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Transcript: Center John Michael Schmitz

Eric from BBI : Admin : 5/6/2023 2:43 pm
Center John Michael Schmitz

Q. How tough is it for you guys as offensive linemen in a situation like this where you really can't do much?

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: Yeah, I mean, just got to keep getting better with your technique and fundamentals each and every day. That's really important for our individual work, with your pass set, with your run blocking. You can do that every day without even doing any hitting. (Offensive Line) Coach Bobby Johnson, does a tremendous job of getting us better each and every day.

Q. As you look at this offense, what is the first thing you want to get down? Is it the terminology, sort of knowing plays, or walk me through the progression of learning the offense.

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: Yeah, just taking it one day at a time, learning each and every day, getting 1 percent better, and obviously learning terminology, as well. Yeah, just doing that.

Q. How wordy is this compared to your offense in college in terms of stacking of coding?

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: Yeah, a little different, but at the end of the day we're playing football. Just different terminology, and yeah, I'm excited to be a part of this organization and play for the Giants.

Q. Did you get any kind of advantage from your agent having played for Dabs and Bobby Johnson?

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: Jeremiah Sirles and Alex Boone, tremendous guys that are my mentors, and having an agent and a trainer that's been in the league was very helpful for me to have, give me knowledge of the game, coaching me up, film study here and there.

Q. When you started looking at the film, I know you and Daniel (Jones) have to get on the same page with regards to what you're seeing out there and making the protection calls. Have you had an opportunity to do that or are you still working on it?

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: I'm just focused on taking it one day at a time, and right now just rookie mini camp and when we report back for OTAs we'll connect more with Daniel and go from there.

Q. What have they said to you about the dead ball snap or whatever you call it, the technique here, and is it something you plan to continue to use, and how did you get started with it?

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: I mean, it's whatever is comfortable for Daniel in the back in the quarterback position. I'm flexible doing the dead ball snap or the regular snap. Doesn't change a thing for me. He just wanted me to feel most comfortable to get the snap back there.

Q. You're going to continue to do what you were doing at least now, work on it later?

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: Yeah.

Q. Have you ever had a quarterback that didn't like that? It seemed to really simplify things.

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: Didn't have a quarterback that didn't like it. I pretty much had the one quarterback for my whole career at the University of Minnesota. He enjoyed it.

Q. How did you get started with that, because it's a little different, right?

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: Yeah, (Minnesota Offensive Line) Coach Callahan, my O-line coach at the University of Minnesota, just taught me it, and it just stuck with me, and I went from there.

Q. You mentioned before the idea of focusing on technique, that the hitting will come later on this summer. Is this the longest, considering in the spring you guys are hitting in college, the longest you'll have to wait before you actually get to hit somebody?

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: I mean, probably the longest since high school. We're always -- we're hitting pads out there and we're not really like that face-to-face contact that we're taking out of the game right now. I'd say yeah. I don't mind hitting. I enjoy it, so I'm just here and looking to get better with my fundamentals and techniques and looking to improve on that stuff.

Q. Did you see Dexter Lawrence here yesterday?

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: I did, yes.

Q. Are you looking forward to knocking heads with him about 40 times a day in training camp?

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: Yeah, looking to just continue to get better each and every day against him. Being able to compete against one of the best there is. Tremendous opportunity to have that.

Q. Looks like a pretty easy match-up I would think, right, with no shoulder pads?

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: No, no, he's a great player. Great player, tremendous person, and can't wait to grow closer with him and compete.

Q. I ask this as an enormous fan of amateur wrestling. Did wrestling help you with football in any way?

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: Yeah, just understanding your body position, the leverage you have, your hand placement, and yeah, that's what I would say. That was probably the big thing, especially as an offensive lineman, with those things.

Q. You talk about being -- it's the beginning of the process. What can you get from the snaps that you've taken the last couple days?

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: Yeah, I mean, I'm just -- I've been saying I'm taking it one day at a time, learning, learning, learning, learning, learning the offense, learning the techniques and fundamentals for this offensive line room and taking it one day at a time.

Q. Your relationship with Daniel is going to be really important, obviously, on the field. We saw you had just a cursory meeting here. There's two weeks before OTAs. Do you plan on sitting down and doing some FaceTime or getting on the phone?

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: Yeah, I mean, it's important to have a connection between your center and your quarterback, making sure everyone is on the same page. Definitely want to have that relationship with him.

Q. Along those same lines, have you spoken to any of the other offensive linemen yet?

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: Yeah, there was a lot of guys that reached out and just congratulated me, and a couple guys were around the facility and just said a quick hello to me because they were getting off to lift and stuff.

Q. You didn't have a chance to pick their brain or anything like that?

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: Not yet. I'm looking forward to it.

Q. Can you just explain the dead snap, the advantages? None of us have obviously played center, what the advantages of it are?

JOHN MICHAEL SCHMITZ: Yeah, honestly I felt it was a lot more controllable with that position, the dead snap. Just felt comfortable, kind of just came natural when I kept doing it over and over again. Yeah, we'll see if I stick with it or change it up. We'll see what happens.
Dead ball snap  
Kidprince : 5/7/2023 8:15 am : link
I’ve never heard of this “dead ball snap” before this presser. It’s an interesting change in the way some centers are now snapping the ball and it will be interesting to see if he continues this with the NYG. I don’t see why they wouldn’t as long as they are accurate.
That is the most boring  
section125 : 5/7/2023 8:38 am : link
presser ever. The PR team really taught him(them) well deflecting and pushing the generic lines, i.e., focusing on getting better; just 1% a day, etc...
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