Calais Campbell – July 24, 2024
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Wednesday, July 24, 2024
DT Calais Campbell
(When you get to a team like this and you’ve been in the league so long, how different is it to insert yourself as a veteran and as a leader knowing that you’ve got to work your way through different personalities and things that go on?) – “I think that the first thing you want to do is get to know everybody. I’m not trying to come in and just start trying to give speeches and motivate guys. You got to come in and learn people. We’ve got a great group of guys, a lot of different dynamic personalities. Right now, it’s just build relationships. That’s kind of what camp is for anyways – fine tuning your technique but kind of becoming a team, and that is building those relationships. All the other stuff is going to come organically when it comes.”
(You’ve been in this Baltimore defense, some version of it in the past. A lot of these guys are starting from scratch. What would be the most difficult part to get down in your experience?) – “I don’t really think it’s that difficult. I think it’s really just understanding the terminology and understanding all the different things we can do and getting to a place where we can play free. I think they did a really good job in the spring of really getting guys prepared. I can tell, especially in the d-line room, there is a clear understanding of what we want to do and what we can do. A guy like (Zach) Sieler, he’s a very cerebral guy and understands at a high level. We’re already talking about things we can do when we’re out there together. It’s kind of cool to see another brilliant mind that understands the game at a high level. This defense is a very interesting defense. It’s hard for offensive coordinators because we can just do so much. We can do some things that look so different but it’s kind of similar. You can throw a lot of wrenches in the gameplan just by small adjustments. Really cool defense. I think Coach ‘Weav’ (Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver) is another guy who just – he gets it, understands at a high level how to take advantage of it. I’m excited to go out there and compete for him.”
(What would you say the identity of this style of defense is? Obviously, you guys will establish your own, but what has it been in your experience?) – “The style of defense is really built off of being able to blitz in different ways – a lot of stimulated pressures and full out pressures. Making it look like you’re blitzing but you’re really not, you’re only rushing four. But from an offensive mindset, it’s a blitz because you’ve got a lot of guys dropping, a lot of d-linemen drop. I’ve almost caught a couple picks in this defense, I’ve dropped a few, but batted balls, I’ll take a PBU. (laughter) This defense is unique in a since that anybody can do anything at any given time.”
(How much do you feel you’ve got left to prove that you can still play?) – “I think that every time you come on this field, you better prove it. I think if you go off of your history, you should retire. I think that every time I step on the field, I’ve got to prove it to my teammates, I’ve got to prove it to myself, I’ve got to prove it to everybody that I can go out there and still be a force to be reconned with. Today is the first day of camp. I’m not expecting to just go out there and be the best player on the field by any means, especially the way I prepare and the way I go through things. But within a few weeks, I feel like it definitely should show. Today was a good first day just to get back out there. I don’t care who you are, there is a little doubt that comes in like, ‘Can I still do it at a high level? Can I still be that guy?’ And I know I can be.”
(Do you think you’re still a 600-snap plus player?) – “I think the team probably doesn’t want me to be on a high level like that, but I think so. I think we have to kind of talk through what the actual full plan is right now. I think right now is just kind of figuring out, kind of going through everything again and seeing where we’re at. But I can definitely play 600 plays, in my opinion, and go out there and give you quality ball for pretty much all of them.”
(Getting reintroduced a little bit to the Miami humidity that you haven’t been here since college. Today wasn’t that bad.) – “Today was a nice day, this was a good first day. (laughter) That cloud coverage was – woo, very much appreciated. I’ll say though, the way I take care of my body, I can handle anything. I’ve just got to keep hydrating, stay on my routine and I’ll be fine.”
(Next week is the induction to the Hall of Fame. I don’t know if that’s something you’ve given much thought to. What do you think a Super Bowl Championship will do for your resume?) – “Huge. I’m a big football fan first and foremost before I’m a player. Next week, I’ve got a couple of friends that are getting in – Andre Johnson and Dwight Freeney. These guys are guys I have great respect for and a great relationship with. It would be cool to be there and watch them get inducted. But I do have those aspirations and I know that winning a Super Bowl would be monumental for that. I believe this team has the capabilities of winning a Super Bowl. Obviously, it’s going to be tough – the AFC is a gauntlet. A lot of talented teams, teams that want it just as bad as we do. I think we’ve got to have that mindset that we got to go take it from them. It’s not going to be an easy route, but we’ve got a great group of guys that are capable of doing the job, just got to do it when the time counts. Right now we’re kind of building that foundation, but today is the worst we’re going to be all year. That’s the mindset we’ve got to have, is every day if we’re working to get better, then this is the worst we’ll be all season.”
(We heard TE Jonnu Smith say to us a couple of minutes ago that you can’t put a price on the amount of money you invest in your body in the offseason. We’ve heard WR Tyreek Hill say yesterday that he’s even done stem cell treatment. Over the course of your career, how have you seen that develop, the league and players develop, in terms of how you take care of your body in the offseason?) – “Guys are a lot smart with that in terms of how to take care of your body. When I first got to the league, it was a whole different mindset. It’s crazy to think about the changes. It’s 16 or 17 years, I don’t think that information was just available back then. A lot of guys, their mindset – even the amount of plays you played was different. We’re playing so many plays a game now with the way they’re throwing the ball so much more often, so the game has changed a lot. I will say though the last 10 years, really the last five years for sure, the information has really traveled all throughout the locker rooms. I’ve had so many guys ask me my routine, my plan and the things I’ve tried. I’m always an open book, I always share my knowledge. I spend a lot of time, effort and resources in my body – that’s a big reason I’ve been able to play well late in my career. I think you’ll see a lot more of that, guys starting to play better as they get older because of the way just science is and how to take care of your body. I think you’ll see a lot of guys start playing dominate football post-30 (years old), which is a big difference to how it used to be.”
(What do you think was the most dramatic change you had to make in your career in terms of self-preservation? Something that you did or do that when you started your career probably would’ve taken you by surprise?) – “Man, I’ve done so many different things. I can’t give you one thing, because I don’t know really which one was the big main one. I think just understanding how the body works, the anatomy, with food and hydration and the different supplements you can take and then all the different machinery that’s out there to help you recover faster. Just the information. I feel like I became a biologist in terms of understanding the body a lot better. That’s became a big part of what I do, and it’s worked so far. Hopefully it works one more year. (laughter)”
(DT Zach Sieler said he felt small next to you. He’s 6’6”, 300lbs. Have you ever been around somebody that’s actually made you feel small?) – “Oh yeah, of course. I’ve got some friends in the NBA. I remember my first time around Tyson Chandler who is like 7’2”, I was just like, ‘This is how guys must feel.’ I get it all the time. I’m like, ‘Man, sit over there. I’m not used to being…’ then I stood next to him, and I was like ‘Wow,’ that’s the feeling I had. (laughter)”
