Campbell On Adjusting to the Team, Brendel Shares O-Line Progress | 49ers

LB De'Vondre Campbell VRE how are you enjoying your 49ers experience so far uh it's been pretty cool so far uh my teammates are great the coaches are great um I'm just taking it all in one day at a time at this point with all your experience in the league how how has that helped you I guess adjust to the scheme and just kind of know what you're doing out there um I played in a similar scheme in Atlanta so I a I wouldn't say the the scheme is complete new is really just learning the terminology and you know the way that they want to play things here so I mean there's always that adjustment period but I'm starting to get better and better every day and just pick up little small things daily what are you what are you um Gathering next to playing next to Fred Fred Warner um I just take everything in that I can you know I'm just a silent Watcher I don't really talk a lot I just kind of sit back and watch you know Fred's probably the best in the game right now so I just try to take in all the information I can from him how familiar were you with Fred Warner's game before you came here I've always watched Fred you know like I said he's probably the best in the game so I've always been a fan of him even before I came and we you know even when we compete against each other we always chop it up after the game so I was always familiar with Fred before I got here Andre why why is this scheme a good fit for you um it's a scheme that I played in before so like I said I'm familiar with it but there's just a lot of great players here so there ain't going to be much attention on me and I can just play free what's your first think you were looking for in your next team and what about this place attracted you to um I'm in the later part of my career so I just wanted to go somewhere where you know they were winners and you didn't have to go through the process of wondering if you were going to make the playoffs or not um and you know the the resum resume here speaks for itself uh five straight years basically either in the NFC championship game or the Super Bowl so the resume kind of speaks for itself in terms of what Kyle and uh John and everybody else have been able to accomplish over the the past five or six years ear impressions of Nick senson as a defensive coordinator uh Nick played the game so he's very relatable he understands and I mean that just goes a long way especially being a player and Brandon Staley's role what have you seen from him uh I have funny story about that I've known him since I was in high school he actually recruited me to uh go to Junior College so I've always had a great relationship with him just it's pretty cool to kind of everything comes full circle it's it nice to get back together with him and yeah his his football IQ has always been super high that's one of the first things I've noticed about him so I think he's a huge addition for our defense uh especially for a lot of the younger guys I think they can learn a lot from him as well as myself and everybody else you've known him for so long how how has he changed from that time to now he hasn't changed at all just I guess age really I know you mentioned you had a good relationship with him since high school have you kept constant communication with him I wouldn't say constant communication you know always watched from afar and you know like when I played against him when he's been coaching all other teams you know we always talk but I wouldn't say like we've kept consistent communication but you know it's one of those things once you know somebody and you see them again it's just like you've never left you've obviously been going against Kyle Shanahan offenses in practice uh since you got into the league have you seen those offenses um sort of proliferate across the league since in that span since then I mean um I wouldn't necessarily say proliferate the the thing about Kyle is he's his mind is in saying you know I feel like he's probably the best best in the game in terms of like being able to get Guys open and that's something I've always respected about him ever since uh I've known him as a rookie in Atlanta like his his his mind is insane and just being able to see him from a like I've only knew him as a OC so actually getting to see him as a head coach like he's taught me so many things in such the short time that I've been here on how to how they're trying to attack us as a defense and it just helps me know how to play certain things a couple more if any thanks man thank you be back out there with the guys um OL Jake Brendel often seems like they're they're rolling defense too I think we're just we're on track this stage in your career what what does training camp mean to you what are these early days what are you trying to accomplish really it's it's it's about getting back into football shape getting back with the guys and making sure that everyone's on the same page working together and you also kind of build a little bit of a callus just against you know like the little hits the little you know dings and bumps and bruises that football brings with however things unfold with with Spencer or Feliciano there's a chance that you might have a rookie Right Guard next to you like you did two years ago when Spencer came in what have you seen out of puny and and how he's playing yeah I I mean I think everyone in the room can play and that's that that's why they're here you know um you know I think that you know the coaching staff wants the best player to be out there and we and we as players do too um and we're definitely seeing a few different bodies there Right Guard just right right now due to injuries and that sort of thing but you know one thing's for sure uh f is going to have the best the best guy out there for us Jake there's a lot of good depth as you said in the room you're a veteran is it a competitive situation or do you feel like you are the knowledgeable guy who could impart some wisdom to some of the young guys um I mean there's there's always competition that's just the nature of the league I feel like as soon as you get comfortable and complacent that's when you lose your position and you lose your spot um but at the same time I'm not going to be one of those vets that is not an open book and it's not going to help the young guys because as a group we need to succeed and as a group we need to be as best as we can be and being kind of self fish and just worrying about myself wouldn't be the best move to get to our end goal part talked about how he's finally getting the benefit of a full off seon how much can you and him both benefit from that all those reps together oh it's I mean it's great right like anytime you Bank a rep that's that's that's one less you have to do in a game setting in practice right so um every single snap we take uh is full speed you know and and it's it's just one one more thing that he can add to his resume and his repertoire and you know I just feel like he's he's still young even though he's playing at such a high level he's still a young player so having the ability to have reps uh this early in his career and not getting hit in games all the time getting those reps is is is really perfect for him he doesn't seem or should ask you the question does he seem like a young player oh no no for sure no I mean I I've I've said this countless times now like the guy even when he first came in in the first game that he was playing for us he he just demands attention demands your best and he's just a natural leader you don't you don't really see that from young guys like he doesn't he doesn't have like a young player see some of those benefits of getting those extra reps do you see those on the field already oh for sure for sure you know there's there's there's a lot of tricky things that quarterbacks have to do um that it's it's not just uh second nature it really needs to be drilled it needs to be uh repped in order for you to get the timing down and like the spacing down and being able to see the route Tree in your head before the ball snaps all that stuff is not just natural you have you definitely have to work to make sure you're good at that so that means last year without any reps were you pretty surprised how well he operated in week one with no reps up until that point I mean he was he was he was definitely taken reps when he could and luckily our you know our our Scout offense runs a lot of the same route trees that our normal offense does in practice so he was getting reps they just weren't with the same players but yeah I mean I I I wouldn't say surprised cuz even the first day he showed up I definitely knew he was a special kid but um I was just really just impressed by it Jake how would you describe your relationship with Fred Warner well uh at least the first couple weeks of Camp you know it's it's a lot of just me and him hitting each other which is fun you know um you know eventually we move on from the might declared runs to more will and more Sam declared runs so uh it it it becomes more balanced of who I'm hitting but a lot of it's just me and Fred right now which is fun you know and he knows it and I know it right so anytime he hears 54 come out of my mouth it's usually a collision between us two is it more the physical competition or is there a midal game too between you and him there's a little bit of a mdal game but that's that's more between me and the defensive lineman you know it's not he's he's just luckily uh defensive or defenses have changed in the past like they were like with the Luke Keeley defenses like the mic could completely change the defense depending on what he saw I think now it's more of a schematic thing so I'm more just messing with the guys close closer to me than the Mike linebacker he's a very vocal guy on the on the field uh how do you combat that you know you have to be vocal back when it's when it's the proper time you know uh you know I feel like anytime there's a first down I make sure he knows it but other than that you know just little things little Jabs here and there he's you know at has been at an all pro level for three all Pros do you does it help you um you know to challenge him and vice versa where you know you feel like you got to give him your best to make him better and and going back the other way from him to you oh for sure for sure I mean iron sharpens iron that's that's that's something that I've believed in since I was I was first in the league you know going going half speed getting half speed reps against you know players that aren't going to be the players that you see on Sundays that's just not going to be as Ben as beneficial is playing against guys that you know are the best of the best you know the fact that I'm battling arguably the best Mike linebacker in the league every single practice that's that's that's just I mean that that that just makes me better which is great the guys you're going against on the D line have have largely changed over this year do you have any any thoughts about um the composition of the defensive tackles I mean there seem to be a lot of big sort of shorter stature guys suddenly on this team where maybe last year they weren't yeah I mean I I don't I don't think the size is really you know the main factor I think a lot of it has to do with just their athleticism and ability to do what coach cerk wants them to do um I feel like they all have great get off they all have great strength and explosiveness and that's really all you need you know besides just Relentless effort in this defense so you know I feel like they're all they're all really good players you know I think uh I mean I was I was I was with Collins in Dallas my rookie year so it's kind of cool being reunited with that guy but um you know I think honestly just what I've seen so far um we haven't really lost a step at that position yet is cins like I mean he's he's he's great the fact that he's that big but he can move so quickly and such fast twitch I mean I feel like he's he's going to be a great uh compliment to what uh what what hardgrave can do so you know against gross Ms at all um when he lines up inside not too much of yet um yeah so I don't I don't know too too to too much about him yet forward to first time pther on on Monday whether you're clear to do that or not but what's that like for the lman to finally get them on after six months off honestly you would you would you would think that like a football player would want you know less pads and less impacts but pads to us as offensive lineman it it gives us a steering wheel it gives them stuff to hang on to makes our jobs easier um you know and and I'm not I'm not saying we hold on every on every single play but stuff is definitely happening so uh you know just being able to uh you know Go full full speed and get actual full speed reps will be good what what advice have you give him Trent on his contract hold up I don't know if he should be taking it from me but you know I think he's a great player um we obviously want him here and you know I just hope they can work something out all good guys thanks thank you