WEBVTT - BRANDIN COOKS 0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:02.640 This is cut to it with Steve Smith Senior at 0:00:02.640 --> 0:00:08.920 production of The Black Effect and I Heart Radio. I'm 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:11.480 Steve Smith Senior and I'm ger a little John and 0:00:11.560 --> 0:00:16.000 this is cut to it. Good do it, Good do it. 0:00:16.120 --> 0:00:19.479 Let's get down to do it. Good do it. We 0:00:19.600 --> 0:00:22.920 asked the questions you always want to know, but no 0:00:22.960 --> 0:00:29.080 one ever asked, let's cut to it. You ain't heard 0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:35.080 about it, then we're about to let you. Now it's all. 0:00:38.880 --> 0:00:45.159 We got another California guy, year old from Stockton, California, 0:00:46.640 --> 0:00:53.240 all American from Oregon State, UH wide receiver, good friend, 0:00:54.440 --> 0:01:02.760 Manu the arrow himself right, always running past people running 0:01:02.800 --> 0:01:06.360 around him. Brandon Cooks, welcome to the cut to a podcast. 0:01:06.360 --> 0:01:09.840 How you doing that? I appreciate you having me you 0:01:09.880 --> 0:01:13.360 know a lot of respective Yeah, I appreciate you. Guys, 0:01:13.360 --> 0:01:18.679 have no problem, bro, it's a pleasure. This is Gerard's doings. 0:01:18.760 --> 0:01:21.320 G the co host. And then you got backstage Joe. 0:01:21.480 --> 0:01:24.800 But man, I'm gonna go ahead and just get right 0:01:24.840 --> 0:01:28.920 into it because nobody knows this. So a couple of 0:01:28.959 --> 0:01:33.080 years ago, k' well, here's it's been like eight years ago. 0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:37.240 So by eight years ago had had a group of 0:01:37.600 --> 0:01:41.720 wide receivers. Uh in in town, and and it was 0:01:41.760 --> 0:01:43.600 all working out, getting ready. I was getting ready for 0:01:43.640 --> 0:01:46.920 my I think my second to the last season season, 0:01:47.200 --> 0:01:50.560 the second of last season. And so we're going and 0:01:50.720 --> 0:01:54.440 uh Cooks is with me. Man he come in town. 0:01:54.920 --> 0:01:57.520 Let me tell you so this dude is so O 0:01:57.760 --> 0:02:03.760 c D. When I say O c D, he I 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:07.880 mean walked through your stuff like this dude. He first, 0:02:08.080 --> 0:02:12.360 he getting the car, he crossing and taking the Lord. 0:02:12.919 --> 0:02:15.880 He put the seatbelt on, He thinking the Lord. Man 0:02:16.680 --> 0:02:19.680 hold on. He gets to the stoplight, he taking the Lord. 0:02:20.360 --> 0:02:22.639 He's looking right, he's looking like you can never put 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:27.000 you on the anointing. Now, yes you can, at yes 0:02:27.200 --> 0:02:34.040 you can. I started worrying. It wasn't my driving. Are 0:02:34.080 --> 0:02:37.160 you I finally said something, probably about after the twentie 0:02:37.160 --> 0:02:40.679 of time, I said, are you okay? No, man, I'm good. 0:02:40.720 --> 0:02:42.960 I just you know, just gotta be thankful. I'm thankful too. 0:02:43.040 --> 0:02:44.960 But at some point you gotta keep your eyes on 0:02:45.000 --> 0:02:49.560 the road. I started like speeding, slowing down, stopping and see, look, 0:02:50.160 --> 0:02:54.440 is he gonna do it? He ain't remember. After this 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:56.760 day I knew he was looking to me. I gotta 0:02:56.840 --> 0:02:59.600 keep on going. I knew. At some point he was like, man, 0:02:59.680 --> 0:03:05.880 you all right, what what to walk us through that? 0:03:06.080 --> 0:03:09.960 I mean, just just give us. I can't remember what 0:03:10.000 --> 0:03:11.720 you said. It threw me off, so I was kind 0:03:11.720 --> 0:03:15.000 of letting you live. But you know, now I don't 0:03:15.040 --> 0:03:18.800 have to go ahead. I gotta I gotta be honest 0:03:18.840 --> 0:03:20.360 with y'all. Think it was just a little bit too 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:22.840 much to l c D. Because I dialed back on 0:03:22.919 --> 0:03:24.880 that a little bit, you know what I mean, even me. 0:03:25.080 --> 0:03:27.120 My wife started to kiss me and she was like, 0:03:27.160 --> 0:03:31.120 all right, now you all right? Really you know what 0:03:31.160 --> 0:03:32.839 I mean. I take a look in the mirror, like, man, 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:35.200 am I good? Like I don't remember doing it this much? 0:03:35.320 --> 0:03:38.480 You know what I mean? Uh, but I dialed back. 0:03:38.680 --> 0:03:40.680 I dialed back, So what do you what do you think? 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:44.400 What do you think that comes from? Like I would 0:03:44.400 --> 0:03:47.320 say truthfully, that probably anxiety. You need to be honest 0:03:47.360 --> 0:03:50.640 with you. I felt like, you know, those those early years, 0:03:50.680 --> 0:03:52.520 I was dealing with a lot of anxiety because I 0:03:52.600 --> 0:03:54.680 started to look back to myself like, man, and I 0:03:54.720 --> 0:03:57.360 were going to stay. I'm in high school. I wasn't 0:03:57.360 --> 0:03:58.720 doing all that, you know what I mean. I was 0:03:58.720 --> 0:04:01.040 still taking care of business just because I get to 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:03.760 the league, you know what makes that change? And I 0:04:03.840 --> 0:04:06.400 just I think the anxiety, uh, you know, start to 0:04:06.400 --> 0:04:08.600 build as a young guy, and then I have to 0:04:08.680 --> 0:04:10.400 you know, like I said doll back, you know when 0:04:10.560 --> 0:04:12.880 when you got people around you, like you know, noticing 0:04:12.920 --> 0:04:15.000 now you start to question like, okay, what really is 0:04:15.040 --> 0:04:17.960 going on? Um? And uh you know how to rate 0:04:18.000 --> 0:04:20.400 a conscious effort on you know, dowaling that back. So 0:04:20.440 --> 0:04:22.080 I would really say it was probably of the anxiety 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:25.520 to be honestly, I mean, use your first you know, 0:04:25.640 --> 0:04:27.760 your first round draft pick, you go to New Orleans, 0:04:27.839 --> 0:04:31.800 you're catching a thousand footballs. You know, you're playing in 0:04:31.800 --> 0:04:33.920 the offense, You're playing with Drew Brees, You're playing in 0:04:33.960 --> 0:04:39.720 the offense that is not short of yardage, right, and 0:04:39.839 --> 0:04:43.240 yet on an outside, on the outside looking in, everything 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:50.839 looks great that you're telling me, on the inside you're struggling. Yea. 0:04:51.680 --> 0:04:55.200 Is it pretty much every single day? You know, yeah, 0:04:55.200 --> 0:04:58.280 early on, Yeah, because you just felt that. I just 0:04:58.760 --> 0:05:00.919 I wouldn't necessarily call it pressure. I think it's just 0:05:01.000 --> 0:05:03.200 the one to be perfect, you know what I mean, 0:05:04.640 --> 0:05:08.240 and you know do something you know, you think like 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:10.400 that's never been done. But then again, when you think 0:05:10.440 --> 0:05:12.120 that way, as you know, you play this game for 0:05:12.120 --> 0:05:14.480 so many years, you're never gonna be perfect, you know 0:05:14.520 --> 0:05:17.240 what I mean. And the better that you can play relax, 0:05:17.760 --> 0:05:20.040 the better off you will be. But I thought opposite, 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:22.320 you know, I thought to myself, well, you know, the 0:05:22.360 --> 0:05:25.320 more tense I am, the more locked in I am, 0:05:25.440 --> 0:05:27.160 the better off I be. And I think that's the 0:05:27.279 --> 0:05:31.760 kind of creative the anxiety. Uh you know, early on, Yeah, 0:05:32.080 --> 0:05:35.560 what if, what if anything have you put in place 0:05:35.680 --> 0:05:38.160 to try to circumvent that whenever you feel it like 0:05:38.839 --> 0:05:40.720 bubbling up or if you feel like, you know, I'm 0:05:40.720 --> 0:05:42.760 gonna take myself back down that place? What if you 0:05:42.839 --> 0:05:46.200 put in place within yourself too, Because it sounds like 0:05:46.240 --> 0:05:49.159 you're you're a little bit more removed from it. Oh no, yeah, 0:05:49.520 --> 0:05:51.560 I'm saying I'm far removed from a lot of that. 0:05:51.600 --> 0:05:54.120 And I think, just really, uh, you know, I listening 0:05:54.160 --> 0:05:57.760 to my wife, Uh you know, I'm really valuing her feedback. 0:05:57.800 --> 0:05:59.920 Once again, you earlier on, you're like, yeah, I hear 0:06:00.040 --> 0:06:02.120 you and all, but you don't understand it. Back the 0:06:02.200 --> 0:06:03.880 end of the day, they, as we all know, they're 0:06:03.880 --> 0:06:06.559 looking out the best, you know, our best interest. Um, 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:08.760 so you know, she has stepping stone in that aspect. 0:06:08.920 --> 0:06:10.719 But even when I'm out there by myself, I just 0:06:10.760 --> 0:06:13.839 remind myself, like, man, I've been doing this for a minute. 0:06:13.839 --> 0:06:16.799 I'm a dog. Uh there, you don't need to create 0:06:16.839 --> 0:06:20.880 that extra uh you know, internal pressure you know we're doing. 0:06:21.120 --> 0:06:23.880 And I really started to uh hone in on that 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:28.520 and truly believe it. So what did what did your 0:06:28.560 --> 0:06:33.080 wife say to you? That really started started to hit 0:06:33.200 --> 0:06:37.520 home because you know, sometimes we around people that surround 0:06:37.600 --> 0:06:41.120 us a lot, and there are habits that she just 0:06:41.720 --> 0:06:46.159 you know, they're just saying that we start to have 0:06:46.279 --> 0:06:50.440 selected hearing where we start to um, you know, kind 0:06:50.480 --> 0:06:54.240 of dismiss uh people who are around us a lot 0:06:54.320 --> 0:07:00.200 their input, especially evaluating ourselves. Yeah, the biggest thing stick 0:07:00.240 --> 0:07:02.240 with me today. It was like, you know, it's just 0:07:02.279 --> 0:07:04.480 a couple of words. You're like, man, you you're changing, 0:07:04.920 --> 0:07:07.880 like you ain't the same. And then when when she 0:07:07.920 --> 0:07:09.240 said that, I'm like, what you know what I mean? 0:07:09.279 --> 0:07:11.720 What you mean? She goes, just you just ain't the same. 0:07:11.760 --> 0:07:13.480 You ain't free no more, you know what I mean, 0:07:13.520 --> 0:07:15.720 You're not You're not you're not moving around like you 0:07:15.760 --> 0:07:18.720 know who you are anymore. You. You kind of you know, 0:07:18.760 --> 0:07:22.000 you confuse and you know in that conversation, you know, 0:07:22.040 --> 0:07:24.760 it's different between like hey you all right, blah blah blah. 0:07:24.760 --> 0:07:27.240 But once you you know, you you hit words like that, 0:07:27.280 --> 0:07:29.600 You're like, all right, now, this person with me every 0:07:29.640 --> 0:07:32.400 day and if they can see a change, Uh, you 0:07:32.440 --> 0:07:34.800 know that that means something like you're just putting too 0:07:34.880 --> 0:07:37.800 much on yourself. You ain't playing the same, you ain't 0:07:37.840 --> 0:07:41.480 coming home for practice the same. Uh. You know. Granted, 0:07:41.520 --> 0:07:43.840 you know we've been together since college, so she can 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:46.120 truly say that, you know what I mean. She could 0:07:46.160 --> 0:07:48.920 say how I was coming home from practice back then 0:07:49.120 --> 0:07:52.040 versus uh, you know when I got in the league, 0:07:52.080 --> 0:07:54.920 and and that kind of hit home with me. Uh 0:07:55.040 --> 0:07:57.800 do you think some of I mean, you've been on 0:07:58.320 --> 0:08:02.080 you've been traded at three three times now, yea, you've 0:08:02.080 --> 0:08:07.640 been traded three times. How has that experience maybe played 0:08:07.720 --> 0:08:12.640 into that? Take us down each one? Not without I 0:08:12.680 --> 0:08:17.000 want you to be your authentic self. I don't necessarily 0:08:17.080 --> 0:08:19.240 want you to, you know, if someone here is just that, 0:08:19.960 --> 0:08:24.240 oh he threw such and such under the ye but 0:08:24.240 --> 0:08:28.360 but being but it's also what you've experienced, right, you 0:08:28.520 --> 0:08:34.200 experience what you experience, yea, but being traded three times 0:08:34.960 --> 0:08:39.680 and you you weren't traded because you can't play. Yeah, 0:08:39.800 --> 0:08:42.400 I think you know, that's a great question, because through 0:08:42.480 --> 0:08:45.560 some of those trades early on, I started to notice 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:47.200 some of that was coming back, you know what I mean. 0:08:47.240 --> 0:08:50.880 I get traded from New Orleans, UM to New England, 0:08:51.360 --> 0:08:53.400 and I'm like at that point, I'm like, all right, well, look, 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:55.160 you know, I'm going for a first round going to 0:08:55.800 --> 0:08:58.280 a contending team like that one didn't really you know, 0:08:58.400 --> 0:09:02.000 hit me that much, just because that's earlier on the career. 0:09:02.040 --> 0:09:05.480 But the one from New England to the Rams, you 0:09:05.520 --> 0:09:07.400 know hit me because, like you know, we get to 0:09:07.440 --> 0:09:10.840 the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, you know, uh, you know, I 0:09:10.920 --> 0:09:12.800 get hit and I get concussed, I get knocked out 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:16.000 the Super Bowl. So I'm like, man, I'm just I 0:09:16.120 --> 0:09:18.559 was just your leading receiver, you know what i mean, 0:09:18.640 --> 0:09:20.800 first year being able to pick that offense up. I'm 0:09:20.840 --> 0:09:22.600 thinking to myself, at least I'm gonna fish my fifth 0:09:22.679 --> 0:09:25.320 year option, uh and get a chance at this again. 0:09:25.760 --> 0:09:28.160 You know, clearly that didn't happen. And so when I 0:09:28.200 --> 0:09:31.080 got traded to l A, I'm like, well, damn, I 0:09:31.080 --> 0:09:33.520 mean I just produce. Now, I get it. You know, 0:09:33.559 --> 0:09:35.880 they do things their way. They don't you know, pay 0:09:35.920 --> 0:09:39.320 guys markets. So I look at that and I said, okay, 0:09:39.360 --> 0:09:42.559 I understand that. So I'm at l A and I'm 0:09:42.559 --> 0:09:44.840 picking it up, and once again, we go to the 0:09:44.840 --> 0:09:48.079 super Bowl and uh, you know this is the one 0:09:48.120 --> 0:09:51.600 where really hit me. That super Bowl. You know, I 0:09:51.600 --> 0:09:54.680 feel like I didn't performed to my best um and 0:09:54.760 --> 0:09:57.160 out here again. Next year, I had another chance at it, 0:09:57.160 --> 0:10:00.000 and I feel like, in my opinion, I failed again. 0:10:00.440 --> 0:10:03.880 And going into that off season, bro, I was just 0:10:04.640 --> 0:10:07.240 I'm like, damn, what well, I can't get over this hump. Like, yeah, 0:10:07.280 --> 0:10:09.720 I'm producing throughout the season, but you know, the biggest 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:12.920 stage that you want to play on, I didn't. I 0:10:13.120 --> 0:10:17.079 didn't make it happen. And I remember that year, you know, uh, 0:10:17.480 --> 0:10:20.280 targets was getting you know, taking away. So then I'm 0:10:20.280 --> 0:10:23.040 really in my head. Yeah, that year I think I had, 0:10:23.760 --> 0:10:27.480 uh two was the two to three concussions. And you know, 0:10:27.720 --> 0:10:30.200 I go see a specialist and they go, look, ain't 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:33.560 nothing wrong with struct structurally is And this is without 0:10:33.640 --> 0:10:35.480 him even ask me any questions. You know, he did 0:10:35.520 --> 0:10:38.160 some tests like, man, your anxiety is through the roof, 0:10:39.280 --> 0:10:43.480 and I'm like, I'm thinking aboutself. Yeah, yeah, he ain't 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:47.079 lying because that that O c D is starting to 0:10:47.120 --> 0:10:50.840 come back. I'm talking about pregame. Um I'm doing you know, 0:10:50.880 --> 0:10:53.960 I'm hitting across this too many times. Uh. Like I 0:10:54.040 --> 0:10:57.000 was in the car back then, and one thing he 0:10:57.040 --> 0:10:59.680 said to me, like, well, people don't understand anxiety portion, 0:11:00.400 --> 0:11:01.760 you know what I mean. It's like you red line 0:11:01.800 --> 0:11:04.719 and already, so any little thing that that could take 0:11:04.720 --> 0:11:07.440 you over that red line is very minimal. You know. 0:11:07.480 --> 0:11:09.520 Most people start out here, you you can get some 0:11:09.640 --> 0:11:11.240 hits and then all of a sudden that you have 0:11:11.320 --> 0:11:14.240 the red line. But for me, I'm near already. And 0:11:14.320 --> 0:11:16.480 so he're like, look, I'm not worried about you. If 0:11:16.520 --> 0:11:19.600 you can get this downpack, you know, could everybody start questioning, like, 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:21.720 you know, because should you keep going? And when he 0:11:21.800 --> 0:11:23.719 told me that, I took that as a challengs like, 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:25.679 you know what, I let this game too much to 0:11:25.720 --> 0:11:28.439 be away from it this soon, I'm gonna get this fixed. 0:11:28.440 --> 0:11:30.800 So I start seeing the mental coade. So hold on, 0:11:30.920 --> 0:11:34.680 we're gonna go there. But let's go backwards. Your anxiety 0:11:34.840 --> 0:11:43.040 was so high that it was it was starting to 0:11:43.440 --> 0:11:47.439 infiltrate your whole body and your mind to the point 0:11:47.440 --> 0:11:53.320 of where and I say this tongue in cheek, but basically, 0:11:53.320 --> 0:11:58.600 somebody just breathes on you and it would and your 0:11:58.679 --> 0:12:03.079 body literally was responding, just ready to shut down. You're 0:12:03.080 --> 0:12:05.960 ready to shut down. So you were having not just 0:12:06.360 --> 0:12:08.880 you weren't having a concussion where your brain was hitting 0:12:08.880 --> 0:12:15.960 against you, having full yeah, yeah, yep, yeah, yeah, yep. 0:12:16.559 --> 0:12:20.400 And and at first I'm like man, but then I like, man, 0:12:20.400 --> 0:12:22.120 he got a point though, because I'm like, you know, 0:12:22.120 --> 0:12:24.480 it'll be some games I'm fine, some games I'm good, 0:12:25.000 --> 0:12:27.800 and in some games I'm just you know, I'm tricky, 0:12:28.360 --> 0:12:30.320 and I'm an say I'm ready to go because in 0:12:30.360 --> 0:12:32.480 my mind, like, all right, I gotta make up for 0:12:32.600 --> 0:12:34.880 these last you know, a couple of Super Bowl performances, 0:12:35.520 --> 0:12:37.719 and as you know now looking back at it, you 0:12:37.800 --> 0:12:39.760 can't make up with it and make it up in 0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:42.520 one game, or you can't make up you know, you 0:12:42.520 --> 0:12:44.920 can't really make it up, you know what I'm saying. 0:12:45.280 --> 0:12:47.840 And as a receiver, you know, we depend on so 0:12:47.960 --> 0:12:51.320 many factors that to be successful, and so here I 0:12:51.320 --> 0:12:53.680 am putting that pressure on me and at the end 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:55.720 of the day, I can control some of it, but 0:12:55.800 --> 0:12:57.640 most of it. I can't control play calling, I can't 0:12:57.640 --> 0:13:00.280 control with the quarterback throw. I can't control on any 0:13:00.320 --> 0:13:03.800 of those things. And uh, I have to really really 0:13:03.800 --> 0:13:07.680 see that for what it was, your face looking yourself 0:13:07.679 --> 0:13:13.199 in the mirror. Yep, you've seen a specialist, You've talked 0:13:13.320 --> 0:13:16.680 you've talked to boss Hog. The wife, you know, she's 0:13:16.679 --> 0:13:19.200 she's been around you, she knows exactly who you are. 0:13:19.320 --> 0:13:24.320 She you are known to her. And then now you 0:13:24.440 --> 0:13:28.120 just have to sit and you're left with not just 0:13:28.480 --> 0:13:33.920 professional decisions, but personal decisions that affects your your your 0:13:33.960 --> 0:13:39.120 profession that you're trying to control football which you have 0:13:39.200 --> 0:13:41.760 no control over, and the person and the things that 0:13:41.800 --> 0:13:45.880 the person you can't control as yourself, which which takes 0:13:46.280 --> 0:13:50.800 some time. So then after that, how do you harness 0:13:51.320 --> 0:13:56.360 and control and also let go of all these things 0:13:56.400 --> 0:14:00.199 that you're balancing that you have put you have um 0:14:00.320 --> 0:14:10.480 artificially and really tangible realistically put on your shoulders. Yeah, 0:14:10.520 --> 0:14:14.000 that's a great question. I think just over the years, uh, 0:14:14.120 --> 0:14:16.040 it's been a little bit by a little bit because 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:18.520 I think the biggest thing I was face was like Okay, 0:14:18.760 --> 0:14:21.200 if I continue to go down this road, I don't 0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:23.760 get to play this game that that I love. Right, 0:14:24.360 --> 0:14:26.640 So at that point you're thinking, well, I'm willing to 0:14:26.680 --> 0:14:29.920 do whatever I can fix that. And then you look 0:14:29.960 --> 0:14:33.040 at your family and and then you know, when she 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:35.160 gets you know, boss Hall, like you said, give me 0:14:35.200 --> 0:14:37.800 the green light, I'm like, okay, I can't let her down. 0:14:38.800 --> 0:14:42.120 And when you have your first child, you think this, Okay, 0:14:42.640 --> 0:14:44.720 I'm too young to be not to be away from 0:14:44.760 --> 0:14:48.080 this game. So now I gotta think to myself what 0:14:48.120 --> 0:14:49.760 I what am I gonna do to be able to 0:14:49.760 --> 0:14:52.000 see to be able to let him see me play 0:14:52.040 --> 0:14:54.480 this game for a while. So it really just came 0:14:54.520 --> 0:14:58.560 down to a personal decision and seeing mental coaches and 0:14:58.640 --> 0:15:01.520 trying to just get rid of some of those things 0:15:01.520 --> 0:15:05.640 that I was, uh, you know facing, And every single 0:15:05.720 --> 0:15:07.520 year has been better. First of all, how long have 0:15:07.600 --> 0:15:10.000 you been How long have you been sent a mental coach? 0:15:10.320 --> 0:15:12.720 I would say going over three years. Ever since my 0:15:12.800 --> 0:15:15.160 last year in that l as I was getting traded 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:23.400 to Houston, is when I started that process. That to 0:15:23.480 --> 0:15:26.360 my year with three years? And how did how did 0:15:26.400 --> 0:15:30.480 you go about that process? And was it was it easy. 0:15:30.640 --> 0:15:35.080 Was it difficult? Was it? Were you nervous? Um? Yeah, 0:15:35.120 --> 0:15:37.640 you know. At first I had a lot of pride, 0:15:37.840 --> 0:15:40.920 you know that go and then but I had to 0:15:40.920 --> 0:15:44.320 tell myself, you know, getting rid of that pride is 0:15:44.360 --> 0:15:45.920 gonna help me. And so I would say it was 0:15:45.960 --> 0:15:49.479 tough at first. Then went through an interview process, interviewing 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:51.920 different people, you know, talking to guys who may have 0:15:52.000 --> 0:15:55.080 had one. Typically seems like the quarterbacks usually have one. 0:15:55.480 --> 0:15:57.840 So you know, I hit whether it's X quarterbacks or 0:15:57.840 --> 0:16:00.120 other quarterbacks around the league that I got respect for, 0:16:00.840 --> 0:16:03.080 found their guy, interviewed them, and then came down to 0:16:03.120 --> 0:16:05.760 a decision on what was best for me in the 0:16:05.880 --> 0:16:09.040 interview process. What were some of the questions or how 0:16:09.080 --> 0:16:11.600 did you come up with the questions? And I wouldn't know, 0:16:12.800 --> 0:16:15.640 I personally, I wouldn't know what what to ask a guy. 0:16:16.120 --> 0:16:18.320 Then I say I didn't I didn't know at all. 0:16:18.320 --> 0:16:22.120 All I knew was I was having anxiety problems and 0:16:22.480 --> 0:16:25.200 I'll just let them speak and you know, and and 0:16:25.800 --> 0:16:28.040 listen to them. And it was more so a listening 0:16:28.080 --> 0:16:30.880 process because I had no clue with the ask had 0:16:30.920 --> 0:16:33.120 no clue you know what I mean, I had nobody 0:16:33.160 --> 0:16:37.200 really lean on, um, you know, for questions to ask. 0:16:37.680 --> 0:16:40.600 You're known as a person who has a huge amount 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:42.960 of faith, whether it's your your bow and arrow, you've 0:16:43.240 --> 0:16:46.200 mentioned your the crosses that you do. How did that 0:16:46.240 --> 0:16:48.640 come into play? And even on a practical level, because 0:16:48.760 --> 0:16:50.720 even when some people say faith, it's like this kind 0:16:50.720 --> 0:16:53.040 of whimsical kind of punt. But what what did that 0:16:53.120 --> 0:16:54.840 look like on a day to day basis with you know, 0:16:54.880 --> 0:16:58.280 I see, and that was a part that Um, you know, 0:16:58.320 --> 0:17:01.640 I look at myself as like I still held onto that, 0:17:01.720 --> 0:17:04.320 but it was clearly I wasn't trusting. I wasn't trusting. 0:17:05.040 --> 0:17:08.560 I would let me interject and let me say, from 0:17:08.600 --> 0:17:11.639 sitting on the outside in that's a fantastic question, and 0:17:11.680 --> 0:17:19.080 I would say, knowing him zero faith, I respect because 0:17:19.119 --> 0:17:22.320 and the reason why it is because if you if 0:17:22.320 --> 0:17:24.960 you're a believer, you can't be asking God every single 0:17:25.000 --> 0:17:29.399 stoplight to save me. Well, he gave you a driver's license, 0:17:29.480 --> 0:17:31.920 it ain't like you ain't got But I'm just saying 0:17:31.920 --> 0:17:36.320 it because I'm saying it in defense but also in 0:17:36.359 --> 0:17:41.639 a great conversation because you know, um, I've been the 0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:44.760 last I'm reading every month, I'm reading this new book. 0:17:44.760 --> 0:17:47.760 And one of these books they talked. They talked about 0:17:48.200 --> 0:17:50.760 when the game is called uh, when the game is over, 0:17:50.800 --> 0:17:52.760 and they put it back in the box, right, and 0:17:52.800 --> 0:17:58.160 it talks about um in your in your career, you 0:17:58.359 --> 0:18:01.120 have to whether you like it or not, you will 0:18:01.160 --> 0:18:05.200 be cheating something like if you if you are working 0:18:05.359 --> 0:18:10.360 a hundred percent of the time, that means you're cheating. Yeah. Yeah, 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:14.320 but it says you're cheating your kids from having their daddy. Right, 0:18:14.680 --> 0:18:17.119 you're cheating if if you if you at the house 0:18:18.119 --> 0:18:22.160 and you're not at work like you're supposed to be. Yes, no, no, 0:18:22.200 --> 0:18:24.840 but you're cheating. So that and so this book is 0:18:24.880 --> 0:18:28.800 basically saying you're gonna cheat something. Something is going to 0:18:29.000 --> 0:18:31.280 like you said, fall by the way, So you can't 0:18:31.320 --> 0:18:34.800 you can't, But but you also can't give your time 0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:39.080 and your talents to every single thing you do. It's 0:18:39.119 --> 0:18:44.119 not enough hours in the days. And so by saying 0:18:44.119 --> 0:18:47.199 by by saying that, I realized you have to you 0:18:47.240 --> 0:18:51.359 have to. You have to literally say if I choose 0:18:51.400 --> 0:18:54.760 to be one of the best friends, that I can 0:18:54.840 --> 0:19:00.320 be that to one person. That means a few other people. Yeah, 0:19:00.560 --> 0:19:03.399 I'm I'm still in that time from them right to 0:19:03.440 --> 0:19:07.040 give to that you know quotes that best friend. And 0:19:07.080 --> 0:19:11.600 so I'm taking this is it if you are trying 0:19:11.640 --> 0:19:13.720 to be picture perfect and everything you do on a 0:19:13.760 --> 0:19:19.359 football field, and you are having anxiety walking across the street, 0:19:20.080 --> 0:19:23.400 you praying you don't choke Paul's on this hot dog 0:19:23.440 --> 0:19:27.720 you're about to eat. Literally to everything you do, you 0:19:27.800 --> 0:19:32.760 are worried that the worst thing can happen you. And 0:19:32.880 --> 0:19:37.560 as a believer, you cannot say you have faith because 0:19:37.880 --> 0:19:41.240 your prayers are showing that you don't have faith in 0:19:41.280 --> 0:19:44.840 the Lord at anything, because you're scared of everything. See 0:19:44.920 --> 0:19:49.200 that means that you you are not walking in faith, 0:19:50.560 --> 0:19:57.320 You're you're actually praying in fear. And go ahead. I 0:19:57.640 --> 0:20:00.080 just that's just something that like I just kind to 0:20:00.960 --> 0:20:04.280 knowing you and going back like when I was we 0:20:04.440 --> 0:20:08.639 were with each other for three weeks, you know, he 0:20:08.720 --> 0:20:16.840 was like four or five days, bro, he had me shook. Yeah, 0:20:17.359 --> 0:20:19.720 yeah no, But and then double back on that. That's 0:20:19.720 --> 0:20:22.040 the truth. It's like, you know, it's like he talked 0:20:22.040 --> 0:20:25.240 about you, you can't have two items. You can't serve 0:20:25.280 --> 0:20:29.200 God and money, right, And and I'm saying money on 0:20:29.280 --> 0:20:31.119 situation because that's what they're saying in the Bible. But 0:20:31.200 --> 0:20:36.200 at that time, I was serving uh perfection, Uh my game. 0:20:36.280 --> 0:20:38.520 I was that. That's what I was putting my hope in, 0:20:39.119 --> 0:20:41.119 um you know most of the time, because I was 0:20:41.160 --> 0:20:44.520 so I was so hungry, you know, so ansty to 0:20:44.600 --> 0:20:46.880 be able to make up for something. Yeah, I am here, 0:20:47.040 --> 0:20:48.840 you know, going back into the Bookie Rey. Here, I'm 0:20:48.880 --> 0:20:52.240 gonna cheat my time, my quiet time. Why because as 0:20:52.280 --> 0:20:54.040 soon as I get up, I want to go straight 0:20:54.040 --> 0:20:56.919 to work because I think to myself, well, if I 0:20:56.960 --> 0:20:59.280 go do this, I'm gonna make up for If I 0:20:59.320 --> 0:21:01.159 do this, I'm care for. If I do this, when 0:21:01.200 --> 0:21:02.440 it gets to it, I'm gonna make up for it. 0:21:02.680 --> 0:21:05.840 So here I am forgetting about really the most important 0:21:05.840 --> 0:21:08.480 thing that got me to the position I'm in. And 0:21:09.359 --> 0:21:11.359 you know, so it goes back to that book. You're 0:21:11.400 --> 0:21:13.560 talking about you cheating something, and at that same at 0:21:13.560 --> 0:21:15.720 that time, I was cheating my faith. You know. Yeah, 0:21:15.760 --> 0:21:18.919 I'm still reading y'all, still praying. But what you know, 0:21:19.000 --> 0:21:21.400 what was there? You know what was I praying for 0:21:21.560 --> 0:21:24.040 and why was I praying? You know, clearly talk about 0:21:24.320 --> 0:21:26.840 do not have anxiety cash and anxiety on him because 0:21:26.880 --> 0:21:30.280 you care well clearly I wasn't casting on him because 0:21:30.320 --> 0:21:33.560 I was holding it all myself. And but you know, 0:21:33.600 --> 0:21:37.480 and that's real, and that's just being just being straightforward. 0:21:41.560 --> 0:21:44.560 I love cut to It, and I love it even 0:21:44.560 --> 0:21:49.000 more when you download us and subscribe and you can 0:21:49.000 --> 0:21:51.520 follow us on social media too, Smithie where where at 0:21:51.800 --> 0:21:56.440 that at? Cut to It? On Instagram? What about twitter? At? 0:21:56.440 --> 0:22:00.520 Cut to It? Facebook? Cut to It featuring Steve smith Senr. 0:22:01.040 --> 0:22:04.080 What about online? And you can follow us that cut 0:22:04.119 --> 0:22:07.280 to It podcast dot com where you can buy merch 0:22:07.680 --> 0:22:10.680 and you can subscribe to us wherever you listen to podcasts. 0:22:11.359 --> 0:22:14.960 I got all my answers, questions. Uh, I got all 0:22:15.040 --> 0:22:18.119 my questions answered. That's what I'm here for. A brother 0:22:18.520 --> 0:22:22.800 cut to a podcast dot com like you know also too, 0:22:22.800 --> 0:22:24.760 it's like, you know, I got I just finished this 0:22:24.880 --> 0:22:27.880 other book and it talks you about um it's like, uh, 0:22:28.080 --> 0:22:31.520