Malcolm Roach talks all things Saints defensive line with the media following Wednesday's practice.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 How y'all doing?
00:04 Hey Malcolm, how are you doing?
00:08 Malcolm, DA's talked about you picking up some explosions.
00:12 What did you do in the off season to kind of make yourself better in that regard?
00:16 Me and my trainer, Travis,
00:20 we got a good program together. We're trying to cut body fat
00:24 and muscle, get back to doing a lot more explosive builds.
00:28 Because I knew this year I wasn't going to have to be as heavy as I've been in the past.
00:32 Just playing a kind of different style of D-line this year.
00:36 Different mindset I want to say.
00:40 Just got to doing a lot of explosive lifts. Things, you know, getting my legs and glutes back strong.
00:44 Cutting fat and shit.
00:48 Being in Louisiana, like it's so hot down here.
00:52 It was easy to lose weight. So that's really what I'm all about.
00:56 How agreeable has this style been for you?
01:00 Because he's got to talk about how versatile you've been and how useful you've been.
01:04 My dad always told me
01:08 you might not always be the most valued person in the room, but you're always going to be the most valuable
01:12 person in the room. And that's something that's really stuck with me just throughout playing football.
01:16 Just being able to play multiple positions and being able
01:20 to do more. Cam always said the more you can do, and that's something that
01:24 stuck with me. I'm able to play nose guard and I'm also able to play
01:28 D-tackle. So being able to play those two positions is two totally different things.
01:32 But me learning that at an early stage in my career.
01:36 How to play the nose guard position, but also just having a natural ability to play
01:40 three-tick is something that I think is taking me a long way.
01:44 To be honest, it's kept me around here for a little while.
01:48 You're having a lot of fun this year. You always have fun. Is this year even more fun for you?
01:52 To be honest,
01:56 I always have fun. Because I know you can't have fun and be good at this game.
02:00 You can't not have fun, I want to say, and play this game at a high level.
02:04 But yeah, man, just the more plays you make, the more fun it comes. The more comfortable
02:08 you get, the more fun it is. The more your role grows on the team.
02:12 I remember coming in undrafted, free agent, not knowing what was
02:16 going on. Still having that feeling sometimes. That's what keeps me going.
02:20 I always told myself, I'm going to have fun every day I'm in this building.
02:24 I'm also going to work my tail off. But in doing this, I know I'm going to
02:28 enjoy every moment I'm in here. Because tomorrow's not promised in this league.
02:32 I learned that at an early age,
02:36 at an early start in the league, tomorrow's not promised.
02:40 I'm going hard and making the most of every day while I'm here. Just having fun,
02:44 enjoying it. Who wouldn't have fun?
02:48 I love to play football for a living.
02:52 I love what I do.
02:56 Is that something you take pride in, just that motor?
03:00 Yeah.
03:04 Running down the field, because that's where the big hits come from.
03:08 As a defensive tackle, nose guard, that's what we steal about
03:12 15 tackles on a season. You can steal, let's just add more tackles like that.
03:16 That's where big players come from. I wish I could have got the ball out on that play.
03:20 You didn't see me coming from behind him.
03:24 Even in my rookie year, when I didn't know how to play the position,
03:28 I always knew I knew how to run fast and make plays down the field.
03:32 I found my niche in doing that.
03:36 That's become part of my nature when I play the game.
03:40 Giving all our effort. The more hats we have on the ball, the more successful we can be.
03:44 Running down the field, trying to create those takeaways.
03:48 Delivering big hits to those skilled players.
03:52 Just put it on their mind when they come across the middle.
03:56 Cutting back and things like that is something to think about.
04:00 What's it been like playing with Alex Saunders?
04:04 Benk is great. He brings a juice, an energy.
04:08 I wouldn't say we have the same personality, but
04:12 we know when to lock in and go to work. We know how to have fun with this.
04:16 Me learning from him, he wants two Super Bowls.
04:20 He's bringing an experience that we never really had.
04:24 We had Malcolm Brown, my rookie, but we never really had this kind of
04:28 person that wants two Super Bowls in a while
04:32 since I've been here to Tyrone. He knows what it's like to play in the cold.
04:36 Play when it really matters.
04:40 He's bringing experience to us that we need.
04:44 I'm also trying to give him different advice on techniques and things like that.
04:48 How we can play blocks together. He's in at the one, I'm in at the three.
04:52 We can play this run front like this. I play more thick on this block, so he can scrape over the top
04:56 and vice versa. We come in and get the jelly good.
05:00 I think last game we really got the first taste of us out there
05:04 and rolling with that D-line. Me at the three, him at the one.
05:08 It was something that we really liked a lot. We controlled the run game pretty good.
05:12 Is it kind of unique with him
05:16 being a veteran that came from another team, the way he
05:20 came right in a way and embraced a leadership role instead of sticking his toe
05:24 in the water, seeing where he fit in. It seems like he wants to be a leader.
05:28 I feel like he just came in, I have to say
05:32 as much as he came in, just as his self.
05:36 We accepted him, I want to say. Just come in and being his self.
05:40 Every personality was able to come together and mesh good.
05:44 It wasn't somebody that came in and tried to take over the room.
05:48 He came in and just talked through things.
05:52 We talked him through things. As much as he's learning,
05:56 as much as he's learning, I'm also learning from him.
06:00 I'm able to tell him different things. Hey man, this is how you got to run this play on the playbook.
06:04 He's still new here, so I'm able to give him a bit of a
06:08 I guess four years now. A little veteran like
06:12 secret recipe.
06:16 You're counted as a veteran, that's official. Yeah, that's crazy.
06:20 What is the number, your target weight number or what you are now?
06:24 I've been around
06:28 around like 293-300.
06:32 In between that range. September will be different than August.
06:36 I said September might be different than August because of that heat.
06:40 It's not even really about keeping the weight.
06:44 My weight has always been the same.
06:48 I've always been able to gain weight. It's just keeping it close to me.
06:52 Stay in the weight room. Stay on this regimen that I've been on.
06:56 Eating right. I want to say my family.
07:00 My girlfriend has done a lot to help me in that situation.
07:04 Eating right. Making sure I'm coming home and cooking meals and things like that.
07:08 That's been a plus for me. Just growing up. I want to say my body's
07:12 growing up. Each and every day
07:16 I'm becoming a better pro. You feel like this is your best self now?
07:20 With everything combined, you feel like this is probably the best version of yourself as a player?
07:24 Yes, since I've been in the league I feel like I'm coming to my best self mentally, physically.
07:28 I feel like I'm getting to that point.
07:32 It's not even a point. I just feel like I'm
07:36 I want to say I grew up and experienced life and things
07:40 like that. Things slowing down for me. The game has slowed down
07:44 a lot. A real lot. Just out there
07:48 making plays and being in the backfield, striking blocks,
07:52 knowing how to react to blocks. I've seen these blocks over the years so many times that
07:56 I kind of know what blocks, how I'm going to react to it and things like that without
08:00 thinking about it. Who's the most athletic in the 2-year defensive line?
08:04 Me. Me. Me. I know Benko says he plays
08:08 linebacker and stuff. He plays linebacker. I think they play the Chiefs I think.
08:12 I'm not a... The Chargers? The Chiefs play the Chargers? He always shows the highlights.
08:16 Man, if you throw my freshman year highlights at Texas,
08:20 you'll see a different beast right there. I might be the best linebacker on the team if I was
08:24 still at about 250. I'd get Diddy and run
08:28 for his money for real. But nah, man. I embrace this
08:32 role that I got. Bringing athleticism to the D-line is always
08:36 something special. What's the nickname for Colin? Bink.
08:40 Binky. You ever watch the show Author? Yes. You ever heard of Binky?
08:44 He look just like me. So the first day he came in he was like
08:48 call me Bink. I said Bink. He said, "Alright, I'll call you Bink then."
08:52 He told me the back story behind it and stuff like that. We've been calling him Bink ever since.
08:56 That's his nickname. What about Bruce Zee? What makes him
09:00 different from other... He's humongous.
09:04 He's like a big kid. He's a big kid
09:08 and the thing that's scary is that he don't even know how to play the game.
09:12 He don't even know he's doing it
09:16 right yet. You get what I'm saying? I tell him, I say, "Bro, don't even focus
09:20 on the technique sometimes. Just go run through it and just mess up the play."
09:24 Because if you start thinking it'll take away
09:28 from just your God-given ability. He's like 6'5",
09:32 6'6", about 3'15".
09:36 Humongous, cat-like quickness, can jump off the ball.
09:40 He's like a dream-built D-liner. You get what I want to say?
09:44 So him just being able to jump off the ball that fast.
09:48 I say, "Man, just mess the play up. Just go out there, mess the play up. They can't block you.
09:52 Just go full speed. When you get tired, we get somebody in there, get some water, go back
09:56 in there, go full speed." That's really the only advice I tell him. I say, "Man, we can focus
10:00 after we get done with your rookie year, we can focus on the offseason. You learn
10:04 the techniques of how to play D-line and the positions you need to get your body into."
10:08 But right now, just go mess up plays and
10:12 just cause disruption. That's what he's been doing.
10:16 Y'all can't tell?
10:20 Y'all can't tell?
10:24 [Inaudible]
10:28 Yeah.
10:32 Oh!
10:36 Man, I remember playing the Steelers last year.
10:40 It started snowing a little bit.
10:44 The receiver, I think it's Deontay Johnson. I hope I don't get his name wrong.
10:48 He likes to jump back a lot. He likes to run and jump back like he's playing
10:52 in recess or something like that. I know as soon as he catches the ball,
10:56 he's going to try to score it, basically. So he's going to jump back. So I'm running to the ball
11:00 hard. In my mindset, if I'm running, I'm 300 pounds, I'm running
11:04 somebody getting hit. I'm not running just to run.
11:08 Somebody getting hit. Tyron
11:12 was making a tackle on me. I come through and I hit everybody.
11:16 Tyron was like, "Oh man, Roach, man, you done took me." He said some other words.
11:20 I was like, "Tyron, I'm running somebody getting hit."
11:24 18, I remember 18 was like, "Oh man, he killed me." I said, "Yeah, that's what I
11:28 got to do, man." Helped him up. We went back to play. But that
11:32 probably was one of the funniest ones. I knew I took out Tyron.
11:36 I was like, "Man, he's going to be so mad at me." But just doing my job
11:40 Good job of playing hard on us there.