Speaker 1: Are you ready for this? Sean Merriman A one hand effect.
Speaker 1: Boom boom boom, out go the lights. This is Lights
Speaker 1: Out with Sean Merriman. What's up? Guys? Were back again
Speaker 1: with another Lights Out podcast with me Seawan Merriman. And
Speaker 1: today we have a pass rusher in the house, one
Speaker 1: of my favorite guys to watch and you won't believe
Speaker 1: it what team he plays for? Yes, sir, Las Vegas Raiders. Uh,
Speaker 1: I know you guys see me going back and forth
Speaker 1: with the fans. I love messing with the fans on
Speaker 1: social media, especially Raiders fans, because I know they're gonna
Speaker 1: bring it. Every time I say something, they're gonna come
Speaker 1: right back out at me. So I love that. I
Speaker 1: love the back and forth. Um. I'll ask him about
Speaker 1: some of the most recent comments he had about his
Speaker 1: sobriety's racist sobriety. I think of fifteen months, sixteen months. Um,
Speaker 1: he's been doing a hell of a job with that
Speaker 1: and also being vocal about it. UM, also being a leader.
Speaker 1: Coming up this year, they have my former uh Maryland
Speaker 1: Tarop and Yannick on the other side of them too,
Speaker 1: great pass rushers and how they plan on freaking havoc
Speaker 1: this year, Max Crosby. Ladies and gentlemen, here we go,
Speaker 1: my deal. What's up, bro? What's up? But how you're doing?
Speaker 1: I'm good man. How are you feeling doing well? Doing well?
Speaker 1: Just got Yeah, I just worked out and yeah, I
Speaker 1: headed on to get to you. Man. Yeah, we're we're
Speaker 1: you training at this off season. So I've been um
Speaker 1: at the Raiders facility all offseason. So, um, yeah, been
Speaker 1: just working because you wanted to. You're trying to hit
Speaker 1: that workout bonus. No, Hey, I wish I had workout bonuses,
Speaker 1: but I'm not there yet. You know that rookie contract,
Speaker 1: you don't you don't get much of that. So I've
Speaker 1: just been in the house, um, keeping everything close and
Speaker 1: convenient and and getting the workd You know what. I
Speaker 1: thought it was cool that, you know, I like working
Speaker 1: out with the team because you obviously you get the
Speaker 1: camaraderie you did with your fellas and stuff like that.
Speaker 1: But the damn season is so long, man, So I
Speaker 1: was always kind of split in the middle until I
Speaker 1: got that workout bonus put in. When I got the
Speaker 1: workout bonus put in, I think it was five, like
Speaker 1: half a million dollars you know, four or five on
Speaker 1: the grand to get of my workouts. So that's so
Speaker 1: that's when I started to do. Yeah, I don't blame
Speaker 1: you at all. Yeah, but you know, for me, it's
Speaker 1: just I like, you know, I found out my shoulder.
Speaker 1: I had to tear my my labor room and my
Speaker 1: handles messed up. So for me, I live like fifteen
Speaker 1: minutes from the facility and I get all my meal
Speaker 1: prep through the team you know, and everything like that.
Speaker 1: So I just you know, I kept everything close and
Speaker 1: um convenient. Do you think you're gonna get anything done?
Speaker 1: Because that both my shoulders done. I had a rotator
Speaker 1: on my left and I had to slap this location
Speaker 1: on my right, and I was I was cool with
Speaker 1: the rotator for a while and I just put a
Speaker 1: harness on it. Well, when I took the harness off
Speaker 1: the thing, I was thinking I was tougher than I
Speaker 1: actually was. The ship slipped out. It actually slipped out.
Speaker 1: So yeah, you know, it's you know what we're saying.
Speaker 1: So have they have they looked into it and maybe
Speaker 1: cleaning it out and just making sure it's all all
Speaker 1: good for the season. Yeah, So I got cleared um
Speaker 1: over a month ago and I was able to do
Speaker 1: everything in O t A. So we took baby steps
Speaker 1: and things of that nature, but I finally started going
Speaker 1: against people and um we had no no issues. So
Speaker 1: it feels it feels great. Does this season feel a
Speaker 1: little bit different for you guys? Like the energy energy wise?
Speaker 1: Obviously to change location here in Vegas, but I'm in
Speaker 1: Vegas too, by the way, Um here in Vegas. But also, uh,
Speaker 1: what is what is John Bruten's man? His his his
Speaker 1: tone been this entire off. Yeah, you know, I feel
Speaker 1: like the energy is a little bit different because you know,
Speaker 1: last year everyone was worried about COVID and are we
Speaker 1: playing and is they're gonna be fans like, worried about
Speaker 1: so much other things besides football. So um, this year
Speaker 1: has been a little bit different. You know, we know
Speaker 1: there's gonna be fans. Um, we know it's gonna be
Speaker 1: a you know, a real like NFL environment, which we're
Speaker 1: all looking forward to. So I know coach Gruden, um,
Speaker 1: you know he got in. You know, he brought into
Speaker 1: new pieces offensively and obviously defensively. We brought in a
Speaker 1: lot of new people, so um, we're really looking forward
Speaker 1: to it. And I feel like it's gonna be a
Speaker 1: special year. So who's who came in the locker room
Speaker 1: that you didn't expect? Man, You're like, oh, damn that
Speaker 1: that dude. Legit, like any any one of the new
Speaker 1: faces that you know kind of came in because I
Speaker 1: know we've either had free agents, we might have had
Speaker 1: some rookies come in and I'm like, damn that dude.
Speaker 1: That dude for real, anybody's kind of turned your head
Speaker 1: so far? Yeah, you know, Uh, I feel like, you know,
Speaker 1: as as far as a D line when when you
Speaker 1: Nick came in and got Way and and uh Quinn
Speaker 1: Jefferson and and Solomon Thomas, when those guys came in, Um,
Speaker 1: you know, it's just our D line looks a lot different. Um,
Speaker 1: just the way we get off the ball. You know,
Speaker 1: obviously we haven't been in paths yet, but just seeing
Speaker 1: those guys, it's like a bresh of a breath of
Speaker 1: fresh air, and I feel like it's gonna really pay off.
Speaker 1: But yeah, you know, the rookies have looked really good
Speaker 1: and everybody's just working, so it's you know, it's encouraging.
Speaker 1: You know, you guys got a dog and Yannick man Um,
Speaker 1: he went to University of Maryland, and I was, you know,
Speaker 1: kind of a mentor with him when he was younger
Speaker 1: at Maryland and he just started to flourish, dude. And
Speaker 1: I'm I always knew he can play, he can ball,
Speaker 1: but he shocked the hell out of me in Jacksonville
Speaker 1: because I didn't know he had that in him, right,
Speaker 1: because when it was at Maryland, they kind of kept
Speaker 1: him on the leash and they didn't let him go
Speaker 1: and do whatever. And you know, he's kind of bounced
Speaker 1: around since then. Man, But what what what do you
Speaker 1: see happening this year? Because both of you are coming
Speaker 1: off an end like that, somebody, some of the team's
Speaker 1: gonna have to pick their poison, Like what what are
Speaker 1: you gonna start seeing a lot of fan protection who
Speaker 1: they gonna chip off of the side. How you got
Speaker 1: how you guys playing on eating off of that? Yeah,
Speaker 1: you know, that's that's kind of what. Um. You know,
Speaker 1: we expect. We know obviously, it's it's a pick your poison.
Speaker 1: You know, if you want to double Janic, it's gonna
Speaker 1: give me the one on one and vice versas. So
Speaker 1: we know we have a lot of guys who can move. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, click and go inside. He could play three tech.
Speaker 1: We have Solomon who plays you know, either side on
Speaker 1: the interior, and Quentin as well. So you know, obviously
Speaker 1: we have a lot more I feel like we have
Speaker 1: a lot more threats now, and it's gonna be interesting,
Speaker 1: you know, We're gonna change things up and and keep
Speaker 1: the offensive. Guessing how much time have you guys been
Speaker 1: spending away like from the facility? Always always asked this
Speaker 1: because we had you know, back when I was playing,
Speaker 1: we had a close miss team. Man, we were super
Speaker 1: close even off the field. We were really close. Are
Speaker 1: you guys you know, are hanging around your boys like
Speaker 1: away from the game where y'all go there and get
Speaker 1: your work done and you're you're done for the day. Yeah,
Speaker 1: you know. This offseason, um, you know, it's been a
Speaker 1: little bit different. You know. At first, there was a
Speaker 1: lot of teams that were, you know, doing everything virtual,
Speaker 1: and we were one of those teams. And then after
Speaker 1: like a week or two, you know, there was a
Speaker 1: lot of guys that voted like that. We wanted to
Speaker 1: be their fro t A s and get that you know,
Speaker 1: cammaderie and everything. So we decided, you know, ultimately we
Speaker 1: should be in the building together and we got to
Speaker 1: really spend that time together. So it's been a short
Speaker 1: window that we've really been able to spend time. But
Speaker 1: like as far as off the field, you know we are,
Speaker 1: We're staying in contact you know all the time. You know,
Speaker 1: me and John talk all the time. Um, you know,
Speaker 1: we we you know, for us, I feel like that's
Speaker 1: something we've been missing, you know, especially on defense, is
Speaker 1: like like that identity and leadership and like alpha males,
Speaker 1: you know, stepping up and being leaders and that's like
Speaker 1: something I've been taking pride in. I know Yannick is
Speaker 1: doing that. I know you know, other guys are doing
Speaker 1: that as well. So like I feel like we have
Speaker 1: a bunch of alphas and the same you know, tracking
Speaker 1: and in wavelength. I feel like we're gonna have success.
Speaker 1: Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
Speaker 1: the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox sports
Speaker 1: Radio dot com and within the I Heart Radio app
Speaker 1: search f s R to listen live. Have you have
Speaker 1: you always been like that, you know, been vocal and
Speaker 1: been the leader you kind of just stepped into that role. Yeah,
Speaker 1: you know, that's always kind of been my personality has
Speaker 1: always been like as far as on the field, like
Speaker 1: when we're playing on Sundays, I'm usually one of the
Speaker 1: you know, the main guys talking and talking you know,
Speaker 1: like you no, I don't know if I can come
Speaker 1: but talking to Yeah, yeah, I'm talking perfect. So I'm
Speaker 1: talking ship to the other team. But I'm also at
Speaker 1: the same time like bringing guys up if something doesn't
Speaker 1: go our way. Like I've always been that personality. But
Speaker 1: I feel like as far as off the field, now
Speaker 1: I can I have more respect for my teammates just
Speaker 1: you know, as the person I've been. You know, I
Speaker 1: I've been through a lot of ship in my life,
Speaker 1: and you know, I've I've had to make that transition
Speaker 1: of being being sober and completely clean and doing all that,
Speaker 1: and I feel like my teammates respect me more as
Speaker 1: a man and on the field it makes my job
Speaker 1: easier being a leader because they respect me not only
Speaker 1: on the field, but off the field now. So you know,
Speaker 1: just just doing that, you know, that's always I feel
Speaker 1: like that's what I was put here on earth to do,
Speaker 1: is be a leader and lead a group of men.
Speaker 1: And that's that's what I look for into and I really,
Speaker 1: you know, I really want to be a captain, and
Speaker 1: that's that's a big goal of mine. So I'm just
Speaker 1: gonna keep working every day to get that. I saw
Speaker 1: that you you announced that man, with the sobriety and
Speaker 1: the change you made. What what made you? Because I
Speaker 1: always always say this for it. I mean so so
Speaker 1: much of what we do, with what you do now
Speaker 1: is public, right, Like everybody always want to nitpick, and
Speaker 1: we're living in that day and time man, when they
Speaker 1: people just love to take shots at you for any
Speaker 1: kind of bullshit that's going on. What what made you get?
Speaker 1: You know, kind of put that on the front line
Speaker 1: and put that out there, Max. I thought to me
Speaker 1: personally that it was smart, it was responsible. Um, But
Speaker 1: it's also tough, right because you kind of open the
Speaker 1: doors for people to say whatever they want to say regardless. Yeah,
Speaker 1: you know for me, um, you know, the social media
Speaker 1: aspect of it. Just like you said, like everything is
Speaker 1: out there nowadays, and for me, like to be comfortable
Speaker 1: in my own skin. I don't want to be able
Speaker 1: to you know, I don't want to be a shell
Speaker 1: of myself like an interview of like or like in
Speaker 1: public and someone's like here, Max take a drink and
Speaker 1: I don't really know how to answer. Like for me,
Speaker 1: it's like everything nowadays it's so out there, Like I
Speaker 1: don't want it to be anyone questioning is Max doing
Speaker 1: this or this or that about It's like, listen, I'm sober.
Speaker 1: That's what it is, and that's how it how it's
Speaker 1: gonna be. So for me, Like for me, it was
Speaker 1: like taking the next step to really just go out
Speaker 1: there and tell people like listen, this is what I'm doing.
Speaker 1: Um and and you know, for me helping other people,
Speaker 1: you know, I've had so many people reach out and
Speaker 1: you know, a guy like Danil Waller on my team,
Speaker 1: like having him in the locker room with me and
Speaker 1: being able to talk about you know, addiction and things
Speaker 1: like that is is so rare. So me being you know,
Speaker 1: having the platform I have, like being able to really
Speaker 1: talk to kids and you know, no matter what today,
Speaker 1: I've talked to fifty year old grown men who are
Speaker 1: still going through the same issues. So like being you know,
Speaker 1: being in my position, I feel like I can really
Speaker 1: get back and help people out there. No, absolutely, man,
Speaker 1: And that was dope that you did that. What what
Speaker 1: are you are you feeling? Different body wise, you know,
Speaker 1: like not a slug, Like, tell me now that things
Speaker 1: are different, what do you notice? You know better now
Speaker 1: you're waking up better, sleeping better, working out better. What's
Speaker 1: what's the biggest difference right now from you know, you
Speaker 1: kind of turn the things around a little bit. Yeah,
Speaker 1: you know for me, like you know, everyone says the
Speaker 1: first year of sobriety is the hardest, you know, and
Speaker 1: that's you know, my rookie year. I was not sober.
Speaker 1: Um my second year, I was just getting sober and
Speaker 1: so like, you know, you're getting sober, you're fine, and
Speaker 1: you you still have those other advices like now, okay,
Speaker 1: I can't drink, I can't do this. Like I'm you know,
Speaker 1: eat as much as you know you have. You started
Speaker 1: eating a little bit more. You started trying to, you know,
Speaker 1: figure out what you're gonna do. But now I'm you know,
Speaker 1: almost a year and a half sober, and I'm really like,
Speaker 1: I'm falling in love with I've always been a hard
Speaker 1: worker and I love all aways. Been that guy that's
Speaker 1: always the front of line, working my ass off. But
Speaker 1: now it's like I'm falling in love with the process
Speaker 1: of the hard work. Like doing the little ship. Like
Speaker 1: my meal prep. I'm I'm dialed in seven days a week.
Speaker 1: I'm a meal prep. I'm the last guy to leave
Speaker 1: the weight room every single day. I'm I'm trying to
Speaker 1: be that guy. And I'm really starting to like find
Speaker 1: a love for that because I've always been a hard worker,
Speaker 1: but it's like taking that, you know, putting that work
Speaker 1: to like good use and really you know, utilizing everything
Speaker 1: I have. And that's like, you know, like we're talking
Speaker 1: about earlier with being at the building, Like for me,
Speaker 1: my life is simple, and I got my meal prep
Speaker 1: in the same building, My everything right in one little area,
Speaker 1: like I can really lock in and I've noticed the results.
Speaker 1: Like physically, I'm in the best shape I've been in
Speaker 1: my life. And I've been just really focused on and
Speaker 1: using that that addiction to like really take my game
Speaker 1: to where I wanted to be. Dude, That's that's next level.
Speaker 1: People don't understand too um And you know, I'm in
Speaker 1: the more of the mim A world and stuff like this,
Speaker 1: but I train and I love to compete, and I
Speaker 1: still have to because we're wired different and so when
Speaker 1: you do have an addictional you do have something else
Speaker 1: is grabbing that. You Man, We're not like normal people
Speaker 1: like you know, we we have we need something to
Speaker 1: make us go. And so when I when I hear
Speaker 1: you and I hear your story, you're being vocal about it.
Speaker 1: I'm like that, dude, strong as hell, man, because it
Speaker 1: takes a lot, man, because we're we're drilling junkies. We
Speaker 1: want you or we want to go all the time.
Speaker 1: We need a little extra. We're twisted, we're wired a
Speaker 1: little different. And so if you do that, man, was huge. No,
Speaker 1: I appreciate that. Yeah, and I totally agree. I think
Speaker 1: we're just wired. You know. I know I'm not wired
Speaker 1: like some of my buddies. Bat Come, I know I'm
Speaker 1: not like everybody, and that's that's okay. Like for me,
Speaker 1: I'm a grateful recovering alcoholic. I'm not you know, ashamed
Speaker 1: of it. You know. That's that's the thing. I want
Speaker 1: to utilize everything I'm doing and utilize you know that,
Speaker 1: like I said, the addiction for my advantage, using it
Speaker 1: in the positive and helping not only me but other
Speaker 1: people as well. All So I'm gonna get to it, man,
Speaker 1: that that division in the f C West Man, you
Speaker 1: guys are cranked up over the average. You got the Chiefs, Um,
Speaker 1: you got my charges over there, my former charges uh
Speaker 1: in Denver. You know what it looks like. I mean,
Speaker 1: I think they're probably still trying to figure things out
Speaker 1: of quarterback man, but they got you know, nice crew
Speaker 1: that they put together this all season. Van Miller coming back.
Speaker 1: What do you guys see yourself landing in the division
Speaker 1: this year? Yeah? You know, I think every year our division,
Speaker 1: everyone talks, you know, very highly of every team. Everybody's
Speaker 1: got a shot, you know, everyone obviously the Chiefs of
Speaker 1: the top dogs right now, um, and you gotta respect
Speaker 1: them for that. But I feel like, you know, our team,
Speaker 1: it's really it comes down to us at the end
Speaker 1: of the day. It doesn't matter who we're playing. Um,
Speaker 1: I feel like we can beat any We can beat anybody.
Speaker 1: But at the same time, and in the last two years,
Speaker 1: we've also been able to lose to anybody. It doesn't
Speaker 1: matter what the record is. So I feel like us,
Speaker 1: like it really is taking it day by day, one
Speaker 1: one game at a time, when practice at a time,
Speaker 1: and staying locked them from start to finish. You know,
Speaker 1: that's that's the most important thing, you know, because we
Speaker 1: can We went to you know, we went to Cleveland
Speaker 1: and smacked the Browns, We beat the beat the Saints,
Speaker 1: we beat the Chiefs in their place. We know we
Speaker 1: can beat anybody. But at the same time, we can
Speaker 1: go to Atlanta and get smacked by thirty. And that's
Speaker 1: that's what we gotta avoid. You know, we gotta show
Speaker 1: up every game, and no game is more important than
Speaker 1: the other. You know, we just gotta take it one
Speaker 1: of the time and I feel like we got the
Speaker 1: right pieces to do that. Have the fans traveled up
Speaker 1: with you guys, because I mean, I'm I have a
Speaker 1: place here in Vegas. I do spend a lot of
Speaker 1: time here now, um, but when I'm in town, man,
Speaker 1: I see a lot of Raiders. I mean it's dude,
Speaker 1: I was getting my hair cut the other day and
Speaker 1: it's the Raider stuff behind my I'm surrounded by it.
Speaker 1: It's it's it's sickening for me as a Charger. But
Speaker 1: you know, you guys, man, you're the fans for the Raiders.
Speaker 1: And that's why I love mess with him so much
Speaker 1: on social media because I know that they're gonna come
Speaker 1: back and attack. I already know that I'm gonna have
Speaker 1: to plan a couple hours just respond back because they're
Speaker 1: not gonna play around. Have you seen that walking around
Speaker 1: town or just be and out here period. You know,
Speaker 1: Raider fans since I've been drafted, the Raider fans, they're
Speaker 1: they're so passionate about everything. You know, no matter if
Speaker 1: we lose, when they're all in and like you said,
Speaker 1: they'll respond to you and you know, you know they're
Speaker 1: gonna come back no matter what. So like that's what
Speaker 1: I love about it. And you know this this whole
Speaker 1: the whole fan base because when you're doing well, they'll
Speaker 1: let you know. And if you're bullshit and you're not
Speaker 1: playing to the level they expect you to, they're gonna
Speaker 1: let you know as well. So yeah, Vegas, I like,
Speaker 1: especially in Henderson and Henderson is more of like a
Speaker 1: community and you know, families and things of that nature.
Speaker 1: Like there's Raiders fans everywhere. It's crazy. You know, I
Speaker 1: get stopped all the time, and you know on the strip,
Speaker 1: you know there's I get stopped at times. But it's
Speaker 1: a little bit different because people are traveling from all
Speaker 1: over the world and you know, it's a little it's
Speaker 1: a little bit different. But I know this team and
Speaker 1: in this city, is is really wanting wanting the winner,
Speaker 1: and that's that's all you can really ask for. So
Speaker 1: that's that's up to us to go out there and
Speaker 1: you know, earn, earn the fans respect because you know,
Speaker 1: the Golden Knights have done it right now and they
Speaker 1: turned the city upside down. So hey, dude, I appreciate
Speaker 1: it for coming on. Thanks for your time, and good
Speaker 1: luck to sees other than those two games. But other
Speaker 1: than I'm not those only two games, I'm not rooting for.
Speaker 1: The Other than that, I wish y'all luck this year. Man,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna come and check you guys out. I can't
Speaker 1: wait to see what you and Yann are gonna do. Man,
Speaker 1: coming off that edge and uh, you know, I know
Speaker 1: how it's like to have that two headed monster man
Speaker 1: and one of you guys gonna get off and one
Speaker 1: of you guys gonna be double teams. So hopefully it's
Speaker 1: not you, Yes, sir, I appreciate it. Man. Once uh,
Speaker 1: once I get Herbert this year, I'm gonna hit your side.
Speaker 1: I'll be there, my dude. Appreciate you, bro, appreciate it.
Speaker 1: Thanks guys for listening in to another lights Out Podcast
Speaker 1: with Me Sean Raymond and uh, that was cool for me. One.
Speaker 1: I always love having really good pass rushing in the
Speaker 1: house because they you know, I always say this, there's
Speaker 1: a lot of positions on the field, a lot of
Speaker 1: athletic guys, a lot of beats. Well, when you talk
Speaker 1: about a guy who can brush the pastor you have
Speaker 1: to have a different mentality. Look across the NFL, look
Speaker 1: at these great pass rush these guys who can really
Speaker 1: get after it. They they're built different. You know, some
Speaker 1: of these guys are able to rush the past and
Speaker 1: also be able to run with a tighten down the field.
Speaker 1: A couple of running back out of the backfield. So
Speaker 1: good luck this year, only good luck except for the
Speaker 1: two games they played. My charges, Max Crosby, thanks for
Speaker 1: coming on. Thank you guys for listening in to another
Speaker 1: lights Out podcast Me Sean, and keep leaving those great reviews,
Speaker 1: uh those comments, reposting anytime you guys here on or
Speaker 1: it's watching on social media, the videos you guys repost,
Speaker 1: so I appreciate that. But we're coming back next week
Speaker 1: with another great one.