Ellis Merriweather speaks with the Saints media following Day 19 of training camp.
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00:00 So obviously big first preseason game, got the touchdown in, did some nice things and
00:05 have continued to do some nice things throughout the Chargers, we'll call it a week, right?
00:08 The training practices and the game.
00:10 So how are you feeling going into the final week of the preseason here?
00:12 I'm feeling great.
00:13 You know, of course, there's little things that I've been learning on, focusing on, coaching
00:17 points after that first game and then just continuing to build on those every day.
00:21 So I feel like, you know, it's the last week, so I'm kind of at my best as far as I can
00:25 be right now for preseason.
00:26 So just continuing to hammer the details, but for the most part, the coaching points
00:30 are the same for me.
00:31 So I just got to continue to take those in and apply them on the field.
00:35 We did see you catch a lot of passes at UMass.
00:37 Obviously it wasn't a big part of the offense, but you're doing it a ton here.
00:40 How comfortable has that process been for you in growing as a pass catcher?
00:43 Yeah, man, this has always been something that's a part of my game, especially in high
00:46 school.
00:47 I did this a lot.
00:48 I really played where I was seen throughout high school and moved to running back my senior
00:52 year.
00:53 So that's why it's kind of easy for me.
00:55 I was kind of sad that I didn't get to show it off at UMass, so everybody kind of thought
00:59 that it wasn't in my bag.
01:00 But it's just something that is very easy for me and probably one of the most underrated
01:04 parts of my game.
01:05 I got to work on my route running so I can get like 8Ks, but the hands is there for sure.
01:09 That explains all the one-hand catches that we see you pull off.
01:12 It's awesome.
01:13 You're getting a lot of opportunities now.
01:14 Unfortunately, you know, some guys have gone down, but is that a situation where you have
01:20 to take advantage of your opportunity?
01:21 Absolutely, yeah.
01:22 I mean, of course you hate to see other guys go down, especially once you get to know them
01:26 a little bit throughout the camp.
01:27 But like you said, it's the opportunity.
01:28 Once it presents itself, you've got to take advantage of it.
01:29 Because I come in and I'm getting all the scraps.
01:30 I'm getting the scraps and everything.
01:31 So I'm just trying to take advantage of it and get more reps.
01:32 Get more reps.
01:33 That's all I want.
01:34 You've built a really nice relationship also with Jake Hayner?
01:35 Yes, sir.
01:36 Yes, sir.
01:37 How's that going?
01:38 I love that dude.
01:39 I love that dude.
01:40 We started off, I mean, it started off at the Ricky Minney camp.
01:41 I can tell just, you know, I was a little bit nervous.
01:42 I was a little bit nervous.
01:43 I was a little bit nervous.
01:44 I was a little bit nervous.
02:03 But I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:04 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:05 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:06 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:07 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:08 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:09 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:10 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:11 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:12 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:13 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:14 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:15 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:16 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:17 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:18 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:19 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:20 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:21 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:22 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:51 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:52 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:53 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:54 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:55 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:56 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:57 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:58 I'm just trying to get more reps.
02:59 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:00 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:01 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:02 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:03 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:04 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:05 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:06 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:07 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:08 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:09 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:10 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:11 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:12 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:13 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:14 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:15 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:16 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:17 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:18 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:19 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:20 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:21 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:22 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:23 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:24 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:25 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:26 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:27 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:28 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:29 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:30 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:31 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:32 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:33 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:34 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:35 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:36 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:37 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:38 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:39 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:40 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:41 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:42 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:43 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:44 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:45 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:46 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:47 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:48 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:49 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:50 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:52 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:53 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:54 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:55 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:56 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:57 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:58 I'm just trying to get more reps.
03:59 I'm just trying to get more reps.
04:00 I'm just trying to get more reps.
04:01 I'm just trying to get more reps.
04:02 I'm just trying to get more reps.
04:03 I'm just trying to get more reps.
04:04 I'm just trying to get more reps.
04:05 I'm just trying to get more reps.
04:06 I'm just trying to get more reps.
04:07 I'm just trying to get more reps.
04:08 I'm just trying to get more reps.
04:09 I'm just trying to get more reps.
04:10 I'm just trying to get more reps.
04:11 I'm just trying to get more reps.
04:12 Winning is a huge part of the culture.
04:14 Just from watching Drew Brees and all the great things they've done in the past.
04:18 Of course, I'm somebody who wants to do anything I can to win.
04:21 Once I came here, those first couple weeks when we had all those meetings and stuff,
04:26 and they explained the culture, I loved what I was hearing.
04:29 In college, I did a lot of things with community service.
04:32 I was a part of SAC, which is Student Athlete Administrative Club.
04:35 That's my avenue, and that's what I was doing.
04:38 Just to hear how intertwined the city and the Saints are together, that made me so happy.
04:45 Of course, once I get my ground on the team and settle in,
04:48 I'll definitely be doing a lot of things in the community.
04:51 Along those same lines, the Saints have shown over the years
04:54 that they don't pay attention to how you're got here.
04:58 Once you're here, what you're drafted, what you're not, is what you do on track.
05:02 Have you seen that from them?
05:04 Have you feel like you've been respected even though you're in the NBA?
05:07 Absolutely.
05:10 From the first day that we got into that meeting room,
05:13 and Mickey Blum has talked to us, that's the very first thing he said.
05:16 He said, "It does not matter how you got here.
05:18 What you're here right now, you're here for a reason."
05:21 Once I heard that, and then day by day I started to see that they truly meant that,
05:25 it only just took a little pressure off my back just to let me go out there and play for you.
05:30 As long as I know what I'm doing, to go out there and show my ability.
05:33 It took some time, but now I feel like I'm starting to actually be able to get more opportunities
05:38 and reps on the field to show that.
05:40 That's all you can ask for.
05:42 When you talk about your wanting to--you mentioned your route running,
05:46 working on your route running and things like that.
05:48 Is that about route diversity, or is that more about the subtleness of route running?
05:51 Definitely the subtleness.
05:53 I'm a bigger back, so I tend to try and go 1,000 miles per hour for everything.
05:59 Just watching AK, you'll see he can turn it on, then he can slow it down,
06:03 and then turn it on, and then just bop, bop, bop.
06:06 He's talking to me a lot about the route details, and that's really just it is, about the details.
06:11 Like I said, I play wide receiver, so I know the basis of most of the routes,
06:15 but now it's just really being technical with it.
06:18 When I played wide receiver, I was about 25 pounds less, so just also learning my body as well.
06:23 Great. Thank you, man.
06:24 Yes, sir.
06:25 Good for you.