FOOTBALL | Blake Shapen - Fall Practice Media Session

Intro guys you with a practice session rather than just a workout yeah it's been good um especially for us we've been doing workouts things like that so being able to get back on the grass and and be able to be around the guys on the field has been great think you around some um obviously On the offense some good offenses you know in your time here what have you kind of seen based on the last couple of days and getting acquainted with the guys that you know shows you that this offense can be really good this year in explosive yeah I mean obviously our goals get better every single day uh right now we started off of the Red Zone and things like that so obviously it's a little bit tougher on us but um for us to get better we got to do things like that so um ceiling's very high and we just got to get better every single day that's the goal for us when you think about your receiver group like you spent some time with them I On the receivers know kind of on your own but what's it been like kind of getting to know those guys and letting those guys know you yeah it's been awesome uh we brought in some transfers we have young guys um that have came in and and been a big impact for for our receiver course so um it's been great working with them very talented they want to get better every single day um that's our goal coach was something about he liked the retention from Spring have you seen the same thing yeah um for us in the spring it was just about learning the offense things like that um having a full spring under our belt together um and a new offense together new new players so um that was big for us coming into fall camp we just want to build on that um and get better every single day you got a lot of transfers up front too on the offensive line how's that I know it's early but how that group kind of jail since spring yeah it's been awesome those guys those guys work hard they're up here just as much as anybody else and and be me seeing that um gives me a lot of confidence and so having guys like Ethan Miner um playing Center being able to call the shots and different things like that has been awesome um Albert ree uh M Pounders guys like that um it's been great U Marlo Martinez all those guys so just being around them they're great people great dudes but they're even even better on the field so that's good after On being a leader practice L essentially said the team is just going to Simply follow your lead I guess just how have you kind of taken the reign as you know being the leader on the team even though you're a transfer and yourself this offseason yeah I think for me is just being able to first lead by example do the right things um be in the building um learn the offense like the back of my hand show them that you know I'm very committed to what I'm doing um and also be vocal when I need to and uh we have good relationships all around the building so hasn't really been an issue um doing that being a leader so you know it's been good using tight end in this offense like you had a lot of fun with at the spring game let's talk about that On the tight end room moving forward yeah we have a very talented tight end room so we got depth there it's been good to to have guys like that very talented um hard workers also so you know all around I feel like we built a really good Bond you know as an offense and things like that so you know it it's special watching those guys and being able to step up into a role where they're going to have to you had a spring to learn the strengths of your wide receiver how are you taking that now into this preseason working off their staks yeah um they're great like I said I mean right now you know trying to find the guys that you know I'm comfortable with which I'm comfortable with all of them really um we have good relationships and and I'm very comfortable throwing the ball to them so when you have so many good guys you know it's it's you know you're can't it's hard to single one out you know what I mean so you know for us to get better we got to collectively get better going off that I mean what do you think of brayan On Brandon Stokley burn side so far and how much of an impact do you think he can make for this team on the field you know right away like what kind of role can he play for this offense stong is a great player um works hard great dude um but he's a younger guy he's learning still he's start trying to get better every single day especially when you're a real young guy um first you got to master the offense and things like that but then also you got to focus on you know playing like yourself so um he's he's working towards that every single day and he's going to have an impact we On his role as a receiver talked to Jordan he said their job as receivers to help you and other quarterbacks get better and inv Versa it's your job to help them get better is that how yall are approaching it yeah for sure you know for for J Mo and those guys you know to do their thing I got to do mine um you know I got to know my job cold for for them to to be able to go out and do what they want to do and and do the you know whatever they want to do whatever their goals may be you know it's my job to be the best that I can be so I can help them Reach reach those goals we're about to talk to Ethan what's your relationship with him at Center there he's awesome I just got done telling him you know he's one of my favorite centers that I've played with and and so it's been fun he he's a great dude we' hung out off the field and got a good relationship and um he's a great guy what makes him one of your favorites just he's a great dude he's a funny like sarcastic dude when we first got here he'd say things that that was very funny like just very humorous and he's got a lot of humor so it's he's a funny guy and I think he's really funny and also he's a great football player every coach On the new communication system is a little bit different has their own points of emphasis what makes Jeff leby a little bit different what does he maybe preach to you that maybe some coaches having you know I think consistency you know um there's an expectation level um and if you don't reach it you know obviously you need to figure out a way to reach it so you know I think that's the biggest thing that I haven't had in the past is is to be pushed like I'm being pushed right now um to a level that I need to get and you know I'm very blessed to have that that's what I need right now in my career we talked to Coach H SEC about the new Communication System how he's going to be in the Press Box talking coach l in the sideline talking to you how do you like this being able to communicate soly your coaches yeah I think it's a good thing you know obviously I think it cuts off at 17 seconds or something like that so for us it's a big deal um to give me clues and tips for Coach Levy to be in the headset and you know help me out a little bit and you know if there's something that I'm not seeing and maybe that he can see you know he can communicate that in a way um whereas before you would have to wait till the drive is over to get on the sidelines to understand it so um it's been good having the communication you think that ever comes down when you tell the coach just shut up and let me go maybe I don't know we'll see though