Austin Jackson – July 29, 2022
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Friday, July 29, 2022
OL Austin Jackson
(How has the transition to right tackle gone? Are you comfortable there? Are you optimistic about the possibilities?) – “Oh yeah, I’m very comfortable. I’m very optimistic for every opportunity that I have to lock down a position and contribute for my team and play my best ball yet.”
(Are you happy to back at a tackle position, albeit not the one you were at before?) – “I enjoy playing tackle. It’s definitely something I’ve done a lot of film study on in the past. I did enjoy playing guard. Just playing offensive line in general is really my specialty, as Mike would say.”
(CB Noah Igbinoghene let us know that he stopped eating meat and became a vegan. Have you changed anything about your diet before?) – “No, never. Actually, I did once. I was actually vegan for like two games at USC – Southern Cal. I watched this documentary called Game Changers. It’s like – the whole premise is going vegetarian. It didn’t work for me though. I’m a lineman. (laughter)”
(When you sat down with Offensive Line Coach Matt Applebaum, did he explain to you why he thought right tackle was the best opportunity for you to help this team? What sort of reasons were shared with you as to why that’s the spot they think they can maximize you and you can help?) – “Sitting down with all my coaches, really – I don’t think it was just (Coach) Applebaum when we talked about this. But they definitely wanted to utilize my athleticism at the position in this offense. Learning the scheme – it’s my first time playing in this scheme, so that’s exciting. I’ve made great strides and have great coaches working behind me and getting me better.”
(Is there a right tackle whose film you enjoyed watching, someone who played in the system?) – “I watch a lot of offensive tackles play, not just necessarily based on a name basis. But you know. I watch Tristan Wirfs, of course. I used to watch Ryan Ramczyk a lot over at the Saints. Really just any tackle. It all comes down to fundamentals at the end of the day.”
(With T Terron Armstead, any mentoring of you he’s done, where is it focused? Has it been more off-field stuff? More technique stuff? Technique stuff, where has Terron been the biggest help for you?) – “Definitely technique stuff. Definitely technique – he is a technician. I’m definitely hearing a lot of his teaching points on just having good body leverage and giving me – just having tools to utilize your athleticism with technique. So it’s definitely been very helpful from him. He’s a big vet for us, so there’s definitely a lot of knowledge there.”
(How challenging would you say it’s been to learn this offense?) – “Challenging – I wouldn’t say challenging. It’s actually been very exciting to learn this offense, honestly. I think every install we get to learn a new little page of our scheme, and it excites me. It gets me excited to get on the field and execute.”
(Did it do anything to the morale of the offensive line room, the fact that the new staff comes in, and despite any struggles last year, says, “We still believe in you guys. We still think we can put you in the best position to success?”) – “Oh yeah, for sure. That’s the business, that’s your job. So we definitely want to cooperate and execute. We’re definitely glad they believe in us.”
(A couple of the linemen have talked about how in this particular scheme, it’s like less hesitation and react, more attack, like you determine … Can you explain to me a little bit more about how that works and why that might be helpful?) – “So our biggest advantage on offense is we know the snap count and we know what play we’re running. The defense’s job is to react; it’s our job to attack, even though we kick backwards. (laughter) Most majority of the pass pros, our job is still to attack. That makes a huge difference in our approach to the game. I think it’s very similar to how I was coached at USC as well. So it’s kind of like getting into my fundamentals for me and my mindset.”
(What has Assistant Offensive Line Coach Lemuel Jeanpierre’s role been as he goes from o-line coach to the assistant o-line coach under Offensive Line Coach Matt Applebaum?) – “He’s been great for us. He’s been around since my first year here. I think he had the same two-man position my rookie year and then he had his shot last year. He’s a great coach. He’s a Super Bowl champion, a veteran offensive lineman just into a great offensive line coach. He’s just been able to help us tremendously. Him really knowing his players is huge. He knows what he has in the room and what we need.”
(Is there a greater sense of pride or importance to the right tackle position knowing it protects the blindside of a left-handed quarterback?) – “Oh, of course. I take a lot of pride in whatever position I play, really, at the end of the day, just because that’s the name of the game. That’s the name of the position. Moving back to tackle, I’ve always had pride in playing tackle. I got drafted as a tackle. I’ve always had my own selfish pride about playing tackle. So, that’s my own little personal thing, but overall, glad to play regardless.”
(It was noted on Twitter that you look slim and fit and trim. Is the body fat down a little bit?) – “My body fat is down a lot. I would say probably like eight percent from last year. I had a really good – really great offseason. I won’t say good, I’m going to say great. A really great offseason.”
(Weight-wise, what are you down from?) – “I reported around this time last year at the upper 320s, and I’m now at like a really lean 310 with my lean muscle mass higher as well.”
(You still have a lot of supporters in the building, even with the coaching change, one of them obviously is General Manager Chris Grier, who really believes in you picking you 18th. Has Chris made any comment to you about the faith that they have in you?) – “I haven’t talked to Chris like that in a second.”
