Sunday is do whatever it takes that Sunday to get the
07:13win.
07:14So, yeah, in that sense, it is a must-win.
07:17Oh, there you go.
07:17I played in two Super Bowls.
07:19Unfortunately, I lost the other one.
07:20Yeah, I mean, Robert wasn't born yet, but whatever.
07:22No, that's all right.
07:24But just like Robert, I was undrafted free agent, so I always got love for those guys that understand the
07:30grind.
07:30And what's that grind like, Robert?
07:32You have some new guys.
07:34What's that grind like?
07:35What are these questions?
07:36Do tell.
07:37Well, no, because I'd like to know, like, the advice.
07:41Did you go away from ChatGPT this week?
07:42No, no, I'd like to.
07:43You're kind of, you're.
07:44I'm having a conversation.
07:46I was going to talk to you about it.
07:46If we're having a conversation, I got to say, I want to run through a brick wall after that F
07:51-bomb.
07:51Like, that was so clean, Chris.
07:54Yeah, full clean F-bomb from Robert.
07:56Fantastic.
07:57You know, I'd just like to know the advice he gives to those guys because there's so many guys that
08:01make up the teams.
08:03Yeah, and it's important to know who you're talking to and to realize that if you ask 100 different vets
08:09what's the right way to go about business as a young player in this league, you're going to get 100
08:13different answers.
08:14So I really encourage these young guys to get to know themselves, to get to know their players around them
08:20and their coaches, and to really find out what's going to be best for their individual future.
08:26All right, well, you said it.
08:29Back at home.
08:30Coach said this week he wants tarps off.
08:33Who cares what the weather is like?
08:36You got the support of the hometown crowd on Sunday, Robert.
08:41I appreciate you guys.
08:43We are so fired up to go out there and put our best foot forward and do whatever it takes
08:47to get that W.
08:48Okay, man.
08:49We will talk to you again soon.
08:51All right.
08:51See you soon.
08:52Thank you, guys.
08:53Okay.
08:53There he is.
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