Brenden Schooler on Being a Team Captain of the New England Patriots | Patriots Unfiltered

Brenden Schooler on Being a Team Captain of the New England Patriots | Patriots Unfiltered

All right, we’re joined today for our post-practice interview with Brendan Skooler, Patriots captain. Brendan, thanks for joining us. Fresh off the field. Yeah, I appreciate it. Thanks for having a little cold out there right now. Is it starting to feel like football weather? It is. I was telling my family’s in town this week for the game. I was telling them like you guys get a bit get better up here before because it’s going to start getting cold real quick. Today might have been one of the last practices. I didn’t have any gloves on. Does that exist in Texas football weather? Like it doesn’t seem like, you know, here it’s like a thing. It feels like fall and there’s like football weather, but I mean those Texas people, they think, you know, it gets below 50 and it’s cold. So, I came up here and I was in I was in a bit of a shock for for a little bit, but now I’m pretty used to it. Well, you’ve been here a while now. I mean, huge year for you. Last year, made a Pro Bowl allpro team. This year, you were a voted captain. Just what did that mean for you this year to take that next step in your leadership? I mean, I think it was, you know, a testament to a lot of the leaders that were here when I was, you know, first first in the in the in the building, like, you know, Matthew Slater, Justin Bethl, Cody Davis, Joe Cardona, like Nick Folk, like all those guys kind of laid the found the the foundation for me, you know, showed me the right way to do things. So, it was it was easy for me to follow in their footsteps. And so, once I got, you know, that that nomination for captain this year, it was it was it was a huge blessing. and, you know, from being an undrafted guy to to now a captain on the Patriots, it’s uh it was it was a pretty uh surreal moment. Speaking of all of that, we were talking earlier about Marcus Jones getting his contract extension, a guy that you came in with, same rookie class, now both captains as well. Just uh what’s it been like to see his growth and and now getting that contract extension? Oh, it’s been so much fun to watch. He’s just such like a natural leader and like when he’s on the field and he talks like guys listen and even off the field you know when he has something to say you could tell like guys in the room really pay attention to what he has to say and you know when I when I found out he got his extension I called him on the phone and it was just so so happy for him and you know he he he brought up a fun memory that I kind of forgot about when we were uh rookies staying in the hotel we would go into his room and you know go over the playbook together and make sure you know we all knew what we were doing and so going from that you know both of us I think being the last two guys standing in our draft class, both captains, both, you know, signed extensions. Like, it’s been it’s it’s been pretty cool to, you know, be be able to be part of the process with with a guy like Marcus. What’s it like blocking for him on punts? Cuz that looks like a lot of fun when he’s back there. Oh, yeah. I mean, we we know what kind of what kind of returner he is back there. So, I try to get all those guys, you know, who who are blocking for him to to really strain and, you know, he just needs a little gap. He’s going to make one or two guys miss. We just got to be, you know, on body for the rest of those guys. And so whenever we’re on on a on the punt return team, like I I go full full balls to the wall, man. Just like trying to trying to get something going for him because I know at the end of the day either he’s going to house it or he’s going to get great field position for Drake and the offense to go down there and get points. You talked about some of the leaders that you know you kind of follow when you got here. Now you’re still a young guy, but you’re kind of become that leader. Just want to ask you specifically two rookies playing big role in Julian as the long snapper and Andy as the kicker who’s really been on a hot streak. just, you know, what have you tried to do to, you know, model the same leadership that was modeled for you when you got here for those young guys? Yeah, I mean, I think it’s a it’s a mixture of like taking him under my wing and tough love at the same time because it it it is such a demanding league that you can’t be nice buddy buddy all the time. And so, I think it’s like once you earn the respect and the trust of these young guys, you can kind of be more of that, you know, role like, hey, I need you to do this, like you I need you to do this, that, and this for the team. Like this isn’t just me telling you something. Like I’ve been around the game, you know, at this level going on four years now. Not long, but I’ve seen a lot of football and I’ve got to be coached and, you know, play alongside really good players and coaches. So, you know, it’s it’s been awesome to see those guys develop from when they were just little green horns getting in here for the first time to, you know, now having their having their feet underneath them and like going out there and playing well. When it comes to Andy specifically, how have you seen him grow from that Miami game to now? because he I don’t think he’s missed a kick since you know he’s been pretty nails and uh Yeah. Right. And uh you know I I know he got the game ball after that game and just his confidence where have you seen that grow? Yeah, I mean he’s he’s cool hand loop like you don’t you couldn’t tell if he missed five kicks in a game or went six for six like he did last week. So to you know to see to see him have that mindset where he walks in every day and he’s the same person every day he walks into the building and whether like I said he goes 0 for five or five for five like he’s going to be the same guy. And so, you know, I tip my hat off to that cuz I couldn’t imagine the pressure that, you know, kickers are under and let alone after you, you know, have a couple hiccups and, you know, the Miami week to come back and, you know, kick how he’s been kicking. It’s It’s been really impressive. Yeah. Hopefully I didn’t just jinx him, but to blame now right now, Sunday, everyone’s going to blame me. Uh I wanted to ask you about the kickoff return and with this new rule and uh you know one of the things that stands out to me is just how close you guys are together to uh the coverage unit and that sound feels like a difficult play to block uh nowadays and just what is your perspective on how challenging that play is to block? Yeah, I mean it’s it is really hard and you are literally in a phone booth because you’re only five yards away or 10 yards away at the max and you know you get a guy running full speed at you and he’s got damn near a two-way go whichever way you know he wants to go. So I think it’s all about like having the right matchup because if I have to go block a DN like it’s probably not going to be pretty. So I think putting the players in positions to be successful which what our coaches do a really good job at. And then it’s just it’s just out there. It’s just your one-on-one matchup. Like you have to want it more than him at the end of the day. So I think we got guys on our on our kickoff return team that can see how important this phase of the game is and how important field position is and you know coach Vable preaches that all the time like we got to get it out past the 30 like that is our our kind of landmark where if we get it past the 30 like that’s a good return for us and then we get our offense rolling and you know another big thing is like no penalties because if you get a penalty you’re backed up you know however many yards and then the offense is backed up and then that leads you know to the punt team coming out backed up and then I’m upset cuz we got to punt in our own in our own territory and I’m probably going to get vice. So, it’s like it’s a compound effect and I think guys are really have a really good grasp at that. But it is it is a hard it is a hard play. I I’ll give it that for sure. Yeah. Last followup. Sorry, I’m nerding out about this for a second. You you usually line up off the line of scrimmage on those kickoff returns. Like what’s the method to the madness behind you? Because I usually I only see you back there. So, is that just to give you a little bit more space to kind of read and react? like what’s the method to that? Yeah, I mean I think everyone’s still trying to figure it out still. It’s only year two and so guys are still trying things and you know it’s I think I have a better like vantage point of like what’s happening and I can see like the kicker’s approach and all that and you know where where we think the ball’s going to go and so I think it just it just flows better with me back there and I think that’s kind of why they have me five yards further back than everybody else. Makes sense. Just to wrap it up big picture I mean rough couple last years not a lot of wins now you’re on a fivegame win streak. You guys have already won six games. Just how much fun are you having right now with this team and the success you’re having? Oh, winning is living, man. And right now we’re we’re living pretty well. So, it’s it’s been a lot of fun and like you mentioned those past two seasons, both four and 13 seasons was not fun. Like that is not fun at all. Just like all the hard work that we put in in the offseason and, you know, preparing for each game each week. So, to come out here and be on a fivegame win streak right now, it’s it’s I’m having a lot of fun playing football. Got to keep it rolling, right? Yep. Let’s keep it rolling. That’s it. Thanks, Bren. No worries. Thanks, guys. Thanks for joining us. No worries.

Patriots safety Brenden Schooler sits down with Mike Dussault and Evan Lazar on Patriots Unfiltered.

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