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Calais Campbell – August 28, 2024 Download PDF version

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

DT Calais Campbell

(When you were at the University of Miami did you ever think that this would be possible?) – “Well, yeah. My rookie year I thought I was going to be drafted out here. They took Phillip Merling instead. My agent called me, because there was no 32nd pick that year, so Phillip Merling was the first pick of the second round. Back then, the first and second round were on the same day. So my agent called me once they got to like (pick No.) 30 and he was like ‘Hey, Miami is really interested.’ And then I was shocked when they took Phillip Merling instead of me, but hey, here I am today. I’m happy to be here. That aqua, I feel like it looks good on me. I said if you look good, you feel good. You feel good, you play good, so I’m just happy about it.”

(TE Jonnu Smith went to FIU, you went to “The U,” but you guys were together in Atlanta, how well did you know each other?) – “Very well, very well. When I came out here to go through the visit, me and him we sat down and we ate. We talked a lot about it, and he had some influence on me coming here, just talking through his experience, how much he liked it – along with some other guys too, but ‘Nu’ is my guy. I’ve got great respect for him. I love the way he plays the game; I think he’s going to help us win a lot of ball games.”

(During training camp did you guys look at each other or talk and say, “Can you believe we’re here?”) – “We talk a lot. I don’t know if it’s so much ‘Can you believe that we’re here,’ but it’s like ‘Let’s take advantage of this.’ You see what we’ve got here; this is special. This is unique. Let’s take advantage of it.”

(A couple guys on the defensive line, what do you see in their games in DT Da’Shawn Hand and DT Brandon Pili?) – “Let’s start with (Da’Shawn) Hand. Da’Shawn Hand is one of those guys that has unbelievable talent. He’s strong as can be. He plays with such good technique, and honestly, I think he could be a really good player in this league. He’s just had the misfortune of injuries and it sucks, but at the end of the day it doesn’t define his career. This is about how you go about your business, and all he has to do is go out there and ball. Last year, he made it through the year healthy. He felt pretty good about it. We talked and trained a little bit together this offseason, and I think he’s right where he’s supposed to be. He’s going to have a good year for us. (Brandon) Pili is another guy that’s a great athlete. Talented as can be, but he’s young. He’s young and he’s got a lot of growing up to do and a lot of maturing to do, and he’s going to get his opportunity. I think sometimes the best way to develop is to get thrown into the fire, and he’s going to be out there Week 1 helping us win ball games. With his talent and with his potential, I told him today, ‘You got to see yourself as a dawg, as a guy that can change games. Don’t just be happy that you’re on the roster; see yourself as a difference maker because that’s what you have inside of you.’”

(You’ve been through countless one of these, this sort of day after cut day where the locker room is more empty. Is it still tough?) – “Oh yeah. This is unique. Usually on cut day, we don’t have a day off. We usually work on cut day, so you get to kind of say goodbye, give guys some advice. But here, we had an off day, so I didn’t get a chance to speak to a lot of the guys that I wanted to, but it’s OK. Some of them I reached out to on the phone and had a couple conversations with, but it’s always tough. Guys dedicate themselves for six weeks going through camp and give all of themselves for a chance to be a part of this. For whatever reason, you can only get 53 guys and it’s hard, especially – take the d-line for instance. We had a lot of guys we feel like were capable of playing in the NFL, two guys signed on active rosters. When you think about it though, it’s like you’re competing against other guys in other positions – tight ends, linebackers, other positions. We have to get the best 53, and I really like our 53. Our 53 is pretty special. But it is definitely hard when you see guys give their all and do everything you asked of them, and they just couldn’t be a part of this team. They’re still a part of our journey, helping us get ready for the season, and where all those guys end up, you always wish them well.”

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