Saints rookie receiver A.T. Perry talks about his experience in training camp so far and where he's at.
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00:00 (coughing)
00:02 - So AT, how's the start of training camp been for you?
00:09 - Oh, it's been good.
00:11 Just making sure I come out every day,
00:13 playing to the best of my ability,
00:15 just being consistent.
00:16 But also, I'm just having fun, so it's good.
00:19 - You're not heat, you're having fun, really?
00:22 - Yeah, I know I'm dying.
00:23 (laughing)
00:24 It's hot, but just being out there with the team,
00:27 just going out every day, just learning new things,
00:30 being consistent with myself, and just having fun with it.
00:32 I mean, the heat doesn't bother me, so we all good.
00:36 - How do you feel as far as leg work,
00:38 and that was a pretty massive offense?
00:41 - Yeah, I feel good about it.
00:43 Just understanding it, and understanding the details
00:47 of the offense, it just makes it easier to learn.
00:50 You know, just getting around the older guys as well,
00:53 correcting my mistakes, if I do this or do that,
00:56 does it work, as well as getting with the quarterbacks
00:59 and stuff, making sure I'm on top with them,
01:01 being in the right spot at the right time,
01:03 just making sure that we're all on the same page.
01:06 So, play was hard in the beginning,
01:09 but just now as I get reps, it becomes easier.
01:13 - One of the things we hear a lot from young receivers
01:16 is it's got an eye opener when you get here,
01:19 you have attention to detail on being exactly lined up,
01:23 half yard off and all that, have you experienced that?
01:26 - Yeah, it'll be some practices where I'll just notice
01:30 how different splits, the difference,
01:33 if I run around in this split or run around in that split,
01:36 just the difference in timing and placing and stuff like that
01:39 but just like I said, working with the quarterbacks,
01:42 just staying on top of playbook,
01:44 just make sure I go out and be right.
01:47 - How much are you learning from Michael Collins?
01:49 - I'm learning a lot, just work ethic, really,
01:54 I pay attention to that, just how he approaches practice,
01:58 most importantly, individuals and stuff like that,
02:02 team, routes on here and stuff, just how he practices,
02:06 just picking his brain on just running routes
02:09 and stuff like that in different plays,
02:11 just learning from a great, great guy,
02:14 great football player, soon to be a legend,
02:17 so he's a good guy, good guy to be around.
02:20 - What would be an example of that?
02:22 What stands out about how he approaches practice
02:24 versus being in someone else's?
02:26 - I mean, honestly, I see he's been in the league
02:29 for so long, just to come out the same person every day,
02:33 that just motivates me, you know what I'm saying?
02:36 Be some day, like you said, it's so hot outside
02:40 but he's there, he's approaching the day
02:42 with the same mindset, so just to see that,
02:45 I just wanna add that to my--
02:46 - Have you gotten a picture of his brain at all?
02:48 - I'm sorry?
02:49 - Have you gotten a picture of his brain at all?
02:51 - A little bit, yeah.
02:52 Just with routes and stuff like that,
02:55 I'll have questions on plays and stuff like that,
02:57 just how he runs it, just trying to run in the same way,
03:02 or just inside, outside, him getting with the QBs,
03:07 the type of questions he asks them,
03:09 the type of questions he asks the coaches as well,
03:12 just making sure that, all right, if this happens to me,
03:14 then now I know how to handle the situation.
03:16 - Didn't you have a hard time
03:17 when you used to have a coach that you knew,
03:19 he was out there at practice, and he would just talk to you?
03:21 - Yeah, yeah, my officer coordinator,
03:23 so I guess, I don't know what school,
03:26 but yeah, I guess we both had the same officer coordinator,
03:29 so we kinda understand the whole officer scheme,
03:33 just from his standpoint, just coming into the Saints,
03:37 how similar it was, and that's one thing
03:41 that helped me a lot, just out of college,
03:43 some things that they taught us,
03:45 they're teaching us here, so it's like second nature.
03:48 - You mentioned the past, having it simple,
03:50 you come in here trying to prove, trying to make a team,
03:53 how is maybe this conversation with him
03:55 helped as far as keeping your mentality straight?
03:58 - Just making sure that I come out the same person
04:00 every day, making sure I come out consistent,
04:02 if I'm not motivated, just making sure I'm consistent,
04:05 just making sure I come out, do my job,
04:07 do it for the team, just make plays, that's my job.
04:12 - Any specific things of advice you want to add?
04:14 - That's really much it, just, you know,
04:18 we talked about, just about my old coach and stuff like that
04:21 but just me as a person, me as a football player,
04:26 just making sure that I'm the same guy.
04:29 - What are some of the things that you've grounded
04:32 with being consistent, with your mentality?
04:35 - A lot, actually, is just, I wanna be great,
04:39 I wanna be great, all the other stuff,
04:41 it doesn't matter to me, I just wanna play football,
04:44 I just wanna have fun with it, I wanna do it with my team,
04:46 and just be a legend, just be a legend out of here,
04:50 it doesn't, nothing else I'm thinking about,
04:52 it's just tunnel vision, so.
04:54 - There are,
04:57 is there a difference between college football
05:03 to the pro football as far as catching?
05:05 - Oh yeah.
05:06 - And I guess also, like, the type of spiral
05:08 that the quarterback throws, like,
05:10 in the pro car specifically?
05:11 - Yeah, with the ball, I'd probably say, like,
05:13 the strike on the college football,
05:15 like, I don't see that, so it's like,
05:17 when I started catching NFL football,
05:18 I was like, oh, snap, is it coming?
05:20 So, when I actually, you know, just took time,
05:22 actually catching NFL football, it kinda,
05:25 I mean, obviously it's different, but,
05:27 you know what I'm saying, just,
05:28 that thing flying at you 100 miles an hour
05:30 from Derek Carr, like, got really locked into it, so.
05:33 But you know, everything else,
05:36 just the detail of the game, you know what I'm saying,
05:39 just, it was just coming out,
05:41 and just being prepared, honestly.
05:42 - You guys have, these last couple days,
05:44 you've kind of been stacking plays,
05:46 different things, passing catches,
05:48 and moments like that,
05:48 how big is that for your confidence?
05:49 - Oh, it's building, honestly, just every day,
05:53 just letting me know that, all right, I'm doing this,
05:55 I'm doing the right things, I'm being consistent.
05:58 But, you know, just doing it every day,
06:01 you know, you turn heads out there,
06:03 you know, with coaches and stuff,
06:04 and starting to talk to me and stuff,
06:05 and just letting me know
06:07 that I'm doing my job right, correctly, so.
06:09 - You can talk about consistency,
06:10 but at this point, just coming into the NFL,
06:13 where do you feel like you've already made
06:15 kind of the biggest leap in your game?
06:17 Or maybe starting?
06:19 - I'd probably say, like, I've gotten better,
06:24 with, you know, some things I needed to work on from college,
06:27 you know, just transferring into the NFL.
06:31 There was some things that I needed to work on,
06:33 just hand fighting, you know,
06:35 just getting out of breaks, and stuff like that,
06:37 just little stuff, you know,
06:39 just, 'cause the little things matter, obviously.
06:43 So, just working on those type of things,
06:45 just making sure that I stay on top of it.
06:47 - So, like, you built, you're not in chemistry,
06:51 but you're a big hand, I mean, obviously,
06:54 but you've been in the OEU,
06:55 and you've recently been coming out,
06:58 likely that you're gonna be on the field.
07:00 - Yeah, we talk about everything,
07:01 like, even in practice, like,
07:03 there was a play that we felt like was off,
07:04 like, we were talking about it,
07:06 we keep talking about it throughout practices,
07:08 like, if it's just that one play,
07:09 you know, we just stay on top of it,
07:11 and then after practice, you know,
07:12 just throw that same pass,
07:14 no matter how many times we have to throw it,
07:15 just making sure that, you know,
07:17 just based on the timing and stuff like that,
07:19 it's all critical.
07:20 - How's it been working with Cody Burns?
07:23 - It's been great.
07:24 You know, just being able to really express myself,
07:29 you know, just about the game,
07:30 you know, saying, like, all right,
07:32 if I do this, I do that, I do this,
07:33 you know what I'm saying, just getting feedback,
07:35 you know what I'm saying, just making sure that I'm,
07:36 and he's there always asking questions,
07:38 you know, if I ever have a question,
07:39 even if I don't have a question,
07:41 he's always asking questions, you know what I'm saying,
07:42 just picking his brain, making sure that I'm
07:44 staying on top of it when I need to stay on top of it.
07:47 - Top of all of them.
07:48 - So much has been made of creating chemistry
07:50 with the starting quarterback here,
07:52 like, you can't be catching balls from three points,
07:55 you know, the other is to catch yourself,
07:57 you know, say, you're using Jake,
07:59 and you're catching balls from three points,
08:00 is that like, is it difficult to kind of know
08:03 where each guy is?
08:04 - No, not really.
08:06 I actually get work with all three of them,
08:07 you know what I'm saying, after practice,
08:09 you know, since OTA, I've been getting work with them,
08:13 and whenever I have a question, you know what I'm saying,
08:15 or I'm confused about something, I just,
08:17 you know, I'm quick to go to them,
08:18 you know, talk to them about it,
08:20 and then we'll work on it,
08:21 we'll watch it on tape together and stuff like that,
08:23 so corrections are made there too,
08:25 so, just making sure I stay on top of it.
08:29 Thanks guys.