Bills Center Connor McGovern Breaks Down QB Sneaks, Pre-Snap Process & Pass Protections | Film Room - The Film Room - Bills Breakdowns and Analysis

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:30):
What's good, folks, Welcome to another edition of the Cover
one Film Room, the show that gives you the hows
and the whys behind both the good and the bad
of the Buffalo Bills. I am one of your two hosts,
Anthony Prohaska, joined as always by Eric Turner and Eric.
The film Room heater continues, player after player after player.

(00:51):
We have another player joining us today. We stick in
the trenches for this one, which is an awesome aspect
of the game that we love to talk and break
down and have somebody actually in the room and play
such a central role to the Trench's really exciting episode today.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, I mean last week we had Alec Anderson, but
this one's gonna be It's gonna be fun because you know,
Connor McGovern is joining us today and honestly, having Connor
in the film room, what's going on?

Speaker 3 (01:19):
Connor? Having you in the film room.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Man, We're very excited because you know, you're so integral
to the offensive line when it comes to the run game,
when it comes to pass protection. So we're super excited
to have you join us today in the film.

Speaker 4 (01:31):
I'm glad to be here. Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
Yeah, we're super pumped, and you know's I guess we'll
jump right into you going into the twenty twenty four season.
You come to Buffalo season before that playing guard, continuity,
offensive line, all that kind of stuff. Then you movie
center in twenty twenty four. Was there anything for you
in transitioning, you know, back to that spot. Was there
anything you had to work on physically or mentally going

(01:54):
into twenty twenty four or even actively during the season
kind of transitioning back to that and moving from guard.

Speaker 5 (02:01):
Yeah, I kind of say it's like riding a bike.
So my natural position is center back all at the
high school. He played all through high school. I got
the Penn State, switched over pretty early on the guard,
went back to center, and went back to guard, got
drafted as the center. Actually after my rookie year in Dallas,
got switched to guard with the new coaching staff went through,
and then when I signed here, I was told early

(02:22):
on like whenever Mitch tires moves on, I'll be in
the next center. And then that came to fruition last
year and it was kind of just getting back to
the movement with it, getting used to Josh. The one
thing I love Mitch, but he'll even say it like
he snaps.

Speaker 4 (02:35):
Off to the left. Yeah, that's what Josh has been
used to for so many years.

Speaker 5 (02:39):
So it took us a couple months to just get
used to in the off season summer and then just
taking live reps together during camp to get used to
each other. Him getting actually centered up again. So like,
even though you think it's all just get under center,
it's easy. He's just so conditioned at the beginning to
go snap left that he had to just go back
to his basics.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
It's funny because I think he just appeared on Eric
Wood's podcast and said he's pretty much a left butt
cheek center, Like every time he's the left butt cheek.
I'm interested in prior to coming to Buffalo, was there
a scout a coach that heavily recruited you? Was was
Chromer involved? Like who was involved at bringing you to Buffalo?
Did you have a lot of conversations with anyone in

(03:22):
the organization prior to coming over as a free agent.

Speaker 5 (03:25):
So it came down to the last There was a
couple of teams last involved, Like the year before I
knew I was kind of leaving Dallas. It was just
written on the walls, and so I sat down with
my team and we did a lot of research and
we came up with like three landing spots where like idea,
if he could pick money's not an option, like where
I want to play?

Speaker 4 (03:43):
Where fit in?

Speaker 5 (03:45):
And the star on the wall was Buffalo, And of
course you have Josh Allen, you have great offense, you
got all these great minds around, and that was always
the place I want to go.

Speaker 4 (03:54):
I remember it came to free and Sy had.

Speaker 5 (03:56):
A couple of our other offers to go other place
for more money, and I remember or Josh actually called
me and recruiting me to come to Buffalo, and I
was kind of like, all right, if he's willing to
put hisself on the line like that, like I definitely
want to come here. And then Ryan Bates sold it on,
sold it to me too, and then got here and
loved it ever since.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
With you, with you kind of having an idea of
you know, kind of you know, coming into play guard
for the Bills that first year and then knowing that
eventually you'll kind of be moving to center, like you
alluded to that first year when you were obviously taking
all those reps in a guard was there anything you
were kind of doing mentally and preparing for that move
to center reven like making notes or kind of mentally
or even in actuality and things of like okay, like

(04:39):
down the line, I'll have to know this or have
to know that kind of dual prepared to kind of
get ahead of it a bit.

Speaker 5 (04:44):
Yeah, I would say, even like back to my rookie
in like second year in the league, like even though
I was playing guard, like my online coach always taught me, like, hey,
learn all five just makes the game easier. Just expand
your football IQ. My third year, I played football fullback,
so that even helped even more. So when I got here,
I was like, okay, I could just no guard, but

(05:04):
it'd be easier to It's a faster process learning the
offense if you just learn all five positions at once.
And then that made that transition this year even easier
when I already knew the offense, Joe Brady kept it
the same and it was just a lot easier.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
And I'm sure Chromer you know OTA's mini cams. He
was having you guys move around. That's typically his m
as well, so game days, game week. What is the
would you say is the most critical meeting or field
exercise or segment during practice that you know you go
through leading into games.

Speaker 5 (05:36):
Yeah, I would say Wednesday morning is our most important meeting.
It's our run install And I would say Chromer and
Joe Brady did a great job of starting in when
he Joe Brady took over in twenty three, of getting
the running backs other guys with us in the offensive
line meeting, so they saw how you want to install,
like how we plan the blocking up, We see where

(05:56):
they want to cut. What they see, what we see.
And I think that's what really elevated our run game.
We kept it going this year and I think that
helped a lot. Now it's say practice probably Thursday practice
are most important, Like not even like going over to
plays or anything like that. It's more like our individual
crim does a great job. Like that's when we do
a lot of our pass pro drills. Stuff like that
we're working on like uh, snapping games off manning stuff

(06:20):
like that. It's just little stuff like that. It doesn't
look like we're doing too much, but it's really technical.
So we're not killing ourselves like like in each other,
but a lot of using our hands, getting extension just
hand placement stuff like that, just where need your footwork
to go, like when you're just reaching someoney.

Speaker 4 (06:40):
So like Thursdays are really like detail everything in.

Speaker 2 (06:43):
I love it now when you guys are doing install
or learning new parts of the game plan early in
the week. I know a few years ago when Josh
was you know, younger and still coming up, still learning,
he had a different way of learning, and I'm sure
a lot of guys you know learn that way. Do
you guys still do a lot of that install where
you know everyone's watching the practice and the rafters and

(07:04):
then there's guys on the field kind of doing the
walk throughs and stuff like that, or is it just
in the meeting rooms when you're doing the install kind
of like the old school way.

Speaker 5 (07:12):
I would say, like how we go over everything. So
in the mornings we'll install it, go walk through, then practice,
and then you come out after practice watch everything that
you just did, and then if there's any other questions
or any last min installs, do it then then Like
so Wednesday's run game, Thursday will do the pass install
in the morning, do the same thing, go through, walk

(07:32):
through practice. Friday is just we do no meetings at
all just all straight walkthrough so you get feel everything
on field, which is nice, and then you go out
the practice. It's a fast flow day, feel good Saturday,
lock everything in, get out there, move around a little
bit again, and something you play.

Speaker 1 (07:51):
As a as a run game person. I love that,
like part of your answer there, the lead off was like,
oh that Wednesday morning, it's like run install.

Speaker 4 (07:58):
It's so important.

Speaker 1 (07:58):
It's just so even.

Speaker 4 (07:59):
You're week really truly started when it's Wednesday morning.

Speaker 3 (08:02):
Yes, there you go.

Speaker 1 (08:03):
Love that, you know, and speaking of you know, some
run game stuff. The and it's so topical now with
what you guys have done with the Bills, what the
Eagles have done, and even just some kind of the
way the league is gone. The QB sneak stuff, the
tush push alread, anybody wants to go about it. The Bills,
you know, you guys have been tremendously successful, thirty six
rushes last year, sixty three yards, seven touchdowns and eighty

(08:25):
point six success rate. Obviously, so many people have like
attached the QB sneak and how it's gone to the Eagles.
Have you guys, did you guys incorporate anything from the Eagles,
like did you study their tape a bit or no,
I would say, just run it differently.

Speaker 4 (08:39):
Yeah, we run it very differently.

Speaker 5 (08:41):
So if you see it's ours is not really a
QB sneak, it's more of a duo. Then let Josh
pick where he wants to hit the hole. So if
you see it, so if you see like it depends
if I have a head up nose, I'm taking a
one on one try forklift and Osiris has actually come
down an angle, so is Spencer. So wash everything down
and then Dave and Dion are going straight ahead and
then Josh kind of picks all right, a gaps open

(09:02):
b gap, then try to find his way through and
then he's a massive human being so he can take
one or two guys with them too.

Speaker 1 (09:08):
That's a great answer.

Speaker 2 (09:09):
That's a great answer and great way to put it,
because you know we break that play duo down a bunch,
and so that kind of leads me into the question
about what the Chiefs did against you guys when it
came to this play right, Well, like, what what are
some things that stood out to you and were they
was it something different that they did that maybe other
teams didn't?

Speaker 5 (09:27):
Yeh, I would say first, they were one of the
first teams to realize because we ran it against him
the first time we played them during the season, and
last year we did the same way.

Speaker 4 (09:34):
They did a great job.

Speaker 5 (09:35):
Chris Jones practically almost head head up with me, like
just his get off too. So that's one thing when
you're playing on the road, it's a little bit harder.
And they were one of the first teams to realize,
like how we truly run it and how they're just
diving multiple guys in the gap and just trying to
keep Josh directly in the A gap not let them
get out the b or get really moving, and like

(09:57):
we don't really come behind like the Eagles do and
push and we're trying to more run it like doing.
They did a great job of stopping it. I don't
even know how many times you ran at that game,
but I ended up at a lot of the bottom
of the pile a lot of times.

Speaker 1 (10:10):
That's kind of sucked to be Like how in these
sneaks for you as the center, Like how how brutal
is that to be?

Speaker 5 (10:18):
Spot that's how we run it, Like it's it sucks.

Speaker 4 (10:22):
I'll just say that it sucks. It's not fun.

Speaker 5 (10:24):
But the worst is David Edwards has it, so he's
truly the tip of the spirit because he's going straightforward
and that's it. So most of the time he lands
at the bottom. I land on the top of them, and
then everyone else falls on me, but everyone usually just
sees me get up first, and he gets up pretty quickly,
so he's truly getting the worst of it in nar scheme.
But like how the Eagles doing push push, like Cam
Jurgen's just taking most of that.

Speaker 4 (10:45):
Blow, Like, so we do a little bit different.

Speaker 5 (10:48):
I'm still at the bottom of the pile, so it's
still not fun, but Dave still taking the worst.

Speaker 2 (10:51):
And it seems like you talked about Osyrius kind of
slanting down. It seems like the Eagles all of their
offensive linement are kind of funneling.

Speaker 5 (10:58):
Almost like yeah, it's like a flying v they do,
and they just keep pushing, almost like a rugby scrum.
They keep pushing. Nice.

Speaker 1 (11:04):
That's a really great way to put in. I guess
I've never now. I feel like I need to go
back and watch the tape because you're describing it as
like a QB's like almost like a QB duo. Yeah,
let's be extremely intrigued. Now that's a really great way
to put it. I like that, you know, just again
you at the center spot, the mental side of the
game that's traditionally attached to a center. Yeah, walk us
through a bit if you can. You know your your

(11:26):
process in terms of what are you looking for from
the moment you break the huddle to the snap you're
getting down hand on the ball, Like, kind of just
walk us through a little bit what goes through your
head checks or anything you kind of give us, you know,
a little peek behind the curtain in your world mentally
at that.

Speaker 5 (11:42):
So the first thing while we're in the huddle, we'll
have someone either Cromar or say it's Alec or said
or last year will clap on the sideline and they're
letting us know, like what the defensive personnel is. So
they'll hold up something so like I don't have to
count if someone's running on, running off, I could just
focus on Josh.

Speaker 4 (11:59):
So they'll help up a symbol.

Speaker 5 (12:00):
I'll see that like, Okay, they're in this personnel, so
I can start thinking my head what they're gonna be in.
We get to play break the huddle as soon as
I'm going out, I'm looking for safety rotation, anything just
stuff like that. See what front there are, there's anything
funky going on, Let the guys know. Get up. Make
my mic point. Even though you'll see you heard it
last week with Alec. Even though we're not declaring the mic.

(12:21):
We call everything that I declare as the mic point,
like so it's a little confusing, like linebacker, but we're
calling it the mic.

Speaker 4 (12:29):
That's what means. It's our mic point.

Speaker 5 (12:31):
So that lets everyone know that's who I'm going to
or in that situation or something one of the first
double teams is going to and then everyone's off that beautiful.

Speaker 2 (12:41):
And how much do guys like Spencer Brown Deon Dawkins help, Well,
you talked about the safety rotations. Obviously for a quarterback,
that's one of the first things they look at, Hey
where the safeties out?

Speaker 3 (12:52):
You know, are they in one or two I structure?

Speaker 2 (12:55):
But obviously as a center, that's something you pay attention
to because it obviously it changes the defensive strung.

Speaker 3 (13:00):
Sure, it changes run fits, it changes a lot of things.

Speaker 2 (13:02):
So how important are the guys next to you at
helping communicate what they see because maybe again you've got
a lot of things going on, maybe even some more
than some of the other players on the offensive line.

Speaker 5 (13:13):
That's a huge My right hand man, even though he's
on the left side, is David Edwards, so he's constantly
seeing things. So like say, if we have a run
going right, like I might only be looking right at first,
like trying to get everyone in situation, he might see
something late coming down, like He's constantly talked to me.
Both are tackles. Dion and Spence are great in the
past game. Let me know because I can't always see everything,

(13:34):
like just the way we have gigantic offensive linemen. So
if someone's up on the edge and one way I
can't see over Spencer, that's a tree over there, So
he'll let me know that and then we could change
protection we need to. Me and Joshua constantly always communicating.
So one thing you probably notice, like I want to
get up the line, I give up thumbs up, and
that's that's me talking Joshua.

Speaker 4 (13:52):
Turn around, talk to him.

Speaker 5 (13:53):
It's at home, like I can actually talk to him
one on one or he comes up behind me. We're talking,
So me and him are constantly communication, so I might
have my head turned one way and something might happen.
That's when Dave's talking to me, make sure I saw that,
or just make sure we're all on the same page.
So we do a great job everyone seeing things and
make sure everyone's on the same page.

Speaker 3 (14:11):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (14:12):
The mental side of offensive line is it doesn't get
like talked about enough, and usually when it does, it's
a tribute to the center. But oh, I love that
kind of encapsulation of it being the whole line one
of the pieces you mentioned, you know, and you kind
of come into the line checking safety rotation, you look
and see if there's like anything funky from the front perspective,
what would you or is there something like you personally
are like you guys as a group classify as something

(14:33):
like oh, like what's a red flag for you coming out?
That would be like kind of classified.

Speaker 4 (14:38):
So we're coming to the front and we see a
load front.

Speaker 5 (14:39):
So there's three big d linemen on one side and
we have a linebacker walking around like the rams it
to us a lot last year, like turn Games.

Speaker 3 (14:46):
Broke broke that down with us, yep.

Speaker 5 (14:48):
So as soon as you see that, antenna's are going
up or like, hey, something's happening. Games like beware like
Dave on the other side might get picked.

Speaker 4 (14:56):
Just things like.

Speaker 5 (14:56):
That, or do you see a safety walk down, We're like, okay,
is he come off the or they're showing it one
way and they're bringing blitz off the other edge, Like
just stuff like that. So you're just constantly checking with
each other what's what's happening.

Speaker 3 (15:08):
So what you know, motion's big.

Speaker 2 (15:11):
Motion's big across the NFL, And I'm just interested in it,
in how motion when you guys run motion, how that
can it can change pass protections and why it changes
past protections at times.

Speaker 4 (15:23):
Yeah, I would say as most doing the running games.

Speaker 5 (15:26):
So like I know a lot of like young centers
have this problem, like they'll come up like there'll be
a motion to play defense. Looks on the way they
come up and get their ID going. Also the motion
happens and everything just changes. Then you're trying to communicate
the last second. So make sure like those ones like
guys get up to the line like panic that I
haven't made a call yet, but you hear in the
play that there's a motion. Let them get set. Remike
Josh knows, like give us another extra second or two.

(15:48):
That's why we wait, like make sure we break the
clock at the right time, so we have time to
do that, because you don't want to mic something someone
doesn't hear the second like you're redoing it, so you
want to do it all one take and make sure
it's good to go. Then past game safe thing can happened,
like move guy cross and all of a sudden, say Sam,
linebacker's on the ball, and all of a sudden he
moves out, and now someone else is coming down take

(16:09):
a spot or vice versa safeties down he goes out
with the running back emotion, now linebackers coming down on
the edge.

Speaker 3 (16:17):
Yeah, it definitely can change things.

Speaker 2 (16:19):
And I know for like years, I know early on
in Josh's career there wasn't a lot of motion with
the offense he was running back then, and I know
a lot of that had to do with how it
can change protections, how it can change run fits, and
they didn't want to overload him at times again earlier.
Now obviously you guys have everything at your disposals.

Speaker 4 (16:39):
So yeah, so many things going on.

Speaker 2 (16:41):
With that said, we're gonna jump into some film now,
We're gonna take a look at five plays here from
last season. So keep in mind counter any scheme, techniques, assignments,
any little nuggets winging through out there. Use the language,
use the jargon. We'll translate went possible. We're gonna start
off pretty. We're gonna start off. So some we talked
about the QB sneaks, and this is a play you

(17:03):
had kind of highlighted when it came to.

Speaker 3 (17:05):
The QB snakes.

Speaker 2 (17:07):
But all this was going walk us through the process
of this play, walk us through the cadence. Something as
simple as the cadence when you guys are running this
this QB sneak thirty six times, as we said last year.

Speaker 5 (17:22):
Yeah, so like this fourth and one, we know we
get to a certain percentage of the field. We have data,
data analytics guys that like, all right, we get to
this range. We're going for it. Here we scored a
first drive. I think this is the second drive of
the game, Like, all right, keep the hammer down. So
we're going for this right now, like defense playing great,
Like if we got frud we don't get it. Our

(17:42):
defense is going to stop them.

Speaker 4 (17:44):
So we get up.

Speaker 5 (17:44):
We call the quarterback sneak in I assume it was
probably third, Like got didn't get the first down so
quickly on the ball. Everyone's running up and Josh makes
a call get the quarterback. Sneak in Cadence stays the same.
So in this case here, I'm like, all right, I
have a head up nose and he goes submarine technique,
me just try to cut me. So I'm like, I
got to get as low as I can, just block

(18:05):
him up. You see Osyrus and Spencer come down at
the angles. Then now Dave and Dion have the double
team and they're just trying to blast the guy forward
and either blow him up to twenty three or just
take him out of the play. And then Dawson's come
down and take five and let Josh just find a hole.
And then you see me end up on the ground
and a lot of fun.

Speaker 1 (18:24):
You mentioned the data and the analytics piece, and yeah,
I guess even just from your own mindset of like
being on the field, with how successful you guys have
been with this sneak, is that kind of in what
does it come into preparation at all? Or I guess
maybe even into your mind during drives knowing like okay,
like worst case scenario we get into like fourth and
short like this even like fourth and like a yard

(18:46):
and a half almost, like we know we have this
weapon that we can use. Does that kind of funk
function into the preparation or your in game mindset as
you're going drive to drive.

Speaker 5 (18:54):
Yeah, I would say as a competitor, you're always like
I don't want to get off the field, Like it's
fourth and two, why not just do it?

Speaker 4 (18:59):
Like let's go ahead.

Speaker 5 (19:01):
But that's where McDermott everyone else comes in, like, hey,
like this our range, like once we crossed the minus
forty yard line, like be ready, Like fourth and short,
we're going for it. Get right up on the ball,
we're hitting that quarterback sneak. So stuff like that you
just constantly prepare for. But I would say as a competitor,
you're just always ready to go. And when that quarterback
sneaks come in, that adrenaline starts pumping even more.

Speaker 2 (19:21):
Now, as we said, eighty point six success rate on
QB sneaks last year. But again, the way it ended
in the Chiefs game, it's a copycat league. Do you
guys expect to maybe tweak some things or at least
maybe add on some other I don't know, some little
tweaks to augment what you guys have now that the

(19:42):
Chiefs put that on tape.

Speaker 5 (19:43):
Yeah, I would say Joe Brady and Cromer, they do
a great job always disguis and things, So I would
be surprised if we change a little bit, like we
changed our give you sneak a little bit this year
just to comfort like get Josh more comfortable with it
or just stuff like that, just because me and Dave
don't play the same way at guard, and me and
Mitch don't play the same way at centered. Just just
feeling things out, so it could be easy as next year,

(20:05):
like maybe we throw an option to Ty Johnson and
James Cook in there and please that edge or something,
just something something like that. The key team's guessing.

Speaker 2 (20:14):
Absolutely, and that's exactly what we're we're thinking about, because
I know a lot of fans had talked about that,
you know, they wish it was a little wrinkle, and
I'm like Anthony and I were like, they're gonna pull
it out in the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (20:23):
Yeah, Unfortunately, you guys we were waiting.

Speaker 1 (20:26):
Were waiting for. We're waiting for that wrinkle or a
pass to Alec Henderson out of his Oh yeah, we're
waiting for one of those two things, let's work.

Speaker 4 (20:33):
On his hands a little bit. First day.

Speaker 3 (20:36):
I love it.

Speaker 2 (20:37):
Well, speaking of hands, Ty Johnson actually has really good hands.

Speaker 3 (20:40):
This is the next play.

Speaker 2 (20:40):
We're gonna break down forty one yard screen touchdown against
the Rams. So on this play, I want you to
walk us through the scheme, the technique, the assignment, but
also how you know you saw Johnson motion a little bit,
you see shaker motion a little bit. Talk about what
that does maybe to your the purpose behind it, and
what that does to your assignment on this play again,
a big block by you.

Speaker 3 (20:59):
Just bring Ty Johnson for the touchdown.

Speaker 4 (21:01):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (21:02):
So the first thing here, I know screen's going left,
and first thing I come out and look if we
have safety linebacker someone on the.

Speaker 4 (21:08):
Ball, that's immediate threat.

Speaker 5 (21:10):
So we have to slide to him right now because
on a screen left, I want to slide right, kind
of give like show that we're doing the pass protext
to the right, give myself a little time so I
can get flat down the line.

Speaker 4 (21:21):
Yeah. So if there's no threat like here, I'm like,
all right, keep it right.

Speaker 5 (21:25):
Then now I'm gonna be I'm like, I'm thinking I'm
gonna be the first one out because I have an
open gap. David Edwards is gonna be number two. He's
gonna flash his guy, try to throw him inside and
get out. And then Dion he has the most important
block here to start it off. So if you see
he has a gigantic left paw right here, he's gonna
throw it right in Zero's face just to kind of
keep him occupied. Think all right past coming, He's not.

(21:47):
He kind of wants get to beat up the field,
but he wants to cover his face so he can't
see that Josh is setting up the screen.

Speaker 4 (21:52):
So right there you see just a little pat right
to the face, and.

Speaker 5 (21:57):
Then that gives Josh enough time to throw over the
tie and me enough time to get down the line
to throw at the linebacker here, and then that gives
Dave times to be the second out and clear up
anything that I don't get.

Speaker 4 (22:08):
And then here, I know.

Speaker 5 (22:09):
It kind of looks I block them back, but we
practice this all the time.

Speaker 4 (22:13):
Yeah, it's clean.

Speaker 5 (22:14):
So you don't want to just absolutely like if they're
breaking like that, you don't want to just kind of
get in front and like throw your head or anything
like that. Easy penalty and what you wouldn't do is
actually throw your opposite hand. So I'm running left, I
want to throw my right hand and kind of push
them by because the ref can't really see that in
the back.

Speaker 4 (22:31):
He can't see my right hand.

Speaker 5 (22:32):
So if I throw it just my left, he's gonna say, oh,
that's easy blocking the back. Penalties coming place coming back.
Or if I throw my left, I might pull them
something that's easy to see.

Speaker 4 (22:42):
Right hand. Ref can't see that.

Speaker 5 (22:44):
And then Dave Edwards going down the field and playing
clean up, and then Matt Collins too.

Speaker 4 (22:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (22:51):
I like the little sneakiness of using like the opposite
hand that's right up there with like like I remember
hearing like DB's more in college, but like DB's wearing
like trying to wear the glove color of like their
opponent's jerseys so if they're grabbing, like you wear a
white glove for a white away jersey, so that way
the rest can't see you grabbing and collection as much.
Like that's a night. That's a nice one. Yeah, talk
about it just screens in general. You know, you alluded

(23:15):
to some of it, some of the points you were
breaking down here, Whether it's this kind of screen or anything.
It could be like a quick little smoke screen. It
could be a tunnel screen, it could be a running
back screen, wideer shirt or whatever. Just talk about the
how important the timing of all of it is. There's
such a fine line between a good screen and a
bad screen, and it's almost like like a millisecond or

(23:35):
like the tenth of a second. It all happens so fast.

Speaker 5 (23:38):
So we have like slow screens fast screens, and it
all comes down to the deception first. So like when
I call it like we're going left, but I want
to show that we're going to our right kind of
setting the protection. And then I know in my head,
I'm like, all right, I get two kicks. I'm out now,
like one thousand and one, thousand and two go Because
I'm not the fastest guy, so I got to know
my thousand and two TI Johns's probably get the ball right,

(24:00):
and I gotta go straight down the line. So you
might think in your head, all right, like if I
go on an angle, I could beat this guy. But
the fastest way to get the second line because they're
breaking downhill, is actually goes straight across the line, And
I'm thinking, there he's trying to beat in that point.
So I'm just trying to get as long as I
can and just get tied by in this point.

Speaker 2 (24:19):
Now, you said you were the first out David's second.
Does that ever change? Does that base on easily changed?

Speaker 5 (24:24):
So if we came up here and say brandfreds car
crosses my face, David instantly going right now as soon
as he crosses, and if he takes me osyrus and
then knows like all right, I could add on to
this go he's our rat kill, we call it.

Speaker 4 (24:39):
So he's cleaning up anything on the inside.

Speaker 5 (24:41):
If there's a late league, he's not getting downfield, but
he's just kind of just hammering anything that. Like, see
how he turns around there, he's chicking frists there, zero rechases.
He's going to get in front of that and just
slow it down. So just the three of us are
kind of without saying anything, just watching each other to
see who's gonna be one, two and three.

Speaker 3 (25:01):
Love it, love it?

Speaker 2 (25:02):
Yeah, all right, let's move on to the forty six
yard touchdown by James Cook against the Patriots. So on
this play, I want you to talk about Id and
that Mike first of all, and then when on this
play we see you kind of chop down the hands
of defensive lineman. When do you use that versus just traditionally,
you know, trying to reach that guy?

Speaker 3 (25:20):
When did you use that technique.

Speaker 2 (25:21):
That I'm sure that Chromer loves to see you execute
on film.

Speaker 5 (25:25):
Yeah, so the first thing about this play, it almost
doesn't happen. So we get up and seeing rotation the
right like, so we're originally running to the right here, okay,
and we get our kill correct here, so you see
me now, I'm I'm already remiking it. We're going left now,
like so I'm micing with forty six or whatever, yeah,
right there, and I'm telling everyone, but then I think

(25:47):
it was this one. Cyrus didn't hear me at first,
so I start talking to him, and now everyone thinks
we're reverting back. So now I'm trying to point it out.
Josh is trying to get going. We're not really sure
we're not on say page, I'm rely trying to I'm
like no, like telling him, like, hey, safety's down, like
we're getting out of this, and Dave's ym He's like,
we got to go.

Speaker 4 (26:05):
There's two seconds.

Speaker 5 (26:06):
So you just see Josh didn't give a CAD and
say I snap it and we just go. So just
happened just to work out like that that there was
no kay, it's just everyone's talking and someone heard the
wrong thing at first, or we're read clarifying everything. Dave
tells me, hey, two seconds, we got to go. I
snapped out a one second and we just went from there.

Speaker 2 (26:27):
So let me ask when we're talking about ID and
the mic again, it doesn't always have to be the
middle linebacker, the Mike linebacker, but on these zone runs,
is there a count system like how are you?

Speaker 4 (26:38):
How?

Speaker 2 (26:39):
And why are you iding him? As the MIC on
this zone run still left?

Speaker 5 (26:43):
So basically I'm doing it so outside done to the left,
I'm i Dean who I would be working to, but
in this case, since I have a nose here, I'm
taking that he's number one. Now, Dave and Dion are
going to work the number two and three who are
the linebacker in the end. Then Alec and Reggie split
off from that at okay, So then then here my
thinking is just what type of player I have in

(27:05):
front of me. First, as we're trying to get outside now,
I'm thinking jump snatch, that kind of my guard technique
from last year and the years before I learned jump
pull him into me, all right, if he kicks my ass,
pull blows me up the field, Ball's already gone. If
I tried just reaching them, he might fight over the top,
I might get tripped up with someone. He might make
to play five six yards downfield. But if I jump

(27:27):
pull him into me, make him lose his momentum. James
Cook's already gone, like, so he can beat me all day.
He wants push it out the field, but the ball
is already in the end zone by the time.

Speaker 1 (27:38):
Your length, your arm length like helps you a lot
on a rift like this. Just talk about you know,
we this is kind of selfish for us, but one
of the hut you know things we talked about a
lot in the old Lion switch going into last year
and you moving from guard to center. You know, the
difference of some of the difference between you and Morse.
One of the differences was your longer arms. Have a
lot longer arms, yeah, and how that can help you

(27:58):
in a multitude of ways at center. Just talk about
how your longer arms allow you, you know, whether it's
you know, jumping guys like this or from a leverage
perspective like what it allows you to do at that
position where arm length isn't really a standard thing for
a lot of centers.

Speaker 4 (28:12):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (28:12):
Here it allows me to get on the guy so
much quicker. So he's trying to shoot forward to get me.
I'm able to just get my arms around him. I
get that shoulder first and I pull them into me
and the pass came out to me a lot, especially
in like passing off stunts. I could get extension and
I can push the guy away. When a lot of
guys have the shorter arms, they have to wait let
that guy come in.

Speaker 4 (28:30):
I can attack first.

Speaker 5 (28:31):
Or last year with guard I'm able to throw my
left hand as a feeler and then I can reach
with my right because I don't have to wait for
him to come to me.

Speaker 4 (28:39):
Beautiful.

Speaker 2 (28:40):
Yeah, great stuff. I the passing of the stunts. I
tagged you in a bunch of those. This last the
last few days. I mean that is something going back
and watching you and Osiris and David Edwards work together
the pass off stunts. It's something that you know during
the season, we don't get a lot of time to
do deep dives, but I did a deep dive in
and that length as Anthony he said that length is

(29:01):
it's incredibly important on those stunts because again the d
lineman they're not getting into the body of you, and
so now you're able to just snap those off and
pass them and receive the looper that's coming over the top.

Speaker 5 (29:12):
Yeah, because the longer you are you have extension, you
get like they can hit their first move, but they're
still not right on you.

Speaker 4 (29:18):
Like if they get into you, they hit.

Speaker 5 (29:19):
Their move, you lose that tenth of a second they're
there by you. But since I have length, I could
play with them a little bit longer and then get
back I need to, and they it takes them just
a second longer to get around.

Speaker 3 (29:29):
Me, no doubt, no doubt.

Speaker 2 (29:31):
So moving on to some blitz pick up, a couple
of players of blitz pick up.

Speaker 3 (29:35):
And so this is a twenty one yard touchdown to MATC. Collins.
You kind of alluded to it earlier. You called it
the load front.

Speaker 2 (29:41):
Talk about that front and how that gives you guys
a hard time at you know, at times. And then
of course talk about how motion helps offen the linemen
and or edwards on this play, maybe how that can
change things. And then the importance of staying level with
guys next to you.

Speaker 4 (29:58):
Yeah. I would just start off like this is what
we work every Thursday.

Speaker 5 (30:01):
When I was saying that, like we come up, we
do different fronts, how we pass games off. So this
is just something like the rams they love doing. So
we wrapped it many many times. So as soon as
I come up, I see this, I answer turn around
the Josh load front. So he knows, all right, expecting
something the next thing I'm doing. So I see three
bigs of the right. I see, all right, is anyone
rotated down to the right. I see it's three over three.

(30:23):
Safety's not come, no one else coming. So I'm looking
back telling Dave, hey, you got fifty six. So now
he's man, you're gonna see him tap his home in point.
That's just telling Josh running back, that's my guy. So
he's thinking. So we're thinking on the right side, we're
three for three over here. That's changing. Now you're gonna
see Deon widens out further. He's like, okay, Dave's got
fifty six. I'm basically one on one with ninety seven.

(30:44):
If he goes inside, Dave's watch me. Anyways, So he
gets out even further, like he loves to do. And
then so they work out. Yes, so how they work out,
they worked out with each other. They talk it out.
So in this case, they're like, all right, we're gonna
go one on one with each other. So you're gonna
see Dave actually go line and pick up the guy
one on one. So he's not letting him come to him.

(31:04):
He's gonna take it to him first and let Dion
get spaced so he could play one on one out there.
Then we're gonna be three three for three on the
right side.

Speaker 1 (31:12):
And then that motion so Josh calling Ray Davis back
in and then that makes fifty six kind of.

Speaker 5 (31:18):
Like it shows if he's the man, and I like
it helps me as a center out a lot, like, Okay,
is he gonna come like? Is he a chance? Like
if he follows out, okay, we don't even have to
worry about it. But he comes back in the box
just we have no other threats out to the right,
so we can easily just keep him on.

Speaker 4 (31:35):
Man.

Speaker 2 (31:37):
Yeah, that's and that's something that you guys started doing.
We saw it in Camp Anthony, and I saw in
camp at Saint Fisher. Is this alignment and bumping the
running back out wide one. In the passing game, it
helps get that running back out there quicker and avoid
any you know, any type of disruption from a d
N you know, dog teching and knocking him off his route,
getting him out. But it also, again as you said

(31:58):
pre snap helps you as a center a lot because
you can identify whether zone versus man, but also identify,
you know, if that linebacker can come, if he is
you know, a plus one, and you know, being added
into the rush.

Speaker 3 (32:11):
Really interesting stuff. I love Blitz Pickup Man.

Speaker 2 (32:14):
It's some of my favorite film And to go back
and watch some of this stuff. And again, guys, what's
funny is like anytime we have players on in the
film room more times than not, I just get some plays.
I send it to him and then you know, we
kind of chat about it. My man Connor over here
was like, no, these are the plays, these are the
plays we should talk about. Let's flesh out some QB sneaks.
I was like, wow, all right, this is gonna be

(32:36):
fun one. And as you guys have heard so far,
it's so interesting to hear it from the center position.
So here's another big play thirty four yards to Dawson Knox.
So I want you to talk about, you know, were
you setting the protection here versus Josh. This was a
game that you said, Hey, take a look at some
of those snaps from the Colts game because they did
some funky stuff with some looping, you know, some stunts

(32:57):
some games. So talk about setting the protection and who
Josh is identifying. Is he throwing it, you know, hot off,
a certain guy here, walk us through this play from.

Speaker 4 (33:06):
So coming up.

Speaker 5 (33:07):
I have full control of the protections, do whatever, but
Josh has final say so if he sees something like here,
we're in five man pro like James cook is, he's
out of there. As soon as the ball step, he's
out of there. So it's just five of us. So
we need to take the most immediate threats. So twenty
is up on the line to start, So I want
to take care of like the level threat first, so
we start with him. But now forty five starting to

(33:28):
break the plane. So I'm learning Josh like, hey, like,
if he steps for right now, he's the most immediate threat.
I gotta take that. Then Dave knows he's got the
second third and we're leaving you the widest right. So
in case like that, like Josh knows we're in finite protection.
He might be like, all right, I want to be hot, right,
so I could see that coming and set me left
even though we're supposed to be going the other ways,
like stuff like that happened to Detroit, just like he

(33:51):
has a final say, or maybe he sees something differently
than I do and just wants to be protected one way,
so he automatically has the final say. But here we're
going think of going widest you come up twenty or
forty five.

Speaker 4 (34:03):
Someone has to have James cooking man and.

Speaker 5 (34:05):
Like they're not both gonna come like or that's it's
simple pass right to James.

Speaker 4 (34:10):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (34:11):
Uh So we start with going to twenty and say here,
you're gonna see me point the forty five like hey,
like if he comes right now, like we know, so
the way Dion sets, he's checking, so you see him
look back into forty five when I start saying that.
So he knows, all right, I can't just fly out
of there the twenty because that's gonna screw over Dave
and me. So he's gonna set a little bit more
vertical to see everything if forty five drops it all

(34:32):
as soon as his hip turns, he goes right, eyes
right out to twenty right now, yeah, and then you're
gonna see Dave do the same thing. And I set
throw my right hand just in case anything comes now,
just to keep presents over there. Forty five turns, I'm
yelling and go right away, and I know I have
the first thing that comes in my gap, and that
happens to be the DN.

Speaker 4 (34:49):
They do a loop and we're able to just all
pick it up.

Speaker 1 (34:53):
Man, there's so much happening, and like you be able
to break it down. And I think this ties into
some of the things in twenty twenty four, in twenty
twenty three, massive cross my fingers here. I'm very superstitious,
no jinks on this whatsoever. But you guys have been
as a group the past two years, a lot of
health up front and guys being able to sit together
that starting unit. Talk about what that means, even just

(35:14):
this small example right here, like all of like the
verbal but also nonverbal cues and communication that's happening, and
like how important is all those reps that you guys
see together, like on those Wednesdays and Thursdays and in
games where you're able to build that chemistry and rapport
with one another.

Speaker 5 (35:32):
It's huge, Like chemistry is number one thing for offensive line,
Like I want to know how Osiris and Dave are
take its steps next to me, like we don't want
to be jumble up our feet. Just easy stuff like that,
like Dion likes and passport that he knows what he
wants to get as wide as he can be on
the island by himself. So you just learn how to
play with that space and just stuff a little stuff
you just pick up over time. How everyone just plays

(35:52):
with each other. And then like the biggest thing is
like just known trusting the guy next to you. Like here,
I know like side one knows I'm gonna have a
right hand just in case, like right if that guy
puts in, like I can stone him or I can
pull him across with me. He knows that, like and
he also knows Spencer's setting vertical with his left hand
up as soon as she's Dan crossed, he's come right

(36:14):
back in same thing with Dave and Dion, like I
know he's looking inside and as soon as I hits going,
he knows I'm right there with him, and days right there.
So there's so many things just trust and that just
comes with just playing longer along with each other.

Speaker 2 (36:28):
And I love that technique you're talking about. You know,
he's what Connor's describing is what is often referred to
as a drag hand yep, and you know your eyes
are over here, you know Spencer's brown Brown's eyes are outside,
but he has his left hand, you know that drag hand,
and talk about that, talk about how using that technique
and how important and how your hand, your drag hand

(36:49):
is almost an extension of your eyes.

Speaker 3 (36:51):
If anything hits your hand, you're picking.

Speaker 4 (36:53):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (36:53):
So I would say like people might be just watching like, oh,
he just has a hand out, like that's not doing thing.
But in reality, that dragon hand's really kind of just
making that defensive linement, just hesitated second long and it's like,
all right, is he actually blocked me? What is in
that allows our guarage attack? Was get on that guy
right now? And the another thing is it's a feeler, Like,
so if I feel anything on that right hand right now,
either I can post it up something's come across, or

(37:15):
if that momentum is fast enough, I could pull it
to the left side. Then os IRUs is looking for
someone to coming across or he'd go out to help
Spencer right now.

Speaker 4 (37:23):
So it's just easy stuff.

Speaker 5 (37:24):
It's just anhing, like you said, another extension, like it's
almost like my eyes on the right side of the body.
Like you just get so used to natural just feeling
things out and working it out that way.

Speaker 1 (37:34):
You mentioned, uh, you know, you said it a couple
of times here. But so if you if you feel
something on that right hand, on that drag hand, and
in terms of you like stoning him or posting him
up or taking with you, is that just purely like
the angle that someone would take in you and how
you feel like you're feeling how he's like coming into
your body, and then you're deciding like, okay, can I
anchor install him or do I bring him with me?

Speaker 4 (37:53):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (37:53):
Like feeling it, so I would think here, like so
if I set like that and I felt ninety five
playing me right away, I would post it for.

Speaker 4 (38:00):
A second till I feel sad with it.

Speaker 5 (38:03):
But then I know I'm like, all right, something either
has to be coming to me, like they're not just
gonna do this for fun. And if that ends, turn
the left still looped in, I'll just wait there. Or
he might go all the way around, and then I'll
start trying to almost turn into a run block and
push him back in the side, and we'll literally forcefully
push everything to the right, and then Josh can step
up to the left. Just stuff like that, Like it's

(38:23):
more just feeling than just a reaction after that, and
if he plays into me, then just stone it and
we'll take it from there.

Speaker 1 (38:31):
Man, the science are playing offensive line.

Speaker 4 (38:33):
Man.

Speaker 2 (38:34):
And you know what's great about this film room so far, Connor,
is that the fact the little things prior to the
snap that you know, the average person n even guys
that watch like us that watch a lot of film,
we're not noticing and picking up on all the time.
You know, Dion Dawkins realizing, Okay, I can kick out
a little more because I'm one on one with his
edge Jared Verse, you know, a little things like that

(38:54):
that happened prior that. So much happens prior to the snap,
and the average fan doesn't really pick up on it.
So it's great to hear some of those nuggets and
some of the details from you again at a critical
position at center. So let's dive into a few more
questions after this film. So when you're playing center, what
is your average playing weight? And was it any different

(39:16):
than you were playing when you were playing.

Speaker 5 (39:17):
At gart Now Jack saying the last two years three
twenty eight, I like to play at that's every Thursday, oh,
every Friday morning, wait and always through twenty eight that's
I like to be.

Speaker 4 (39:26):
This Friday, yep, every Friday.

Speaker 3 (39:29):
Okay, damn, how.

Speaker 1 (39:31):
I guess they're just how hard is it for you
or maybe not, like especially at this point in your career,
like for you to maintain like you're playing weight or
are you just like you are you just in a
strict regimen, you know what to eat when to eat,
Like I guess I'm always curious the obviously you guys
work out so much, but how important diet is and
how it all comes together, especially for you to like
consistently maintain a consistent weight.

Speaker 4 (39:53):
I consistently. It's not hard for me to maintain it.

Speaker 5 (39:56):
But you never want to go too off your diet
where you're blown up too fast, or like my thing
is like I'll lose weight real quick, like if I'm
not eating what I need to, like next thing, you know,
like I'm three fifteen, like agatting down, like slimmer, like
I know, like right where my comfort level is. And
then just playing it so long, like you know, like
I'm going to lose between thirteen to fifteen pounds during

(40:19):
the game.

Speaker 4 (40:19):
Like that's I.

Speaker 5 (40:19):
Sweat a lot, just stuff like that, so I know
the next day hydration is really important.

Speaker 4 (40:24):
Get the water weight back.

Speaker 5 (40:26):
Monday is recovery with that, Tuesday, start eating more. Wednesday
then you're fully back, and then Thursday Friday just taper
things in. Then Friday and Saturday just again hit the hydration.
So you might be a little bit over the three
twenty eight right there, but that's more just water weight.
So you're prepping yourself because you're going to lose a
lot during the game.

Speaker 1 (40:44):
Yeah, lose hydrate, make some pizzas, eat some pizzas.

Speaker 5 (40:48):
Yeah, that idea that I actually lose weight during pizza
parties because I'm cooking in the oven the entire time.
So other guys are getting weight, but I'm losing weight
while I'm doing it.

Speaker 1 (40:57):
That's how hard you're working, even with the pizzas.

Speaker 5 (40:59):
That Oh, these guys eat like it's a full restaurant
in my house right there.

Speaker 1 (41:05):
Was talking about it here eating and there's so much
going on, but like Connor's just cooking them out and
he's making different The.

Speaker 5 (41:11):
Thing that no one's allowed in the kitchen unless you're
a wife or yours just past, Like you can't just
hang out in the kitchen, like it is a workstone.
So like how we do it like I would giant island.
So guys will line up on the other side line
on the island, like they try to get the early.
The first guy right where the pizzas come out. They
get placed on the trays. They're gone so quickly. And
then Kromer's wife, don she usually she's the runner, like

(41:34):
she'll take food around the other guys, but guys will wait.
So you have about half the guys upstairs and then
wife's kids everyone's invited to and then other guys will
be down in the basement. And if you're in the
base you get the leftovers basically like to make it there.
So they're like they're one where all the food's at.
And then you have Osia's toorrts that's sitting right there
at the beginning. Just hammer all the food first and

(41:56):
down there.

Speaker 1 (41:56):
Yeah, oh I love that. That's awesome, So yeah, I did.
We were talking about it. H Eric and Ever talked
about offline after we spoke with alc Anderson, were like,
you know, like there's like a lot of interesting nuggets
from this pizza party stuff I would need to know,
like the ins and outs. I love that you gave
us a little peek into how it works.

Speaker 4 (42:13):
All.

Speaker 2 (42:13):
Let me ask you real quick too, if you had
one go to pizza to make for the rest of
your life, what would it be.

Speaker 5 (42:19):
Oh, that's a good questionest question we've asked this entire Yeah,
I would honestly probably do a Detroit style, like just nice,
like it's thicker but still light. That I say, that
goes so quickly. That's the number one pizza everyone just hammers.
But the number one thing that everyone loves, and that's
my It's my baby. My specialty is a cheese steak

(42:41):
cow zone I make. When I say it's gone, within
fifteen seconds, it comes down the oven. People don't even
let it cool down. It's cut, it's gone. People burning
their hands for it.

Speaker 3 (42:50):
We need an invite.

Speaker 5 (42:51):
Man, beware, like these guys will run you over for it.

Speaker 4 (42:58):
They will play around.

Speaker 1 (42:59):
That's funny. Alec Anderson was also town to something about
you do like a couple of them in like muffin
tins or something like.

Speaker 5 (43:05):
So, so we have to do appetizer with everything, because
if you try to just go right in with the
main on trace, these guys just eat it. So like
you got to make a bunch of appetizers that kind
of hold them over.

Speaker 4 (43:15):
They keep them a little bit busy.

Speaker 5 (43:16):
So I can get a head on the pizzas, get
like four or five out before they start eating. So
we'll do meatballs either different kind of like I'll make
meatballs scratch, either with like an Asian zing sauce or
like a Red Marin era.

Speaker 4 (43:27):
Then we do like like.

Speaker 5 (43:29):
Little steak bites I'll make up and then the pizza
muffins will do. So I'll put it literally, make a
pizza in like a muffin tray. They puff up and
then people dip them in the sauce and they enjoy them.

Speaker 1 (43:42):
Oh my god. Yeah, they sound amazing. That's man, the
science of football and the science pizza making. This is
pretty sick. Going back to your twenty twenty four season,
this most recent season, who's the most difficult defensive tackle
or maybe it could be an edge that somehow you
know lined up on the interior from time to time.
But then most in Tier, most difficult interior defender you
had to play against in twenty twenty four that.

Speaker 5 (44:04):
I had to play against, it's Chris Jones easily, Like
there's not many like them. The only better interior de
defensive linement in the league is Dexter Lawrence. I would
say those two are in a whole nother level. Very fair.

Speaker 3 (44:16):
So you grew up in Pennsylvania, right, Yep, it's grant.

Speaker 2 (44:22):
Now Sean McDermott has a thing with Pennsylvania players Philly players.
But what is it about that Pennsylvania lifestyle, upbringing and
football for that matter, that is so appealing to Sean McDermott. Maybe,
but it's even like especially when you talk about coming
to Buffalo.

Speaker 5 (44:41):
Yeah, I would say, especially with the area on from
it's a small town like Buffalo here, so like that
was another big selling point for me.

Speaker 4 (44:48):
But just football has another way of life in Pennsylvania.

Speaker 5 (44:52):
And like everyone talks about Florida, Texas, I live in
Texas for a while, so I get that's a whole
other level, Like they facilities everything there that's insane, But
just the small town vibes of Pennsylvania, like it's all
about football and wrestling and then for win sort of
field hockey. That's those are like the three big sports,
especially on the eastern side of Pennsylvania.

Speaker 1 (45:13):
Oh that's very good to know, you know, second career
life after football, you have any aspirations, anything on your radar,
something that you know you might want to try down
the road when you finally hang them up.

Speaker 4 (45:26):
I'm not too sure. I talked about this.

Speaker 5 (45:28):
I'd love to be a stay home dad kids, but
everyone wants me to open a restaurant. That's just I'm like,
when I'm done, I don't want the stress of being
in like maybe like a food trucks, like a pop
up shop something like that that I just keep myself busy.
Like now I've actually like this oxygen. I've getting the
baking game, so stuff like that. Maybe like I'll sell

(45:50):
cookies online, do like an online store, stuff like that.

Speaker 4 (45:53):
Just keep myself working a little bit. Yeah exactly.

Speaker 3 (45:56):
Oh no, I like that. That's a good that's a
good move.

Speaker 2 (45:58):
And and you know if you have the pizza making
and all that and then the baking, that's you can
make some money.

Speaker 3 (46:05):
I understand why my.

Speaker 5 (46:06):
Wife heels at me all the time. She's like, if
I'm getting weight, it's because of you. Like she's like,
I enjoyed trying everything, but like I'll have to have
guys over, Like all right, I'm making I'm trying new recipes,
and the guys will come over, Like guys will line
up for who's ever in town to come over trying
the off season. But my wife usually has enough with
me just try new things because she's tired of eating everything.
And she's like, I don't want to gain weight because

(46:26):
of this.

Speaker 2 (46:28):
And usually it's the other way around, right, Yeah, exactly.
Our last question, we'll get you out here. Any updates
on contract talks, you know, long term commitment to Buffalo.
Any updates in that department.

Speaker 5 (46:41):
We've had talks as early on as soon as I
got back from the Pro Bowl, like talks started going
tabled that for right now, still had a year left
on my contract, not worried about it played out, played out,
and then I would like to stay in Buffalo long term.
One moving cross country sucks, so she now, uh, my daughter,
so I would like to stay put in Love Buffalo,

(47:03):
Love the guys in locker room, love the fans, love
the town.

Speaker 4 (47:06):
Everything about it.

Speaker 5 (47:07):
So I'd love to stay here, but you know how
football is, sometimes business doesn't work out, and nothing against
anyone here, and it's just how it works out sometimes.

Speaker 1 (47:16):
Yeah, sometimes just a nature of the game with how
it goes. But we you know, we've enjoyed breaking down
your tape. You know, you appreciate that, Yeah, with your
time and even going back to you know, we did
a lot of studying your stuff coming from Dallas once
you know, announced the signing here, so we've been watching
your tape for a while and.

Speaker 3 (47:31):
All the way back to Penn State, to be honest, Yeah.

Speaker 1 (47:33):
That's true. Yeah, call going back to Penn State. So
it's been it's been a joy to watch you, you know,
come to this organization and then move from guard to
center and what you've been able to do on the field.
And it was awesome to be able to chop it
up with you here.

Speaker 4 (47:45):
Thank you, thank you. It was a lot of fun.
I really appreciate you guys having me on. That's awesome.

Speaker 1 (47:49):
Yeah, it's we these episodes are really cherished being able
to get you guys on because there's and we end
up saying this every episode at some point, there's so
much of the physical element of football that's talk about
rightfully so right the violence of it, the physicality, but
like what it takes to you know, the strength and
conditioning and everything and the guy given ability all of

(48:10):
those things. But there's so much from the neck up
that is what separates the you know, the bad from
the man, the man from the good, the good from
the great. They're great from the hall of fame, however
you want to label them. And it's just awesome to
be able to get you guys to come on and
one allow Eric and I selfishly to have you answer
questions that we have to be able to talk ball
with you, but allow you guys to just put on

(48:30):
display how friggin smart you guys are, and especially for
a position like yours that I think people know has
a little more mental side to it. It was awesome
just to let you be able to showcase that today.

Speaker 4 (48:42):
Thank you. I appreciate it.

Speaker 5 (48:43):
I love just talking ball and just and I love
talking cooking them food too.

Speaker 2 (48:47):
Yes, all right, always good podcast. You can do a
podcast about that someday.

Speaker 5 (48:52):
Then I like if someone else wants to talk about
it and me just they do it overlay. I let
me just work on it. That would be the great thing.
Because Deon tries to give me all the time that
you gotta make videos and that. I was like, I
just enjoy cooking for people and doing that like that.
Don't need to make video or content like that.

Speaker 3 (49:08):
No, thanks again, man, this was awesome.

Speaker 2 (49:10):
I know the fans are gonna gonna appreciate this, and
we'll get you back in the film room in the
very new near future.

Speaker 5 (49:17):
Man, sounds good to me. I would love to be back,
of course. Take it man, you too, See you guys later.

Speaker 1 (49:22):
Connor, it was awesome games, breaking down tape, breaking down
food stuff. Oh I didn't know, we say, getting into
the baking game. Honestly, if he stays in Buffalo, you
get like a pizza in a baking food truck, set
him up outside during game days or something like that.
Oh my god, just it rights itself. He do we
need to start like a cover one baking or like something.

Speaker 2 (49:46):
I'm messaging him right now like, hey, we could do
all that overlay stuff like whatever whatever you need, but
we can help you know cover.

Speaker 1 (49:53):
Everybody's like, oh, like what's the next what's the next
branch or the next like step for cover one, we're
like food, what you just give it a.

Speaker 3 (50:01):
Chance in baking, pizza, baking Mexicon.

Speaker 2 (50:04):
No, that was as you guys know, when you bring
old lineman in, it's always a treat because one the
Bills have some great personalities. First of all, you know
when it comes to the offensive line, but secondly what
it takes to play that position. And we talked about
with Alec that they're not highlighted enough and so you know,

(50:25):
to have a point man for Josh Allen and the
Bills offense in Connor McGovern to join us. I'm sure
you guys realize how important he is to the Bill's offense,
and hopefully those conversations do, uh, you know, get ramped
back up, maybe even during the summer, you know, before
camp starts. Typically being does open a little window right

(50:46):
around that time. But it is nice to hear that
there's some some prelim talks to extend him that happened already,
but of course now it's like okay, it's focused on
the draft and hopefully they can revisit that later.

Speaker 1 (50:58):
Yeah, and it'll be nice to see how they can
maintain that continuity going forward. You know, Dion locked up
Spencer Brown locked up and we'll just see kind of
what happens along the interior from guard to guard and
having a governor in the middle, and just yeah, what
he's meant to this offensive line. The intelligence was awesome
to see him put on display in this game, and
even just the little the little domino effects that he

(51:19):
got to show, like I'm doing this, so Dave Edwards
is doing this, Dawkins is doing this, like you see
the chain reaction that and again requires the intelligence of
the players at the end of the chain or the
middle to understand and pass. But it all starts with
that like center position, and or even hearing him talk
about how integral David Edwards is everything and how smart
he is and what he means. It's yeah, it's a.

Speaker 3 (51:40):
The pizza parties, dude.

Speaker 5 (51:41):
I know.

Speaker 2 (51:41):
It's like, you know, it's a joke and like we're
you know, having fun about that.

Speaker 3 (51:44):
But that little thing of hosting.

Speaker 2 (51:47):
Pizza parties built helps build that chemistry that we see
on the field.

Speaker 1 (51:51):
Especially with the way he's talking about like it's not
just the guys, it's like the guys bring their significant
others and their kids like it. It that stuff matters
like too as much as and we're saying that as
the people who we talk x's and o's and we
break down tape and scheme and structure and good technique
and evaluation, that camaraderie aspect, that pro poor method. That

(52:12):
matters a lot. And you hear you heard Connor say
it and Alec Anderson said it the week before chemistry
how important that is for the offensive line. It's not
just the on the field piece, it's the off the
field piece as well. And yeah, he's at the center
of so many things on and off the field. No
pun intended, I think it would be for that, but yeah,
that's uh yeah, dude came on and shined in this episode.

(52:32):
A tremendous get for us here on the show to
continue this heater that we are on. Eric. As we
start to say goodbye and wind down in this episode,
anything on your mind or anything left do you want
to say to the good folks.

Speaker 2 (52:43):
Now again, I know we've done a lot of these
player interviews the last few weeks, during a time where
a lot of you follow us for draft evaluations, scouting profiles,
all that stuff. Don't worry, we're still doing that. Just
go to our social handles and whatnot. We're posting film there,
we're doing our grading behind the scenes. It just again

(53:04):
we said it last week. When these opportunities arise, we're
gonna do it. Wee get and week out and hopefully
I can snag someone else for next week and we
can do another film session. But if you're interested in
any of that stuff, make sure to check the discord
server to Cover One insiders. They get some of the
behind the scenes stuff when it comes to the draft

(53:24):
and evaluation. But also all of our social media profiles
have what we're doing. As far as the NFL draft goes.
It's right around the corner, so I get it. But
we are doing it each and every day.

Speaker 3 (53:36):
Just check our social media profiles.

Speaker 1 (53:37):
Yeah, it's several weeks away at this point. And like
Eric said, if you guys have any specific questions that
straft related or evaluation related, get add us on socials.
You could find Eric at his individual handle at Eric J.

Speaker 4 (53:50):
Turner.

Speaker 1 (53:51):
He also runs the Cover one handle which is at
cover and the Number one. We also have the Cover
one Film Room handle. Yep, just Cover one Film Room.
All of these are on Twitter. You can find myself
on Twitter at pro Underscore Underscore, and you can leave
a comment here on YouTube, anything and everything you have
questions thoughts on anyone. Again, there's a good chance we

(54:11):
probably posted some clips or some thoughts on them on
social but if not, maybe they're just somebody We haven't clip,
but we have individual evaluation notes on them. Whatever form
or fashion you know you have questions in, get at
us on Twitter, get at us on YouTube if you're yeah,
if you're in the discord dm us, put it in
the film chat, the bills chat, whatever you got, whatever

(54:33):
way you can, we will find a way to get
back to you if with any questions, thoughts, comments, concerns
you folks have either way, we appreciate everybody for tuning
in to this episode, all the various forms of support
that we get. We again, we talked about it last week.
We really hope you folks enjoyed these episodes. We really
enjoy these episodes. We do so we hope that you

(54:53):
folks do as well, and your support is what allows
us to do this again, whatever form or fashion it
comes in, whether it's just dropping a like, whether it's
rating and reviewing or subscribing, or word of mouth and
telling somebody who likes the bills, or who likes football
about the show or the brand or the channel, or
if you're an insider or you give super chats, whatever
it is, We're tremendously grateful for and appreciative of support

(55:17):
that you folks give us. So thank you very much
to anyone and everyone. We hope you enjoyed this episode
of the Cover one Film Room. If you're watching here
on YouTube, please drop a like here on this video,
turn on notifications for the film Room playlist. Subscribe to
the whole Cover one channel here as well, if that's
your thing. We have various amounts of bills coverage where
you pretty much every single day of the week, even

(55:37):
in the off season when it comes to the bufferable bills.
If you're listening on one of the audio platforms, that's
cool too, Please rate, review, subscribe there word of mouth
telling family, friends and loved ones all about the show,
the brand, the channel. We greatly appreciate it. We hope
you and your family and friends and loved ones are
all doing well and staying safe. Be kind to one another,
take care of one another. For myself, Anthony Prohaska, for

(55:59):
the founder of Cover one, Eric Turner, This has been
another episode of the Cover one Film Room. We'll see
you when we see you, godspeed and as always go
Bills

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Bills Center Connor McGovern Breaks Down QB Sneaks, Pre-Snap Process & Pass Protections | Film Room

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Bills Center Connor McGovern Breaks Down QB Sneaks, Pre-Snap Process & Pass Protections | Film Room