Speaker 1: Welcome into the Official Jets podcast. Eric on here at
Speaker 1: one Jets Drive, joined by Jet tackle Morgan Moses. Does
Speaker 1: it feel like you never left?
Speaker 2: Man? It feels like home, man.
Speaker 3: You know, obviously being around the guys, the energy, obviously
Speaker 3: hearing everything about Aaron Rodgers, what he brings to the table.
Speaker 3: Just to be able to be around a guy that's
Speaker 3: you know, been in so many meaningful games, so much
Speaker 3: football and just see how he takes command of the offense.
Speaker 3: But just being around the guys, man, it's just, uh,
Speaker 3: it's been fun. Man, I'm excited.
Speaker 2: So when you.
Speaker 1: Stepped out of here post twenty twenty one, did you
Speaker 1: think you'd ever be back?
Speaker 3: I look, man, it was it was crazy because like
Speaker 3: you know, I never really wanted to leave because it
Speaker 3: was I was I believed in the culture that was
Speaker 3: being set here, you know, at coach Sala being a
Speaker 3: great coach, Like he's one of those coaches that where
Speaker 3: you just want to run through the wall for right,
Speaker 3: and that family atmosphere that he brings, man, is hard
Speaker 3: to find. So when you can get that in any organization, man,
Speaker 3: like eat football's easy, right, it just becomes the game
Speaker 3: that you fell in love with when you were four
Speaker 3: or five years old. You just come to work and
Speaker 3: you put a helmet on and you enjoy the game
Speaker 3: with your guys. So just being able to be back
Speaker 3: in the fold and be here and knowing that I
Speaker 3: have a mission that was not accomplished when I was
Speaker 3: here in twenty twenty one, it set some standards for me.
Speaker 3: So I'm excited to be here and I'm excited to
Speaker 3: just to give back.
Speaker 1: But could you see something developing in twenty twenty one
Speaker 1: because you guys took a couple of months. No way,
Speaker 1: that was a tranere.
Speaker 3: Hey look, i'm gonna tell you this, man, I'm gonna
Speaker 3: tell you this. And then one thing about it, Like
Speaker 3: we lost a lot of games in twenty twenty one.
Speaker 3: You know, everything was kind of new, you know, new quarterback,
Speaker 3: new system, you're kind of learning everything. But the energy, man,
Speaker 3: the energy that was put into the into everything we did,
Speaker 3: you knew like all we had to do is flip
Speaker 3: the roster a little bit, right, And then that following
Speaker 3: year was like Sauce Gardener, Garrett willisend Jermaine Johnson in
Speaker 3: the first round, and it's like three foundational first round picks, right,
Speaker 3: that you can move on for it. And then like,
Speaker 3: you know, I've always been a fan, so I've watched
Speaker 3: a lot of football game and then you get the quarterback, right,
Speaker 3: you get Aaron Rodgers and you're like, look, this is
Speaker 3: it and just to have you know, see after you
Speaker 3: know what play for him go down is just like
Speaker 3: a blow to the face. But it's exciting, man, seeing
Speaker 3: him running around now healthy, you know, commanding the offense
Speaker 3: and just bro just being able to watch him throw
Speaker 3: the football. Man, it's like, dude, it is flawless. Man,
Speaker 3: it's a work of art. But no, man, we're here now, man,
Speaker 3: we're here.
Speaker 1: Well, speaking of culture, what were the past two years
Speaker 1: like for you in Baltimore? Because talk about a winning culture.
Speaker 1: Predominantly they're there at the end of the day in January,
Speaker 1: you can pencil, you pen the Ravens in. They're gonna
Speaker 1: be playing postseason football.
Speaker 2: One hundred percent.
Speaker 3: Man. And I think that's part of the growth process
Speaker 3: that I went through, right, Like you know, everybody, you know,
Speaker 3: you always say that God always has a plan, right,
Speaker 3: and so I think that plan was, like when I
Speaker 3: left here in twenty twenty one, is I went to
Speaker 3: Baltimore and I got to learn how a functional organization
Speaker 3: really does, like what it takes to go out there
Speaker 3: and compete at a a super Bowl level every day
Speaker 3: in practice, the tension, the details being challenged against the
Speaker 3: defense every day.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 3: And now that I've been there for two years and
Speaker 3: I got to see how that was done every day
Speaker 3: on a high level through an organization that's been i
Speaker 3: mean the playoffs for what the last twenty years. You know,
Speaker 3: I can bring more even more to the table because
Speaker 3: I've been there. I've been there one game from the
Speaker 3: super Bowl. I know what that tastes like. And obviously
Speaker 3: not making it to the super Bowl, like you, you
Speaker 3: become even hungrier, right, So being able to have that
Speaker 3: that you know, face those those things, face that adversity,
Speaker 3: losing that game against Kansas City and still you know,
Speaker 3: going into year eleven and still having that, you know
Speaker 3: that that edge to go out there and do it,
Speaker 3: do it some more to be able to bring that
Speaker 3: foundation here.
Speaker 2: I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 1: So what's the backstory with the torn pack in Week four?
Speaker 2: And who knew about it?
Speaker 1: Oh?
Speaker 2: Man, you have to ask John Simpson about that. Man.
Speaker 3: But we're playing Cleveland and I'm just like I'm blocking
Speaker 3: moles Garrett and I'm just like, yo, some the first thing,
Speaker 3: I was like, no, Lie, I was like, I'm having
Speaker 3: a heart attack.
Speaker 2: Really, It's like it was like no, live, Like, bro,
Speaker 2: I'm having a heart attack. I can't breathe.
Speaker 3: And then I went back in halftime and they're like, yeah, bro,
Speaker 3: I think you like strain your peck. So obviously I
Speaker 3: didn't finish the game and I went and got an
Speaker 3: MRI that next day and they're like, yo, you tore
Speaker 3: sixty percent of your peck. And so I'm sitting there
Speaker 3: like all right, and everybody's like, hey, man, just shut
Speaker 3: it down.
Speaker 2: You know, you did what you were supposed to.
Speaker 3: And I'm like no, Like, look because I believed in
Speaker 3: the work that we put in all training camp, right, Like,
Speaker 3: you go through training camp, which is like a war,
Speaker 3: right for guys, Like, and you're bleeding on the field,
Speaker 3: your sweat, blood and tears with these guys and the
Speaker 3: last thing you want to do is feel like you're
Speaker 3: giving up on them. And I just told them, hey, look,
Speaker 3: just give me some time. Man, give me some time.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna figure it out. And you know I missed
Speaker 3: that one that first game that was like the first
Speaker 3: game I missed in my career, which was like a
Speaker 3: humbling experience because like I had to understand, like, hey,
Speaker 3: this is a marathon and not a race. And you know,
Speaker 3: I was able to power through it with you know,
Speaker 3: just great pt doing things on my own, knowing how
Speaker 3: to you know, navigate, and you know, I was able
Speaker 3: to finish the season with the torn peck man. So
Speaker 3: it was hard, man, like trying to hide it, to
Speaker 3: hide the strap, you know, wearing long T shirts in
Speaker 3: the game and trying to tape it the same color,
Speaker 3: things like that, just so you know, all these great
Speaker 3: defenders that you go against every Sunday wouldn't notice.
Speaker 2: But I was able to battle through it. Man.
Speaker 3: It made me a better person. It made me dig deep,
Speaker 3: and I you know, simply, man, I just didn't want
Speaker 3: to give up with my guys. And that's always been
Speaker 3: my my thing in the league is just like you know,
Speaker 3: give it you all until you can anymore.
Speaker 1: Can you speak to the pain though, I mean, you're
Speaker 1: a tough guy. You said it felt initially like what
Speaker 1: the hell's going on here? But you played the rest
Speaker 1: of this season, dude.
Speaker 2: It was with the torn pack it was some days man.
Speaker 3: It was some days after games man, where like I
Speaker 3: couldn't lift my arm and like, thank God, Like my
Speaker 3: kids are like my children like they love me so much, man,
Speaker 3: They're like, Daddy, what you need, man, I'm like thank you. Like,
Speaker 3: but it was days where like I couldn't you know,
Speaker 3: I couldn't lift my arm. And be honest with you,
Speaker 3: I didn't miss any practice, is like, because like my
Speaker 3: makeup is like I got to practice, Like I'm not
Speaker 3: this guy that's like been blessed where I can just
Speaker 3: go out there and not practice and just ball out. Like,
Speaker 3: so I was practicing going through it, man, and I
Speaker 3: just think like over you know, over the time, man,
Speaker 3: Like I think we got to like week thirteen and
Speaker 3: I was already like back single arm bench in one
Speaker 3: hundred and fifteen pounds on it, single arm. And so
Speaker 3: like the work of just going through the PT like
Speaker 3: staying up late night, having doctors come in into the
Speaker 3: house work on me, physical therapy and things like that
Speaker 3: really helped me push through. So it's it's it was
Speaker 3: a journey, but you're come on, yeah, yeah, sing along
Speaker 3: with a torn peck.
Speaker 2: Oh.
Speaker 1: As far as Baltimore's concerned. I talked to John Harball
Speaker 1: about you. He loved you, Yeah, he said, in a
Speaker 1: perfect world, he'd still be here, but obviously football is
Speaker 1: a business. What did you learn most from him in
Speaker 1: a couple of years you were there.
Speaker 3: Dude, I'm gonna tell you this, man, Like, and I
Speaker 3: had no idea, like right when I left here that
Speaker 3: Baltimore was going to be the landing spot, right. But
Speaker 3: I remember him calling me and the first thing he
Speaker 3: said was like, man, and he said something like isn't
Speaker 3: God something?
Speaker 2: And I was like, hold on, man.
Speaker 3: The first thing he said to me is he's talking
Speaker 3: about God, right, And he remembered this, you know, like
Speaker 3: his memory goes back. He's like, remember we worked we
Speaker 3: worked you out in the drive pass us about three
Speaker 3: or four times, and like we loved you.
Speaker 2: We just couldn't couldn't get you here.
Speaker 3: And now you know, nine years later down the road,
Speaker 3: we got you here. And so it was meant to be.
Speaker 3: But like just being able to go to an organization
Speaker 3: that was that was so solid from head to toe. Man,
Speaker 3: how they treat everybody in that building. How it was
Speaker 3: so much fun to come to work and and not
Speaker 3: have to deal with everything outside, just come in and
Speaker 3: just really, you know, play football, right, And that's the key, right, Like,
Speaker 3: when you have that opportunity where everything else is taken
Speaker 3: care and you can walk into the building, you can
Speaker 3: focus on football, like you become a better football player naturally.
Speaker 2: Because you can focus on those things.
Speaker 3: So the things that he's done over the course of
Speaker 3: the years, man, he I mean the years he's been there,
Speaker 3: I think it was like sixteen years or something like that.
Speaker 3: What he's the values, the foundations that he set for
Speaker 3: that football team, it's been outstanding and you know, you
Speaker 3: can see why they go out there and play play
Speaker 3: like that every Sunday, you know, and it's been a
Speaker 3: pleasure to be able to be a part of that.
Speaker 3: You know, we didn't win it all like we were
Speaker 3: supposed to, like we thought we were gonna do, but
Speaker 3: we did some great things about the season.
Speaker 2: You know, we got an.
Speaker 3: MVP quarterback and Lamar Jacks who was one of a
Speaker 3: con We led the league in rushing, all those all
Speaker 3: those things that you know, you set out in the
Speaker 3: beginning of the season say hey, we want to be
Speaker 3: this type of team.
Speaker 2: We became that.
Speaker 3: We just fell short at that time, but it was.
Speaker 3: It was a wonderful time being there.
Speaker 2: Man.
Speaker 1: For you personally, what did the win over Houston mean?
Speaker 1: Because you now, as far as your career is concerned,
Speaker 1: five playoff games, but that was the first one that
Speaker 1: you were able to experience victory.
Speaker 2: Yeah, man, it was. It was exciting, man.
Speaker 3: And like, let me tell you something, like when you're
Speaker 3: doing something like that and you get to.
Speaker 2: Enjoy it, like really enjoy it.
Speaker 3: Like it's fun going out there preparing for a play
Speaker 3: playoff game knowing that like you have the opportun community
Speaker 3: to dominate a team. It's it's it's it's unmatched feeling, right,
Speaker 3: And that was my first time going to the playoffs,
Speaker 3: and and really like that was our I think that
Speaker 3: was Baltimore's first home playoff game that they had won.
Speaker 3: And so like that was another mark that you know,
Speaker 3: out of history in that organization that we had, we
Speaker 3: had facing that we had you know, got off the board.
Speaker 3: But like just in the way we won that game,
Speaker 3: Like I don't know if you remember if you watched it,
Speaker 3: Like we ran the ball like twenty times straight to
Speaker 3: sell that game. And that's what like you want as
Speaker 3: an offensive lineman, right, you want to say hey, man,
Speaker 3: when the game's on the line, it's clutch toime. We
Speaker 3: want the ball in breist Hall's hands. We want the
Speaker 3: ball and our running backs hand finishing moving forward. And
Speaker 3: it was it was no unmatched feeling.
Speaker 1: Man.
Speaker 2: You can't you can't. You can't put it. You can't
Speaker 2: put a number on that.
Speaker 1: All right, So what can you tell us about John
Speaker 1: Simpson Because free agency starts here. Joe Douglas kind of
Speaker 1: under the radar, he scoops up this guard from Baltimore.
Speaker 2: I'll tell you this, John ke came from We had
Speaker 2: got him like mid year.
Speaker 3: And Baltimore from the Raiders, and you know, ups and
Speaker 3: downs as a player, and he'll he'll tell you this,
Speaker 3: like he was trying to figure it out whether you
Speaker 3: had good coaching at the Raiders or not, whatever the
Speaker 3: case is. John was this quiet guy, like like the
Speaker 3: guy that you see now that walks around that can't
Speaker 3: be quiet.
Speaker 2: That wasn't John.
Speaker 3: Like I tell everybody, like I don't even remember John
Speaker 3: when he first got to Baltimore. Like I tell John
Speaker 3: all the time, like you had dreads when you got
Speaker 3: to Baltimore, Like he had these long dreadlocks, and like
Speaker 3: just to see like a guy come in buy into
Speaker 3: the culture first of all, right, which is hard to do, right,
Speaker 3: to buy into a winning culture, to like forget everything
Speaker 3: that you learned and like, hey, like I got to
Speaker 3: relearn how to play football this way. And like when
Speaker 3: we went into that, you know, last year, when we
Speaker 3: went into the season, like the question was like, who's
Speaker 3: gonna play left guard? Like there's nobody on the roster
Speaker 3: that like they felt like was the comfortable like playing
Speaker 3: left guard? And just to see him day one walking
Speaker 3: there and just man that position and say, look, I'm
Speaker 3: gonna be this guy, be this guy for a long time.
Speaker 3: And you know, thankfully that he got here, you know,
Speaker 3: because now it's like I got somebody that that I'm
Speaker 3: comfortable with, like that I know he knows, but just
Speaker 3: being able to see the makeup in the transition that
Speaker 3: he made, you know, the strategy made throughout the year.
Speaker 2: Man, he's a special player.
Speaker 1: Man, how much noise is this happening inside the trunches?
Speaker 1: Because you're such a good dude. You got a lot
Speaker 1: of personality. But at the same time, man, you love
Speaker 1: the hand in hand combat. And I'm talking about you
Speaker 1: specifically in Simpson, because there are some NFL films clips
Speaker 1: of Simpson saying, you know, getting after dudes, and I
Speaker 1: know you gotta love that, dude.
Speaker 3: I'm telling you, it's like it's one game, no Lie,
Speaker 3: And I want to say it was Cleveland because I
Speaker 3: was on the sideline. I think it was the Cleveland game.
Speaker 3: I got hurt and I see John run across the line.
Speaker 3: He's pulling and he smacks this d n no Lie,
Speaker 3: And I look at Coach, I said, I said, Coach,
Speaker 3: I think John's dead. Like he smacks this guy. He
Speaker 3: like folds on the ground like coach, like me and
Speaker 3: some of the other guys are sitting on the side.
Speaker 3: I'm like, you know, I think John Sole left his
Speaker 3: body and he just pops up and like he gets
Speaker 3: in the huddle and he's just ready to go. But
Speaker 3: that's the type of guy he is, man Like, it's
Speaker 3: a guy that's gonna run through a wall. And I
Speaker 3: think there's no better place to be than here to
Speaker 3: play for a coach like Coach Salah, where like you're
Speaker 3: gonna run through a wall every day. And I think
Speaker 3: when the biggest thing is like accepting that challenge, right,
Speaker 3: accepting that, like, hey, I got to go against somebody
Speaker 3: great every day in Quinn Williams a great defense, and
Speaker 3: that's gonna challenge me every day to be the best
Speaker 3: that I can. And when you have that going back
Speaker 3: and forth on the offense and defensive line, this guy's
Speaker 3: the limit, right because at the end of the day,
Speaker 3: no matter what skill positions you have throughout the league,
Speaker 3: the game is one up front. It's never changed. It's
Speaker 3: been like that for one hundred years since football has
Speaker 3: been you know, been here. Like it's one in the trenches.
Speaker 3: So when you have guys that are really really ready
Speaker 3: to compete at that level and really leave it all
Speaker 3: out there, you know, that's the difference.
Speaker 1: All right from a tackle perspective. What does Tyrone Smith
Speaker 1: bring to the table?
Speaker 2: What makes him different? Dude?
Speaker 3: Dude, I've been blessed man like because, like I had
Speaker 3: Trent Williams for five six years in Washington and I
Speaker 3: got to see Tyron on the other side playing against
Speaker 3: Dallas a lot of my career for seven years and
Speaker 3: just to see like the makeup. And we can relate
Speaker 3: a lot, right because we both had the same offensive
Speaker 3: line coach and Bill Collahan, so we can we can
Speaker 3: relate a lot into like the world exactly and you
Speaker 3: see why, like like why a guy like Tyran is
Speaker 3: just like I.
Speaker 2: Mean, his his his pastes are flawless.
Speaker 3: Like I wish I could just bottle him up, put
Speaker 3: him in a refrigerator and like you know, and just
Speaker 3: like hey, like this is what a past that looks like.
Speaker 3: And just the consistency he plays with every every day
Speaker 3: and in every game. And for me, I was excited
Speaker 3: when we signed him, right because I mean, I know,
Speaker 3: I'm a eleven year vet, but like at the end
Speaker 3: of the day, like I'm always trying to learn, I'm like,
Speaker 3: when we signed I'm like, great, I got a guy
Speaker 3: that's like technically sound in every in everything you want
Speaker 3: him to do, run block and past blocking, you know,
Speaker 3: he does it such at a high level. So for me,
Speaker 3: it's like, man, how many I can pick his brain
Speaker 3: to make myself better?
Speaker 2: Right?
Speaker 3: And just to be around him, Man, he's such a
Speaker 3: he's such a wonderful, wonderful person. Man, And he's gonna
Speaker 3: raise the bar for a lot of us. Man, just
Speaker 3: what he's done in his fourteen year career so far.
Speaker 3: You know, you want to say he's a walking Hall
Speaker 3: of Famer for sure right, So so.
Speaker 1: Yeah, to your point, definitely two all fans tackles that
Speaker 1: you've played with, Yeah, one hundred with Trent, Yeah, and Tyron.
Speaker 1: Everything Tyron does when you watch him, seems like you're
Speaker 1: thinking to yourself, master technician, Like there's nothing clumsy by it.
Speaker 3: There's no wasted move there's no wasted movement, like it's
Speaker 3: like watching it, like especially like his like when he's
Speaker 3: punching in past protection, like his hand placement is so
Speaker 3: solid and on point, like his pinpoint it's like throwing
Speaker 3: it's like throwing a dagger into the wall. Like you know,
Speaker 3: he's hitting the bulls eye twenty twenty out of twenty
Speaker 3: one times. And the efficiency of how he plays the game,
Speaker 3: And it's no wonder why he's been in Dallas for
Speaker 3: so long, right, because it's hard to replace a tackle
Speaker 3: like that. So for him to be able to be
Speaker 3: here with us, it's a blessing man. So you know,
Speaker 3: you got him, you got John, two guys that have
Speaker 3: that that's proven themselves throughout the league, and obviously he's
Speaker 3: willing to do anything to keep on winning. So to
Speaker 3: be able to have them, it's a great addition to
Speaker 3: the office line all.
Speaker 1: Right, I think you were a third round pick out
Speaker 1: of Virginia. What's your reaction there after signing with the
Speaker 1: Jets and Tyring coming on board as well, and the
Speaker 1: Jets in the first round get olu fashion And how
Speaker 1: do you as a veteran and established guys played more
Speaker 1: than a decade in this game, Morian. Not a lot
Speaker 1: of dudes can say that. Not a lot of just
Speaker 1: can say that, say, you know what, this is a
Speaker 1: good situation for him. I'm gonna help this.
Speaker 3: Dude, I think right like, I think the number one
Speaker 3: thing is right like, and I learned this from tent
Speaker 3: It's like when you got an opportunity to play with
Speaker 3: a great TAPO for so long, right, all they ask
Speaker 3: for you to do is pass it down right, pass
Speaker 3: the torch now. And I think when you're able to like,
Speaker 3: I never want to be that guy that's like, I'm
Speaker 3: not gonna help nobody like, right, because at the end
Speaker 3: of the day, we all sit at the table together
Speaker 3: and we all got to eat, right. So whether I
Speaker 3: help O Lou, whether I help Tiring Hi, I'll help
Speaker 3: Carter Warren, whatever the case is, They're gonna push me
Speaker 3: to another level because I see them getting better, right,
Speaker 3: And that's the beauty of this right, Like it's iron
Speaker 3: sharp and iron like offensive line and offensive line is
Speaker 3: the one position where like everything we do is on
Speaker 3: a shoe string, right, Like you want that shoe, that
Speaker 3: shoe string to go through the sneakers flawless and it's
Speaker 3: smooth as possible. So it doesn't matter. Like in the trenches,
Speaker 3: you're gonna have guys that are gonna get hurt. You're
Speaker 3: gonna have guys that you know, bust a shoelace and
Speaker 3: somebody got to go in for a couple of plays,
Speaker 3: and you always want whoever stepping in to feel so
Speaker 3: comfortable to the point that like they know the guys
Speaker 3: that they've been working with through training camp OTAs believe
Speaker 3: in them, and so when they go out there, they
Speaker 3: play with an intent that's flawless, right because they understand
Speaker 3: that like, I'm not a backup, I'm a guy that's
Speaker 3: worthy to be on this offensive line.
Speaker 2: These guys trust me.
Speaker 3: I've worked my tail off for this moment, and whether
Speaker 3: it's for two plays or three games that I gotta
Speaker 3: fill in, I'm gonna be the best that I can.
Speaker 3: And you can trust a guy like that you know,
Speaker 3: so when you when you've been through the league ten
Speaker 3: eleven years and you able to you know, share that
Speaker 3: knowledge of the game, you know, it just makes everybody better.
Speaker 1: Man.
Speaker 3: You it's iron sharp and irons. You know that person
Speaker 3: pushes you. You push that person and you get the best
Speaker 3: out of everybody.
Speaker 1: Do you like his talent and this approach? I know
Speaker 1: it's in the early impressions for you. It's like he's
Speaker 1: spent a ton of time with him. But you're a
Speaker 1: Virginia kid and he obviously grew up in Maryland, went
Speaker 1: to school and Gonzaga High School before playing collegially a
Speaker 1: pun state No.
Speaker 2: One hundred percent.
Speaker 3: Man, obviously, you know what he's done in his four
Speaker 3: years in college or was it three years in college,
Speaker 3: whatever it was. You know, I think I read something
Speaker 3: that he didn't give up a sacking like three years
Speaker 3: or something like that. Right alone, just alone, is that's amazing? Right,
Speaker 3: And you always look forward, you know, an offensive line
Speaker 3: now right because like in college, like nobody really truly
Speaker 3: passes to anymore, the balls just getting spread out to
Speaker 3: all these skilled players.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 3: The number one thing you want to look is you
Speaker 3: want to find a guy that's gonna fit the culture
Speaker 3: of the room, right, And he fits that culture.
Speaker 2: Of the room.
Speaker 3: You know, he's willing to learn, Like he's willing to
Speaker 3: you know, sit back and ask questions, and he feels
Speaker 3: comfortable and you know, being twenty twenty one years old
Speaker 3: coming into an NFL a league with grown men and
Speaker 3: understanding like, hey, this is not the same Like, you know,
Speaker 3: these are guys that have family to feed and there
Speaker 3: you know, this is not college where you know, I
Speaker 3: got to take these things serious. But for him to
Speaker 3: be a sponge and ask question and learn how this
Speaker 3: thing goes, it's only going to benefit him in the
Speaker 3: long run. So just so, I mean, he's a great dude.
Speaker 1: Man.
Speaker 3: I look forward to, you know, working with him, and
Speaker 3: I look for it learning from him, right because at
Speaker 3: the end of the day, like there's some things that
Speaker 3: he's done in college that I probably didn't do ten
Speaker 3: eleven years ago, right, and so like and that's the
Speaker 3: beauty of it, Like football is always evolving. So whether
Speaker 3: you're old, young, whatever the case is, you can all
Speaker 3: learn from everybody.
Speaker 1: You guys are a unique group. The offensive line. I
Speaker 1: always watched the rooms and see who's hanging out with
Speaker 1: who And I think offensive linemen are different, like in
Speaker 1: a good way. How quickly does it have to come together?
Speaker 1: As far as you got you you got Tyron at
Speaker 1: left tackle, you got Avt returning from injury, you got
Speaker 1: Joe Tipman at the center position, and John whereas you
Speaker 1: all are veterans, but you haven't played together.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, And that's the thing, you know, that's
Speaker 3: the beauty of OTA's And you know, you know, training
Speaker 3: camp and things like that. OTA's is a little less
Speaker 3: contact and stuff out there, but you know, OTA's is
Speaker 3: for getting the guys together, you know, outside of the building,
Speaker 3: going to eat dinner. You know, I think the Fellas
Speaker 3: went to a concert, you know this week. That's things
Speaker 3: right that you're getting to know your teammates. You're getting
Speaker 3: to know them outside of football. So when you go
Speaker 3: to war with them, you got no question about that guy.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 3: It's like it's like the movie three hundred right, you
Speaker 3: do everything together, right, so when you go to war,
Speaker 3: when I'm standing at that battlefield, I have no question
Speaker 3: about John Simpson having my back. I got no question
Speaker 3: about Avt having my back. You know, it's pretty much,
Speaker 3: let's strap the helmets up and let's go man. You know,
Speaker 3: And so when you create that atmosphere between the line,
Speaker 3: and like I said, that's like the one position where
Speaker 3: like we never get a sub.
Speaker 2: We never you know, it's no, hey, coach, I'm tired.
Speaker 2: Can I get out?
Speaker 3: You know, we never get off the field. Like it's
Speaker 3: five you know, it's five people that work consistently together.
Speaker 3: So when you create that camaraderie in the offensive line, man,
Speaker 3: it's a beautiful thing.
Speaker 2: Man.
Speaker 3: Like I said, it's that shoelace that go through that
Speaker 3: sneaker that's flawless and goes through smooth.
Speaker 1: What's the difference in blocking systems?
Speaker 2: You know?
Speaker 3: I think for me, I've been in a lot of systems,
Speaker 3: so like you know, being in this West Coast offense.
Speaker 3: You know, I had Sean mcvagh when I was in
Speaker 3: when I was in Washington, so I'm.
Speaker 2: Very versed in that.
Speaker 3: But just being around the league, and I think the
Speaker 3: thing about changing systems, right, it challenges you. It challenges
Speaker 3: you mentally, physically and all those things, right, because like
Speaker 3: it's another opportunity that I can learn more. And I
Speaker 3: think the biggest thing is like having a quarterback like
Speaker 3: Aaron Rodgers, that who sees the field so so well
Speaker 3: and can change you know, whether it's cover zero, cover two,
Speaker 3: cover three and we're in a run play and he
Speaker 3: wants to get to, you know, a pass protection. For
Speaker 3: him to be able to do that like that, it's
Speaker 3: just like the mental aspect of like, Okay, I really
Speaker 3: got to hone in on those things. I got to
Speaker 3: learn his voice. I got to learn and start seeing
Speaker 3: things that he sees. And I think when you when
Speaker 3: you do that, it raises your IQ of football as well.
Speaker 1: Can you speak to his football acumen?
Speaker 2: Aaron, Dude, it's a dude.
Speaker 3: It's I'm telling you, it's a It's a reason why
Speaker 3: he's been in the league for so long and then
Speaker 3: why he's been named with some of the greatest quarterbacks
Speaker 3: in the league.
Speaker 2: The makeup that he does every day.
Speaker 3: Man, just like to see him go out there and
Speaker 3: sling the ball around like he's ten years old, having
Speaker 3: fun and still doing that and as a as an
Speaker 3: older guy that's still trying to get to where he's at. Right,
Speaker 3: you see a guy go out there that's not complaining
Speaker 3: moaning about things. He's just going out there having the
Speaker 3: fun and let it rip. For a guy that's trying
Speaker 3: to get there, or the younger guys are trying to
Speaker 3: get to that level. To see a guy like that
Speaker 3: go out there and do it every day, it's refreshing
Speaker 3: because then you get into your mind like, hey, I
Speaker 3: can do that, you know if he's still doing that
Speaker 3: at thirty thirty some years old, like I definitely can
Speaker 3: do that at twenty something, right, That's how the young
Speaker 3: guys see it.
Speaker 2: So I'm a special man.
Speaker 1: He's genuinely having fun because he's an extension of the
Speaker 1: coaching staff. Like people ask me, what's it like watching him? Yeah,
Speaker 1: his arm's incredible, no doubt, and he sees the feel
Speaker 1: like nobody I've watched. But also he's got to bounce
Speaker 1: in his staff, and he loves being around the guys, right, And.
Speaker 3: That's that feeling that like you know, you know that
Speaker 3: he loves football, right, there's no question man, Like even
Speaker 3: even me sitting back watching them and him doing the
Speaker 3: throws off the one foot, like, I mean, I'm not
Speaker 3: gonna say that I can do that, but I've definitely
Speaker 3: tried that with my kids, and.
Speaker 2: Hey, I'm Aaron Rodgers today, but today I.
Speaker 1: Think he's looking down the left sideline, so like y'all
Speaker 1: look towards the camera, he's looking down the left sideline
Speaker 1: and he throws the ball to the middle of the
Speaker 1: field pinpoint great accuracy.
Speaker 3: Dude, And it's and it's like the way the ball
Speaker 3: just releases out his hand right and be able to
Speaker 3: be able to do that on one foot is just
Speaker 3: like right, like we look at we look at like
Speaker 3: Patrick mahoons. And I'm not taking anything away from Patrick Mahomes.
Speaker 3: He's a great quarterback, great guy, I'm pretty sure, but
Speaker 3: like Aaron's been doing that for years years, you know
Speaker 3: what I'm saying, And like the velocity of the ball
Speaker 3: that that that he still has when it's just like, dude, this,
Speaker 3: I mean, you can't even you can't even like you
Speaker 3: can't compare it.
Speaker 1: How interesting is this for you though? Coming off playing
Speaker 1: with one of the game's great dual threats and Labar
Speaker 1: and now coming to Aaron.
Speaker 2: Uh, dude, that's uh.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna tell you this, man, like you couldn't ask
Speaker 3: for any better situation as offensive line, right, like like
Speaker 3: to see like to be with Lamar, like I call
Speaker 3: him magic man. Like the only way you can explain
Speaker 3: it is like it's a video game. That's the only
Speaker 3: way you can explain it. Like the things he does
Speaker 3: in practice every day to see how he throws the ball,
Speaker 3: and everybody had these questions about like is he a
Speaker 3: real true passer? And then you know, you finally got
Speaker 3: some receivers that that you can you can go in
Speaker 3: there and trust and things like that, and you just
Speaker 3: see the development that he had of like just taking
Speaker 3: the new offense we're in Baltimore, and then now just
Speaker 3: to go to like Aaron Rodgers who just likes been
Speaker 3: playing football.
Speaker 2: For a very long time.
Speaker 3: But just like like you said, like he's a coach
Speaker 3: on the field, right, Like like he's a coach, like
Speaker 3: what he demands, the excellence that he demands every day
Speaker 3: out of guys, and just like the position he puts
Speaker 3: players in to secede. Right, that's the key, right, It's
Speaker 3: like I can be a great football player, I can
Speaker 3: be a great leader, but the difference is can I
Speaker 3: make the people around me better?
Speaker 2: And that's what he does.
Speaker 1: That's a great point. What's spring and summer looking like
Speaker 1: for you? Because you're working off the side. Here's OTAs began.
Speaker 1: You had off season surgery, so what's the process is
Speaker 1: going to be like now for.
Speaker 3: You, I'm feeling great man, honestly, man, Like I'm not
Speaker 3: gonna not gonna shoot myself in the foot here, but
Speaker 3: like maybe I will.
Speaker 2: But if we had to play today, I would be playing.
Speaker 2: I'm just gonna say that.
Speaker 1: Of course you would, like with a torn packla, of
Speaker 1: course you would.
Speaker 2: I had to play today, I would be playing.
Speaker 3: But obviously, you know it's a marathon and not a race, right,
Speaker 3: so you know, just taking the day by day, listening
Speaker 3: to the people that I need to listen to.
Speaker 2: I feel great. I'm on this great regiment of you know,
Speaker 2: building upper body strength and things.
Speaker 3: But just really be honestly to just being out there
Speaker 3: in practice and just running around the guys, whether it's.
Speaker 2: Doing warm up, listening to the music and just laughing
Speaker 2: with the guys. Man, like you can't.
Speaker 3: You can't beat that, right, So just the energy out
Speaker 3: here right, like I tell everybody, like, man, it sucks, man,
Speaker 3: I got to do past that's on air.
Speaker 2: Like you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3: But like, uh, it's it's all the same thing, right,
Speaker 3: Like at the end of the day, like you're paying
Speaker 3: attention to the details you're around the guys, you're having fun,
Speaker 3: you're learning the guys, right, and so it's exciting, man,
Speaker 3: Like it's exciting just to get back.
Speaker 2: It's excited to get back in the fold.
Speaker 3: It's excited to learn the team, learn the teammates, and
Speaker 3: just go through this grind, man, because it's a beautiful thing.
Speaker 3: Once it's going, it's gone, right, So you got to
Speaker 3: cherish it while you can't.
Speaker 1: Well at that point, believe me, you're a young dude.
Speaker 1: But by NFIL standards, you're an old guy. Yeah, at
Speaker 1: thirty three when you left the UVA, do you think that, hey,
Speaker 1: down the line, I could be doing this eleven twelve
Speaker 1: years later.
Speaker 2: Dude.
Speaker 3: I've always believed in myself, right, Like, like I think
Speaker 3: the combine was like a hit to the face for
Speaker 3: me because like I like, I hate my combine experience,
Speaker 3: but like really yeah yeah, yeah, Like you know, I
Speaker 3: got ridden up as this guy that was gonna have
Speaker 3: a lot of injuries in his career, and then you
Speaker 3: know they were they were right, right, I had at
Speaker 3: all the surgeries in my career, but what they didn't
Speaker 3: measure was the heart, right yeah, and so uh you know, yeah,
Speaker 3: like I think you know obviously being thirty three years
Speaker 3: old going to year eleven, but beyonest with me, I
Speaker 3: still still got five years in the tank, you know.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Like that's how I feel. Even with the surgery.
Speaker 3: Man, I feel I feel fantastic, man, so like, and
Speaker 3: I always tell myself, Man, as long as I can
Speaker 3: come to this game, and I feel like I can
Speaker 3: give back to this game, and I feel like I
Speaker 3: can still learn, And that's the thing, right, Like, I
Speaker 3: feel like I still have so much to learn about
Speaker 3: football now. I think when you have that mindset that
Speaker 3: you know, we I call it the growth mindset. Right,
Speaker 3: when you have that growth mindset, I mean, the things
Speaker 3: that you can accomplish is unbelievable.
Speaker 1: Do you think with what you guys have, as far
Speaker 1: as the roster is concerned and priests behind you and
Speaker 1: the number of young running backs, that it's gonna be
Speaker 1: a pick? You're poison for opposing defenses Because we got
Speaker 1: a Hall of Fame passer back here. We got some
Speaker 1: weapons on the outside. We got Garrett, we had Mike Williams,
Speaker 1: we drafted Corely, we got already coming back. You know,
Speaker 1: I could go on Brownley's had a nice camp and
Speaker 1: made a catch out there today. But you know then
Speaker 1: you have to stud in the backfield, priest. Whereas okay,
Speaker 1: you guys, if you're gonna load the box up against us, yeah,
Speaker 1: I got a Hall of Fame passer behind me. You
Speaker 1: to go, light box, We're gonna pound you all day long.
Speaker 3: I think the craziest thing, right, because, like I said,
Speaker 3: I've been watching a lot of football at the Jets man,
Speaker 3: obviously rooting from them from Afar, and I like my
Speaker 3: question last year was like, yo, why guys Dalvin Cook
Speaker 3: not getting the ball right, Like, Dalvin's this great running
Speaker 3: back out of Minnesota, right. And then in training camp,
Speaker 3: I think it was like Breese Hall's first practice and
Speaker 3: he hit like twenty two miles per hour, and I.
Speaker 2: Said, oh, oh, okay, that's why were you watching last year?
Speaker 3: Were watching watching the heart Knucks like I was watching
Speaker 3: Heart Ducks, and I was like, okay, this guy just
Speaker 3: hit twenty two miles per hour, Like I understand why, right,
Speaker 3: And so like you know, obviously, man, the roster is
Speaker 3: what it is, and obviously it looks great, right. Everybody
Speaker 3: can be the paper champion, right, Like we can run
Speaker 3: that script all day, right, But the beauty of football, Like,
Speaker 3: no matter what your team looks like, you gotta line
Speaker 3: up on Sundays, right, Like for example, like you see
Speaker 3: last year with the Cleveland Browns, Like down a quarterback
Speaker 3: with Deshaun Watson, then you get old school Joe Flat
Speaker 3: going there and they make a run. Right, That's the
Speaker 3: beauty of football. Like, you know, you never know when
Speaker 3: when a team is going to hit the hot streak,
Speaker 3: So right now, you know, for us it's like being
Speaker 3: able to learn each other on this roster, understand these
Speaker 3: guys the strength and the weaknesses of your teammates, so
Speaker 3: you can feel that voiding and that way when we
Speaker 3: get out there September. You know against San Francisco is flawless, right,
Speaker 3: and the game is never flawless, right, You're always gonna
Speaker 3: make mistakes. But like, how can I learn from them
Speaker 3: mistakes and not make those mistakes again? How can my
Speaker 3: teammates keep me accountable? How does my coaches know I
Speaker 3: take in information versus you know, being on the field
Speaker 3: or in the study room. All those things are things
Speaker 3: that you're learning right now. So when you get the
Speaker 3: training camp, you can hit the ground running. So like
Speaker 3: I don't want to get caught up in the paper
Speaker 3: champ and of what the roster looks like. Because at
Speaker 3: the end of the day, we got we're talented, like
Speaker 3: we have talented group and obviously having air and healthy
Speaker 3: that makes a lot of difference. But that defense, dude,
Speaker 3: that defense, I mean, I mean to win seven games
Speaker 3: with that defense on the field ninety percent of the time. Like,
Speaker 3: you gotta be you gotta be excited about what's going
Speaker 3: to happen this year.
Speaker 1: Right, So your feet right here in the moment. But
Speaker 1: have you thought it's somebody who has the experience of
Speaker 1: being here back in twenty one we thought what it
Speaker 1: would be like to win here, or you don't let
Speaker 1: yourself even get there and you say, hey, listen, take
Speaker 1: care of business.
Speaker 3: It's hard, man, It's hard to like not think about it,
Speaker 3: especially because like you know, I remember the first time
Speaker 3: I ran out the tunnel and Met Life Stadium as
Speaker 3: a Jet and just to hear that chance, you know,
Speaker 3: the Jets, just Jets. That's a fan base, bro, that's
Speaker 3: like been wanting like wins for a long time, right,
Speaker 3: Like it's it's it's hard to come across great fans
Speaker 3: in this league, great fans that are going to be uh,
Speaker 3: you know that's gonna stick through you, stick with you through,
Speaker 3: Dick and then and so just the the honor to
Speaker 3: be able to grace the field and try to give
Speaker 3: them that, you know, that victory or to give them
Speaker 3: that playoff appearance that they haven't had in a long time,
Speaker 3: not only for ourselves but for the community, right, Like,
Speaker 3: I mean, you've seen how the Knicks, you know, you know,
Speaker 3: the Knicks took over and how New York was when
Speaker 3: the Knicks were in the playoffs, right, like for them
Speaker 3: to win you know, round one and you know, get
Speaker 3: into round two, Like, I mean, you win here, dude,
Speaker 3: life is different, right for everybody, everybody in this building, right, yeah,
Speaker 3: everybody because they've been waiting for it for so long.
Speaker 2: So like it's hard not to get caught up into it, man,
Speaker 2: But like, uh, you know, obviously we.
Speaker 3: Got to take care of business. We got to do
Speaker 3: the things that we need to do. But you know,
Speaker 3: definitely how this fan base deserves it.
Speaker 1: So how much you're gonna be benching when you get the.
Speaker 2: You know, like, look, I'm not gonna get in this
Speaker 2: benching competition anymore.
Speaker 3: You know, maybe what you're doing with the sets. No, No,
Speaker 3: you know, I'll definitely be, you know, back in the
Speaker 3: four hundred, so I can hear pretty soon. But you know,
Speaker 3: at the end of the day, it's just kind of
Speaker 3: taking one day at a time. Like there's days where
Speaker 3: I feel amazing and I'm like, you know what, I'm
Speaker 3: going to hit it today, and I gotta remember I
Speaker 3: got to remind myself like hey, slow down, brother, you know.
Speaker 3: But like you know, and obviously being out here with
Speaker 3: these guys and make you feel that way, like it's
Speaker 3: like cause you're you know, you feel like you're missing
Speaker 3: a part of a big part of the season, you know.
Speaker 3: And I think Aaron said Aaron said told me the
Speaker 3: other day because I was like, I went in, I
Speaker 3: went in the training room. I was like, yo, I
Speaker 3: want to hit a bag today, and Aaron was like,
Speaker 3: hold up, buddy, we don't need you right now. And
Speaker 3: I'm like, well, I got to listen Aaron said it, right,
Speaker 3: So I guess I'm gonna do my little pas sets
Speaker 3: on the air and stuff like that. But uh, just
Speaker 3: the culture around here, man, and you can see it
Speaker 3: in everybody's face, from the lunch people, from the custodians
Speaker 3: to everybody that works in this building, that like there's
Speaker 3: something very special here.
Speaker 2: And they've been waiting for it for a long time.
Speaker 3: And obviously last year with Aaron getting hurt, you know,
Speaker 3: the season was kind of you know, put down the drain.
Speaker 3: But just to be able to have that level of
Speaker 3: excitement back in the building, man, it's it's fantastic feeling.
Speaker 1: How many times you faced Reddick before? Ooh uh.
Speaker 3: See I faced Reddick the young young and he's still young.
Speaker 3: Don't get me wrong when I say this, like young
Speaker 3: Reddick in Arizona.
Speaker 1: Okay, And when he was an Arizona using him it's
Speaker 1: like an off the ball linebacker that point, and.
Speaker 3: That was like always the thing like like this, this
Speaker 3: dude is a special guy, right like. And then obviously,
Speaker 3: like you know, Bryce was the same way. Bryce Huff
Speaker 3: was the same way, right like, because I was here
Speaker 3: in twenty twenty one and he was like a practice
Speaker 3: squad fluxed guy that kind of like was on the
Speaker 3: practice was on the fifty three man roster, but like,
Speaker 3: dude gave you hell in practice every day, Like he
Speaker 3: went balls to the wall every day in practice. And
Speaker 3: so you know, playing Hassan in Arizona you always felt
Speaker 3: like he was kind of like mishandled a little bit right,
Speaker 3: and then like he gets to Philly and you're like
Speaker 3: sixteen sacks, eighteen sacks, like like this dude is like
Speaker 3: he's a dog, bro, And I think like he said it,
Speaker 3: he said it well, went on his interview here when
Speaker 3: he first when he first got traded, It's like, Yo,
Speaker 3: we got some dogs in this locker room, right, And
Speaker 3: when you got some dogs in his locker room, you
Speaker 3: can compete at a high level because they're gonna challenge
Speaker 3: everybody who's not a dog or not a dog yet
Speaker 3: in this locker room to be a dog. And when
Speaker 3: you have that, when you have that when I say
Speaker 3: iron sharp and iron, when you have that mentality throughout
Speaker 3: the locker room, I mean you can face anybody.
Speaker 1: Got a lot of dogs here, Maria Moses. We're so
Speaker 1: happy you're back in the building. I know the fan
Speaker 1: base is pumped as well, and your family looking forward
Speaker 1: to coming back up north.
Speaker 3: Of Well, yeah, man, the boys are excited, man, Like
Speaker 3: i They're like, they're like Dad, like we got to
Speaker 3: meet Lamar Jackson and now we get to meet Aaron
Speaker 3: Rodgers and Sauce Gardner, and I'm like, so they're excited it, man, Like,
Speaker 3: they're excited to be back here. Obviously we had a great,
Speaker 3: great time when we were here, you know, great family time.
Speaker 3: Just what they do as a as a team and
Speaker 3: involve the families, you know, the cookouts.
Speaker 2: And things like that. It's always been great.
Speaker 3: So I look forward to it, man, Like, my son
Speaker 3: is already like, Dad, like, you're gonna win the super
Speaker 3: Bowl this year.
Speaker 2: I know it. I know it.
Speaker 3: Mind you that, Like he cried his heart out when
Speaker 3: we lost last year, Like like he was asking me,
Speaker 3: like since the Houston game in the first round, Like, Dad,
Speaker 3: you're gonna take me to the super Bowl. Dad, You're
Speaker 3: gonna take me to the super Bowl. He told all
Speaker 3: his friends in school. They told all their kids, We're
Speaker 3: going to the super Bowl.
Speaker 2: Unfinished business, Yes business, unfinished business. Good seeing always, man,
Speaker 2: Thank you, thank you, yes, sir,