 Training camp live look in presented by Coca-Cola. This is Ascension St. Thomas Sports Park in Nashville. Those are your Tennessee Titans getting ready for the fourth practice of Training Camp 2022 on this Back Together Saturday all over the National Football League. My name is Mike Keith and back together with Amy Wells. Doesn't it feel good to be back, Mike Keith? It does, it's so good to see you. And we're so thrilled to see fans here at Ascension St. Thomas Sports Park for the first time in three years but they are certainly noticing some differences in this entire complex. Well, you know, Mike Keith, there's a brand new building that everyone is noticing. That's where we're standing right now but there's a lot of changes out here at Ascension St. Thomas Sports Park and it's so good to have people out here to be able to show off our new digs. We're on the deck on the third floor of the new building and you see a lot of fans getting a chance to visit including those young ladies who took part this past spring in the first girls flag football league in the state of Tennessee. Ravenwood was the champion from Williamson County and as we move forward to the coming season they will play girls flag football in Davidson County as well. Absolutely, it's so fun to see the game of football spreading beyond just the typical boys football. We're getting the ladies involved and it feels so good to go watch those games and those girls are hardcore. So fun to watch. Great athletes, no doubt about it. Now Amy Wells has a busy day because when we finish this live look in presented by Coca-Cola she will be going to work for NFL Network. What are you gonna do for them today? Well, you know we're gonna talk about Titans practice of course but we're also going to have an interview with Ryan Tannehill, be sure to check that out because I'm sure he has a lot to say. All right, back together Saturday headlines let's jump right into that and we have to start with the first round pick out of Arkansas. We're talking about wide receiver Traylin Burks first three days, pretty doggone good. Absolutely, they've been great days and you know Traylin has earned the respect of a lot of different people throughout his time as a Tennessee Titan not only the coaches but also his teammates. He was able to really show up and make a big impact on the field early in some of these practices but he's also addressed some of the concerns that people had following rookie camp and OTAs and all of those things. He's addressed his asthma, his health. He's addressed his weight. He has been conditioned and full speed and he's been fun to watch. Well, a lot of people who had questions about Traylin Burks had the questions answered on Wednesday very early in practice on a deep ball where he made a spectacular play which shows why he was the 18th overall pick in the draft. I think we have that as a matter of fact. A look at Traylin Burks and this outstanding catch Ryan Tannehill with the deep ball and look at this young man go get it. I'll tell you what Mike, it feels like first it feels like that ball's in the air forever but that just shows you what an amazing catch that was and the team went wild. Well, he catches the ball, he goes to the ground he holds on to it but he has the presence of mind which you can't do in college to get up and go on and run into the end zone because he hadn't been touched. So he shows athleticism, he shows concentration but he also shows a knowledge of the game and what you're supposed to do, a coaching point. Everybody went away saying okay, I think everything's okay with Traylin Burks and as he has followed that up in the day since, good stuff. He's been consistent and that's what you want to see out of a young player, he is consistently contributing, he is consistently improving and that's something that everyone from Ryan Tannehill to Mike Vrable have said that they're excited to see. The second headline, last year's first round pick and we're talking about Caleb Farley, defensive back 6-2-1-97 out of Virginia Tech. Caleb Farley didn't play much football last year, had a back injury when the Titans drafted him, was over that, was back to work, was playing football and then torn ACL in the Buffalo game and was lost for the year. Just like Traylin Burks, a question mark entering camp in the minds of a lot of people and he has looked very smooth to begin training camp. When you list all those things, Mike, one thing that stands out is he's no stranger to adversity. So being in the situation he was in, he said it renewed his love of football. He really realized that this is what he wants to do and he was willing to do whatever it took to get back on the field and a lot of those question marks are no longer there. He has been a contributor. He's another guy who's continued to improve on the field and that's great to see for a guy that everyone has been cheering for as he's been going through rehab. Well, I've said in the time with the Titans, this team has never had a corner like him with the size, with the wingspan, with the athleticism and the tackling ability and you put him with Christian Fulton, Kevin Byrd, Amani Hooker and the rest of what is a talented group. If he steps forward, I think he has a chance to take them to another level on the back end of the defense. And you see the way that he works in practice. He doesn't just get the reps. He's also working on the side. He's pulling different guys to the side to help him improve and help him work on his technique. Those small little details coupled with his size, pretty incredible. So those two players have been the focus of a lot of people to begin, but then there's the other thing that has been a focus and that has been the guardian caps, which is a very different look overall for the offensive and defensive linemen, the tight ends, the linebackers and fullback Tori Carter. We've seen him in high school. We've seen him in college and now we're seeing them at least through the first two preseason games in practice on an NFL field. I think they look cool. Some people think they look silly. The players think they look silly. I think they're neat. You are alone. But they really are incredibly helpful. I agree with that. And that's the big deal. Nobody except Amy Wells thinks they look cool. We're gonna get her one to wear around the building and on TV if she thinks they look cool. But the bottom line is they're helping protect the players. Mike Vrable and the competition committee voted to do this after looking at a lot of research. Coach Vrable very involved in this decision, very supportive of the Guardian Caps. We had a chance to ask him about it post-practice one day this week. Mike, why was it important to you to recommend the use of the Guardian Cap league wide? Well, I think as the technology has improved and gotten better, the numbers are strong as far as reducing the impact up to 20% with two players. You know, the force of that impact and he can reduce it by 20% and that's significant. What are you hearing on the Guardian Cap from the players so far? Not much. You know, I mean, there hasn't been any pushback. I mean, really after a day or two, I don't think anybody's noticed. We've practiced with them with the early group and I think that these guys understand how important players are in safety and welfare. Most of these guys wore it in high school and college, so is it an easy transition in that way? I don't know. I've never had them. I've never worn them and so I'll follow up with them to see how they feel like if there's any hindrance and we've even put the stripe on them so that we can kind of track where guys' eyes are and stuff like that when we're trying to coach and watch and film. How does the Guardian Cap fit into broader player health and safety efforts? Our game is only as good as our players. Our team is only as good as our players and we need everybody. There's nothing more important than the health and safety of our players and their family and not only the immediate health but the long-term health. That's something that's important to me having been a part of this game and played this game and had some teammates that obviously, you know, have had some struggles and then there's a lot of guys out there that are doing great things. So, you know, we're gonna try to do everything we can to keep them safe. The Titans rookies have had no problem with the Guardian Caps because most of them wore them in high school and certainly in college so they're very used to them and that takes us to our next segment of this live look in presented by Coca-Cola on Back Together Saturday and that's taking a look at some of the rooks. You've already seen Traylin Burks. Let's take a look at another much talked about Titans rookie and that's the quarterback for Liberty, Malik Willis. He's been a fun guy to watch in practice, hasn't he? He really has. Malik Willis, six feet, 220 pounds, showing a lot of growth at this point, tremendous arm, great ability to run the football. We've seen the versatility on plays in practice and he's gotten some nice reps. We've also seen him have some stumbles as he gets used to playing the game at a very different speed. Absolutely and that's something that you expect of course, but the nice thing about the position that he is in right now is he can learn from everybody on that field. It's not just about learning from the guys in the quarterback room. It's about learning all of the different positions that he's seeing on the field and the speed that the game has played at this level. It's been really nice to watch him continue to improve, continue to make those corrections as he makes a mistake and gets coached up. This is a guy that's going to be fun to watch for this Titans team. He spends a lot of time with the coaching staff, Pat O'Hara, the quarterback coach, Todd Downing, the offensive coordinator, Tim Kelly, the passing game coordinator. He is constantly talking to these guys about every decision that he is making. I think the most impressive thing about Malik Willis to this point is not his incredible athleticism. It's not his tremendous smile and enthusiasm. It's his attention to detail. He is working the way you want a quarterback to work. Absolutely. Ways to go, but the Titans quite fortunately have time because they have a guy in front of him in Ryan Tannehill. Now, let's take a look at the rookie running back who we refer to as the small back. He's really not. But when you compare him to Derek Henry, he would be the small back. We're talking about number 25, Hassan Haskins at 6-2-2-28, he is hardly small. And I think the Titans have been very pleased with what they've seen from him. Runs with the Henry style, which is one cut and go. Absolutely. And their height difference might be one of the few differences between them because they're both quieter guys who let their play speak for itself. He's a guy who has said a lot on the football field. He doesn't like to talk about himself too much. He doesn't like to draw attention. He just likes to run and hit guys, and I like that. And speaking of drawing attention, the thing that you see there, look at the guy's legs. He's obviously got an impressive upper body, he's in shape. But you love to see football players, in particular running backs, with the power in those legs, much like Derek Henry, that's how you break the tackles. That's how you get through the line and make big things happen. Derek Henry called him a beast. And if Derek Henry thinks someone's a beast, they are a beast. All right, so speaking of other Titans, as we move from the running back position, we go back to wide receiver. Traylin Burks has gotten the big attention, but fifth round pick, Kyle Phillips from UCLA, has caught people's eyes since he got here. Kyle Phillips is a really productive slot receiver you can barely see him coming into view there. A guy who finds a way to get open, he's sneaky fast, and he's an outstanding punt returner. A lot of the skills you see with him already, Amy, especially the footwork, you feel like he's an advanced product who may be able to help pretty quickly. Absolutely, and he's getting a lot of coaching, of course, from the coaching staff, but also from his teammates in that room. He said that coming here, he was so excited to be playing with Robert Woods, because they have that Los Angeles connection. Los Angeles, it's hard to say. It is. But he was in college when Robert Woods was with the Rams. He spent a lot of time watching him play. And now he has the opportunity to learn from him. The punt return angle may be the big one where he gets on the field most quickly. As a brew, and he was incredibly successful bringing back pints, that is the big return position. Now, kickoff return are not so much because there are so many touchbacks, but punt returns a big deal. He may be able to win that job. And you know, special teams is how a lot of people are getting on teams. Special teams. Get it. How people are getting on teams. You like that, didn't you? She comes back with fire, folks. You know, I thought you might enjoy that. Yes. Yes. She did not win Mega Millions last night, but she comes back with fire. All right. Speaking of fire, let's talk about the fastest tight end in the 2022 draft. Chigah Conquo, number 85 out of Maryland. Oh, he's pretty. He is. He is just a physical specimen when you look at him. And having that size and that speed that goes with it is a rare mix. Very excited to have him on this tight end scene. So Chigah Conquo is about 240 pounds. He ran 452. And what you like about him, with the tight end position, with the tight ends, due to that athleticism, is there's a ton of things you can do with him in terms of alignment. Absolutely. He is what you would call a matchup problem. Well done. Thank you. And that's what you want, especially at tight end, when you have to be so powerful to do some of the things you're required to do. Chigah Conquo, I think, figures into the Titans' plans in a much improved tight end room for 2022. All right. Back together Saturday, continuing with some newcomers on offense. The first one via trade, the Titans, of course, in March obtained Robert Woods, better known as Bobby Trees from the Los Angeles Rams, for a sixth round pick in an upcoming draft. And he has been everything, Amy, that everyone hoped, both on and off the field. Absolutely. He's been the leader that you want in that room to help coach up some of the younger guys. He also brings the experience. He brings the technique. He brings all of those little details that help elevate the entire room. As you see him, you notice he leads the line in this drill. And then the younger players, always getting around him to watch what he does, to try to emulate him, to get a word. And Kyle Phillips, you just saw in that clip, staying close and finding out what Robert Woods wants to do. But every drill is precise. Every rep in practice is on point. He even talks to the defensive backs for the Titans about what his thought process is. He's here to try to win another championship. Absolutely, he is. And I think that it is rare to see a player in practice not only working with and coaching up his own group, working with the defensive backs, working with the other guys to help them improve their technique as well. He is a team man. I tell you, Amy, the amazing thing, too, is for him to have ACL surgery in November. And to be back here on July 30th doing what he's doing. And fans, you can see on this live look-in presented by Coca-Cola. Man's not wearing a brace. Nope. He is not wearing a brace. He's 30 years old. I mean, what incredible recovery time from him, obviously, I would say he got good medical attention undoubtedly, but his preparation, his attention to detail in the training room showing up here to be able to help the Titans. And that's what you get when you get a good veteran player is you get those little details. And someone who can reinforce how important taking care of your body is so that if there is a problem, you're already in good habits. You're in a good routine and you can recover in a just remarkable time. Amy and I are excited about Robert Woods. We're also excited about Austin Hooper, number 81, tight end who was a two-time pro bowler in Atlanta, went to Cleveland, didn't quite work out in Cleveland, probably in some part due to the fact that he was not able to acclimate there due to COVID. He leaves the Browns, comes to the Titans, and we can already see the upgrade. We can already see the route running, the fact that at 255 pounds, he can stay on the field to block. Put him with Jeff Swame, who you see in the picture, and there's big Austin Hooper with the massive hands and the wingspan. It's suddenly the tight ends for the Titans are back. Absolutely, it's very obvious that John Robinson and his staff made a concerted effort to elevate the tight end room this off season, and you can see it right now. You can see it in practice. Every time Austin Hooper is on the field, there's a chance of something really fun happening for the Tennessee Titans, and it's been great to watch the way that he works with the other guys in that room. He has that experience. He is a former pro bowler, and all of those things put together make a guy who really can be a solid contributor for this team. Everybody enjoying Back Together Saturday and this live look in presented by Coca-Cola. We are 18 minutes in, and we have committed to send, we know, we have not shown you Derek Henry yet. So why don't we do that, Amy? Can we please? Can we just see Derek Henry? Give the people what they want. How has he been in practice? Awesome, let's just, he just stand in there. Who cares? It's still awesome. That's Derek Henry. He's six three, he's two fifty. This is the obligatory King shot, which you will see on every single live look in that we do. We're just gonna show you Derek Henry because we know you as Titans fans want to see. Wouldn't it be funny if we went down, he's like eating a sandwich or knitting a sweater. But the whole thing is, that's the man. That man is back. He's looked fantastic in practice. He's gonna go in bubble wrap pretty soon. I don't think you're gonna see him in preseason games, but you gotta feel good. Ladies and gentlemen, that is the best running back in the National Football League and he plays for your team. So we're just gonna show him to you. Just look at him. Just seeing him standing on the field with, you have to remember the people he's standing next to and towering over, also professional athletes. And big people. These aren't like kindergarteners. Right. I mean, these are pro athletes and he's bigger than all of them. That's the king. Oh, ladies and gentlemen. It's so great. We also have to talk about the quarterback, Ryan Tannehill, who is really off to a nice start. His passing numbers in the drills. And if you follow Jim Wyatt on Twitter or you go to TennesseeTitans.com and you read Jim's practice reports, his summaries of practice, you see that in the competitive periods against a really good defense, Tannehill has been really, really sharp no matter to whom he's throwing. Yes, which is what you wanna see when he has so many new weapons that he's working with. There are a lot of new faces on the offense that he's trying to build chemistry with and getting a rhythm with. And the fact that he has had such a strong first couple days of camp working with guys who he threw with in the off season. But this is a very different scenario. This is a very different environment. It's great to see. It's exciting to watch him have the camp that he's having and he has talked so much about looking forward to this season, looking forward to getting back on the field and really getting this team to the next level. Amy, I've thought one of the biggest strengths of Ryan Tannehill in his time with the Titans going 32 and 16 over the last two plus years has been the fact that he will throw to a lot of people. He will get people involved. One of the guys that he has done that with a great deal is Nick Westbrook Aquina. Now, if you're wondering, you're saying for the first two years on Titans radio, you referred to him as Nick Westbrook Aquina. That was wrong. That was wrong. We didn't know that. So I went to Nick and I said, have we been pronouncing your name wrong or are you changing it? He said, no, you've been pronouncing it wrong. Wrong. But in fairness to us, we've only really talked to him one time because of COVID for the last two years. We do know there, though, that it is Nick Westbrook Aquina. Here's what else we know. Sharp, sharp, sharp. This guy is a pro off to a good start himself. He was a guy that in 2021, we were excited to see him really come into his own. In 2022, he looks like the man. You know, he is confident. He knows what he's doing and he's really taken a leadership role among the offense. Amy, this guy's gonna play. Absolutely. He's gonna play football and we don't know will he line up as the X, the Y, the Z, whatever. We don't know exactly what the role will be, but Nick Westbrook Aquina is gonna be part of whatever the Titans do in their passing game. It feels like Des Fitzpatrick may be one of those guys too. Second year man out of Louisville, building off a strong end to 2021, building off an off season where he was named one of the Titans top workout players. There's number 10 ready to get in the mix. Mike Vrabel said one of the best things that happened for Des Fitzpatrick is him spending some time on the practice squad. He was really able to learn how to be a pro through that experience. All right, we're getting ready to go into one-on-ones. They're doing some tackling at this point. And if we can move up and let's show that whole shot if you don't mind because they don't do open field tackling the way they did 25 years ago in full pads. They're working on angles. And here you see, so you're gonna get a situation where Berks is gonna catch the ball. And here comes Kalu trying to take a good angle. Joshua Kalu back with the team. Now you're gonna get a little Fitzpatrick who took off too early. And at this point, I think he's going against AJ Moore, one of the newest Titans safeties coming over from Houston. AJ breaks down, great positioning. They do this virtually every day now, pads or not, because they wanna make sure they're taking the best angles. And this is something that has been a hallmark of Mike Vrable in talking about the overall fundamentals. You may look at this drill and say, but he's not tackling him. Well, that's not the point. We are not to the tackling part yet. These guys aren't wearing pads. Right, and the other part of it too, Amy, is you have to assume, and Mike Vrable as a former player, and I think this is where some of that savvy comes in, you have to assume that if you get to this level, you'll tackle. Right. And you know how to tackle. Now watch Malik Willis here and how fast he is. Uh-oh, he can get around you, but still that's good work in that particular play by Trey Avery to cut him off. And so that's where you wanna be, oh, you can't get tricked. You wanna break down and be in a situation where you're in a position to force the player out of bounds or make the tackle. This is about angles, and this is what Mike Vrable is all about. Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. You see, he's right in the middle of the drill. You don't think he likes this? Oh man, Mike Vrable would do every drill out there if they would like it. He would do every drill. And that's the fun of Vrable, and that's why the fellas love playing for him so much, is they understand he has the skins on the wall, so to speak, from his playing career. So he's got credibility. If he says this is important, this is important. Absolutely. There are coaches who can't get involved, or don't get involved. Mike Vrable is a hands-on coach in every sense of the world. You'll see him on the sidelines with a chest pad on, having guys hit him so that he can show them the proper way to do it. He's all about teaching, teaching, teaching, and if that means getting his hands a little dirty, he is all about it. We've done a lot of offense. I think we need to show just a little bit of defense. How about a little Jeffrey Simmons? Could we get a little 98? Can we get a little bit, there he is. Talk about a beast. Talk about a beast. Outstanding year for the big man a year ago, 13 and a half career sacks plays the run. That's a good-looking group right there. There are gonna be some players in that defensive line group that probably don't make this football team and make other football teams because the Titans are gonna have a massive fight for the available roster spots. And there aren't very many in that spot because there's so much consistency from 2021 to 2022 in that side of the ball. On defense as a whole, there's just not a ton of roster spots available because the Titans had a really strong defense last year. One of the things the Titans most excited about too is their pass rush. And you're gonna have a chance to see over the next few weeks several of those guys. Now we're getting ready to go into this one-on-one period and Coach Vrable is gonna let us show that to you. And so Amy and I are gonna turn around where we can watch. We're turning around here to take a look at the field. We've got a great view here from the deck. This is thrilling. There's the shot. This is thrilling. There we go. All right, so in the one-on-one periods, they're gonna be in different places. Let's take a look at the receivers. Let's stay there if we can and stay with the receivers and the defensive backs going one-on-one. Now, this drill is totally unfair to the defensive backs based on the fact that the quarterback is not under any pressure and it's just a straight one-on-one coverage. So immediately the receiver has an advantage. Amy, so when a defensive back wins, that's a big deal. That's a big deal and you will hear it from the sidelines when a defensive back is able to make a big play. Everybody celebrates. 21, Roger McCrary with good coverage right there but Westbrook, Akinae with the catch. Here's Cody Hollister, battling Christian Fulton, might have pushed off. Might have, just a little bit. Might have pushed off, just a wee bit. Can't do that. Malik Willis gonna get a rep here and he's gonna be throwing to Mason Kenzie. Kenzie beats Greg Maven, gets to the outside but the throw is a little wide. So you're seeing a lot of things here as young Malik Willis learns to throw some different routes. Des Fitzpatrick going deep over Chris Jackson just a little too far but man, do you see the arm strength there? Well, and immediately, who does Malik go and talk to? His position coach, trying to get that coaching like we talked about earlier. He's making those adjustments. Racy McMath with the catch around Shaheem Carter. Here's Kyle Phillips. Oh, what a move. That's Kyle Phillips. Excellent move by Kyle to get inside Kenneth George Jr. out of the University of Tennessee. Not bad coverage but that's a receiver who shows a lot of savvy. Here's Malik going to Joshua Malone. Deep ball, he releases it very late and Malone makes the catch. That's a guy trying to make this football team by making plays, Amy. Absolutely, and this is the time that you get to see guys really show out, you know? You can see some of these big long bombs and a great catch right there. Reggie Robertson out of SMU, rookie undrafted with an outstanding grab. Tana Hill going to make a throw to Trail and Burks here. Going deep, Burks may be held in that situation, I think by Trey Swilling out of Georgia Tech. And that's the thing about Burks. He's so big that if he gets by you, you basically have to grab him. Brandon Lewis, the wide receiver from Air Force, unable to make that catch is Christian Fulton with great defense. One of the newest Titans trying to come up with a catch there, he being Terry Godwin, the second year man out of Georgia. Excellent coverage by the veteran who joined the team yesterday. Shakur Brown Hollister gets around George and makes a catch. This is the part of practice you just love to watch. See, this is, yes, you like to see the one-on-one battles. You like to see the guys really come out here and show what they're able to do. And it feels, it just feels good to be back, Mike Keith. I can't get over how good it feels to be all back together. Well, it is welcome back Saturday. There it is, back together Saturday, Mike Keith. We're all back together and it's Saturday. Excellent coverage by McCrary to knock that away from Westbrook Akinae. Here's Dez, nice route. Ball's just a little bit high. Fitzpatrick is showing. Absolutely. And what's interesting about drills like this is so many different positions are able to work on so many technique things. You've got DBs, you've got receivers, you've got quarterbacks, all able to work on minute details that make a big impact. Kyle Phillips makes four different moves on that route. Chris Jackson is able to come back and knock it out. This is Racy McMath. He was 81 last year. He's 13 now, good route. Gets around Maven for the catch. Mike, it's all about details, details out here. Robertson against Avery for a rep with Tannehill quarterbacking. Oh, little miscommunication. Mike Vrable not very happy with the coverage. He's involved in everything. He really is. Here's Josh Malone. Nice move to the outside. Good throw. Josh Malone at 6-3-2-0-5 uses that size to his advantage. And he has not disappointed in the way he is practiced here in July after an excellent May and June. Absolutely. And he says that he's just continuing to every day improve a little bit more, a little bit more. And wow, his size coupled with what he has been able to do and the improvements he's been able to make has made him impressive. That was Traylin Birks. You understand it. McCrary has good coverage, tries to get physical with him. And what happens, he gets knocked down in the process. That's the end of the one-on-one periods. So we're going to have to cut the camera on the field now. That's all we're able to show you. A couple of reminders. This is Back Together Saturday. This live look-in has been presented by Coca-Cola. Amy Wells is headed to NFL Network. So you could certainly tune in to that and say, hey, I know her. Hey. Hey, I know her. I'll wave to everybody. We want to mention, too, that upcoming for Titans fans all over the region, our next edition of Titans All Access, it's episode two of our 20th year. We're really excited about that. So the weekend of August 12th is when it will first air. A lot of great features on the show. But one in particular that was really outstanding, Amy Wells collaborating with Ashley Farrell and Jack Mummert and Jeanette Morley to put together a piece about the Titans head coach and the University of Cincinnati's head coach, best friends, Mike Vrable and Luke Fickle, having a great 2021 together. Here's a preview. That's right there in the second half is our identity. Sir, believe in it, practice it, preach it, demand it out of each other. Demand it out of each other. I couldn't be more proud to be your coach. Put something we don't know about Luke Fickle. I hope now that he's the head coach that he remembers to take his wallet places. He was notorious for, I don't have my wallet. I forgot my wallet. And so I've kept a running tab, and he actually owes me $780 from different tabs in college when he just happened to forget his wallet. Only best friends talk about one another like that. Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrable and University of Cincinnati coach Luke Fickle have been friends since they met nearly 30 years ago on Vrable's official visit to Ohio State. The two played together. They lived together. They coached together. With a former teammate, they started the second and seventh foundation together. Fickle was the best man in Vrable's wedding. In 2021, these best friends pulled a remarkable double. Luke Fickle was named college football's consensus coach of the year, while Mike Vrable was named the NFL's coach of the year. Thank you, it is an honor and a privilege to play and coach in this league. Okay, and having coached in the Pro Bowl, I know our game is in good hands. If I had told you back when you were in college, when you guys were roommates, and Mike Vrable's making ramen noodles in the kitchen, that you would be the top college coach. And in that same year, Mike Vrable would be the top NFL coach in the national football league in that year. Would you believe me, honestly? No, no, not the way he acted in college. Maybe me, but no, no, no, no. I can't, I couldn't imagine that, you know. You never know how things are gonna work. Luke Fickle actually got Mike Vrable into coaching. In 2011, Fickle was named Ohio State's interim coach, and Vrable retired from the NFL to join his staff. A decade later, both were voted the best in their respective fields. But for as different as their personalities can be, the two share an odd trait. When they talk about the game of football, they start to sound the same. Vrable talked to the team after practice today. What's that do for those guys to have them, and kind of talked about culture and kind of talked about what an advantage it is to have a culture into the things that travel, he said, effort and fundamentals. And it wasn't anything about these guys out here, about the season we had. It was kind of spot on. I'm just reminding them that, you know, you got a lot of talent out here and the game of football is played between those lines and just another opportunity. How cool is that to be your best friend at the NFL coach in the year with the college coach? Yeah, I never would have expected that he would ever have done that. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Their facial expressions are eerily similar. Even the intonations in their voices are almost identical. Well, I mean, we spent a lot of time together. We spent a lot of time under John Cooper and his coaching staff. And, you know, I never worked for Jim Tressel, but I know that Luke holds him in high regard and I would try to listen to some of those things that Luke would have learned from him. And, you know, that's kind of what you know. And you have a style and there's things that you believe in and you try to get the players to understand it. I'm not a credit to how we grew up. And I don't just mean from kids, because our parents, I mean, obviously it's from Akron, I'm from Columbus. But I think we grew up in similar ways, you know, just with, you know, what was in our homes and the expectations. But then we really grew up, I think, in that system with coaches and people that we respected and trusted. And a lot of it is what we heard then. So I think in some of those things, and then I think just, you know, I think the core of who we are and what we believe will be successful. Nearly 30 years of friendship between Luke Fickle and Mike Vrable is hardly a secret. What is new is the level of success and recognition as football coaches went up a notch in 2021. College football's Coach of the Year, the NFL Coach of the Year, a friendship that developed while playing with a special group of guys at Ohio State. When I reflect back on what does my program want to be like, I want, and I look at that group of guys that we had and what it is that we did together, whether it was successful on the football field or not, it was, but really the bonds and the things that, you know, that really last a lifetime and really make us who we are. You know, because these four or five years in our situation, my situation, when they're 18 to 22, are incredibly impressionable. And, you know, so I give a lot of credit, not to him, but the people that we were around and the group of guys that we were around on, I know, making me a lot of who I am. Oh man, he never cut corners. You know, I mean, he always just did the right thing. The team was always important to him. You know, every job for Luke wasn't the best job. He always did what was best for his family and what he believed was right. And that was to be patient and to also try to build something like he's doing at Cincinnati.