The German offensive Lineman Leander Wiegand is preparing for his first season in the NFL with the New York Jets in training camp. But what are his expectations, how did he spend the short break between the offseason program and camp and what does he owe his compatriot Lenny War?
Leander Wiegand (25) has a few days before the start of the training camp at the New York Jets sport.de-Cropetur Marcus Blumberg answered questions and gave insights into his everyday life during the offseason. He also spoke about the atmosphere with the last badly battered franchise from the Big Apple and what it is like to play together with a mobile quarterback like Justin Fields.
He also revealed that he still has betting debts at Falcons kicker Lenny War, but has already announced any Madden-Rematch.
Note: This interview was conducted in the week before the start of the Jet training training, which began for rookies on July 19.
NFL: Leander Wiegand in an interview before his first training Camp
Mr. Wiegand, how did the deal come about with the jets? Was there any contact in front of the draft?
Leander Wiegand: We had three or four calls before the draft, which also went very, very well. They have already said that there is great interest in making an offer.
Have other teams registered?
Wiegand: Yes, I also had even more intensive contact with three other teams in the run -up to the draft. And I think half of the teams have registered, but most of them only with my agent (Carter Chow from Red Envelope Sports, editor’s note). However, I only had calls with coaches with four teams.
In the end, what was the decisive factor for the jets?
Wiegand: The talks ran best with them, I would say. In addition, I liked the situation best, the team’s interest was greatest. It just felt like the best possible situation for me to have the greatest possible success as a player in the future. In this respect, I was glad that the best offer came from them.
Now you have had the several weeks of offseason program, where there is not much full contact possible. What do you do as an offensive Lineman, for contact with the core business?
Wiegand: I would say there is actually a lot of contact. When it comes, I think the biggest difference is whether you are wearing pads or not. But otherwise you have long days, there are many meetings, there is strength training, walkthroughs, position drills and team drills. The coaches already find good opportunities to use these days intensively. But it was also a lot about learning and understanding the Playbook intensely. You look at what the coaches project is there and it is about getting together as a team.
Wiegand does not allow himself to be calm
Describe your daily process during these weeks in the offseason.
Wiegand: It always started at 6 a.m. in the facility. I always started with a heating bath to loosen the body a bit, then stretching and a visit to the Physios, where something was done for the body. Then I ate something before going into the first strength training. Then there was something to eat again, then it went in two to three meetings. Something was done for the body again and then I got ready for training. A thermal bath and pre-practice followed again, i.e. warm up in the weight room and then be taped. After that was the training and afterwards lunch and finally other meetings. Later there was dinner before watching a lot of tape and the Playbook in the evening. That has been for a long time. It goes about 6 to 6 before you got out again. At home didn’t happen much anymore. You have eaten something and looked that you drink a lot. You had to watch the Playbook and video from the day again and prepare the next day.
Now they had about a four -week break. Have you trained in time or did you even treat yourself to rest until the start of the training camp?
Wiegand: In the four weeks I think I thought a weekend and didn’t train for two days. Otherwise, I got back in my coach in Aachen, Christian Mohr and we have adapted the workouts to the training for the camp compared to what we did in advance for the combine. But we have entered intensive training directly, but we also found a good mediocrity between hard training and regeneration of the body, because now it really starts.
If you look at your first weeks now, what were your previous impressions of the JetS organization? There is a new coaching staff and front office. Do you feel the new positive atmosphere, after the opposite was more likely to be heard?
Wiegand: Of course I wasn’t there last year, so I can’t speak of a contrast. But I know that the mood is now top. The new coaches with AG (Aaron Glenn, editor’s note) as Head Coach, we have Tanner (narrow beach, editor’s note) as an offensive coordinator, are super cool and bring in an insane mood. The OTAs already had a lot of competitive character, the Juice, as they say, is definitely there. I think it will be a very cool season. We have a good team. I think good people were brought in and good coaches. So I’m really looking forward to the season and think that it will definitely get better than in the previous year.
Leander Wiegand (right) wants to do his best every day in training
Wiegand: “I want to take it out completely every day”
Is noted! But what expectations do you go to the camp now, what do you do?
Wiegand: Oh, I’m going in in the sense without expectations. I just want to take it out completely every day and show myself from the best side. Represent me, but also represent the German football somewhere and make my best and then come to the team. But I will see the day after day, in every meeting, every training session, in every lift (strength training). It just has to be a 100 % focus. And then good things will happen.
Was there any feedback on the part of the coaches?
Wiegand: Yes, they spoke to me a bit, but especially with my agent. And the feedback was fundamentally positive. But of course there is still a certain way to go because I don’t play quite as long now, so I still have to catch up with a certain gap. And of course they are technically at an absolute top level. But these are all things that I can definitely manage. And it is precisely with these professional circumstances that you do not have here in Europe, with the coaches, the support team, i.e. the physios, the trainers, the whole topic of nutrition – there are still very big steps and I am optimistic that it will be all.
If the training camp finally starts, how would you currently rate your chances on the 53 squad?
Wiegand: To be honest, I don’t make my head about that, because that won’t be my decision. I will just go full throttle and then I don’t have to worry about anything else. If I talked about goals, it would be to get into the team this year. And then next year in the active squad, but these are many things that are not in my hands. So I will just be trying and accelerating every day.
Wiegand: No comparison to the eleven
We become more specific: If the pads approach and “real” training is due, which duel are you most looking forward to?
Wiegand: I don’t really care who stands in front of me (laughs). I feel like – so our best defensive lineman is quinnen Williams and I am very excited about the first matchups. So far you haven’t seen yourself so much. So far, the starters in particular have trained against the starters, but I think that will come now. Through the bank, the boys who are there are of course excellent. Here in the eleven you play against teams where you know which the top players are and when they rotate a little, then you know that the backups are not quite as good. There is no such thing here. You have these experienced veterans who are excellent here, and then there are the younger people who are even more hungry. So you can’t take a single repause, which I have already noticed. But that’s cool. You say yes, steel makes steel. And if you train against better people, you get better yourself.
Now Quarterback Justin Fields will probably be the starter in the new offense of the jets. How far does the game change for you compared to a normal pocket passer?
Wiegand: Of course, our offense is designed to be perfectly used by the strengths of our players. And with Justin this is that he is extremely mobile. He is incredibly fast. This was cool during training when he pulls the ball during a read option. Yes, the man can really run! But he also has an excellent arm and we have Wahsinns receiver – Garrett Wilson has only received a new contract. I think the Playbook and the coaches take care of it, we just have to implement it in the end. But with him in the back you know that the play is never dead, something can still happen. Therefore you have to block until the whistle and then he takes care of the Magic.
I am excited to see what he can conjure up! Finally, I have to talk to a topic again that we treated at our last conversation in March. At that time they reported that they gambled for smoothies in the IPP camp “Madden NFL”. If you play Madden today, what is the effort?
Wiegand: (laughs) Of course it depends on whom I play against. I just talked about Lenny War, because we also played twice. Unfortunately, I still owe it to smoothies, I have to honestly admit. But I say it as it is: he’s just a very personable type, I didn’t go in there either now – there will be a revenge in any case and this time no mercy – but with him I definitely only play with smoothies. I think that’s a good thing you can play around. But here in Germany you can of course also play well for kebabs.
True! But again to Madden: Would you play with the jets today or the other teams you mentioned at the time?
Wiegand: No, of course with the jets. The jets are by far the coolest team in the NFL without question.