 or take it up a notch? Most definitely, it takes reps. But for me, I'm always a student first. I'm always trying to watch something to learn and put it in my game. And it's off-season, I wasn't really able to get out there as much. But as soon as I got back here, as soon as I got back, I just felt comfortable. Like I said, I could do whatever I want to do when I want to do it. From a cold standpoint, when you battled to the knees last year, we didn't see the OTAs. Did you feel right from day one in camp this year? And did you kind of feel like yourself again? I'm pretty sure everybody can tell I'm healthy. Yeah. As soon as everybody else knows, too. How does that make you feel? Oh, I'm excited. I'm excited. This is probably one of the first times me going to the training camp where I'm fully healthy. Like I said, I'm just flying around having fun and making plays. What have you seen your teammates feed off that energy? I'm always trying to create a spark, especially like today. It was a tough day for the O. And I'm telling Ryan, you can come to me every play. I don't care. I don't care if I'm tired. You can come to me every play. I got you. What proved to yourself last year playing through the injuries the way you did? It was all a mental thing. It was all a mental thing. Last year, I was facing a lot of things. I was kind of like my knee. Then I rolled my ankle real bad. I damaged some ligaments in my ankle. But I was kind of glad I actually hurt something else so I can take some pressure off the knee. That's how mentally I had to do it. So it was every play and I just had to keep going. I know my team needed me. Did you ever come close to saying this? Just not getting it down like that? No, never, never. I never quit, ever. You're noticeably quicker and you seem like a little more explosive, like at the top of the routes. Did you lose weight or what went into developing that? Because you actually look a little bit lighter. Yeah, I'm definitely leaner. Lost some body fat. I don't know, maybe I'm just really excited or something. I don't know, you know? So what did you do to get me? Disal season? I mean, disal season, it was all weight room work. Like, I wasn't able to get on the field. Like, you know what I'm saying? Probably like two weeks before camp, I started running on the field. So how much did having Julio here, you know, how much does that go into that excitement that you have, that bounce that you have? Of course, there's another alpha on the other side of me. I got to make plays. I know he going to make plays. I know we're going to go tip-a-tack, you know? So I don't want to lay him down. And I'm pretty sure he's not trying to let me down. So we're going to feed off each other. This extra work, you guys are sticking off to do with Ryan at the end of the individual. What are you guys getting out of that? Just talking about stuff, just trying to be, just trying to work on the timing all the time. Repetition, it builds confidence. So you're talking about a dream to have the chance to play with Julio. You've got some glimpses and some taste, but it hasn't pulled right out there, do you know what I'm saying? Right. How eager are you to have that first day, first practice, first game, where you truly are an alpha on one side, alpha on the other? I'm really excited, to be honest. But in that day, I also got to do my job, too. He's going to be in all the fame. That's all the fame received on the other side of me. So I've got to pick my game up. We only going to make each other better. No matter if he's 32 or 23, it don't matter. But I'm excited to have him on my team. He's going to demand a lot of attention. A lot of people do, so. What's the competition been like between you and the DBs, I guess, so far, in camp? And how much are they winning to this point, or are you guys winning what you said? His easy work. All work is easy work. Yeah. Are you being able to give them a challenge? For sure, every day. I'm trying to win every round. Easy work. Been around Julio enough yet that you're able to learn anything from him? You haven't soaked anything in, or is it a little different? That goes back and forth. He see a look, I see something we always communicate with each other. Like I said, I'm a student. Not too much of a harm, but I'm probably, in my mind, I'm probably like, you're five, you're six mentally, just how I approach the game. Being a pro each and every day. But after admiring him from afar for so long, has it been everything you expected that I know? Most definitely. Most definitely. I've seen it. I've seen it. I work with him. I'm excited to put it all together on Sunday. Are you bothering him at any point, when you're picking his brain for a reason? No, we both talking. So we both trying to get each other better as much as we can. So Frasier, and what's he like as this skill position coordinator? He's definitely helpful. He's definitely helpful. He kind of goes on to the radar. But mean rooms, stuff nobody, nobody see. So I appreciate him, because I'm always in there listening to him. Like, I listen to everybody. Giving you stuff you haven't considered before? No, but it's just bringing stuff to my attention, over and over again. So what have you seen from the young to receive in the living room with his dad or Frasier, maybe some of the other guys? Guys got a lot of time. Both guys got a lot of time. A lot of guys got a lot of time. Racy is, to be honest, I don't want to say this, but he can't remind me of who we are. He's just, everybody started right next to him. You know, so that's the upside I think he has in him. You know, Des, you know, he's still learning. He's got a lot of ability to both make plays, you know. They got to get on the right track and get in the playbook, and so it can slow down for him. I want to see when it's slowed down for him and see how comfortable they can get. And they make the start making plays over and over again. The practice field or inside, do you ever have a conversation with the defensive backs on your team? Like, hey, you know, this play just happened. It would have been harder for me if you had done that. Do you ever have those types of conversations? I don't really just talk to them. I'm keeping, I don't really talk to them. Like, off the field, I talk to them, but on the field, like, I hate them. That's just what it is. So inside the building, those guys? Inside the building, yeah, sure. Yeah. He was asking, he was asking yesterday about what kind of gets under your skin, and he said maybe, you know, maybe some trash talk and he thinks that ticks you off a little bit. Is that true? No, no, that ain't true. That ain't true. But they do turn me up a little bit when somebody starts talking trash, uh-huh. They're analysts too. Don't know this team that well from the outside. Try to break down Ryan's game. All these, these are over-reliant on Derek. Yeah. You know, can't win a game by himself, everything. You obviously have some thoughts on that. I don't want to speak for him. I don't. He's spoken for himself. Okay. To be honest, we don't try to get caught up into like the he-say, she-say stuff. But he's definitely a leader. Like Derek don't run them. No, Derek don't get the ball every play. Like that's stupid, you know? Like, but he's a leader. He's very accurate. Like he demands where he wants us to be. We be there. We get rewarded. It's simple. But he's definitely, he leads us like two-minute drive. How many games? Two-minute. We came back, we fought back. You know? So we won't really get into our reporter stuff. I'm sorry, guy. Last one. Thank you. Thanks, AJ. Thank y'all. They're like a pterodactyl on there. How's it going, coach? Hey, guys. How's it going? Great. How are you? Todd, what did you, you want to see these first four days of camp and how much of it did you ultimately see? Yeah, you know, you want to see the offense come together and execute efficiently and take care of the football. And I think we've done that in spurts. I think we've grown in building roles on this football team. And I think there have been times that we've fallen short of it. Racie McMath is someone that stood out as having made some big plays. What's his development been like so far and where can he still maybe stand to grow? Yeah, Racie's a hungry kid. It's awesome to watch him work. He loves coming to work and getting out here early, you know, putting in the extra time to try to learn the techniques we're asking him to do. So really excited about where he's at and the progression he's made. I think Rob Moore is doing a great job with him, getting him acclimated to our system and excited to see what his future looks like. AJ Brown kind of looks like a different player. I mean, he's always been good, obviously, but he seems to have taken another step this year. Just what have you seen from him? And I know you also talked about expanding his, you know, Routt Shriya bit. Just how have you seen him kind of developed in that regard? Yeah, my perspective of AJ over the last couple of years has always been that he loves football and he competes. I think he has a great competitive spirit and I see that on display now. So to me, it doesn't look like necessarily a different AJ. It's just great to have him back out there and have him flying around. His energy is something we need. How has the onboarding process been for you and Julio Jones? See, you guys doing a lot of side conversations and those kind of stuff. Yeah, he has such a wealth of knowledge, you know, and a great football IQ. So many experiences that it's fun to be able to process through some of the stuff with him and, you know, talk about the same-as-type concepts that he's run in the past. And so, you know, there is an onboarding process, but it's a fun process, so we're excited about where he's at. So there is some back and forth just as far as like, what are some of the things you've seen? This is what we see, et cetera? Yeah, absolutely. I think I'd be a fool of a coach to not take the wisdom off of a veteran like him. And so talking through kind of some of the things he's done in his past and how we can acclimate him to the things we're gonna ask him to do here and find that blend, I think, is an important process. Sure, a bit of time. Have you seen anything from him that kind of surprised you or just, hey, I didn't know that he could do that? I won't say that I'm surprised. You know, I expect a lot of a guy of that caliber, but I've certainly been pleased to be working with him. What's Luke bring to the table? You guys have brought him in, Todd, and how important was it, I guess, to get another bigger blocking veteran in? Yeah, I think somebody with that many snaps of blocking a defense van straight across from him at the professional level, you always love adding pieces like that. He brings that veteran presence. He's seen a lot of defenses. He's tough, he's gritty, he's smart. He's plug and play, knew the system. So excited to have Luke around. What have you seen from the young Titans so far? Yeah, I think they've been developing well. Luke Steckel's doing a great job of those guys, invest a lot of time in them. And I think that they've each grown in their own way. Certainly their work's in progress, but we're going to hold their feet to the fire and see who steps up. What have you seen from Matthew Logan to Sean, and what is your plan with those guys to go to the camp and appreciate the games? Yeah, the model for a number two quarterback is to be able to run the system like the starter and take care of the football. And so a little bit like my answer earlier, I think we've done that at times and other times we haven't. So we're looking for consistency from that spot. Transition going for a goalie, which is from the standpoint of God, it's been 10 years with one team and we're back to start fresh with that year. I think the transition's been good. He's having dialogue with Ryan on a constant basis and with myself and Coach Vrable. And I think it's going to be just a matter of time until he's fully comfortable in the system. And once he is, I think things will ascend quickly. What's kind of the biggest challenge in that regard, usually when anybody comes from a number of years, you'll be able to take a look at it? I think it's that Spanish to English dictionary. It's figuring out what he used to call things or how he used to run them and then how he can quickly assimilate to this system and go play fast without having to think, okay, that used to be called this, now it's this. So as soon as he can kind of translate that, I think it'll take off. Todd. Eric Frazier, you said? Yeah, Eric's been doing a great job. He has experience putting together a pass game at Montana State, so it's fun to kind of pick his brain on how he did things. He's a diligent worker, you know, certainly a guy that adds a lot of value to the staff and can kind of float around and help in different areas. So I feel very, very fortunate to have him on staff with me. What you talked about was saying that he believes Anthony Berkser could be a top flight, tight end in the NFL and then, you know, Vrable used one of the off season award winners. Just what kind of growth have you seen from him, you know, from when he, you know, the last couple years to where he's at now just, you know, four days to trick him? Yeah, confidence is a really powerful thing and Anthony has grown in that area every year that I've been around him and I think he, you know, had such a great foundation of a receiving skill set even before, you know, I got here and started working with him but I'm excited to see him grow in all aspects of his game. I think it's a year for him to step up and take a leadership role in a lot of ways and so excited about him and where he's at. What puts you in a good mood after practice and what kind of put you in a mood where you can't wait to kind of get back out there next time? Yeah, I think we all, you know, we wouldn't be in this industry if we didn't have a competitiveness to us, right? And so you want to succeed and you certainly want to pick up first downs in a third down drill and score in the red zone and all those things. I work really hard to not confuse results with the process, right? We're trying to build a foundation here and we're trying to make sure that that foundation is solid and that we set an identity as an offense. So if we do the things, the little things the right way and it looks like what we want the product to look like, the results will come and I believe strongly in that. So, you know, when I come off the field, if I feel like we've put in great effort and play with good energy and attention to detail and we've finished, then I'm at least knowing that we're stepping in the right direction. You've come up with a plan to pull AJ and Julio out of individual at the end there, get them with Ryan and how much will that accelerate kind of those relationships, particularly Julio? Yeah, it's a group decision. You know, I think it helps give Ryan a little bit of time to communicate with them what he sees and then vice versa. Sometimes in meetings you get wrapped up in the install a little bit and you know, you're making sure you're covering all the plays and formations and motions and so on. But that's a time that they get to kind of discuss out on the field in between the stripes, you know what they see, and I think that's a really powerful thing for them. So, I think it's a valuable piece. Paul, we've seen it. We've seen a challenge to stick with the progression that you talk about when you don't have Julio and team and obviously they're not going to run it yet. Is it all a challenge, especially the first new play caller here, to not want to accelerate that and to put it all together too quickly? Yeah, you know, I think obviously, you know, when you have new toys that you want to play with, you know, it's always tempting to try to figure out the way to tinker with that and maybe accelerate certain people's roles. But I have to be disciplined in this progression as well, right? It's my job to make sure that we're doing things the right way before we move on to the next. So, you know, ultimately I keep that as my focus instead of trying to win a drill. Paul, we've seen a trio of the receivers practicing and returning pints. How much is versatility like that going to be key? Is that position looks to work itself out as it comes to making the roster? Yeah, the pump piece of it, I can't give you an answer on that, that's out of my lane. But yeah, but certainly the ability to play multiple positions, conceptual learning, you know, learning multiple spots and not just locking in on one spot, that's extremely valuable as is availability. It's clear that he's healthy. What will a full practice schedule during game weeks do for him this year that he didn't have the benefit of? Give it to me one more time, I had that. It's clear he's healthy. He clearly wasn't healthy last year, didn't practice a lot during the weeks. What will a full practice week during the season do for him week after week as you get through the season, you think? Yeah, we firmly believe around here that practice is really important and it translates to the game. It helps you have confidence again to go play fast in the game. And so certainly think practice versus no practice is a big benefit for us. Sir, I'm Darren, how is he coming along in terms of pass pro? And are you seeing some of the explosiveness that you want to see from him in this offense? Yeah, I think a whole evaluation on anybody's pass pro technique until we have pads on and really can stick his face in there from an assignment standpoint, pleased with where he's at. Tony Duzza's an incredible job getting all those guys ready to go and understanding our protections and we're excited for Darrington to contribute at all possible. What about that bond with Tannehill? Like into that, where you guys think is one, how is that coming along? Because obviously he and Coach Arthur Smith had that last year. Yeah, you know, a benefit to me being here is the tight end coach the last couple of years has developed relationships with these guys. So it's not just a fresh start. You know, we're not getting to know each other personality wise. We kind of been around one another. I really enjoy that aspect of this job. Talking through scheme with the quarterbacks, making sure we're on the same page. He sees it like I see it. Ultimately, that's what's most important. If we see it the same, we've got a chance. If we see it different, again, I have a mixed bag of results. So that process has been great and I've really enjoyed my time with Ryan and you know, I think we're heading in the right direction. What's I appraised you for being such a great worker with quarterbacks? How did you get to that point? I know David Karr is in the past and there's some of the other QVs. Why are you so good at that? I will take the compliment, but I'll say I'm always a work in progress. You know, my time with Derek and even before that with quarterbacks in Buffalo and Detroit, you know, I think it's a learning process through every stop. And each quarterback's got a little bit different personality. So I try to remain as consistent as I can be so that I can relate to those guys, whatever level they're on and try to have a servant's heart in that role and find out how I can best help them succeed. Trying to get through camp first, but there's three pre-season games this year if you've thought about how you want, how much you want the stars to play, just how much you want to see. Would you go good going in the season or what are those conversations? Yeah, those decisions will be above my pay grade. You know, I'll cross those bridges when we get there in those conversations with Coach Variable, but that'll be up to him. Thank you. Thanks guys, appreciate you.