Zach Sieler and Raekwon Davis – August 1, 2022
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Monday, August 1, 2022
DT Zach Sieler and DT Raekwon Davis
Zach Sieler:
(We got a chance to talk to Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark and I asked him a little bit about you and DT Christian Wilkins getting extra work in. He talked about you guys kind of recognizing when something doesn’t go right in practice and you come over off to the side afterwards and work on it. Just wanted to get your perspective on kind of that mindset – you and Christian working after practice.) – “Yeah, I think being with (Austin) Clark and just the d-line in general for so many – two or three years now – it’s one of those things that as soon as it happens, you kind of know, ‘oh shoot, my hand wasn’t right in that play or I had a bad step.’ So we kind of both will sit there and he’ll run off and I’ll tell him something and I’ll run off and tell him, ‘hey man, you messed that up.’ And we’ll make sure we focus on that after to really try and hone-in on that.”
(How long do you feel like it took you to get to that place where you could recognize it that quickly and apply it later?) – “I think we’re still getting there. We’re still improving, but just the Austin (Clark) and the Pete Jenkins stuff has really been integral in our progress, I think, in teaching us kind of what we’re looking for.”
(They don’t the put the contact lenses on the really, really fast guys like you?) – “No. Yeah, apparently we don’t need to see like the receivers. (laughter)”
(When the fans were out here on Saturday it was crazy and you sent the two rookies out here to practice the pump-up. You guys are having fun, aren’t you?) – “Yeah, I think it’s a mentality that Coach McDaniel is installing where it’s we’re here to work and get better every play, but we’re having fun when we do it. And making sure we improve and learn every time, but you’re not just here just grinding and upset. So just trying to make the atmosphere a good work environment and everyone wants to get better.”
(Would you say it’s beneficial the way you guys do shorter reps but more efficient reps? Do you sense at the end of the day it’s different or…) – “I think it’s definitely – my legs sense it. (laughter) The quick turnaround, I think it’s really good for us, especially down here getting the conditioning in and getting the extra reps in quicker really helps us with our wind.”
(What do you think about getting pads on next practice?) – “Oh, we’re excited. It’ll be nice to get out here and really kind of start going and see what everyone’s made of.”
(Do you like that, I assume, as defensive linemen and the physical…?) – “Oh yeah, we’re in the trenches every day. It’s why you play football.”
(Has DT Raekwon Davis gone back out to the gator farm yet since his last appearance out there?) – “I don’t think so. I think he’s still trying to stay away from that.”
(There he is.)
Raekwon Davis: “Hey, buddy.”
Sieler: “Hey, bud.”
(How is he progressing here in Year 3?) – “He’s doing great. He’s seeing blocks. He’s seeing his reads. He’s looking slim, feeling good, yeah. I think it’s been going really well.”
(Do you want to go back out to the farm and get some more gator action? Some hog hunting maybe?)
Davis: “Yeah, if he invites me. I’ve never been. (laughter) I’ve never been yet.”
(What was the episode of Fish Out of Water this summer?) – Davis: “That was like the Everglades.”
(Did you see it, Zach?) – Sieler: “Oh yeah, I did. Oh yeah. He was driving the boat.”
(Was he a pretty good gladesman?) – Sieler: “Oh yeah, it looked like it. (laughter)”
Davis: “That was my first time driving an airboat. You know how to drive one of those?”
Sieler: “Oh yeah.”
Davis: “It’s crazy.”
Davis: “Go ahead. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Sieler: “No, you’re good, bro. They probably want to talk to you anyways.”
Davis: “No, they want to talk to you. (laughter) Superstar right here, baby.”
Raekwon Davis:
(We talked to Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark today. He said this is the best shape the best shape you’ve been in. He said you lost significant body fat and weight. Are you able to share with us, is it 10 pounds you lost, 3 percent body fat, what range?) – “I’ll start off by saying I started like, a meal prep. I got my diet better first. I started with that. I started more cardio. Even after practice, I do my cardio, stay on top of my shape. Because I’m a big guy so it’s so easy for me to like, consume weight, to put on that weight, so I just try to do my best to maintain it throughout the camp and try to have it right there to have it at for the season.”
(Where are you now?) – “I’m a great weight. How about that? (laughter) I’m at a great weight. I’m at a real, real great weight, you know. I ain’t going to say, but…”
(Lightest since – without giving a number which is fine, of course – lightest you’ve been since when?) – “I’d say, like, my sophomore year at Alabama. Yeah, sophomore year. I’m going towards that, to that weight. I’m not going to say I’m fully there, but I’m close to being that weight.”
(What difference do you feel on the field playing at this new weight?) – “Man, I ain’t going to lie to y’all. It feels like having – you ever have like, a weight vest? Like running with a weight vest on? It feels like that – like you just took that weight vest off. I feel loose. I feel like I can really move now.”
(Did you cut anything out of your diet that you miss?) – “I never ate bad. I was just like a big snacker. I just like to snack because my kids like to – I see my kids eating snacks and I feel like, ‘gimme some!’ (laughter) Like I want some of that, too, you know what I’m saying? But yeah, I just had to relax on that.”
(Do you feel faster because this offense…?) – “Yeah, so when I came in OTAs, you know how he just put the new zone, like the real quick zone in. I got in there and I was like, ‘wow, I’ve got to really come back to camp prepared. Be quicker, because them guys are quick.’ Connor’s quick. Connor Williams is quick. He’s a fast guy, strong guy. He’s quick.”
(Are you looking forward to seeing how quick they really are when you put pads on tomorrow?) – “Yeah, I mean, yeah. You put your hands on them and that’s a different story. (laughter)”
(Is that – the first day of pads – you guys on the line, do you look forward to it more than anybody else?) – “Just looking forward to both sides of the ball just making plays. Just making big plays. I know they’re going to get a couple good plays. I know I’m going to get a couple good plays. Just making each other better. Just getting better.”
(Do you feel that buildup leading to the first day of pads? Is that something you guys are itching to kind of start having more contact?) – “Yeah, we’ve been in the locker room, we’ve been talking about it. We’re itching for it. Tomorrow’s that day. It’s here.”
(You talked about the weight difference in terms of speed. How is it affecting you in terms of power?) – “Nothing at all. I’m just a naturally strong guy. That’s just me. That’s just like my second nature. I’m always strong.”
(Him, too.) – “Yeah, powerful guy. Just God gave me that tool.”
(You want to arm wrestle.) – “You might beat me though. You might beat me, so I don’t want to arm wrestle. You look kind of big. (laughter)”
(You mentioned OL Connor Williams with the speed at center. Does he look to you yet like an NFL center even though he hasn’t done it a ton in his life?) – “Bro, listen. When Connor first got here – because I felt like zone, quick zoning was something I really struggled with – and when Connor got here, he really made me better as a player, quick zoning, the type of blocks they do. I’ve been so much better ever since he’s been here. But yeah, he’s a great center. He’s great, bro. He’s very good. He’s been good ever since he’s been here.”
(You mentioned weight at the top. Does training camp, sweating out here, do you ever change your meal plan or how you manage your weight at all given how much you guys are losing weight-wise, probably?) – “I’m still doing my meal preps. I still do my meal preps when I’m in camp. I still do them. I eat a little bit like, here, but I’m still on my meal prep.”
