On Friday's edition of Zolak and Bertrand, Patriots center Garrett Bradbury stopped by following the Patriots training camp practie. Bradbury discussed his transition to New England, along with his thoughts on rookie Will Campbell.
00:00Let's welcome in Garrett Bradbury, who joins us now on Zolak and Bertrand from field level after practice.
00:05Garrett, how are you?
00:06Doing great. How are you?
00:07We're doing pretty good.
00:09How have the first few days been getting out on the field and having this be a little bit more real as a Patriot now?
00:15Oh, yeah, it's been great.
00:16It's starting to play some real football.
00:19We get the pads on next week, so that'll be a lot of fun.
00:21But, you know, the first few weeks of training camp, honestly, is pretty exciting.
00:26Everyone's back in the building.
00:27It's all ball.
00:28We're all working for the same common goal, and it's been really good so far.
00:33Garrett, when free agency started, how quick were they to come after you?
00:35What was the process?
00:38Sorry, say that one more time.
00:39How quick were the New England Patriots to come after you in the free agency process?
00:43How did that evolve?
00:44Yeah, you know, it happened pretty quickly when Minnesota made their decision,
00:47and my agent kind of handled all of that.
00:50So timing-wise, I think it happened pretty quickly, but, you know, it worked out.
00:55I'm loving it here, meeting the guys.
00:56It's a great locker room.
00:58It's a great old line room, and it's kind of learning on the fly, right?
01:01Learning a new system, learning some new guys, but it's been fun.
01:05How difficult is that system from you being the center guy?
01:07A ton of calls, you know, branch out from you.
01:10I played in this offense.
01:11I know the details of it, but how complicated is it when you first got here?
01:14Yeah, that whole month of April I was buying flash cards in my book a lot more than I've been in my past.
01:20I've kind of been in the same system for six years, so this is unlike anything I've dealt with.
01:25But it's also good at the same time.
01:27You see when it works, why it works.
01:29You see how fast you can play.
01:31You can see how you got all the answers to the test once everyone knows what they're doing.
01:35Do you feel like your teammates, and more specifically on the offensive line, are picking that up and finding a way to work together as a group because you know what you're doing?
01:44Yeah, you know, it's not perfect right now, and you don't want it to be.
01:47It's a work in progress, but that's why we're in training camp.
01:52And I think there's a real sense of urgency from the coaches.
01:56We can feel that.
01:57We've talked about it.
01:57I mean, they're trying to get this install in.
02:00There's a lot of little details that you need to cover, and so our meeting time, I mean, when it starts to when it ends, we are going.
02:07So that urgency is good.
02:09I think the players can feel that, and we know we've got to be on our stuff to make this thing go.
02:14You know, you added Morgan Moses, a big veteran that's played in the league.
02:17You've got a rookie on the left tackle.
02:20Everybody talks about him.
02:21How has Will Campbell responded to the coaching, to you guys trying to find five guys up front to have that continuity?
02:28He's been phenomenal.
02:29He's as impressive as a rookie as I've seen.
02:33We drafted Christian Derisaw a few years ago in Minnesota, and I see a lot of similarities.
02:39You know, he works hard.
02:40He's got the right attitude.
02:42I mean, he's the fourth overall pick for a reason, and you see it.
02:44So looking forward again to work with him, and if I can teach him anything along the way, great.
02:51And, yeah, I think he's going to be a good player in this league for a long time.
02:53What are your early impressions of Drake, man?
02:56Drake's the best.
02:56You know, everything that everyone says, you try not to listen to all of it, but it's true.
03:01I mean, he's got all the potential in the world, and what I'm impressed with is his maturity and his confidence and the way he goes about his work.
03:08He doesn't act like a 22-year-old in the best way.
03:11And so going through these practices, these walkthroughs, in between meetings, picking his brain, he's picking my brain, it's been a great working relationship.
03:20Garrett, off topic, not Patriots-related, but I know you've been an NFLPA rep in the past.
03:24There's been a lot of drama with the NFLPA and its leadership.
03:28And I'm just curious what you've sort of thought about that still as a player, an active player, seeing all this play out.
03:33Yeah, drama's never good, right?
03:35You never want drama.
03:38And I think there were some wrong decisions made at the leadership level, and I think they are working to right those wrongs.
03:45And I think once we – they're working really hard to hire an interim ED right now.
03:50And I think once we do that, whoever that guy is and whoever is voted on, we know the problems, and we know what we can address and fix.
03:57And then it's just making everything better, moving forward with it.
04:01I think there's some optimism, kind of ironically, because we know what's wrong with it right now.
04:07There's been a lack of communication, and we need to get leadership back on the right track.
04:11But we need to rebuild the trust of the players, and a union's only strong when you're all together.
04:17So we've got to work on that.
04:18Is it something that players discuss and talk about?
04:21I mean, I know your rep is in your position group with Mike Iwenu, but are players, for the most part, aware of union things
04:27and what's going on with their representation with the league?
04:30You know, to be honest, a majority of the players, I would say no.
04:33I mean, I think they see the big articles that you guys see, but I think that could be a problem – not a problem,
04:39but something to fix moving forward because it kind of goes back to communication.
04:43The more we can all be on the same page, the more we can all be involved and aware of what's going on, the better.
04:50And so I think that's going to be a big emphasis with who they choose as the interim ED.
04:54What's your take on Foxborough?
04:55You've been here a couple months now.
04:56Yeah, it's been great.
04:57You know, during the spring I was flying back and forth.
05:00I had a new baby on June 7th.
05:03So two kids now, so it's been a little busy.
05:06But now that we're here for fall camp, it's all ball.
05:09So not a whole lot of time to explore the city, but the weather's been phenomenal.
05:13People have been great.
05:14So there'll be some time to explore in a few weeks.
05:17Rumor has it you're a Rentham guy now.
05:19Is that correct?
05:20A Rentham guy?
05:20Yeah, you live in a Rentham?
05:21I was.
05:23I was crashing at Drake's place in Rentham.
05:27He moved, and now I found a new spot.
05:29But, no, I had some good times in Rentham.
05:32And, no, there's a million towns.
05:34Yeah, it's just like a fucking restaurant.
05:36Like the gavel.
05:37They go to the gavel.
05:38No, we went to a few.
05:39We went to a few.
05:40But, no, all the towns here, it's different.
05:43Being from the southeast and then Minnesota, it's just you drive five minutes and you're
05:46a new town.
05:47So they all kind of sound the same and look the same.
05:49So I'm trying to figure my way around.
05:51Welcome to New England, buddy.
05:52Yeah, no, it's been good.
05:53It's been good.
05:54So is a 30-year Rentham guy.
05:56Yeah, it's been a long time.
05:57Beautiful, beautiful.
05:58I'm not knocking at you guys.
06:00Oh, no, no.
06:01I so love it.
06:02He's not knocking.
06:02I'm a lifer.
06:03Yeah.
06:03All right, well, Garrett.
06:05Best of luck going forward in camp.
06:07Congratulations on the new baby.
06:08Appreciate it.
06:09And maybe we'll talk to you again soon.
06:11Love it.
06:11Thanks for having me, guys.
06:12All right, Garrett.
06:12Take care.
06:13Garrett Bradbury, Patriot Center.
06:16Signed in the offseason.
06:17Came over from Minnesota after six years, was it there?
