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Zach Sieler – July 23, 2024 Download PDF version

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

DT Zach Sieler

(The LB Shaq Barrett retirement, how well did you know him? Did that catch you off guard or did you have an inkling that…) – “I had no idea coming up until I saw it, obviously. I really didn’t – when my summers are on, my summers are on. I’m on break, I really wasn’t following too much. My wife actually told me. Hey, you know, good for him – I respect his decision. Everyone has got different points in their lives; I think that’s awesome. I hope he has nothing but the best of luck in his next chapter. I didn’t get to know him too well. We had a few practices together. He was great to work with those few times. It would’ve been exciting this year to work with him, but I’m excited to see what happens and see some other guys step up.”

(He wasn’t actually playing in games, so I guess the impact could be lessened, but what is the impact of that absence?) – “It was OTAs when he was here. Thankfully, we still have all camp to build that camaraderie with Chop (Robinson), Mohammed (Kamara), whoever comes in to fill those shoes.”

(DE Emmanuel Ogbah is coming back. They are signing him. What is having DE Emmanuel Ogbah back going to do for this defensive front?) – “I’m excited. ‘Og’ is a great guy. It’ll be really cool to get him back here. He’s a competitor, he’s truly just – he brings a good atmosphere and good energy to the team. So I’m really excited to have him back and be with him.”

(There’s a sense that this actually might be a better system for him, a better fit than maybe last year. Do you believe that is the case, and if so, why?) – “I hope he can find his way in this system; I know he will. He can find his way in any – he’s a great player who is competitive and he knows how to play football. I’m excited to have him back and work with him again and have that rapport with him, playing next to him and him playing outside or next to me.”

(You haven’t exactly been on the field with DT Calais Campbell, but what do you know about him throughout career?) – ‘He’s an amazing player. It’s really cool to get him down here and to be with him. I think it’s our first day with him or second day with him. I’ve always watched him and respected his game throughout my whole career. I mean, he makes me feel tiny. (laughter) He’s a big human being in the best sense. It’s cool to like – I’ve always felt like I’ve tried to emulate his play style throughout my career so far. So it’s cool to learn from him this year and get him down here, play beside him.”

(It looks like we’re heading to 18 regular season games in the NFL, maybe two byes and maybe shorten the preseason. If that does happen – not this year – what do you think?) – “If that’s the case, I don’t know how that’s going to shake out. I haven’t put too much thought into that. I think it’s – there is pros and cons to it truly. If you get more break… I really couldn’t tell you. Sorry about that.”

(Have you had the chance to enjoy fatherhood since we’ve last seen you? How has being a father changed you?) – “Incredible. It’s been a total blessing. My wife calls him a sucker baby. He’s been awesome. After about two months, he started sleeping through the night – about seven or eight hours. It’s been really cool to get to learn fatherhood and see a different side of my wife. That’s been really such a blessing.”

(How hungry is this team after last year? It looked like you were on the way to a possible deep run in the playoffs, a lot of injuries. Does this make you hungrier this year?) – “Oh yeah, there’s a drive on the whole team to have – the last two years didn’t end how we wanted them to. There’s a drive on the team and a passion on the team to really kind of (be like), let’s get this going and start on the right foot. There’s a lot of guys here that are passionate and ready to go. It’s going to be really exciting to build with these guys, and the people that (Head Coach Mike) McDaniel brought in, it’s been really exciting to work with them.”

(What will it be like not having your sidekick DT Christian Wilkins here? Have you spoken to him about joining a new team?) – “Yeah, we talk. I hope he’s doing great out there in Vegas. It was an adjustment period during OTAs, but it’s been cool to kind of learn and play with some new guys. Obviously, I wish the best for him out there, but I’m excited to play with these guys her – Calais (Campbell), (Teair) Tart, Benito (Jones), (Brandon) Pili, (De’Shawn) Hand and see what they can do.”

(You’ve known Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver for a while, obviously his system is a part of it. How long do you anticipate maybe you and your teammates gelling in this new system?) – “I think it’s just going to – hopefully by the end of camp. Hopefully by Week 1, we can gel and kind of figure out where we’re going. Then hopefully after that we can keep developing throughout the year and getting better and getting more in-depth in this defense as we go.”

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