1-on-1: Zach Gentry - February 1, 2022

1-on-1: Zach Gentry - February 1, 2022

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Zach. I know coming into this season, you quote unquote
transformed your body. How much did that help you? I
think it helped me a lot, you know, just being
able to bulk up during this last offseason and kind
of put on functional, functional weight that I knew I
was gonna be able to, you know use for my
different role is more so blocking and um, I guess
being able to be a little harder to bring down
after I catch the ball. So I think it helped

(00:21):
me out a lot. And I kind of felt that.
I think when we talked this last summer, Um, I
knew that it was going to help me going forward
and be an advantage for me, and I think it was.
Was it easy to maintain throughout the season as well? Yeah,
it was surprisingly. I didn't think I was gonna be
able to maintain it. Um Uh. Coach Tomlin was just
talking to the other day. You know, now that I'm
twenty five years old, you know, it's a little easier

(00:42):
to hold the weight on. You know, you don't need
to go through all the different fluctuations of being a
younger guy. So now that kind of made me feel
old with that conversation. But it's it's it's easier to
hold onto you for sure. Now, Um, what do you
plan to do this offseason? And have you even thought about,
you know, looking back after talking to coaches and just
wrapping a bow for this season, what you were able
to accomplish? Well, my off season plan is to just

(01:04):
work on work on some things that I feel like
I need to work on. Flexibility, core, Um, you know,
just continue to stay conditioned. Um. I'll be back home
in Albuquerque with my parents for a little while and
I'll be back here, and you know, I never liked
it to get away from this building for too long,
so I'll be kind of back and forth. Um. You know, UM,
I was. I was happy with with some of the
things I was able to accomplish this season. I think, um,

(01:24):
coach Fredo and coach t or Um complimentary some of
those things. But we also, um, you know, like I said,
mentioned some things I need to work on. So I'm
excited to get after that. What was it like having
Pat friar Muth joined the team and it seems, you know,
you guys got along instantly and your room was I
would say, fun, Yeah, yeah, I had I had a
blast with the room this year. Um, we had some
great personalities, and yeah, the addition of Pat was is

(01:47):
huge for me. And he's like, you know, he's he's
obviously he's you know, one of my best friends and um,
a heck of a ball player. So it's a whole
lot of fun. You know. I think we kind of
compliment each other on and off the field, and I'm
just excited to continue need to work and play with him.
The physicality of the blocking, Um, how much do you
like that? And have you had to grow into liking that?

(02:07):
I do like it a lot, um, And you know,
it's something that I used to be real physical, like
when I was younger, I played a little defense, but
you know, that was something I got away from for
so long playing quarterback. And I think especially for the
last couple of years, I'm kind of finding myself really
enjoying that aspect of it again. And um, so yeah,
I'm having fun with it and I do enjoy it

(02:27):
and enjoy the position that I've been. Right now, speaking
of quarterbacks, Ben Roethlisberger's last throw in the NFL was
to you, did you think about it? Where's that ball? Um?
Do you have it? So? I should have? There was
eleven seconds on the clock or something like that. When

(02:48):
we snapped the ball and I was tackled on the field,
and so I got up in a hurry. I wasn't
thinking about it immediately, so I threw the ball to
the reft to try to get lined up again. Um,
but yeah, I should have just held on tight to
the ball that the time is going to run out. Um,
I do remember I was There were three or four
Kansas City defenders but near the goal line, and for
for a fleeting second, I thought I should go airborne

(03:08):
and try to score for his last one. But I
made a business decision to stay down. And I told
him about that. He said it was fine. Um, what
is it going to be like not having Ben Roethlisberger
around the facility, around the team moving forward? Oh, it's
going to be an adjustment. Um. You know, I was
talking to some of the equipment guys the other day.
I said, it's gonna be weird not having seven around,
But it'll be even weirder for them, you know. They mean,

(03:30):
he's been around here for so long, and there's there's
so many people in this building that are used to
having him and seeing him every single day for the
last eighteen years and I've been fortunate enough to be
around for three years, so it'll be bizarre for me,
But um, I can't imagine how weird it's going to
be for everybody involved. It's been here as long as
he has What is it going to be like? You probably,
you know, would have to think about this a little bit.
But knowing that there's going to be a quarterback competition,

(03:52):
no matter if it's guys that are here, guys they
bring in draft free agency, what does that do to
a team and maybe even if it's the off season
O T A s for instance, Well, we'll see. You know,
you have to build a rapport with whoever these guys
are going to be. You know, we have Mason and
Duyne here right now, and um so we know that
they're going to be here, and so obviously guys are
gonna be trying to work with them, and they're gonna

(04:14):
be working hard this offseason. But it'll be interesting to
see what, you know, what shakes out. Um. I know
that our organization is going to make the best decision
going forward, and so whoever we have back there, I
know it's going to be a capable and um talented quarterback.
Are you an option at quarterback? I'd like to think
I am. I'll have to put my name in the
hat for that. UM. I throw in pretium warm ups

(04:34):
a little bit, so I'll have to keep my arm loose.