Speaker 1: I'll start Toyota Presents off the Bench with Jacob Hester
and Matt Flynn.
Speaker 2: Say Hester and Hester.
Speaker 1: From carrying each other to and Natty to carrying each other.
Speaker 3: On the air.
Speaker 2: Wow, there's control the.
Speaker 1: Live from the Mercedes Benz Baton Rouge studio. It's off the.
Speaker 4: Bench all right, welcome back in now our number three
OTV one O four five ESPN Baton Rouge. Yesterday, had
the opportunity to go down to Metaie for New Orleans
Saints training camp. Had a great opportunity to catch up
with all three quarterbacks and Ak and Mickey Loomis, Cam Jordan.
But the guy that I wanted to talk with was
Kella Moore, Saints head coach. New head coach, young guy,
and he is taking over a job that's probably not
the most desirable, like when you look at it from afar,
because the roster where it is, the age of the roster,
some of the draft choices that haven't worked out. But
he certainly wanted the challenge, embraced the challenge, and we
caught up with him yesterday and we asked him how
the experience has been so far.
Speaker 5: Yeah, it's been great, It's been awesome being back here
in Metori in Louisiana for training camp. With the heat
and the humidity has been really, really a great thing
for us. And so this has been an awesome training
camp being here getting into our routine.
Speaker 2: We got a great group of guys.
Speaker 4: I was just gonna ask you see, you know, I
guess some family members here, how did they like the
heat humidity of New Orleans?
Speaker 2: When they go out there, they get used to it,
they've gotten used to it.
Speaker 5: They love it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, not too much different from Dallas.
Speaker 5: Yeah. Yeah, we were in Dallas for a long time
and so certainly there's commidity there, and so we're good.
Speaker 3: And by the way, I've been at Philadelphia Eagles training
camp in July and August.
Speaker 5: It's not that great there because most places around the
country have some degree of this.
Speaker 3: So so let's talk about this. You end up in
New Orleans, and when you take the job, there's an
assumption that you have a quarterback that changes. I know
that's a detail because if you hear long enough, you're
gonna you know.
Speaker 2: You're gonna go through that. Why New Orleans? Why do
you end up here?
Speaker 5: Yeah? I think one of the biggest aspects of it
was the people. You know, you get to know the organization,
the people who have led this group for such a
long time and led by Mickey and his you know,
personnel department, missus. B Uh, they're amazing, They're they're awesome,
awesome people.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 5: This organization has been run the right way for a
long time. And so anytime you're around really good people,
he got a great chance of having success.
Speaker 2: One of my favorite things about you.
Speaker 4: No matter who the quarterback's been, and they've all had
different styles in Dallas and LA in Philly, you'll have
been successful. So when you had this quarterback battle like
this and you've got you and Doug and Scott and
y'all have all played the position in the NFL, like,
what are you looking for for the Saints starting quarterback?
And kind of what are those conversations like between the
three of you?
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think a lot of it. You know, you
start with the physical component. Obviously we all have to
see that, and we can all see that. I think
all these guys are capable making all the throws. It
really comes down to the command of the offense, the communication,
the consistency these guys are gonna make miss In training camp,
I hope they do, to be honest, just because you
got to see how they respond, because that's how this
how this deal goes. And then season you're gonna have
to deal some ups and downs and the guys who
can handle that the best are the are the best
guys in this league.
Speaker 2: So let's help make some news.
Speaker 3: You want to name your starter right now, I'm not
going there, But tell me about the process do you
have Do you have a timetable in mind to name
a starter? How do you get them all enough reps
to truly evaluate them?
Speaker 2: What's the process.
Speaker 5: Yeah, so we're beginning early in training camp, rotating uh
the three guys and giving them all different opportunities and
really ultimately the reps are balanced, you know, first group,
second group, and third group. They're all getting the same,
you know, similar reps, and so we're trying to get
these guys with as much exposure as we can. We know,
as we shift gears towards the Chargers first preseason game,
we're gonna have to narrow the focus, create a little
bit of a pecking order, and then from there we
will adjust and when whenever we make that decision, you know,
obviously the sooner you make it awesome. But if it
takes us all the way through training camp, we'll take it.
Take it all the way.
Speaker 4: If I took quarterback off before coming into training camp
this year, And I know you had some roster movement
with Tyre and deciding retire, But which position group are
you looking forward to to seeing maybe who rises to
the top, maybe that competition to see which guy can
end up being the best.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I'm the one in general groups I'm just really
really excited about. Is our defensive back group. We have
a younger group back there, justin Reid coming in. Then
we get Julian Blackman. These corners, you know a lot
of young guys who've played played some football in this league,
but they're all ready to rock and roll. And so
you know that group, the energy of the juice. They're
all ball guys. They all attack the football and create turnovers.
I think we got a really special group back there.
If we can get these guys starting to play together
and spend time together, they can create a really really
good group back there.
Speaker 3: Let me just jump back to the quarterback for a second,
because you played the position, so you understand the importance
of getting comfortable and you talked about the timetable. You're
gonna let it play out on its own, yep, but
knowing what's what's required to get ready for the start
of the season, you know, getting in their heads. How
important do you think it is to get something done,
hopefully sooner than the latest, so they can get in
the mindset of starting week one.
Speaker 5: Yeah, no doubt, no doubt. Certainly, there's there's roles that
ultimately we have to have to find for these guys,
and we'll get there. And so you know, it's important
that you know, once we get there, these guys understand
their role. They're continue to compete, continue to get better,
but we'll let this thing play itself out. You know,
I truly believe a lot of times, you know these qbs,
you know they're gonna figure it out. They'll sort it
out their self and we'll go from there.
Speaker 3: I know this too, having been out here when when
Drew was the quarterback out here, Quarterbacks like to compete
amongst themselves. He always had a competition after whatever it
was we'd watched. Sometimes it was with some of the
members of the Pelicans that were out here. Do things
do these guys have little competitions amongst them.
Speaker 5: Oh, no doubt.
Speaker 2: Every day of practice.
Speaker 5: We were bowling yesterday as a team, and those guys
quickly ended up all in the same the same lane,
and you know, there's a little bit of a competition going.
Speaker 4: It doesn't killing organically like the team you'll kind of
get an idea of who that guy is because you're
not trying to script it, but it just kind of happens,
like the guys start to kind of rally around who
they think is going to be the guy.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, again.
Speaker 5: A lot of times this thing kind of, you know,
sorts it self out organically over the course of time.
Speaker 2: We have a really good group.
Speaker 5: These guys are all awesome. The thing I loved about
the quarterback room is all these guys that face adversity
in their life, through their college careers, you know, and
certainly even in the NFL. And so that's a big
part of this. You know, you're gonna have to face
adversity in the NFL, you have to face challenges, and
when these guys just keep keep it moving, they're gonna
be successful in this league.
Speaker 3: You know, he asked you about groups, and you went
to the secondary. I'm interested in another group that you
didn't talk about yet. The offensive line. There's a big
investment with first round picks up there. Great to have
two tackles that are young and can develop up there.
Let's talk about that group and the role they can
play with whoever it is, a young quarterback, and how
important the running game will.
Speaker 5: Be, no doubt, no doubt, you know that. That was
one of the attractive things to this place is you know,
I was in Dallas as a player and coach, I
was in Philly, even in Los Angeles for a year.
It's like the investment has always been on offense and
defensive line, and if you have that investment up front,
you're gonna give yourself a chance to win each and
every week. And Mickey's done that for a long time
here and so we continue to do that, you know,
being able to draft Kelvin in the first round, and
so we feel like we got a really, really good group.
These guys got to spend time together, They got to
invest this time together, get all the non verbal and
verbal communication, because when those guys can play at a
high level, we can we can do anything. All Right.
Speaker 2: We talked a lot about quarterback here.
Speaker 4: Let's go to the most important position running back or
it goes as impressive as the quarterback tree is for you.
You've had some running backs too in Dallas and certainly
in Philly, and you've got one here in Ak.
Speaker 2: He's a thirty year old guy.
Speaker 4: I know that's older for a running back, but he
has more tread than I think people realize with how
he's kind of handled his career.
Speaker 2: Last year he was a really good player.
Speaker 4: But just what does it mean for whoever the quarterback
is to have forty one sitting next to them and
all the things you can do with him as a player.
Speaker 5: Yeah, Ak is one of the best in this league
and been that way for a long time, and so
his ability to play in the run game, in the
past game, it's just impressive. It's impressive to be out
here spending time in training camp watching him run the football,
his vision, his cuts. It's really really special. We expect
a huge year out of him. It's gonna be a
lot of fun.
Speaker 3: Jacob Jans is bringing back to the group he knows,
but there's no fullback on the rock, so I still
think he's out of his comfort zone, isn't he.
Speaker 2: See what y'all miss?
Speaker 6: Is?
Speaker 4: Kellen on the side told me that they're gonna, you know,
maybe make a tight end a full back and he's
gonna put him in a forty number and it's gonna
look the same.
Speaker 2: That's just a sidecona. We got a hold a couple
of things.
Speaker 3: I know you made a point of this, I think
at your introductory news conference that you're going to be
calling plays. Yeah, And I've always said when guys get
head coaching jobs, I remember talking to Mike Zimmer about
this and he said, look, it's why we got.
Speaker 2: The job exactly. Why would we.
Speaker 3: Give up that responsibility? But now you have a lot
of other responsibilities. Is how is that working for you?
Making sure that you can handle both of those responsibilities.
Speaker 7: Yeah.
Speaker 5: Yeah, it's been obviously a big experience for me, just
you know, navigating the time managements to who's aspect of it,
you know, letting other people you know, do their job
and just trust them and letting them go. I'm fortunate
from an offense perspective to have Doug with me, who's
been with me really since Dallas in twenty eighteen, and
so we know each other so well and have some
experienced guys around us, you know, Scott Lenhand, Brandon Staley
been head coach in this league, Certainly Mickey, Jeff, all
those guys in the personnel department can lean on and
so we got a really special group here.
Speaker 4: I do want to keep going around the roster real
quick because the tied in group, I think it can
be a special one. But you've had some injuries and
you're waiting maybe on Tasum and you got Foster Moro
as well as kind of battling injuries. Where's the health
right now with that group, because when they're full strength,
it's a completely different group than you have out there
right now.
Speaker 2: Yeah, no doubt.
Speaker 5: We're certainly navigating the injury thing from the tight end
perspective because you know those guys are going through that.
We got some really good players though, and obviously the
timelines will all be different for those guys, but all
those guys are gonna have impacts on our team this.
Speaker 2: Year real quick.
Speaker 3: Two things before you go, The balance of keeping the
guys healthy to start the season and putting them through
some tough work here. All coaches have to manage that,
and you learn from the guys that you would before.
Speaker 2: What's your philosophy on it?
Speaker 5: Yeah, Yeah, you know, we're building this thing as we go,
and certainly, you know, you got to lean into the
sports science, the sports performance and the medical staff, and
we got some of the best in the business here,
and you lean in those expertise. We've been building this
thing as we go. These guys, these practices get harder
and harder every day, and we'll get to a point
where it's not going to feel comfortable at all, and
they got to pushed through it, and then we'll protect
them and get them ready to go, because ultimately what's
most evaluated those sundays in the fall and certainly in
August start that way.
Speaker 3: And the last thing, you know, I reflect on a
lot of guys that we've talked to on our tour
that our first year head coaches, and I'm always interested
in what they've learned since taking the job that they
weren't expecting. Again, I reflect on Mike Zimmer who said,
you know, the meetings with the owner, the media responsibilities,
you know, sitting here with us, I mean, you know,
you take over and you think, you know what what
what to you has been the thing that you said, boy,
I wasn't ready for that.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think just the daily media responsibilities are obviously
a little different from the coordinator perspective, and you know,
and just the logistics of just getting everyone on the
same page, the operation of training camp, when you're traveling
to California, when you're dealing with road games, all the
little things that come into play there. You know, you's
got to make sure everyone's on the same page.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you don't get to score yourself away and just
focus on your one side of the football anymore.
Speaker 2: Now you're responsible for the whole roster.
Speaker 5: Yep, yep. But it's been great. It's a great organization.
We're gonna do some great things.
Speaker 3: And Callen, thanks for stopping by. Good luck in your
first year with this football team.
Speaker 2: Right, thank you so much.
Speaker 7: Guys.
Speaker 4: All right, that was Saints Hey, coach Kela Moore yesterday
at Saints' training camp.
Speaker 2: And you know, look, he is.
Speaker 8: Sounded a lot different. What my voice sounded a lot
different in that interview.
Speaker 4: Oh, you sounded like you were Bruce Murray, who is
lives up there, New Orleans.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Bruce.
Speaker 4: So Bruce Murray went to Tulane, Like he actually went
to school.
Speaker 7: Are you No, There's no way he did.
Speaker 4: No, he went to school, and he said, like some
of his children have gone to school there as well.
He he said, you know, he said it in a
way that he went to Tulane and said New Orleans.
Speaker 2: I know, I know, I know. I did like yesterday,
like you.
Speaker 4: Said it one time, and when he would say it,
I kept saying New Orleans like after him, like you
pick up.
Speaker 2: It's okay. He's a great guy, does a great job.
He didn't say New Orleans.
Speaker 8: Yeah, Kellen kind of got uncomfortable when he said they
were starting quarterback.
Speaker 7: Yeah, you should.
Speaker 4: Have been there, like see Kell's face as awkward as
it felt there as well. But that's why I asked
him the question and kind of posed it the way
like you've had different quarterbacks like Dak's never going to
be confused for Herbert, Herbert's not gonna be confused for Jalen,
but all three have been successful.
Speaker 2: We talked about that, was that yesterday two days ago.
Speaker 9: Me and Matt talked about it yesterday too. It was
like that's why, no.
Speaker 7: I think he's actually heard, but I.
Speaker 2: Mean I've seen it everywhere guys.
Speaker 9: Well, No, we were talking about like, look, Kellen Moore
doesn't have the experience as being a head coach, but
he kind of got to blindly trust him when it
comes to offense because of what he's done. And like
Herbert has been good even without Kellen Moore, but like
before Kellen Moore, after Kellen Moore, look at what kind
of quarterback Justin Herbert was. Yeah, and I get him
being a rookie and all that. I understand that, but
Jalen hurts you in the Super Bowl. Dak hasn't been
the same since Kellen Moore left. I mean, there's something
to this.
Speaker 4: It is, but also like all those guys being different,
that's the best part about it because if it was
three of the same quarterback, you like, I don't really know.
Speaker 2: I don't know if the Saints have that guy.
Speaker 4: On the roster, but three different skill sets where they've Yeah.
Speaker 8: I guess Dak and Herbert are the most similar, but
they are so certainly.
Speaker 7: Not the same guy.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, like Dak's talented, but there's there's throws
that Herbert can make the Dak just can't.
Speaker 2: And there's things that Dak can do that Herbert can.
But they're all three get injured.
Speaker 4: There's all there's there's you know, there's three different quarterbacks,
and like Jalen Hurts, they didn't have the same skill
set as those other guys, but they created He created
an offense around him that was the best case scenario.
He was Obviously they did great things in the run
game with Saquon Barkley. And I asked Alvin yesterday, I'm like, hey,
like you watched that tape last year, like with what
he was doing with Saquon, and you've already sent that
film to him like saying we need to do this.
He goes the second day, he's like the second day,
I'm like, hey, like, I saw y'all do this with Saquon, Like,
let's put this in. So it's not only the quarterback position.
It's looking at the totality of what I have in
front of me and what can I do to make
the best version of this? Like whatever this is, Like,
I got to make the best version knowing the skill
that I have. And like I asked him about the
tight end position because I think if fully healthy, like
you can be good. But right now, it's a lot
of guys that none of us would know if we
didn't cover the Saints every day. Right it's a lot
of names that you know, even like a good fan,
not even a casual fans.
Speaker 2: Like who are we talking about?
Speaker 4: But you could see yesterday of practice that they were
trying to integrate some different things to try to hide
the position a little bit until their guys get back.
Because it's like, why am I going to be twelve
personnel heavy? Londra can tell you what that is later on.
If I don't have two good tight ends, right, but
if I give Falstimorrow back, if Juwan Johnson does who
got nicked up again yesterday, and Taysom comes back like okay,
then we can do some of those things.
Speaker 2: But why am I going to say, well.
Speaker 4: This is how I've always done it, this is what
I'm going to do when you hate got to Jimmies
and Joe's.
Speaker 7: To do it?
Speaker 8: Yeah, I mean, it's classic just a coach, and it's
something for Saints fans to at least be optimistic about
for this season that we can be efficient on offense,
we can have some we can have good offensive numbers
because it's a coach that is designing the offense based
on the player, not trying to make the player fit
into one specific offense. And there is this track record
like you just said, of it's never looked the same
at any of the places that he's been and that's
what a good offensive coach does. So I mean something
to be excited about. And I think when Tosing came on,
you know, a month ago, he kind of said the
same thing. We're kind of developing this offense as we
go kind of on the field. We're talking all the
time and seeing seeing what the strengths and weaknesses are.
Speaker 7: Because we're new here.
Speaker 8: We got a great idea, yeah, but we won't know
until we actually know.
Speaker 7: So all right, I'm excited. But we're talking ourselves into.
Speaker 2: This again again. If they stay healthy.
Speaker 4: And I know that's like such a big question mark,
not only because it's the NFL, but because let's call
it like it is the Saints injury history, hell, the
Pelican's injury history.
Speaker 2: That they share the same building. I get that.
Speaker 4: I know that, But the first twenty two out there
can be competitive with the coaching staff they have, the
players they have.
Speaker 2: It is the biggest if. And I know, but I
didn't see the thirty second ranked.
Speaker 4: Roster yesterday when I went out there, And I think,
if they make the right decisions at quarterback.
Speaker 2: But they can be a team that's not going to
win the championship. We know that.
Speaker 4: But if they can create something a foundation of hell
nine wins, yeah, be mid, be mid, b mid this
year and create a building foundation for what the future
looks like.
Speaker 2: I think that's going to be important for this Saints.
Speaker 7: The majority of Saints fans want them to be mid
or no, I think they want them to be really bad.
I want to be really bad.
Speaker 4: I don't know if I just don't have six wins,
either have ten wins.
Speaker 2: Or have two.
Speaker 6: I'm a Saints fan, and like the way that I'm
looking at it is like reality, you know, and the
I'm I.
Speaker 2: Don't want them to be bad.
Speaker 6: I don't know why as a fan you would want
any Like why you would want your team to be
bad except for like the tank for Arch or whatever
narrative that's out there. But like I just look at
it as like we are probably gonna be mid. I
don't think we'll be as bad as last year. But again,
like go out there be mid, Spencer Ratler, like, I
feel good about it. And I was gonna say, like,
cause I know you wanted to bring this up on air,
so I was gonna from earlier, and this might be
a dumb question, but like if you are kind of
unsure about the quarterback position and you're pretty thin at
tighten and like you're unsure about that as well. Like
I don't know if we brought this up, I don't remember,
but Noah Fan signed with the Bengals, so that we
were visited. Okay, Yeah, so he visited the Saints and
we were saying, like, I mean, that'd be a good
get if you can get it. So he he leaves,
didn't get him signed signs with the Bengals. So all
that to say, would it be fair to say that
like you would probably have to rely on the run
game or no.
Speaker 4: No, because the tight ends though, you do, because like
the tight ends that they have, that's what they are. Yeah,
why tight ends? Yeah, they're not dynamic pass catchers. And again,
like you gotta get Juwan healthy and he just continues
to be nicked up, and I do think Falster Moro
once he gets back, we kind of know what you're
gonna get with Foster. He had a really good end
to last year. But the guys they have now, No,
they are true why tight ends, They're gonna be better
in the run game than they are in the past game.
And yeah, that's like again, it's what like Kellen has
to look at that which he's done in his past
and be like, we can't do the things that we
would do with the other tight ends we got in
with these tight ends.
Speaker 7: Yeah.
Speaker 6: So then what I asked in the break was because
we talked about the running back room I think last week,
and we're like, maybe we can make an argument for
it or whatever, but we have to see about Kendre Miller.
So that was somebody that I was looking out for
and have like a question mark about because that could
be a weapon if he can be healthy and he
can like you know, stay on track. So I asked you,
what did like, did you see Kendre Miller out there?
Speaker 2: You didn't mention it? Yeah, yeah, because I did.
Speaker 4: I was waxing poetic about all the other backs and
then one on one pass protection which is a defensive drill,
and they were all stoning the linebacker.
Speaker 2: There was one guy that got big BOYD was Kendre Miller.
Speaker 7: Well, theo good news is.
Speaker 9: It doesn't have to be Kendre right, like running deep
Hilario like Devin Neil. People like, you know, Marcus Yarns
is talented as an undrafted guy, like about.
Speaker 4: The room yesterday and I don't remember if he was
on air, off air. I think it was on air,
but he started talking. He's like, man, it's good to
have other vets in here. And then he's like, and
we got some young cats and he said Neil and
Yard like he didn't.
Speaker 2: He mentioned Then he went back and mentioned Hendre Miller.
Speaker 6: But Ross, Yeah, Ross wrote an article about Devin Neil
and like how he's a really good prospect.
Speaker 7: Yeah so all time leading rusher.
Speaker 2: Yeah, went there.
Speaker 4: So, yeah, Kendre Miller in past protect big boyd like
you gotta, like.
Speaker 7: Everybody gets pick boy though, I mean it's training camp.
Speaker 2: Yeah, no you do.
Speaker 4: But like you've when the other backs are like locked
in and ready to go, like it's gonna stand down. Yeah,
even he kind of so he got to the point
of attack, he kind of stood flat footed, was on
his heels and the linebacker just brought him back to
the quarterback and then one arm shoved him to the
ground like you like you you gotta everybody loses battles.
Speaker 7: But when yeah, when the other three guys have a
really good rep. You have a battle. Yeah, it sticks
out pretty pretty good.
Speaker 4: Yeah I'm not gonna yeah judge a goalf one rep,
but hey if not, now then win with Ken J.
Speaker 7: Miller.
Speaker 2: It is what it is. You're a third round pick.
When you're a third round.
Speaker 4: Pick of running back, that's not like being a third
round pick at another position. That's almost like a first
round pick running back. Like if they if they select
you in the third round, like they think of you
as a starter at the running back position, certainly second rounder,
like you always go up around with running back, so
maybe not a first round but a second rounder, Like
that's what they think of you, because the position is
not gonna have a ton of first rounders.
Speaker 2: If you have a first rounder, and I think.
Speaker 4: That was what two this year, they consider you like
generationalep almost like Kendre, Like, if you want to make
this squad, you got a lot to prove because I'm
seeing veteran players like Clyde and Cam go out there,
Cam Akers and they're making plays.
Speaker 2: You know Ak is gonna make plays.
Speaker 4: And if I'm a first year head coach and I
know running back is really important, who am I going
to trust to be in the huddle with whoever the
quarterback is, right, ak needs a breather. Don't want to
be Clyde Edwards, d Layer cam Akers, or don't want
to be Kendre right now, that's the problem.
Speaker 8: Let me tell you running back you can There's been
a lot of talented ball carriers that don't make a
team because they can't pass back.
Speaker 4: Uh, There's been some some elite level, there's been some
mid level running backs that have made teams because they
can't pass.
Speaker 7: For ten preach. I mean, it's fifty percent of your
job in the NFL's.
Speaker 4: The only reason I stole a year in Denver because
of it.
Speaker 8: If you want to be a fan, like if if
your skill set is a good route runner, pass catcher,
that makes you a third a good option a third down.
But if you can't pick up protection, you fyd.
Speaker 4: All right, when we come back, Chef Michael Johnson, munchies
right here on OTV.
Speaker 1: Off the bench.
Speaker 7: All right.
Speaker 4: It is always a great time to go for dose.
It's bad when you go so longer. You're like, which
segment is this?
Speaker 2: Go for a dose?
Speaker 4: River beer, Lake Beer, Beach Beer, Pregame beer, Tailgate beer,
does not matter, right, it is always a great time
windows Sekis is involved.
Speaker 2: It's like college football time.
Speaker 4: Is there anything better setting up the tailgate, setting up
the tent, setting up the TV, getting the chairs out,
reaching into the ice chest, grabbing a nice cold dose sechies.
They have a website and everything as well. I don't
know if you know that. You can very age and
go to the website check it out. I hear that
the traffic's picked up over the last couple of weeks.
Don't really know why. That is always a great time
to go for dose.
Speaker 8: Yeah, it's uh to lete some beers. Basically, what was
It's Thursday. It's basically the weekend. So if you've been
waiting for the weekend to kind of tie one on,
maybe have a couple of cold pops, make it a
do ski stay Thursday, my friend go for dose.
Speaker 1: Doseekis from the locker room to the airwaves, gets off
the bench with Jacob Hester and Matt Flynn.
Speaker 4: All right, welcome, I get a OTV one or four
five ESPN Ben rouge. This time, I'm going to remember
we actually have like a sounder and everything for our
next guests. And so let's get to some Monkeys with
Chef Michael.
Speaker 1: Get ready to tantalyize your taste buds and leave this
segment hungry. This is Monkey's with Executive Chef Michael Johnson.
Speaker 2: But Chef, what's going on, brother, How we're doing?
Speaker 10: How we living good? Training camp? You know?
Speaker 4: Yeah, like, you know, I feel like that first couple
of days is probably the toughest you got everybody coming in.
They're pretty hungry, probably after that first training camp practice.
Speaker 10: Yeah, you know, it's interesting you develop, you pick up
on habits of the guys and it you know, one
year you'll have everybody that it rushes in there just
before seven o'clock or steven fifteen before they have to
check in. And and this year it's very reminiscent of
a twenty nineteen where the guys are coming in. They're
piling in the door as soon as we open up.
Kind of an interesting thing, you know, like you hate
to compare one to the other two much, but and
I keep hearing that in the news, but yeah, the guys,
you know, it's it's just an interesting habit that you know,
the majority of the guys are showing up right now
at six o'clock when we open the doors and they're
piling in and it's a different vibe this year.
Speaker 4: There is something to that though, Chef and Flynn and
I always talk about it, like being a part of
our seventeen Like O six had a really good roster.
O six had four first round picks, and they were like,
we were really talented. We had a lot of you know,
big wins that year. But there was something different about
our group in seven and the things that you're talking about,
like going and eating at the cafeteria together and hanging
out you know, off the field and doing kind of
everything together. Like that seven team had that feel to it,
and I've heard that not just from you, Chef, but
from everybody. This twenty twenty five team has kind of
the same mannerisms, if you will, of the twenty nineteen
team when it comes to hanging out and kind of
the interaction they have.
Speaker 10: Absolutely, you know, lots of different personalities from then to now,
but you know, as the over from an overarching look
and feeling perspective. Keep finding myself saying it and not
because I'm buying into it because I'm hearing it, but
because it's something that I have witnessed myself and seeing
and feeling myself.
Speaker 8: Yeah, so we talk about He just brought it up
like our championship team, Like there's always something about a
team that is a championship then that you can't really pinpoint.
Speaker 7: So I'll take it.
Speaker 8: I'll take coming in at six am for food. I'll
take that as a good sign. So I like that.
Speaker 7: I like that idea.
Speaker 8: But I wanted to ask you, how's the we talked
about it last week. How's the logistics going. You're a
couple of days in the logistics, everything everything running smooth.
Speaker 7: Inventory is good.
Speaker 10: Yeah, you know, we're we're we are actually counting inventory
in the middle of all this, which is pretty chaotic.
You know, Once that's over and said and done, everything
will playing off and we'll we'll we'll find our stride.
But right now we're literally counting inventory in the middle
of trying to feed all these guys. And you know,
a lot of people don't know this, but we also
feed soccer and volleyball on top of those, on top
of the football team and in opposition of when they're there.
So I mean, we're feeding two hundred and fifty people
a day, you know, per meal. So it's it's it's
still a I mean, it's it's a grind. You know.
It's three three meals a day, seven days a week
for you know, football training camp. I think it's twenty
eight days, but because of the way the weeks straddle it,
I think before it's over said and done, it will
be thirty five days in a row. So you know,
you have to you have to, you know, be consistent,
you have to find your stride. You got to you know,
manage your emotions. You know what I mean. It's hot outside,
you know, and I think that lends itself to some
chaos every once in a while. So but for the
but for the most part, you know, like everybody looks
forward to training camp because it's an exciting time. Like
we get a lot of face time with football in
particular time of year, so we build relationships right now,
and that that's important for us.
Speaker 7: Chef.
Speaker 8: Are you said three meals a day? Are we also
prepping like like late night snacks and things for them,
Like I'm sure they're eating before some sort of meeting
or something at.
Speaker 7: Nice So it's a good point. Yeah.
Speaker 10: Actually, now that you say that, it's probably for meals
today because we actually do a meal prep for them
that's refrigerated. It's in our caliber of food, out quality
of food, and in a like a bento box or
a or a bowl or whatever you want to call it,
so that they can take it to the to the
hotel there and that will only be while they're in
the hotel until they move into their dorm rooms as such.
But yeah, that technically there is for and we do
we do do a late night snack for them to
take to go home with or to go to the
hotel with, so that they can they wake up or
if they want to get something to you before they
go to bed. That's there for them.
Speaker 2: Training camps always that time too.
Speaker 4: Nobody's gonna well, I say no, I'm speaking absolute, but nobody's.
Speaker 2: Going to ever really come in overweight.
Speaker 4: It's always like, all right, this guy lost seventeen pounds
today at practice. So, chef, how much of your conversations
with your staff and I know the dieticians obviously are
a big part of what y'all do as well well,
Like how much conversation do y'all have, because like y'all
play a big role in making sure that you know
these plays that are losing seven ten twelve whatever pounds
per practice that they're getting the fuel that they need.
Speaker 10: Yeah, I mean, honestly, we it's a constant conversation this
time of year. It's a you know, like every before
and after every meal, we're touching with the dietician and
and you know, like she might bring to us somebody
that that is in special need of something. We also
opened ourselves up to you know, one of the Week's
brothers came to us yesterday. I was like, hey, you know,
when does the nutritions that are closed because I feel
like I want to eat again at like two o'clock
or we are you just still going to be overflowed? Yeah,
you know the sponsor to that is always say come back,
even if the doors are locked, we're gonna let you in.
We're gonna feed you. You know, training camp is not the
time and and and that's that's how our philosophy runs
most of the time, is you know, like we we're
gonna feed our athletes come come hell or high water,
and figure out how to get it done. But it's
it's a good sign when they're communicating with us and
they want to you know, like they want to talk
about food, they want to have influence about what's on
the menu that's all good stuff. That means they trust us,
you know, and us is a big thing for us.
You know, some years that the trust isn't there, and
it just has to do with the personality of the
of athletes. And now that we're six years in from
the development of the Performance Nutrition Center, we have trust
that's grown from when those guys were freshmen up to now,
you know, in the fifth years and the you know,
like in the seniors and the juniors have been with
us for long enough now that they're helping us navigate
through the younger guys who who don't know as well
yet that we're here for them, and you know, that's
it's just an important thing, you know, it's it's important
that they see that we're working in tandem with the dietitian,
that we're all telling the same story and saying the
same thing, so that you know, they they realize that
we're brought into them.
Speaker 8: Do you all ever when you prep food for training camp?
Kind of to Jake's point, they're losing so much weight
during practice and during training, Like, do you work with
the dieticians?
Speaker 7: Do you overly?
Speaker 8: Do you oversalt some ingredients, Like I remember when we
were playing the Doctors, just like, yeah, just salt your
food more. Do you purposefully ever salt food more during
this time?
Speaker 10: That's a great question. When I interviewed for this position,
I backed salt out of the diet, and that was
one of the one of the pieces of criticism that
came from you know, some of the some of the
most important people that were interviewing me was is listen,
we want to offer you the job, but just so
you know, you know, salting pulling salt out of the
diet is actually opposite of what we want. We want
salt in the diet. So we seasoned things we had.
We actually have a little area that has reduced salt
in it or reduced seasoning in it that we call it, affectionately,
we call the clean Station. But otherwise we season it
like we're in Louisiana, you know, like it's gonna be
I mean, I like my job, right, So yes, to
your point, we we definitely seasoned appropriately to where you know,
they they feel like they're at home and and you
know that's that's a mouthful there, you know, it's it's
not just about this evening It's about making them feel comfortable,
you know, because the stress is high during training camping,
and we want them to feel comfortable enough to eat.
We want the food to be comfortable enough that they
eat it, that we want it to be familiar so
that they eat it. Because we actually kind of lean
back a little bit on how on how healthy we cook,
and I mean, we still cook healthy, but we go
to more comfortable dishes and we don't push the themed
products as much and you know, like we're we're cooking
a lot of atsufe jambalaia stuff like that, because at
some point the stress is high enough and the heat
wears down enough that we're less concerned about the fact
that it needs to be you know, like this performance
nutrition food and more concerned about the fact that they're
just eating right. And because there's definitely guys who, you know,
they come off the field, they're hot, they're you know,
like they don't want eat. It's it's it's almost you know,
like a struggle for them to eat because they're tired,
worn out and just want to go to bed, right.
And so that's where we have to make sure that
the food is comfortable enough for them to look at
it and say, oh, you know, what, the hell with it?
I'm going to take some of this home with me
and eat it, you know, because it looks good, and
that that doesn't come from doing you know, uh bear
fried chicken necessarily, that comes from having Southern fried chicken,
right Nashville hot, you know like it? Yeah right, it
has to taste good, that's right.
Speaker 4: All right there he is Chef Michael Johnson l s
U Executive Chef goodness to join us as he does
every single week.
Speaker 2: Chef.
Speaker 4: We appreciate the time, certainly during this busy time, and
we look forward to catching up with you again next week.
Speaker 10: Likewise, take care of pels all.
Speaker 4: Right, we'll step away more ot B when we come
back one O four five ESPN Ben Rouge off the bench,
all right, good, all Star TOYOTF Benrouge dot com. When
you buy a new when you least, when you rent,
everything is available over at all Star.
Speaker 2: So if you know, you know.
Speaker 4: Maybe just maybe you got like one more weekend get
away in you with.
Speaker 2: The family before school truly starts.
Speaker 4: You can always go rent a sequoia, ciana, tundra, something
bigger than.
Speaker 2: You currently have.
Speaker 4: Maybe it's a weekend get away for you know, just
the two of you before school starts. So maybe the
kids are with the grandparents. Maybe, I mean, I don't know.
Does that happen somewhere? Maybe it does. And maybe you
want to like a little sedan. You don't need your
your full size suv for that trip. You can go
rent that as well.
Speaker 8: All Star Toyah if you're in the market, if it's
just time for an upgrade, or maybe your car is
old and you just it's time for a new and
you have to go see them. You can go on
their website right now and see their inventory right there
on the website.
Speaker 7: What they have in a lot.
Speaker 8: They're conveniently located on Airline Highway near Goodwood, but you
can see everything right there on their website.
Speaker 7: Go see them. All Star Toyota of Batonrouge dot.
Speaker 1: Com two thousand and seven. Shamps Purple and Gold to
the core. This is off the Bench with Hester and Flynn,
Matt and Rouges go to for all things Louisiana Sports, s.
Speaker 2: V W s VU, I mean s W b WV.
Speaker 4: I know he's gonna get there, soon's gonna be.
Speaker 7: I'll see you, mister real.
Speaker 6: What's the other song that's like double you, that's this one.
Another week in the knees right here, I think is
the one.
Speaker 2: I'm thinking this.
Speaker 4: Is uh yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2: I know this one. Turn up a little bit. Weekend
man just got like three good questions in the.
Speaker 7: Road right there, we stay in the pocket.
Speaker 2: Look at I got a.
Speaker 8: Great point and a good question. It's not a big
deal to become a trick.
Speaker 9: But I was telling you yesterday we can we can
we whatever. It doesn't matter, I say, I was telling
you yesterday the b K press conference. I don't think
he gave anybody a good question.
Speaker 2: And what was slender pot?
Speaker 7: Gotta let the talent d.
Speaker 2: Gotta let big dog eat.
Speaker 7: Let the dog.
Speaker 2: Get credentials, get number fifteen in there.
Speaker 6: You didn't request any.
Speaker 4: Look right, look, look, look if fifteen's got to get
a credential to get in that building, we're doing it right.
Speaker 2: We got a problem, all right, Just be able to
walk in and just be like hey here.
Speaker 7: Now you're gonna be there.
Speaker 9: You're gonna be the guy you made fun of an
SEC media days.
Speaker 7: You can be you can be hand up yet. You
can be hand up yet, marlart.
Speaker 4: Mark, Yeah I did, Hey I looked down one time
and and Marlar did have the hand up and.
Speaker 2: Seventeen minutes to.
Speaker 8: Get those like little these three little interns to run
the mic.
Speaker 7: To me, you had to stick that arm up for half.
Speaker 6: But they should do it like UFC were, Like they
put a mic and you line up and you go
up to the mic instead of holding your hand.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that would that would mean they'd have to get
up out of their chair walk to the microphone.
Speaker 2: Such a more efficient way.
Speaker 9: For them, though, to your point, a lot of those
guys about exercise a ton. What's worse having to hold
your hand up for ten minutes or getting up the walk?
Speaker 7: It's a great boy, I mean.
Speaker 2: To walk. They getting up to walk.
Speaker 6: Wait, so everyone's like, shout out Roger and the chat Rogers.
Speaker 2: My dad's name.
Speaker 6: This full text in me Like last segment, he goes,
I guess I'm a hit.
Speaker 7: Huh kind of famous.
Speaker 6: He wants a segment now, Yeah, he wants a Texas
and Cowboys.
Speaker 4: No, no, yeah, Roger, Roger, you can play. You can
play the playlist. We ain't talking cowboys unless we're making
fun of Taylor. The only time we're talking cowboys.
Speaker 7: We can talk Texas.
Speaker 6: You can be our Texas correspondent.
Speaker 2: We got enough texts in this room.
Speaker 9: Yeah, no, I was about say I love the Cowboys.
Speaker 7: This show is a little too.
Speaker 4: That was coming to if I'm if I if my
you know, Louisiana credentials aren't enough for you, I'd rather
East Texas in southern Arkansas.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's like, you.
Speaker 4: Know, twelve minutes from Texas, it's like an hour to Arkansas.
Speaker 9: Yeah, you're way closer, But I mean how far are you?
And Flynn like grew up wise like not that.
Speaker 8: Yeah, Yeah, I was Tyler's like right in between s
Report and Dallas.
Speaker 7: Yeah, you can visualize that.
Speaker 2: I mean it's like on the same plane.
Speaker 4: It's like I thought it was Martiall, Longview Tyler yep,
and they were scared to make the drive over to Shreetport.
Speaker 7: We're gonna take those knees out, chop box.
Speaker 4: Like we beat the team, y'all couldn't be So that's
all I need to. You know, we beat long View
and Lufkin and Marshall.
Speaker 8: Okay, sorry, district champs. I know it's honorable mention, but
district damn.
Speaker 2: Yo were yeah senior year.
Speaker 4: Yeah, beat them, and that's when you went to the
playoffs in the center snap.
Speaker 8: We were five and one in district because we played
double around robbin Us, long View, uh liften and John Tyler.
Just four teams because the other two dropped out and
the Dallas teams did not want to be in a
district of us because they knew we'd beat up on him.
Speaker 7: Uh So we had a four team district. So we
played everybody twice.
Speaker 8: Long View got us the only time we lost with
long View in Longview.
Speaker 2: Malcolm Kelly, yes, take case ye Calahoma, Yeah, tight end
and played for Florida.
Speaker 8: And then the quarterback Joel Armstrong who was the first
team All district was he played quarterback at Rice.
Speaker 2: You let a Rice al beat you?
Speaker 9: Well, you start, it's how you finish. Anybody give a
crap that he's first team. You were in Natty champ
at l s U and he played for Rice. No offense, Joel.
Speaker 7: But like, and I got that district championship ring.
Speaker 4: And so y'all won honorable made rings for district.
Speaker 2: Okay, okay, so y'all won.
Speaker 7: It's like the championship bet you were still district honorable man. Yeah,
that's it. I didn't have big stats a stat hog.
Speaker 2: Ask the bench is coming up.
Speaker 4: But before we get to ask the bench, I want
to tell about our friends over at Boudros Electrical. Go
to Electrical dot com. Storm season is a coming. The
Gulf of America is heating up. It is inevitable. So
make sure that you're ready. How do you get ready
about having a whole home generator? Thanks to our friends
over at Boudro's Electrical dot com budros Eelectrical dot com.
Speaker 2: Ask the bench when we come back here on o TV.
Mop the bench, all right. Go to Rouses dot com.
Speaker 4: And when you go to Rouses dot com and you're like, wait,
why are you sending me to this website for this
grocery store?
Speaker 2: Okay, that's kind of weird. No, it's not weird.
Speaker 4: When you have weekly ads right there on the homepage
of the site, you click on it, you type in
your zip code's going to give you that location that is,
you know, the nearest to you. But also like, these
deals are going to be at your local Rouses, So
like wherever you're listening to us, go to your local
Rouses right now. They got the buy one, get one
little Bogo deal going on so many different things. I mean,
you've got egoes, You've got granola barsaegos are so good.
You've got lazed potatoes, chips, you got glazed donuts. All
that right now is own Bogo. Go to the website
Rowses dot com.
Speaker 8: You're like me, we just had our munchies segment like
I'm hungry, I want to cook. So if you are
hungry after talking to chef Michael Johnson, just like us,
go to Rouses. Don't go to the big, the big
national stores that don't care about you. Go to the
local store that cares about our community, cares about Louisiana.
Go visit your local Rouses market today.
Speaker 1: Two thousand and seven, Shams purple and gold to the core.
This is off the bench with Hester and Flynn, Matt
and Rougees go to for all things Louisiana sports.
Speaker 4: And today, I believe is the last day to sign
up for Flag Football Elite Training Academy BOM NFL Flag
You saw it on the main ESPN right you can
qualify for that national tournament. You get a chance to
have an NFL logo on your chest, You get a chance.
Speaker 2: To play football in actual football fields.
Speaker 4: And so if you're looking to sign up for flag football,
you got six eight, U, ten, U twelve fourteen, right,
you got boys and girls divisions.
Speaker 2: Go ahead, go to the website today.
Speaker 4: Even if you don't have like a coach and you're
just like wanting to put your player in there. Right,
you're gonna have free agents. They'll create a team with
those free agents. Elite Training academybr dot com.
Speaker 2: Get that done today.
Speaker 4: All right, let's get to a little ass the bench,
and we're trying to look up that all district team
that fourteen district and got third out of four quarterbacks
in that district. We'll see if we can get that
done before we get out here today. But we've been
searching for a launch.
Speaker 7: You guys like you that sign the third best quarterback
and weeh twelve five a football in Texas.
Speaker 2: We are though we are. It turned out great.
Speaker 9: Just imagine the guy who's fourth three, because you're like,
I am, on equivalent, the worst quarterback in this district,
the only one that didn't make.
Speaker 2: Us probably pretty good.
Speaker 4: Sh What is an exercise or drill that has provided
the most explosive power? I am a big believer in sleds,
and parachutes. I love them, man, I love the resistance training.
I think when we started talking about like coming out
of your stance and then like all of a sudden
you're trying to get to full tilt and then you've
got that just probably not great for your back, but
you got that resistance that it just immediately just like
kind of catches up to you and then you got
to push through that.
Speaker 2: I've always like, got my kids do it. I did it.
Speaker 4: I used to run up and down the thirty one
thirty two kind of had the Interstate had a couple
of hills. I used to run up and down those
when my little brother sat in a tire behind.
Speaker 2: I had a chain wrapped around my waist.
Speaker 4: As like before parachutes really even like nobody really had
sleds either, Like we used to go up and down
that thing. Just so like you're running and all of
a sudden that resistance and you gotta fight through that resistance.
Speaker 2: And so an.
Speaker 8: Any sort of jump, long jump, box up, any sort
of jumping, clean the power cleans in the weight room.
Speaker 6: But anything like literally a power snatch.
Speaker 8: Any work out that doesn't make you like isolate one
muscleer you have to use everything.
Speaker 7: You have to exert all powers. So I love doing
jumps for any age.
Speaker 6: I love sweeping tires is one of my favorite things.
Speaker 2: Everything. Yeah, you have to use everything.
Speaker 4: Ask the bench, if you had to perform at a
karaoke bar, what's the song you choose Sweet Caroline?
Speaker 9: Because halfway through everybody's going to sing anything.
Speaker 2: You don't even have to Selena.
Speaker 4: Ato Sunshine, when Chese going Tequila's Pewey Herman.
Speaker 8: Yeah, like all you don't have to be good at
that one. Then everybody sings.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 4: Kind of a little week that y'all pick songs that
everybody kind of takes over.
Speaker 2: Supposed to be your voice.
Speaker 7: I got a terrible voice. I just want I fun.
Speaker 4: It's not the boys. Like nobody's expecting you to be good,
I know, but like it helps. From Daniel Basham Mass
the bench rank your children, Oh, tomorrow.
Speaker 2: Is gonna be a different ranking than today.
Speaker 4: Three days later, it's gonna be a different ranking, right,
depends on how they act, and.
Speaker 7: Sometimes there's a difference between like and love.
Speaker 2: Oh.
Speaker 4: At this point, Houston area has more of a South
Louisiana Vibean North Louisiana.
Speaker 7: Hey Will camphyd the.
Speaker 8: Devin White to Trey White drink Myhigh dot com go
hydrate It's hot.
Speaker 7: Sign up.
Speaker 4: Off the bench are sign or you're signing up for
monthly deliveries of My High.
Speaker 2: You should go to your Goodwood dot com.
Speaker 4: You go to that website and you can find a
full list of services.
Speaker 2: They can help you out with Goodwood.
Speaker 4: Men's sexual wellness, and we always encourage you like there's
nothing to be embarrassed about, there's no fear to be had.
Just if you have something going on, why not get
to the bottom of it. And that's what they do
over your Goodwood dot com. So go to the website.
They have the kind of some pricing information there as well.
Again fullness of services they can help you out with
your Goodwood.
Speaker 7: Dot com truly personalized treatment for men. Men.
Speaker 8: We have these human bodies and things go wrong, whether
it's your hair's looking a little thinner, maybe it's sexual performance,
maybe it's slow energy and you need some testosterone or
hormone replacement. Whatever it is, they can help you go
figure it out. Go see their services. They're pricing patient resources.
Everything you got your Goodwood dot Com