Q. You've been to enough practices, been around this team for a while. What's the real value of (indiscernible)?
DK METCALF: I think it's just big to get the timing down, besides that just to get to know each other. I think we got like 30-some rookies that just came into camp. Just to get to know each other and just to feel out everybody and see who is going to be in what position, just see what we'll have during training camp.
Q. Speaking of rookie, what do you think of Jackson? What have you seen from him so far?
DK METCALF: He's come in and he has treated like he is a vet already. He knows how to run routes, his body and how to catch. It's really just teaching him the playbook.
He's already ahead of the curve of learning the technique that Sanjay is teaching. He's just fitting right in with the drills and with the plays that we're calling.
Q. Do things change for you at all, in terms of what you're working on, from when you came in as a rookie?
DK METCALF: Just repetition of everything and having a schedule of what my offseason is going to look like. That's the biggest thing I've worked on.
This is the first offseason I felt like I could take a sigh of relief and just do my own thing and bop up here when I need to and still continue to work on what I need to, and that's conditioning and my routes.
Q. Last (indiscernible) weren't doing anything, the injury. Does it feel a lot different?
DK METCALF: Just feels normal. Last year it was weird because my contract and my foot injury. But this is just a true offseason for me.
I know my second year was COVID year. So this is really a true offseason to where I can just take a break, start building a foundation in the weight room, working on my conditioning. And now we'll break again it's going to be routes.
Q. How settling is it (indiscernible)?
DK METCALF: It's just another thing I can check off my list of things that I don't have to worry about because going into the offseason I can already have my schedules laid out to where I'm not trying to make last-minute plans or trying to go places last minute. I have a set schedule of what I'm going to do.
Q. I saw you said in an interview recently last year you thought maybe you tried (indiscernible) leader. I guess what did you mean by that?
DK METCALF: I mean, when you lose guys like Bobby and Russ you try to force yourself into roles that you think you can fulfill. And that just wasn't my role.
That's Geno's role to be a vocal leader. He's the quarterback, the one calling the plays. Last year it was Quandre and (indiscernible). Just me fitting into my role of just bringing up a young guy, just showing them what it takes to be a professional, just things I've learned from guys like Bobby and Russ, instead of just vocally saying it, just doing it myself. And if they want to do it along with me they can. If not, they can find their way.
Q. With all the young guys, how much pride do you guys as vets take in teaching them the ropes, making sure they don't just know the rule book but there's communication?
DK METCALF: You have to let them learn on their own and let them come to you for questions and don't try to tell them anything. Kind of like 54 during my rookie year. He didn't pretty much tell me anything. He just let me -- he told me that he was going to work out and I was going to either show up or not.
That's basically what I'm doing to the young guys, showing them what helped me my rookie year, and if it helped them it's going to help (indiscernible)?
Q. You mentioned Bobby. He was a guy who was close to you before he left. What was your reaction to having him back?
DK METCALF: Just having him back, I thought he just wanted to be back on a winning team since he lost twice last year. But it's just great to have him back, veteran leader on the defense and then veteran leader in the locker room as well. So just great to have his energy back, his aura and just him as a person. I'm excited.
Q. How outside of your personality was that (indiscernible)?
DK METCALF: I mean, I've never done it. So it was just fairly new to me. And I didn't do it for a reason leading up to that point. I'm a guy that works hard and leads by example.
Q. Did you feel that ever affected your play on the field?
DK METCALF: No, not affect the relationships in the locker room, but I overstepped some boundaries where if I was just going to lead by example those boundaries were never touched.
Q. Is it too early to talk about how versatile this offense is with the new weapons, or are you seeing that already?
DK METCALF: I think it's too early. Once we really get in the training camp and get pads on, that's when you can really start to show who the players are, who is going to be in what position. But right now it's seven on seven.
Q. What do you see from Geno with a year under his belt starting, his demeanor?
DK METCALF: After last year, you go into the offseason wondering if he's going to be our quarterback next year or not. Once we got the news that he was going to be our quarterback, it was like, all right, we can just pick up from where we left off last year. That's him being a great leader like he was during the whole season last year.
Just his energy and his passion to win and to continue to compete. He's been here since day one of OTAs and since they started offseason workouts.
He's just been trying to get everybody along and bring everybody to a team atmosphere and to where this is a brotherhood, not just us coming to work. That's the one thing he's trying to instill on offense and in this team.
Q. Did you work on anything in particular in terms of your body?
DK METCALF: No, sir. I just went back to what I knew what worked in college. So conditioning, 110s, gashes, heavy in the weight room and just technique stuff.
I would hit up Sanjay every now and again to see what technique stuff I needed to work on because I know he watched my film last year. So me and Sanjay have been in communication this offseason.
Q. Tyler said the same thing, that he's a special coach. Without getting too much into detail, what makes him so special?
DK METCALF: Sanjay is a detailed coach so it's hard not to talk about him without getting into detail. But he's going to nitpick everything. Even if you think you ran a perfect route he will find you something you can do better.
That's what I like about Sanjay he's not going to take the easy way out and, yeah, you won the rep or the route. He'll nitpick and say you could have broke down in three steps or two steps here, or eyes to tuck, or go up and attack the ball. So there's always something you can work on.
I think for a guy like Tyler, you know, he's going into year eight, nine, and he's still able to be coached and be able to coachable. A guy like that, having him around you feel you can do better.
Q. Anything you feel you could do better?
DK METCALF: Win more, win my one-on-one matchups and help the team win.
Q. (Indiscernible)?
DK METCALF: From last year to now, I think he's a totally different player. He's been explosive off the line of scrimmage, catching everything, knows where to line up. He's teaching me stuff -- since I haven't been here for a couple of weeks -- so he's teaching me stuff about the offense, little details about the rep I didn't know before. He's locked in more than ever.
Q. For him it's more than just being healthy then?
DK METCALF: Oh, yeah. With Dee it's just getting him on the field. He's been special this whole camp. And we've seen how special he could be. But injuries just have plagued him throughout the career. Once he gets on the field steps on the field you'll see how special he is.
Q. When it comes to Tariq and Jamal and Jordan -- I realize they're all on defense -- but how do they contribute without being on the field?
DK METCALF: The energy, you can tell how much Jamal wants to be out there -- I see him on the sideline and he's pacing back and forth. And Jordan continues to talk to Bobby on the side. And Tariq, you know, he just got hurt, but his energy as well is somebody that's contagious. Whenever he walks in the room he's always smiling. He just picks you up whenever you've got to talk to him. I can't even tell that he's hurt because he's always smiling.
Q. How competitive can the receive corps be? (Indiscernible)?
DK METCALF: With all the rookies that we have, from Matt Landers to Dee Eskridge to Cody Thompson to Jake Bobo, everybody's out there competing. Dareke Young is another one that have been out there competing every single day.
Nobody is going to back down from competition in the receiving room. We are all competing. We all want to see each other succeed. That's one thing that's refreshing to see in the receiver room.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports