Speaker 1: All start Toyota presents Off the Bench. We have to
Jacob Hester and Matt Flynn.
Speaker 2: Okay, here we go where.
Speaker 1: The plays get broken down and science gets denied.
Speaker 2: The Bench.
Speaker 1: Our two of Off the Bench Live from the Mercedes
Benz Baton Rouge Studio starts now.
Speaker 3: All right, welcome back in now number two, oh t
B here on this Tuesday morning.
Speaker 4: Hey, Londra, I know this song obviously is not part
of it. What is our theme today? On our music?
I haven't recognized.
Speaker 3: I don't know.
Speaker 5: I think I have it, but you haven't. None of them.
Speaker 2: I don't think I've recognized them. I missed one or
two of them.
Speaker 3: Oasis was the first.
Speaker 2: One, like a deep truck, a deep cut, not really.
Speaker 6: Too I don't think many.
Speaker 3: Do you want Champagne Supernova or Wonderwall and that's it?
Speaker 5: Like wow, I don't think it's a deep cook as
I really like Oasis, but I think that anybody else
would think that anything that's not Wonderwallers Champagne super.
Speaker 2: Like like older British bands.
Speaker 3: I mean actually, after after you're play the hits, after
your ninety eight degrees, it should have been.
Speaker 5: Today and then I went TP and then I went
Alice in Chains, So.
Speaker 3: I don't know.
Speaker 4: Okay, well, I don't know what I didn't recognized love
Alison Chains.
Speaker 6: I feel like I know a lot of it flies.
Speaker 2: Okay, all right, respect, So it's all you go. I
just wanted to know.
Speaker 5: That's fine.
Speaker 3: It's a random thought. But I'm kind of sitting back
a little bit today and this this light is incredibly bright,
like you know when you take a picture and it's
like an overcanned light that's like shining down in you.
It's just it's never going to be good for anybody involved.
That's what we have here in this studio. Yeah.
Speaker 2: I hate big lights and houses like this is like.
Speaker 3: In the Year of Our Lord twenty twenty five. Can
we just get rid of those and just get like
some ring lights?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 3: You ever heard get those things?
Speaker 2: And never heard of like just yellow light, warm lighting.
Speaker 3: My forehead looks like Casper the Friendly Ghost on this.
Speaker 7: When I'm home, and you could you could kind of
imagine what that would's blinding white shirt and I just
look like an angel, just like an outline of white.
Speaker 2: That's what they call you. Angel.
Speaker 7: Yeah, So Friday, I'm like, okay, I'll wear a black
shirt opposite. It worked, except the fact that I looked
even more pale than I did before it was off.
Speaker 3: Because I mean, I'm, you know, your fair skinned guy,
like I'm not, but here in this lighting.
Speaker 2: You are, Oh boy, I'm in the beach.
Speaker 3: He looked the same.
Speaker 4: Does anybody out there go to, you know, wherever they
buy their light bulbs lows on depot, light bulb store.
Speaker 3: St. Gabriel Hardware, Shout to the local, shout out.
Speaker 2: Shout out.
Speaker 4: Does anybody go there and be like, yep, I'm gonna
buy the white lights.
Speaker 3: You're saying that the warm ones, but like.
Speaker 4: The yeah, because you white yellow white is what's called.
They got bright white, they got white, they got yellow.
Speaker 6: I don't know.
Speaker 2: Anybody why do they sell them?
Speaker 3: They have yellow yellow yellow?
Speaker 4: You got yellow. You got the warm lights, the ones
that don't suck in my house?
Speaker 3: You got any of them yellow lights.
Speaker 4: I just don't understand because usually there's more of the
white ones then they because nobody.
Speaker 2: Them, Like, why are they stalking them? I don't like
I get it.
Speaker 4: In an industrial if you're okay, if you've got a
radio studio, like if.
Speaker 3: Maybe you're a don't really know, like the vanity.
Speaker 4: Yeah maybe they Maybe you're a girl, an artist who
sells their work on TikTok.
Speaker 2: I don't know, you haven't take some pictures. Yeah, yeah,
exactly what you got a ring?
Speaker 3: We just need like ring light, ring light, ring light,
ring lights.
Speaker 4: But like white light does not do anything for anybody
in our kitchen, in our house, the lights came this way.
Speaker 7: Every light in our house is like the warm white.
Right right over we have like this little like it
looks like a chopping block.
Speaker 6: It's like an island style think.
Speaker 7: Right above it are these low hanging lights and they
were like the led white. Now I never use them,
but like if you turn them one, it's those Everything
else is normal. It's like but like they're these weird
like tube style lights.
Speaker 6: I don't know to change them. I just never turn
them on.
Speaker 2: That's gross. You got you gotta kind of a lot
of times they're like like really tiny.
Speaker 4: You just gotta pop it off. There's gonna be a serial
number on there. Google the serial number. It might it'll
bring you up to some sort of user manual. It's
gonna tell you all you need to know.
Speaker 3: Danny and I I used to get on to Danny
when he was the video producer, because like that line
over there where you're sitting, like would.
Speaker 2: Just be.
Speaker 5: The lights and also the angle of the camera of
me and Tata that like this one that he has
up on the screen right now, terrible, terrible camera.
Speaker 2: We have a little bit of warm lighting and.
Speaker 6: I look pretty tanned.
Speaker 3: But yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean I'm usually tanned
with you. Yeah, not here, No, not in this light.
Speaker 4: When we were training for the combine here at that
Tom Shaw's Training Academy and the Orlando, Florida we trained
at the Wide World of Sports at Disney.
Speaker 3: He loved it, and he used.
Speaker 4: To yell at the lineman, he before you go to combine,
go get a spray tan.
Speaker 3: Yeah for sure, he.
Speaker 2: Said, because tan fat looks better than white face.
Speaker 5: Because everything if you can't tone it, tan it.
Speaker 3: That's exactly right.
Speaker 2: Nice. I like that.
Speaker 3: But the shirts we had we had to do that too.
In Tempe. Yeah, we either you work out with your
shirt off and you get that tan in that way, yes,
or like because we were on the campus of Arizona State,
it's like, you go get a spray tan, yeah, my shirt.
Speaker 4: That's what you gotta do when you got to stand
in front of a bunch of grown ass men with
a jockstrap on.
Speaker 3: Imagine that not only like to our listeners, imagine.
Speaker 2: Can you do a three sixty?
Speaker 3: Yeah? Not it was crazy, not just one time for me,
Like at the Senior Bowl, at the Super Combine, you
like you are in a room full of like the
highest executives in the NFL, like twenty rows deep people
and Jacob Pester running back Louisiana State University, and you
walk out there and you got to girdle all no,
and you gotta you gotta do your arms out. You
gotta kind of like do like a little twist. They
give like uh height and weight and don't measure your
hand there and they measure right like they measure everything
right there and then they say it to the crowd.
Can you imagine like if T Bob would have had
to go through that process? Uh T Bob six four
two ninety five nine inch hands repeat nine inches.
Speaker 7: Nine and a half shoes, plugging the bobs, plugging the
microphone like.
Speaker 6: It is super super And.
Speaker 3: I don't know if you did it because you're a quarterback.
It doesn't really matter. Like they had those body fat
percentage pods and you had to get in those they
got your body fat, and the body fat was also
announced on stage. Oh gosh, can you imagine some of
those big boys, like literal meat market, that's what it was.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's like which they would.
Speaker 8: Know.
Speaker 5: That's that's the thing is like, Okay, this just feels
very I'm not like accusing anybody of anything, but it
feels very ditty because you know, like to me, I
just feel like these people are so rich and they
just get so bored that they're like, let's go look
at these men and their jock straps.
Speaker 3: Had a girl. Yeah, full jock streps.
Speaker 5: There are different.
Speaker 3: Is Yeah, you got your cheek, but.
Speaker 5: A girdle you have it like shorts shorts that you
could put Yeah, so it's like thong versus Yeah.
Speaker 4: In the world, in the world of yoga pants and
now yoga shorts, I think the girdle is more normalized,
like it's a normal thing, noure right, Yeah, so it's
not it's not that.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I just didn't in my head I had something
different for a girdle, Like I guess I thought a
girdle and a.
Speaker 6: Jock strap were the same.
Speaker 3: Yoga shorts a good way.
Speaker 2: Did you wear a girdle, plane.
Speaker 3: Jockstrap, girdle on top of that pants? Yeah?
Speaker 4: I always thought it was wild, like in the like
all the new technology that came out with uniforms and
compression shorts and ways to keep your boys intact, of
the people that would play tackle football in the NFL
with just a straight up old school jockstrap underneath their pants,
like like not even a new one, like with the
like the rubber strands like kind of sticking out, like
like some strands that popped and stuff just felt like
go in the drawer. Yeah, it wasn't their own personal one.
They'd go in the drawer of the you know, the
XLS or whatever.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: True, they used we're talking about.
Speaker 5: Oh they're used.
Speaker 2: Some people would, well they were used.
Speaker 6: Some of our our girdles were used.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 4: Well, so like even in Green Bay, Green Bay was
a worse about like uniforms and like like you take
things home. Yeah, yeah, there was a big drawer of socks, girdles,
shock straps, and they would just wash them. You'd throw
them in the bin and they'd wash them. Even in
the NFL.
Speaker 6: So did y'all y'all, y'all did that all.
Speaker 2: I don't.
Speaker 3: I never one time I wore a jock strap girdle pants.
Speaker 6: I just wondering, like.
Speaker 2: Career playing football and the people.
Speaker 9: I just know.
Speaker 3: I think when y'all were in the NF, I know
we got to kind of clock here. One last thing,
and I'm gonna send Taylor a picture of this in
the nineteen I think ninety four, maybe sugar bowl, a
ball gift for the Litigators. A custom jock strap. That's awesome,
and I've got dooring to prove it. He sent it
to me one day, I'll send it to all Right,
let's take a break on time. Look at us, because
when we come back New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Will
Clapp will join us right here on OTB top the bench.
All right, go to trash rangers dot Com for your home,
for your business. They need to be picking up your trash.
They are the most dependable. They are going to give
you that so very important reminder. Hey, my guy put
out the trash so you don't get in trouble like that.
That that itself like if that's the only thing they did,
it would be worth the price of a mission. But
then you get the customer service. On top of that,
you get the hey it's a holiday, but we're still
gonna make sure your trash gets picked up. So I
mean so many different things that they're gonna be able
to help you out with again at your home, at
your business. Go to the website today to sign up.
That is trackers dot com.
Speaker 4: Yeah, we were out of town all week last week,
so like, trash still came. Yeah, trash still came and
picked up. And you know, I'm usually the one that
takes the trash out, but thank God for weekly reminders, right,
reminded my wife and everyone to get the trash out.
So whether it's residential, business, commercial in dush or whatever,
it's give them a call, seal they can be, let
them size it, let them help you.
Speaker 2: Trash Rangers dot.
Speaker 1: Com two thousand and seven, Shamps Purple and Gold to
the core. This is Off the Bench with Hester Penflinn
Baton Rouges go to for all things Louisiana sports.
Speaker 3: All right, welcome back here in o TV one oh
four five ESPN Baton Rouge And as we said throughout
the show, it is here. It is football season, it
is training cam time. Excited to catch up with one
of our guys. Former LSU All SEC player now going
into year number eight in the NFL. New Orleans Saints
offensive lineman Will Clapp, what's up, Will? How we doing?
Speaker 2: Man?
Speaker 9: What's going on? LA's appreciate you'll have me on.
Speaker 3: How in the hell are you going into your number
eight already? Not feel like that's even possible?
Speaker 10: I must feel because I was a little kid when
y'all are crushing Florida. So I mean, I, uh, it's
not number number eight, it's uh, it's flown by quick man.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 10: Yeah, I think I've gone on this year at a time.
But you know, after every season you kind of moved
the bar and excited to go after you year number eight?
Speaker 3: Now, So what's it like going into training camp now
going into your number eight? Because Flynn and I were
telling kind of training camp stories like when you get
older in your career, it's a little bit different. You
have like a different mindset entering training camp. Like, so
for you, what is that mindset now as you're going
into your number eight? You're established veteran, you're a vested
veteran in the NFL. Is anything different for you?
Speaker 9: The Uh?
Speaker 10: I was just telling the guys, like the nerves stay
the same, Like I'm still just as nervous excited just
to get going as I was when I was a rookie.
But uh, there's also you know, I'm I'm confident in
you know, what I do now, Like I've I've figured
out who I am as a player, and I also
you know, you know, found my role. And one thing
I've you know, enjoyed over this past couple years is
not only you know, doing my thing, but also helping
you know, these younger guys figure out, you know, what
they're good at and you know, how to establish their
role in the NFL, kind of like what some older
guys did for me when I was younger.
Speaker 4: Yeah, there's a there's a big difference going into training camp,
just really a mental and pressure standpoint of like you
just have to focus on your physical job now instead
of like learning how to be a pro learning offense.
Is like there's there's a huge pressure off your back.
But I got I'm curious as to this your second
tenure with the Saints. Four years with the Saints, spent
sometimes with the Chargers, last year with the Bills. Now
we're back in New Orleans, and there's been obviously new
coaching change. Is there any familiar faces or things that
you see now that you're like, all right, that's that's
the same or is everything just been kind of like
a wholesale change.
Speaker 9: Now. I've been I've been pretty lucky.
Speaker 10: So I've played for Kellen in twenty twenty three in
LA uh coach nusion line coach. I've had him when
I was at the Saints my first run and was
hit with him in two years in LA. So I've
kind of been lucky in the terms of, like I've
already been in this offense. I've almost been like a
sounding board for these uh, these current guys of like
trying to figure out what's going on because I've already
been through it, going through it in twenty three, you know,
and you know, just being with the news my whole career.
Uh So, I you know, like you said, I'm going
to this camp kind of hitting the ground run in
just from a familiarity standpoint and just worrying about, you know,
you know, putting my best product on the field physically
every day because I feel like mentally, you know, I've
I've already gone through the you know, the ups and
downs of figuring out a new playbook, you know, back
in twenty three, Kellen, what is.
Speaker 3: The plan for you this year? Will because obviously the
center position is going to be, you know, the one
that's out in front. But you've played everything. You've played
tight end. I mean I remember watching you your first
time with the Saints. It's like you're reporting you feel
like every time you're going in there and you're playing
some tight end stuff, like, what do you feel like
the plan is going to be for you this time
around with the Saints?
Speaker 10: Thanks to be a similar deal. It's anything and everything
with your If you're a backup with this league, you
need to be able to play multiple spots. It's something
that I got lucky enough that Coach Miles when I
was at LSU, he was always big on having guys
like me and Posik, you know, be able to play
a bunch of different spots. So I mean I literally
freshman year played right guard, sophomore year played left guard,
played center my junior year and that's I think helped
me in the NFL. And as a backup, you need
to be able to play multiple spots. Like you said,
I played tight end. So it's really just anything I
can do. To, you know, make myself valuable to make
this roster every year.
Speaker 4: Yeah, so will I kind of heard some once you
signed with the Saints. I heard you talk a few
times and say like, you know, when you heard Kellen
Moore was getting the job, like you were hopeful that
that they would read out and something could happen. Y'all
could make it work. I kind of want to know,
Like as as Louisiana and Hohole like gets familiar with
Kellen Moore as a head coach for the Saints, like
we all want to we all want to see what
the product looks like on the field. But what made
you excited to want to rejoin with him and the
offense that that you're gonna get like immerse back into.
Speaker 9: Yeah.
Speaker 10: I think the most exciting thing about Kellen as a
play caller when I was with him in twenty three was,
you know, he he gave us the control to you know,
make things happen on the field, and he showed us,
you know, the utmost confidence even when we weren't getting
it done.
Speaker 9: On the field.
Speaker 10: I mean, you guys have been in these in these
games where let's say you're not running the ball well
and you know your coach just abandons it. You're say,
all right, well it's the second quarter and this is
like a two minute drill now because we're not running
the ball. Well, like would just come up to us
on the line and be like, hey, guys, I'm still
calling us to figure it out.
Speaker 9: Like I know, y'all gonna get this done.
Speaker 10: Like like those small little moments like he never has
a panic, he never changes things are going well, things
are going.
Speaker 9: Bad, He's the same guy. Uh.
Speaker 10: I'm excited just to be back around that. And you know, uh,
the staff he's put together. You know, I love my
time with nus Uh. You know, also just being able
to chop it up a BATTLESU football with him. Yeah,
it's always a highlight of my day of being with
Nuge and the rest of the guys. So it's a
it's an exciting staff. It's you know, and I think
you know Callen being at the forefront, it's he uh,
he's just he's creating a great environment for us.
Speaker 3: Well, I kind of want to go back to you
talking about playing multiple positions and you've had to kind
of do it all. Well, I got like Trevor Pinning
is going to maybe have to do some different things.
He's played a lot of tackle. He's gonna try to
probably play some guard this year. Like, are those conversations
maybe that you've already had or that you will have
with him saying, Hey, this is you know, this was
my mindset when I went into a game, because I
could have played three different positions in any given game
that I went into.
Speaker 10: Yeah, you know, just talking with Trev about the position
changed me. He's really embraced the guard move.
Speaker 8: Uh.
Speaker 10: Trev's a super talented guy. And you know, some of
the stuff we've seen and we didn't have any live periods,
but in the individual periods where you know, you know
we're honing in on the technique. I mean, this guy's
a freak. I'm super excited to you know, watch him
develop and you know, help any way I can. I know,
News and TJ and job that. I mean, there's some.
Speaker 9: Great guys to you know, be able to mentor this guy.
Speaker 10: And he's already played a ton of ball and I
think his best football still ahead of him. I think
this is his fourth season, h finally getting to play
inside and you know, I mean, this dude, when he
gets you in a phone booth, he's gonna beat up,
so these dudes arena be closer to him. I'm excited
to see what he can go through this season and
you know, hopefully this leads to you know, a big
contract and lets him you know, be the player that
we all thought he was going to be coming out.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 4: Uh well, I can't like not go an interview without
asking something about quarterbacks, right.
Speaker 2: Uh So, like you got you got.
Speaker 4: Two young guys that are playing and and competer right now,
and I don't want to like anything know about anything
specifically about that quarterback com petition. But you know, having
yourself and other like really vested veterans leadership can always
help a young quarterback or any young player come in,
have to step in and take on a role, especially
you know position of all positions, the starting quarterback role.
What have you seen from the young quarterbacks as far
as just diving into a new offense and trying to
take you know, some sort of leadership role, vocal role
within the team, within the offense.
Speaker 9: Yeah.
Speaker 10: I mean, these guys have been great all throughout OTA's
They've you know, it seems like they're attached to you know,
Scotty and Nuss's hip on just trying to you know,
get every bit of information they can. And you know,
there wasn't much like live Team Piers. They had a
couple seven on seven's, but uh, you know, we weren't
doing live bullets with pass rush and everything. But I
think the thing they did the best job of in
OTAs was becoming, you know, just close to all the guys.
I mean, you know, between Spence, Tyler or Jake, they
all you know, every day just trying to do something
with with all of us. I mean, you know, y'all
know how Ota is go. It's it's golf central.
Speaker 2: So I think it was.
Speaker 9: Golfing were getting to know each other. Man.
Speaker 10: Yeah, the rounds go crazy and OTAs, but we uh
you know, that's that's the part that I feel like,
especially for QBS, is just you know, getting to know
everybody and uh being being great friends with all these
guys because you know, the relationships matter, especially you know
with your receivers and all that.
Speaker 9: So I think they embraced that role.
Speaker 8: Uh.
Speaker 10: I think they're all excited to compete, and you know
the competition I'm excited to see during this camp.
Speaker 3: Now, well, I know you are splitting time, I believe,
through New Orleans and California. But you've gone through training
camps at LSU. You've done them there for the Saints
and some of the hottest places in America, and you
got spoiled like I did when I went to training
camp in San Diego. It's like, this is the easiest
thing I've ever done. Are we ready? Are we mentally
ready to get back into the heat and humidity of
a South Louisiana training camp?
Speaker 9: Mh, I'm ready. I'm ready for it, but I won't
say I'm all love the heat of like you said.
Speaker 10: I mean I was in I was in Newport Beach
for for two years for camp and it felt I
mean it felt like winter out there. I mean I've
had chrismssus otter than what we were doing in training
camp there. And then I was in Rochester, New York
last year for camp. So it's, uh, it's definitely be different,
but uh yeah, like I said, the the motivation is
still the same, you know, being uh being this league
so long, it's a it's an addictive thing just being
in the you know, being in the locker room and
you know, wanted to keep your career going. So I'm
I'm just as excited, you know, Newport or UH or
New Orleans.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, you don't have to lie to this about
the heat, do Like, I get it.
Speaker 4: I was in Green Bay for one year and I
came back to try to do one tens with a
team at LSU during the summer one year. Ye, and
I couldn't make it past like six or seven. I
was like, not this in for me anymore. My body
is just like shut off, being like in the heat.
Speaker 10: So We're about to go run conditioning test in a
little bit and it's nowhere near what we did with
the ones ends.
Speaker 2: The NFL condition and tests are kind of a joke.
Speaker 3: You know, Wait, Mom is not going to be out
there yelling at you, whispering sweet nothings.
Speaker 9: Yeah.
Speaker 10: I was part of that group that ran thirty two
one ends uh and one conditioning test day and then
we did a league workout after, so yeah, I won't
be going through that today. It's amazing the things you
can do when you're nineteen or twenty years old.
Speaker 2: Very true, It is true.
Speaker 4: So I got all right, So this is what I'm
really curious about. Have we talked technique? I know, we
haven't read beause we don't pads on yet. I say,
we we're you know, Saints people over here. So y'all
haven't worked because you don't pads on. But y'all talk
technique scheme. What's the x's and o's look like of
a toush push.
Speaker 10: Of a tush push? So we haven't talked about a
tush push yet. Oh as soon I know they have,
I know tush push they have. They told us they
have specific drills they do. They have not heed it
to us. Okay, I'm I'm excited to see.
Speaker 3: You know, you're going to be in there, like if
there is a situation of a to push, you'll be
in there, right, there's no doubt.
Speaker 9: I mean, would be pretty cool.
Speaker 10: I mean, I mean obviously, I think what makes the
toush push like the what it was for the Eagles
was like Jason Kelcey just being an absolute freak.
Speaker 9: But I'm excited to see like that.
Speaker 10: They said they have like specific drills they did for
so I'm excited to see like the film on it all.
Speaker 3: Right, well, last one before we let you go, and
we truly appreciate the time, Brother Martin Jesuit our boss,
Gordy Rush proud jesuit alum. He wants to know how
we feel in this year.
Speaker 10: I'm feeling good. We got you know, we got some
good athletes, got a five star receiver at Brother Martin.
I'll definitely be locked in for that game. I got Falster.
Speaker 3: I was about to say, well, you and Foster have
some kind of a bet towards that game. I mean, hell,
y'all might can even go to the game.
Speaker 10: We'll definitely go to the game. No betting though, Well, well,
I mean Falster, you guys know him, he's gonna he's
gonna messing with me twenty four to seven until this game.
Speaker 9: So I'm oping the Satyrs uh getting on the.
Speaker 2: Screen right now?
Speaker 3: Yeah? Yeah, I know.
Speaker 9: Hey, well if you on the screen, he would be
in here.
Speaker 3: That's all right.
Speaker 2: Last real quick question.
Speaker 4: What was that one place place to eat in New
Orleans that like when you were there your first four years,
You're like, yeah, like this is a place I hammered
every other week, like you when you signed back, You're like,
that's the place. I'm excited that I can frequent now
instead of like going there once every now and then.
Speaker 9: When I'm back home, I would say my spot.
Speaker 10: You know, my family has always gone to is Nostado's,
a little Talian joint mettery.
Speaker 9: Uh we eat their ton.
Speaker 10: Uh so yeah, right when I got back, called mister
Joe and we went over there at eight and uh
it's kind of it's like I can't eat there a
ton of tongue because I got to watch the weight.
But whenever I get a break, definitely go to make weight.
Speaker 3: Hey, will we appreciate the time man, you know obviously
been following your career l s U Saint Chargers bills
back to New Orleans. Eight years in the NFL. Man,
that is a hell of an accomplishment, So congrats on that,
and congrats on you know, being back in New Orleans
and continued success.
Speaker 9: Man, I appreciate you guys.
Speaker 3: All right, there is Will Clap used to be an
intern back in the old days, way before I got
on OTV of OTB. Sweet Yeah, him and Dj Shark,
I believe what they were both.
Speaker 2: Interns little summer internship.
Speaker 3: I believe they were so like again back in like
the beginning days of OTB. So shout out to Will Clap.
Eight years in the NFL. That is a big, big,
accomplishment there.
Speaker 2: That's huge man.
Speaker 3: All Right, we'll step away and when we come back,
we'll be joined by LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker right
here on OTB off the bench.
Speaker 2: All right.
Speaker 3: Go to pelicanroof dot com as website for Repelican Roofing
and they right there on the homepage let you know
all you need to know about their business. Five star reviews, Google, Facebook, Yelp.
All right there the first thing you see. But also
like explore the website. If you want an instant roof
quote your home or your business, you go top right corner,
You click on it, you type in your address. It
gives you an outline of your roof and a really
good idea of what it would cost to replace your roof.
And speaking of calls, check out the financing options. It
is right there. It is a tab on the homepage.
Click on it. They've got some great deals going on
when it comes to find anything, because as we all know,
having a roof and having the proper roof on your
home is something that you have to have and they're
gonna help you out and help you get it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and just with offices and bat rois and LAF Viette.
Speaker 4: They will actually dedicate a project manager to your job
and your job only, so give them a call service
and quality. Oh helicanroof dot com?
Speaker 8: Why blocked in?
Speaker 1: I'm LSU football twenty four to seven. You're listening to
off the Bench too?
Speaker 3: All right, welcome again, OTB one oh four five, ESPN,
Beton Rouge. Let's go now to one of our guys.
LSU defense coordinator Blake Baker. Coach, always a pleasure. Hope
you're doing well. Training camp is upon us? Coach? What
training camp is this for you? Between playing at Tulane
coaching over the years, Like do we know do we
have a number of what training camp this is for you?
Speaker 8: Uh? In college football? I guess it'd probably be probably
year altogether. You're twenty, I think.
Speaker 3: All right, so I know coach, Hey, we both hit
forty over here, me and Flynn, so we feel that.
But I asked that because I would assume you probably
have like the same feeling. Maybe it's maybe it's different
as a player and a coach. I've never been a coach,
but we were talking about it. It didn't matter like year four, five,
six in the NFL whatever, Like there's still this feeling
in your gut and look, it's a good feeling, like
football's opponent us. But like twenty years in, do you
still get that same feeling.
Speaker 8: Yeah, it's kind of a mix of butterflies of excitement
and anticipation. And you know anytime especially you know, like
and I always go back to whenever I first started playing.
You couldn't have freshmen come in early in the summers.
Summers overall were probably fifty to fifty because schools didn't
necessarily pay for summer school. So got that anticipation build
up of seeing the guys again. And yeah, I think
if you start to lose that feeling, it's probably time
to hang it up.
Speaker 9: All right.
Speaker 3: I think everybody has this coach but like a training
camp story from your playing day, And like we were
talking about a couple of weeks ago, there was one
practice where like every and this was at LSU, like
every running back went down with cramps, like Ali, Bruce
Sar Justin Vincent like all these guys, like they just
kept cramping and they were out of practice. And so
it was me and Sean Jordan, who we both played fullback,
but I was playing some tailback and we just rotated
full back and tail back, like Sean had no tailback experience,
but it's all we had left and so first team
second teen thirteen. It didn't matter. We were just rotating
and like that was one of those days that ended
up in like twenty five ivs, you know, yep, in
the locker room and you can't really even do that anymore.
But I know, I have to imagine that you have
one of those training camp stories.
Speaker 8: Oh yeah, there's well again. Back you know, back when
we played yet freshman you had three days of freshman
camp and we actually went away when I was at TWULA.
My first two years we went to Saint Paul's and
Covington and did Baul camp there. Then my third year
we went to Southeastern before they brought back their football
team there on Strawberry Field. But I'll never forget, and
I want to I want to say it was that Southeastern.
I know, I know it was one of the places
that we we traveled to for camp. But after you know,
after some practices in between two days of course, you
had to get that that lift in too right and
uh man, I remember a guy on our team was
in the middle of a bench press and full body
cramp just locked up and the bar just laid down
his chest and you're like, man, like you said, that
wouldn't happen nowadays, you know, But yeah, we've all had
those days, especially in South Louisiana. You can't. You could
try to beat the heat, but obviously you're doing two
days and you're getting in there, you know, starting before
the sun came up and then when the sun was
going down, so made for long days. But I do
remember that was one of the It was kind of
really scary, to be honest with you, watching a guy
full body cramp with with bench with the bench press
bar in his hand.
Speaker 4: So when we were playing and everybody on the team,
not everybody, but there's like twenty thirty guys, I had mopets,
and so I was one of these guys had a moped.
I'd zoom around from my dorm or whatever to the
locker room and I got I was walking to my
moped after training camp practice, and I'm a quarterback now, right,
so all we do is like play.
Speaker 2: Catch and run around a little bit.
Speaker 4: But like I was walking and I just felt a
little twitch in my calf, and I was like, you
know what, maybe I don't jump on my moped. Right
the second I walked back in the training with full
body cramp, the worst, most excruciating pain.
Speaker 2: I was like, think, if.
Speaker 4: I was on my moped right now, full body cramp,
I'd be laying out like I'm at the circle right now.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so you.
Speaker 8: Probably have You probably have a pretty scratched up face.
Speaker 4: Control it once you lock up right, maybe career would
have been over right there off the Toyota moped coach.
I want to talk about your defense a little bit. Jake,
and I had the opportunity at SEC Media Days last
week to talk with Chris Hiltondu Smyer and your guy
with Weeks, and I want to ask you just watching
with control of room, watching him talk with the passion
I was. I looked at Jake and I was like, man,
I think I would I would die for this guy
right right now.
Speaker 8: He got me five.
Speaker 4: Have you ever been around a player that has such
an infectious positive attitude that just around the area that
he carries himself with.
Speaker 8: No, He's very unique in that way. And then especially
the you know it was interested in watching as the
year went on. You know, sometimes guys let success go
to their head or change a little bit, like he's
he's still the same wit weeks today that he was
you know when I first came in last spring. But
you're exactly right when you talk about his positivity, like
he brings that even when it's you know, one hundred
and thirty degrees out on a practice field and everybody's tired.
He's really never, never negative, you know, to be honest
with you, and I think our guys feed off of that,
and really it's it's something that we try to pride
ourselves in, you know, as far as being positive and
uplifting and not necessarily dragging each other down. But he's
the epitome of it. He does it as well as
anybody I've ever been around.
Speaker 9: You know.
Speaker 3: It's a group that's got a lot of players, and
you and I have talked about this. A lot of
guys that I would consider meatheads again term of endearment,
but like I feel like, like in this defense, like
it's important to have those guys. It's important to have
those guys like like Flynn said, like I think I
die for this guy. Well, I think with and I
think West, and I think Hybrin, Like all those guys
would die for LSU's defense. And it feels like you've
got a great combination of those guys mixed with some
just raw talent, mixed with some young guys, mixed with
guys from kind of all over the place. It feels
like a better mixture of personalities this.
Speaker 8: Year, Oh for sure. I think I think it's it's
probably spread out across the board, like you just talked about,
when you've got a really really good, strong group of
upper classmen mixed in with some younger classmen that have
played some football as well. But those guys, they you know,
there's they spend more time in the weight room and
and out on the field running one tens than they
do you know, in practice, especially this time of year.
So to see those guys in that leadership, you know,
getting out there for some team runs this summer and
watching them, man, it's imperative and in the unselfishness like
there's no Again, we have a lot of really good players,
in my opinion, but they're all bought into one common goal.
So that makes it a we got a chance to
have a special unit based off of those things.
Speaker 4: Hey, coachin y'all did a really good job this offseason
in the transfer portal, you bringing Patrick Payton, you bringing
mansword delaying to Marcus Cooley to secure some spots on
the defense. Tell me what that process is and just
integrating them with two you know guys personality wise, but
more importantly into your scheme.
Speaker 8: Yeah, I think it starts. I think our our personnel
department does an outstanding job with evaluating the type of
talent that we feel is a really good fit for
what we do defensively. And then it's kind of like
speed dating once you're once you're in the transfer portal process.
But the but the one thing I'll say is the
advantage you have from a transfer portal process is usually,
you know, so somebody on that staff, whether it be
a streamth coach, whether some of them supports staff, usually
somebody that you've worked with byer, and you can really
get a fair assessment. And and sometimes you know their
assessment isn't always true as well, just because some guys
need a fresh start, and so you got to take
all those things into consideration. But throughout that entire process,
you have to make sure that they're a fit for
for the culture and and all those all those guys
that you mentioned have been a plus. It's been again
really really fun because we needed some upperclassmen, to be
honest with you too, and and these guys have come
in humble and hungry, and it's been fun to watch
the integration of the current players that we had before
they arrived, and then once they got here, it's it's
been pretty seamless.
Speaker 3: Well Blake, like you said, like you had a chance
to see them in the weight room and running one tens,
but now here coming up, they're going to be in paths.
It's going to be football activities. Which position group with
you know, all the new coming into this defense and
you pair with guys that were here, Which position group
do you think you'll eye hustle the most, like in
that first week of training camp to kind of because
you've got a belief of what they are and what
they can be, but now you want to see it
in pass. Which group are you probably going to maybe
watch the closest? I guess that first week of camp.
Speaker 8: Yeah, I'd say it's probably it's probably twofold. I think
the safeties, you know, especially with aj Halsey coming in,
you know, most of the guys we had through spring
PRACTICEE have somewhat of an expectation of those guys going
into the fall camp. But I think the safety position
and the defensive tackle position the same thing we got.
We got some new guys that weren't here in the spring.
When you look at Bernard and the two freshmen Buddy
Mathis and Brandon Brown not having a chance to outside
of that for the most part, you know, and really
the young guys at linebacker, I'm really intrigued to see,
you know, what what those three income and freshmen do. Again,
we had Charles Ross here, so uh. But but overall,
I'd say the safety position is probably what I'll be
and most interested and seeing how those guys gel. I
think you have to have such chemistry back there together,
and we've been mixing a match at them this summer,
and I think it'll be an intriguing position battle.
Speaker 4: Hey, coach, I'm curious as to kind of your schedule
once training camp starts with your installation and then how
that kind of flips over to game planning. Of course,
you're gonna install base defenses, teach them the foundation of
what you want to do, and then kind of get
into like the more detailed and.
Speaker 2: Intricate things after that.
Speaker 4: But week one you never want to like look ahead
or game plan, but of course you face a mobile guy,
dual threat kind of guy with a kid club. And
do you start like integrating those types of defensive philosophies
and schemes earlier on because of what you're gonna face
first game.
Speaker 8: Yeah, to be honest with you, uh, that last week
of spring ball, we started introducing you know, cleanse in
and some of their base plays and honestly some of
their problem plays, just to kind of get a look
at what we think we might like going into fall camp.
So yeah, and I think you know, coach Kelly has
been open and talked about it. It's something that we've
talked about with our guys throughout spring, throughout summer. So
you know, really when it comes to installation, a lot
of it's going to be based on when that specific
day early on. That is what I'm talking about, That
specific day comes up on the install schedule, whether it
be you know, day one for instance. And again from
when we played to now, the installation process and the
acclimization processes really changed. I think it's I think it's
like sixty or sixty five percent of all camp injuries
come in the first two days, we've gotten much smarter
and I don't want to use the word easing guys
into but our practices the first couple of days are
generally shorter so they can get acclimated again they've had
all summer. But as we all know on this phone call, man,
once you start really chasing the rabbit, man, you kick
those hamstrings into extra gear. So I think, you know,
from a base installation standpoint, we'll be very similar to
really how we were in the spring and how the summer,
and then once we start getting into probably about week
two and a half, we'll really start probably flipping that switch.
Speaker 9: A little bit.
Speaker 3: As Matt mentioned, we wor at SEC media days last
week and BK got up there and he's like, hey,
we're not hiding from the fact that we're playing Clemson
in week number one. Talked about having Paul Prince around
the facility. Want to oh around the facility. That is
a little bit different, but I gotta be honest, like,
I really like that. And Matt and I in our
time we played I think three Power four opponents in
our four years of playing here, and I always like
coach like, hey, let's don't try to hide from who
the opponent is. And I hadn't really seen that in
years past when Elsh's had these big time openers, So
it seems like it's a point of emphasis to know
who the opponent is.
Speaker 8: Yeah, I think you know that the definition of insanity
is doing the same thing over and over and expecting
a different result, right, And so, you know, I think
and I think that's the coolest thing about coach Kelly Man.
He's always learning, he's always adapting. I think he does
it year to year based off the opponent. Also, you
know who is on our current roster, and I think
we have a very mature roster that can handle you know,
some some you know, you have a young team, sometimes
you can build it up too much, right, And so
I think does a fantastic job with that. But I'm
excited about I know we're doing some things differently in
fall camp and we haven't gotten necessarily into the nuts
and bolts of what those things are going to be.
But again, I think it's just created a little more
sense of vergence two with our guys too.
Speaker 4: Yeah, coach real quick tell us about how the new
defensive line Coach Kyle Williams has just kind of like
dove in and been part of the staff the recruiting
and just how he's jumped in and really kind of
helped us. I was, you know, I was roommates with
him for a year in college. I was teammates with
him in Buffalo for a cup of coffee. And when
when you hired him, I was like, man, I don't
want to say that this was an amazing hire because
he instantly brings experience, but just motivation to guess, so
how he how has he been around the facility?
Speaker 8: Man, he's He's the One thing that's very very impressive
about Williams is how proactive he is attacking things that
he might not necessarily know and sometimes is you know,
a college coach has been doing it a while. You
take Brandon and I'm talking about the little things like
how to do an expense report for recruiting or even
you know, how you go about booking your flight, and man,
that dude is he's very He's really self sufficient. He
figures stuff out on his own very very quickly.
Speaker 9: He's very smart.
Speaker 8: And again, man, when you've had a guy that's played
thirteen years, been an All pro as an All American
at the school year. I think he and credibility with
our guys, and I think it's actually even improved throughout
the spring as they've gotten to know them because he
coaches them, you know, hard, but he loves them just
as hard and we'll do anything for him. And I
think those guys realize that pretty quickly in the process.
Speaker 3: All right, coach last one, we had you on a
couple of weeks ago. You said that it felt like
Perk and Witt we're both progressing exactly where they needed
to be to start training camp. Does it feel the
same way good to go as we hit the ground
running here?
Speaker 8: Yeah? Yeah, both guys are fully cleared. And you know,
the one thing I've talked to both of them about
is we're obviously going to be smart with them and
fall camp, and they can't be too big of a
meathead where you know, like, no, coach, I'm good, I'm good,
I'm good, and you're really not. So something you know
when you talk about kind of position group wise, like
who I'm going to be making sure I'm paying attention to, definitely,
and it helps to have an experience with both those
guys with making sure that they look crisp, and with
today's technology and everything, and with GPS is we can
find out very very quickly from a from a analytical
standpoint as well. But no, right now, you know, uh,
they've had outstanding summers. Both are moving at full speed.
And again we're smart with the volume, especially early on
with them.
Speaker 3: Uh yeah, they have GPS's on them. When we were
all playing college football, we had to print off map
quest to go from place to place. Quite quite the different,
quite the different times there. Hey, Blake, you're the man.
We appreciate it. I know you got like literally days
before you really get into you know, shutting the door,
throwing away the key football mode. So we appreciate giving
us a couple of minutes.
Speaker 8: I appreciate y'all having me. Man. I always good at talk.
We'll talk soon.
Speaker 3: All right, there he is LSU defense coordinator Blake Baker.
Will take this break, recap what Blake was talking about
there when we come back here on O TV. Off
the Bench A right good to all Star toy at
vnrouge dot com. All Star toyt Venrouge dot Com truly
the one stop shot buying, new, leasing and renting every
single vehicle is available in all three processes, and you
can say, well, yeah, of course when you're buying new
and honestly, that's not even really the case. Sometimes you
go to the lot and like, hey I want this
because you'll offer it's like, well, we can order that,
we'll have it like in three months. It's not the
case over at all Stars. So buying new, leasing, leasing,
sometimes you'll get like maybe one in each category, and
then when you're renting you get like three total. Like
hey you got a car, maybe you get a midsize
suv and maybe maybe you get a truck. That's not
the case. Everything is available on all three of those
processes over at all Star. So if you're renting, call
miss leasa's sessions today in that rental department, or just
go to the website is all Star toyotaf batrouge dot com.
Speaker 4: Yeah, if you're on the fence, if you're even thinking
about a new car just or upgrading, or maybe your
cars just got a lot of miles on it and
it's time for a change, go to their website. Explore
all the models, makes everything, Go see what they have
on the lot right now.
Speaker 2: Go visit them. All Star toyotat Batonrouge dot.
Speaker 1: Com, Tigers turn Talkers. This is off the bench.
Speaker 6: Slip inside ya.
Speaker 3: Don't you know your mine?
Speaker 9: I've had a place to play.
Speaker 3: You said that. I guess you don't know this one either.
Huh got this?
Speaker 2: It was track ten of Oasis.
Speaker 3: It was not like track ten. It was track three.
Speaker 4: I think yeah, I think it's sure or the Is
it even on their Greatest Sets album?
Speaker 2: Do they have more than one album?
Speaker 5: Yes, they have two and actually no, they have more
than two, but they have two really good ones.
Speaker 3: Yeah they were brothers.
Speaker 2: All right.
Speaker 3: I do apologize somewhat, but look, when you have LSU's
defensive coordinator, you're not gonna go ten minutes. You're gonna
go twenty minutes. That's what we did far. So we'll
make up for it to hour number three. Nick Underhill,
know what's that football?
Speaker 1: Off the bench?
Speaker 2: All right?
Speaker 3: Go to your Goodwood dot com. You're Goodwood dot com.
Go with men's sexual wellness. Go ahead, book that appointment.
We say it every single time we tell you about Goodwood.
Why would you sit there and have an issue and
just live with it when there is a company here
locally in Baton, rouge that will help you get to
the bottom of it. You should not live life with
fear or embarrassment, right The embarrassing thing is to not
get it fixed. So go to your goodwood dot com.
Set up a consultation. You go, you meet with them,
you have some labs drawn, and you figure it out.
You get to the bottom line of whatever your issue
might be. So many different things also they can help
you out with. So I always encourage you. Go to
the website. Find a full list of services your goodwood
dot com.
Speaker 4: Yeah we have We all have these human bodies and
things go wrong, So why not call somebody an expert.
Speaker 2: Just to consult see what they can do.
Speaker 4: Go check out their services online right now, call them
see what they can do. Your goodwood dot Com