WEBVTT - Hangin' With The 'Boys: Darren McFadden 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:14.480 He's hanging with the boys, streaming live on Dallas Cowboys 0:00:14.480 --> 0:00:18.560 dot Com and the official Jallas Cowboys At this again 0:00:18.680 --> 0:00:24.120 and now your hosts Nate Knew, Josh Ellis, Kurt Daniels, 0:00:24.320 --> 0:00:30.720 and Shannon Gross Volume five issue whatever. We are back 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.839 to the way things should be, no spiky hair starting 0:00:33.880 --> 0:00:38.239 the show today. It's the real host. It's me Josh Ellis, 0:00:38.320 --> 0:00:41.320 joined by of course Nate Newton. And here he is 0:00:41.360 --> 0:00:43.800 Shannon Gross kicking Kurt Daniels out of the room or 0:00:43.800 --> 0:00:48.560 at least over to share with Nate where you know. 0:00:48.760 --> 0:00:52.480 There's no waiting today because we have a special. Yeah, 0:00:52.479 --> 0:00:56.440 I'm gonna get you. Where were you You've come to 0:00:56.480 --> 0:00:58.600 give me a twelve thirty that was in the locker room. 0:00:59.080 --> 0:01:05.480 I was in a lunch room on twenty seven. Josh 0:01:05.520 --> 0:01:07.440 just slid right back in. This is not the way 0:01:07.440 --> 0:01:10.080 the show works, Josh, for no longer the whole I 0:01:10.160 --> 0:01:12.400 know you feel like you are. So. We got an 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:16.280 email this morning from Shannon say it says. It says 0:01:16.280 --> 0:01:20.000 we're having Darren McFadden's micup closer. Push McFadden's micup closer 0:01:20.040 --> 0:01:22.440 to hear you can hear you, Douglas. We got an 0:01:22.440 --> 0:01:24.680 email this morning. It says we're having Darren McFadden on 0:01:24.720 --> 0:01:28.399 the show. We really liked having players during training camp, 0:01:28.440 --> 0:01:31.640 and and uh, let's be careful not to offend them. 0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:35.080 Let well, we'll ask a couple of football questions, but 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:37.280 we want to keep these relationships up so we do. 0:01:37.560 --> 0:01:40.080 So just be careful with them. And here you come 0:01:40.080 --> 0:01:43.160 in here throwing arrows at our first guest, Darren McFadden. 0:01:43.280 --> 0:01:45.840 That's a different kind of trust. And and by the way, 0:01:46.120 --> 0:01:48.919 I know who you were aiming that at. And in Gmail, 0:01:50.760 --> 0:01:53.080 I'm gonna ask players, so I want to start out 0:01:53.120 --> 0:01:55.960 with a with a fire hot question for Darren. Okay, 0:01:56.120 --> 0:01:58.840 how are you doing today? It's pretty good man sitting 0:01:58.840 --> 0:02:00.880 around email lunch and say he's coming to give me 0:02:00.920 --> 0:02:03.800 a twelve thirty twelve twenty seventy hit. I figured I 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:06.520 should make way over here. He is usually late. I 0:02:07.200 --> 0:02:09.280 didn't want to invade your lunch space. That's like your 0:02:09.320 --> 0:02:15.600 personal area. At least one of us is responsible around here, Darren, Right, yes, sir, 0:02:17.120 --> 0:02:19.360 hang on, Nate needs some volume over I think Nate's 0:02:19.440 --> 0:02:24.360 Mike is quite worked up. Football players, they're they're built 0:02:24.400 --> 0:02:27.000 to work on schedules, yes, and what is the Tom 0:02:27.000 --> 0:02:29.560 Coughlin thing. If you're not five minutes earlier, you're late. 0:02:29.639 --> 0:02:32.160 That's my model. Also, yeah, I try to get here 0:02:32.200 --> 0:02:34.760 on time. Well next time I'll know. Sorry, Darren, all right, 0:02:34.800 --> 0:02:38.519 Nate try it out now? No, no, not quite. We 0:02:38.600 --> 0:02:42.000 got static, but that's it. That's the Joe amazonal way. 0:02:42.200 --> 0:02:44.440 You know, we believe in that too. Man. We started 0:02:44.440 --> 0:02:48.280 our means in awere from special team, especially our special 0:02:48.320 --> 0:02:50.680 teams mean now that one can start ten minutes earlier, 0:02:50.680 --> 0:02:54.079 but always our individual and meeting with the head coach 0:02:54.200 --> 0:02:56.560 was always five minutes earlier. We all we started like that. 0:02:56.680 --> 0:02:59.560 So I'm wishing McFadden on this one hill parting. I 0:02:59.720 --> 0:03:01.560 got the roll with the player, but I was waiting 0:03:01.600 --> 0:03:03.280 for him in the locker room. I was where I 0:03:03.320 --> 0:03:05.480 was supposed to be. Okay, we're over. We're over. We 0:03:05.800 --> 0:03:08.400 don't have nearly as much sway around here as the 0:03:08.480 --> 0:03:11.760 head coach, or we don't special teams coach or you know, 0:03:11.919 --> 0:03:13.959 let's go with the football questions. I'm gonna give you 0:03:13.960 --> 0:03:17.160 all the football questions. I'm gonna ask the easy ones. Okay, go, 0:03:18.080 --> 0:03:26.200 So it's gonna be fun, big game on Saturday. You 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:32.919 were rolling. You had the crown vet gassed up. What, um, people, 0:03:33.000 --> 0:03:35.280 anytime you only get to play two series, people are 0:03:35.280 --> 0:03:38.080 gonna like look at one thing more than any other thing. 0:03:38.120 --> 0:03:40.400 So you had like three carries of double digit yards 0:03:40.480 --> 0:03:43.240 right in a row. Offense is rolling. You did fumble. 0:03:43.280 --> 0:03:45.280 What happened on the fumble? You know? For me, Um, 0:03:45.280 --> 0:03:47.160 that's something I take a lot of pride and holding 0:03:47.160 --> 0:03:50.320 onto the ball and protecting the ball. Just Um, I 0:03:50.400 --> 0:03:52.640 wasn't securing it like I said, have being man. He 0:03:52.840 --> 0:03:54.320 gat it at loose on me and I took the 0:03:54.400 --> 0:03:57.120 hit and you know it popped out with you know, 0:03:57.120 --> 0:03:58.840 I was ready to turn to a defender out of that, 0:03:59.000 --> 0:04:01.040 but luckily, um, he already on the ground and to 0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:03.960 your defense, I was right, I was down there. It 0:04:04.040 --> 0:04:06.560 was a good hit. Was he didn't just bump you know, 0:04:06.640 --> 0:04:10.480 he got you. So it was Hey, I see how 0:04:10.520 --> 0:04:12.840 that could come lose better? Now the next month you 0:04:12.920 --> 0:04:14.960 Oh yeah, I say, man, like I said, I'd take 0:04:14.960 --> 0:04:17.159 a lot of pride and partaking the vail and um, 0:04:17.240 --> 0:04:19.520 that's that's something you definitely won't see that very often 0:04:19.560 --> 0:04:22.360 at all. What do it feel like? Um? You know 0:04:22.400 --> 0:04:25.360 you didn't of course there was the weird thing with 0:04:25.440 --> 0:04:28.320 the pup list or whatever last year. And so now 0:04:28.360 --> 0:04:32.240 you're you're looking at for the foreseeable future. You're you're 0:04:32.279 --> 0:04:34.520 the bell cow here, You're gonna be the lead back. 0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:37.520 What did it feel like to be behind that offensive 0:04:37.520 --> 0:04:40.279 line in a game situation and seeing seeing all those 0:04:40.279 --> 0:04:42.320 holes developing, knowing what you've got ahead of you, No, 0:04:42.560 --> 0:04:44.800 just being out there behind those guys, man, Um. I 0:04:44.839 --> 0:04:46.240 know they take a lot of pride in what they 0:04:46.320 --> 0:04:48.080 do up front, and that's something I love about them. 0:04:48.120 --> 0:04:49.920 They work hard on a lot of people. Just see 0:04:49.960 --> 0:04:51.560 them out there in game on game day, but them 0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:53.640 around them every day and I see that. The way 0:04:53.640 --> 0:04:55.040 that they work in the way room, the way that 0:04:55.080 --> 0:04:56.560 they work on the field. You know, I love it 0:04:56.600 --> 0:04:58.719 in them. Anytime you get a chance to run behind 0:04:58.760 --> 0:05:01.440 those guys, just a great opportunit. Now, Nate, you've been 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:03.800 watching a lot of films. Yes, what did you see? 0:05:03.839 --> 0:05:07.360 What did you see Saturday? I saw a very explosive guy, man. 0:05:08.440 --> 0:05:09.880 I just told him when he walked in the room, 0:05:09.880 --> 0:05:12.440 I'm like, wow, man, here looking like a young Arkansas razorback. 0:05:12.560 --> 0:05:16.479 I mean physically, man, you look you look smooth, You 0:05:16.520 --> 0:05:19.160 look good. I mean you was running. I mean I 0:05:19.200 --> 0:05:22.440 saw you literally running behind your pads, and normally you 0:05:22.520 --> 0:05:24.480 kind of got you smoothed up right there. But this 0:05:24.520 --> 0:05:26.200 game here, it's like you got behind your pads a 0:05:26.240 --> 0:05:28.680 little bit better. No, I've been feeling great, I'll see. 0:05:28.720 --> 0:05:30.240 You know, I missed a lot of those games last 0:05:30.320 --> 0:05:32.320 year dealing with the elbow injury. So I'm you know, 0:05:32.360 --> 0:05:34.360 my boddy didn't take much of a punishment last year, 0:05:34.360 --> 0:05:36.440 and I went to the off season healthy. I stayed 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:38.800 healthy all all season, and you know, I'm just ready 0:05:38.839 --> 0:05:41.320 to coming here and just pick up the slack whisks 0:05:41.400 --> 0:05:44.640 leaving right now. People always say about running backs that, 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:47.400 you know, the age of twenty eight is kind of 0:05:48.400 --> 0:05:51.120 a real line of demarcation their careers. They don't they 0:05:51.160 --> 0:05:53.000 don't they don't seem to get better because they've taken 0:05:53.040 --> 0:05:56.560 so much punishment. But having basically a whole year off 0:05:56.720 --> 0:05:58.960 last year, I mean, can you just tell us more 0:05:58.960 --> 0:06:02.599 about just how fresh your legs feel compared to you know, 0:06:02.680 --> 0:06:06.800 having played full seasons before and having you know, it 0:06:06.880 --> 0:06:08.720 had really I don't know how many carries you got 0:06:08.800 --> 0:06:11.080 last year. It couldn't have been more than thirty or 0:06:11.120 --> 0:06:14.200 forty oh yeah at all with them. You know a 0:06:14.240 --> 0:06:16.360 lot of people say the fresh legs and stuff, but 0:06:16.400 --> 0:06:18.080 you know, you're going through training camp, so you're gonna 0:06:18.120 --> 0:06:20.440 deal with a leg fatiguing things. But you know, the 0:06:20.480 --> 0:06:22.440 old I get in my career, man, the more learning 0:06:22.440 --> 0:06:24.159 to take care of my body. And it's something that 0:06:24.200 --> 0:06:26.400 a lot of old players say now, like, uh, I 0:06:26.400 --> 0:06:28.960 wish I would have knew my rookie second year or 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:30.719 what I know now about taking care of my body 0:06:30.760 --> 0:06:32.800 and just eating healthy and but you know, those things 0:06:32.800 --> 0:06:34.800 really come into play, especially at the older age. And 0:06:35.080 --> 0:06:36.520 you know, for me, Um, I don't feel like I've 0:06:36.520 --> 0:06:38.039 lost the step at all. I feel like I'm able 0:06:38.040 --> 0:06:39.720 to go out there and still carry a load. So 0:06:39.760 --> 0:06:42.400 you had some some nice striped bass for lunch? You are, 0:06:42.520 --> 0:06:45.919 you are eating healthy little zucchini. What else do you 0:06:45.960 --> 0:06:47.719 do to take care of your body now? You know, 0:06:48.880 --> 0:06:52.000 like I say, eating healthy man, cold tub, high tub. 0:06:52.160 --> 0:06:54.559 You know that's something I've always done, the cold tub, 0:06:54.560 --> 0:06:56.039 and you know, just try to stay on top of it. 0:06:56.120 --> 0:06:58.000 But I mean it every day of not two or 0:06:58.040 --> 0:06:59.840 three times a day now, and I feel like there's 0:06:59.880 --> 0:07:02.719 something that helped my leg recover the most and you know, 0:07:02.839 --> 0:07:04.599 just trying to get the right rest. I don't go 0:07:04.640 --> 0:07:07.039 out and hang out all night or anything like that anymore. 0:07:07.080 --> 0:07:09.200 And you know, just you're a run if you're a 0:07:09.200 --> 0:07:11.920 young running back, you can do that. Yeah, I feel 0:07:11.960 --> 0:07:14.240 like my younger days I felt like I could. But 0:07:14.320 --> 0:07:16.720 like I said, if I knew now, I knew that 0:07:16.800 --> 0:07:18.880 then where I know now, I definitely wouldn't have been 0:07:18.880 --> 0:07:21.360 doing it. Then. How old are you now, Darren, I'm 0:07:21.400 --> 0:07:24.200 twenty nine. I'll beat thirty on twenty seventh. All right, 0:07:24.240 --> 0:07:27.080 So tell everybody. We kind of know your story. Tell 0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:31.320 everybody where you grew up, where you went to high school, 0:07:31.680 --> 0:07:34.840 getting recruited out of high school, why you picked Arkansas 0:07:34.960 --> 0:07:37.040 and then getting in the league, and how'd you wind 0:07:37.120 --> 0:07:39.520 up here? Born and raised the Little Rock, Arkansas. I 0:07:39.520 --> 0:07:41.480 went to Oak Grove High School, which is in north 0:07:41.480 --> 0:07:43.320 of the Rock, just right across the water from where 0:07:43.320 --> 0:07:45.560 I grew up. Then, uh, you know, I came out. 0:07:45.600 --> 0:07:47.880 I was a top recrew coming out, but for me, 0:07:47.960 --> 0:07:49.920 it was hands down, I'm going to University of Arkansas. 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:52.080 So I didn't even take a visit anywhere else or 0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:54.960 didn't attain any other officers anything I knew. I want 0:07:55.040 --> 0:07:57.560 to go. I committed a junior in high school so 0:07:57.600 --> 0:07:59.360 that where I could play my senior year and I 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:02.680 had to worry about to recruit. And came out twenty 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:06.320 two thousand and eight first round draft pick and played 0:08:06.360 --> 0:08:08.320 in Oakland for seven years, and you know, I've been 0:08:08.320 --> 0:08:11.040 here since twenty fifteen. Yeah, what's the biggest difference between 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:14.440 Oakland and Dallas? You know, besides the one hundred and 0:08:14.440 --> 0:08:17.880 ten degree heat in the summer, you know, Um, it's 0:08:17.960 --> 0:08:20.560 just a different environment, man. You know, and Oakland we 0:08:20.560 --> 0:08:22.800 were kind of on a down slid back then, and 0:08:23.040 --> 0:08:24.840 you know, they definitely came around now. But it's just 0:08:24.880 --> 0:08:27.560 a different environment. To win an atmosphere here and know, 0:08:27.680 --> 0:08:29.440 it's something that you love about it, so it makes 0:08:29.440 --> 0:08:31.600 it a joy to come to work every day. Yeah, Kurt, 0:08:31.720 --> 0:08:34.839 you're gonna ask a question. It's hard to jump in there, man. 0:08:34.920 --> 0:08:37.840 Let's go reading some of your history. I mean, you 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:40.680 grew up in a tough, tough neighborhood. It sounds like 0:08:40.679 --> 0:08:44.120 you had family members of friends, ran gangs, that sort 0:08:44.120 --> 0:08:45.840 of thing. How did you manage to stay away from 0:08:45.880 --> 0:08:47.719 all that get out of that situation? You know, I 0:08:47.760 --> 0:08:50.120 always tell people, for me, growing up. I didn't know 0:08:50.160 --> 0:08:51.960 exactly what I what I wanted to do, but I 0:08:52.000 --> 0:08:53.640 knew what I didn't want to do from growing up 0:08:53.679 --> 0:08:56.000 around a gang, violence and drugs and things. I knew 0:08:56.040 --> 0:08:58.440 though something that you know, I didn't want to go 0:08:58.559 --> 0:09:00.960 and take that same path. And you know, look for me, 0:09:01.040 --> 0:09:03.240 I was blessed with the talent to play football, you know, 0:09:03.240 --> 0:09:06.040 and I took the opportunity around with it. Said something. 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:08.800 Still keep in touch going back, you know, you can 0:09:08.880 --> 0:09:10.320 keep in touch with you have to keep in touch 0:09:10.360 --> 0:09:13.120 from afar. So it's one of those things, man. You know, 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:15.240 I still have good friends that I talked to that 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:16.839 I grew up in my neighborhood and stuff. You know, 0:09:17.120 --> 0:09:19.160 I would never not talk to him anything. They have 0:09:19.200 --> 0:09:20.920 been some of my best buddies growing up since we 0:09:20.920 --> 0:09:23.000 were five and six years old. So I was going 0:09:23.040 --> 0:09:24.439 to talk to him and still be you know, with 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:26.560 just a different points in life right now. How often 0:09:26.559 --> 0:09:29.200 do you go back? I try to get back as 0:09:29.320 --> 0:09:31.040 much as I can off season and come with My 0:09:31.080 --> 0:09:33.120 kids actually still live in Arkansas, they don't live here 0:09:33.160 --> 0:09:35.000 in Texas with me, so anytime I can get back 0:09:35.000 --> 0:09:37.839 there now, my family lived there, so yeah, it's always 0:09:37.920 --> 0:09:39.720 enjoyed to be able to get back and visit them. 0:09:40.160 --> 0:09:42.240 So how do you spend your nights then, I mean, 0:09:42.400 --> 0:09:45.880 since you don't do you know that nightlife and you 0:09:46.040 --> 0:09:50.160 eating better? When what how do you do a nightlife? Then? 0:09:50.200 --> 0:09:52.720 What your what is your nightlife? For me? Man, I'm 0:09:52.760 --> 0:09:56.600 pretty boring? Man. They always said. I can remember hearing 0:09:56.600 --> 0:09:59.840 people when I was growing up and stuff, and early 0:10:00.000 --> 0:10:01.840 in my years in the NFL, they would say being 0:10:01.880 --> 0:10:03.880 bored is actually a good thing. And yes, you know, 0:10:04.000 --> 0:10:07.199 I definitely understand that now because you know, going to 0:10:07.280 --> 0:10:08.880 hanging out, Yeah, it's fun and do it at the 0:10:08.920 --> 0:10:11.880 time you're doing it, but you know, with the strain 0:10:11.960 --> 0:10:13.480 and the stress it put on your body, it's not 0:10:13.520 --> 0:10:19.040 so much fun. Video games, reading books, just make something up, man. 0:10:19.480 --> 0:10:25.400 People want to be like, ah, yeah music, I'm I'm 0:10:25.440 --> 0:10:27.720 pretty much a big chilled guy. Man. I watched a 0:10:27.720 --> 0:10:31.760 lot of Animal Planning Discovery Channel and you watch Shark 0:10:31.800 --> 0:10:34.000 Week out of Training Camp, Yeah, I did. I watched 0:10:34.000 --> 0:10:36.400 a lot of Shark week doing training Camp. And you know, 0:10:36.480 --> 0:10:39.760 for me, I guess I feel like I've been ran 0:10:39.880 --> 0:10:41.520 the street so much as far as hanging out and 0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:43.880 partying as at a younger age that to me, it 0:10:43.920 --> 0:10:45.680 doesn't bother me to sit at home and not do 0:10:45.760 --> 0:10:49.640 anything all day. I'm with you on that, bro. You 0:10:49.720 --> 0:10:51.800 watch any other shows you in the Game of Thrones 0:10:52.000 --> 0:10:53.920 or Walking Dead or any of that. I hadn't got 0:10:53.920 --> 0:10:56.160 into the Game of Thrones. Everybody tells me about it, man, 0:10:56.240 --> 0:10:58.480 But I gotta get on. So I'm so far behind 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:00.400 right now as far as a matter too weeks just 0:11:00.520 --> 0:11:02.600 to try and catch up. Take you, like two months, 0:11:04.360 --> 0:11:06.560 I hadn't caught up with it, but um, I've definitely 0:11:06.559 --> 0:11:08.640 heard a lot about it. That'll be a good two months. 0:11:08.960 --> 0:11:13.959 So today going into practice, man, But you've been a veteran. 0:11:14.440 --> 0:11:17.200 Do you do you look forward to, like, you know, 0:11:17.280 --> 0:11:20.079 trying to get as many reps as you can, or 0:11:20.200 --> 0:11:22.360 you just you just wait for your time to be called? 0:11:22.440 --> 0:11:24.839 Or how do you feel about that situation? Because like 0:11:24.840 --> 0:11:27.199 what man Josh said, it could it could. We don't 0:11:27.240 --> 0:11:28.800 know at this point. It could be where you're gonna 0:11:28.800 --> 0:11:30.720 be the bell cow. So are you trying to get 0:11:30.760 --> 0:11:32.839 as many reps as you can? You pressing coaching a 0:11:32.880 --> 0:11:36.119 little bit? Are you just being patient for me? I'm 0:11:36.200 --> 0:11:38.640 just being patient right now, you know. But I always 0:11:38.679 --> 0:11:40.960 take the same approach every day. Um, whether I'm gonna 0:11:40.960 --> 0:11:42.600 be the second guy at the first guy, I'm taking 0:11:42.640 --> 0:11:44.520 the same approaching. I'm gonna be working like the first 0:11:44.520 --> 0:11:46.679 guy regardless. And you know it's always good for a 0:11:46.760 --> 0:11:48.320 running back just to get stuff to get in there 0:11:48.320 --> 0:11:50.360 and get your movement going to things. But you know, 0:11:50.360 --> 0:11:52.160 it's one of those deals. For me. I've been around 0:11:52.160 --> 0:11:53.480 the league a long time, so I know how to 0:11:53.520 --> 0:11:55.600 go about my business, and you know, the rest that 0:11:55.600 --> 0:11:58.160 I do count, I make them count as a veteran player. 0:11:58.200 --> 0:12:01.160 Do you hate this time of year? I think one 0:12:01.160 --> 0:12:03.040 of the most things I hate about training account for 0:12:03.080 --> 0:12:05.600 me is just having to be away from being away 0:12:05.640 --> 0:12:08.240 from home so long. My mom used to being able 0:12:08.280 --> 0:12:10.440 to go home on all days and things. When I 0:12:10.480 --> 0:12:12.679 was in Oakland, we were an hour away from where 0:12:12.720 --> 0:12:14.439 I lived and so I could drive home on all 0:12:14.440 --> 0:12:16.480 the day. But you know, this past training account was 0:12:16.480 --> 0:12:18.160 the first year old. If my wife didn't come out, 0:12:18.200 --> 0:12:20.480 so I was going a full three weeks and didn't 0:12:20.520 --> 0:12:22.440 get to see each other and things, so that one 0:12:22.559 --> 0:12:25.000 was kind of hard. Did you eat any rice peeloft 0:12:25.000 --> 0:12:27.440 when we were out there? I definitely did every damn 0:12:27.600 --> 0:12:30.080 day they have rice pelf and then they try to 0:12:30.120 --> 0:12:32.360 trick you and then they say it seasoned rice and 0:12:32.400 --> 0:12:34.800 just make it a different color. It's funny. Before you 0:12:34.800 --> 0:12:37.439 came in, we were talking about there with the grilled chicken, 0:12:37.480 --> 0:12:40.800 the barbecue chicken, the pistol chicken. It was all the same, 0:12:40.880 --> 0:12:43.920 just a different name every way. But the best way. 0:12:44.120 --> 0:12:46.960 So you can have chicken fried, it's they have it 0:12:47.080 --> 0:12:49.360 every other way. Never. I think we had chicken strips 0:12:49.400 --> 0:12:51.160 maybe one night, and that was as close to fried 0:12:51.240 --> 0:12:55.240 chicken as we got. Maybe once. Had snack a couple 0:12:55.240 --> 0:12:57.560 of times, y'all did we didn't. They don't give us 0:12:57.559 --> 0:13:00.439 the good stuff. Should have came around then I did. 0:13:00.600 --> 0:13:05.880 Bro The food truck night was awesome though, Oh yeah, 0:13:05.960 --> 0:13:07.760 definitely great. Um, you know, like I said, it's something 0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:09.960 I love about here. Um, they make it fun for 0:13:10.080 --> 0:13:12.440 you know. And I was in Oakland. We were training camp, 0:13:12.520 --> 0:13:14.920 training camp food. But you know, to be able to 0:13:14.960 --> 0:13:16.920 go have movie nights with the team, hang out with 0:13:16.920 --> 0:13:18.920 the guys, and you know, bringing them food trucks from 0:13:18.960 --> 0:13:20.840 time to time, that's something I feel like a lot 0:13:20.880 --> 0:13:23.120 of the players really enjoy. Yeah, speaking of the guys, 0:13:23.200 --> 0:13:26.160 we're gonna have Rod Smith on While I was waiting 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:28.600 on you, I got bored and I started talking to Rod. 0:13:28.640 --> 0:13:29.480 I was like, hey, you want to come on the 0:13:29.520 --> 0:13:31.840 show tomorrow. He's like, yeah, I'll do it. What's something? 0:13:32.120 --> 0:13:34.720 What's something we can ask him that nobody knows, or 0:13:34.760 --> 0:13:37.160 something that's funny that we can. You ask them why 0:13:37.200 --> 0:13:40.199 they call them tax man? Tax man? Yeah? Okay? Is 0:13:40.200 --> 0:13:42.240 they gonna get us in trouble now? Is that gonna 0:13:42.240 --> 0:13:43.920 be one of those questions? Like I told Josh not 0:13:43.960 --> 0:13:46.160 to ask us, to make you ask. We have a 0:13:46.320 --> 0:13:48.720 thing in a running back room where we have a 0:13:48.720 --> 0:13:51.080 fine stytem just within our own room, whether if you like, 0:13:51.440 --> 0:13:53.439 if you miss, if you make a mental error, or 0:13:53.480 --> 0:13:56.120 you fumble the ball. And so I'm actually three fifty 0:13:56.120 --> 0:13:59.040 in the hole right now and I had a mental 0:13:59.040 --> 0:14:02.800 era Saturday night with So we have a fine system 0:14:02.800 --> 0:14:04.679 set up that we all go about and Rod is 0:14:04.720 --> 0:14:06.840 always the one that calls it out. So he keeps 0:14:06.920 --> 0:14:08.920 he keeps the books. He don't keep the books, but 0:14:08.920 --> 0:14:13.920 he definitely lets know. What's it like to see young 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:16.600 guy like him who's kind of played some different roles? 0:14:16.800 --> 0:14:19.040 Is he a fullback? Is he a running back? He's 0:14:19.120 --> 0:14:21.280 changing his weight here and there, came into the league 0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:24.440 without much fanfare. Is just being like Jalen Smith's brother 0:14:24.560 --> 0:14:26.520 and and now, I mean it looks like he's gonna 0:14:26.520 --> 0:14:28.640 stick around here and have some a chance to get 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:31.040 some touches in the regular season. You know, Like I say, 0:14:31.080 --> 0:14:34.000 I'm around these guys every day just working and stuff, man, 0:14:34.040 --> 0:14:35.440 and I see what he can do. You know, a 0:14:35.480 --> 0:14:37.360 lot of people don't don't be at the practice in 0:14:37.720 --> 0:14:39.800 and the individual workouts and things that we have, but 0:14:40.120 --> 0:14:41.320 you know, I see the things that he can do 0:14:41.360 --> 0:14:43.720 in them. He's definitely a great runner, Like he's going 0:14:43.760 --> 0:14:45.680 to be a good running this league also. And I'm 0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:47.640 very happy for him that he's been having a great 0:14:47.680 --> 0:14:50.160 camp man, and I look forward to seeing him this season. 0:14:50.360 --> 0:14:52.680 It's tough to find that balanced because you want to 0:14:52.720 --> 0:14:54.960 help each other, but you're also competing against each other 0:14:55.000 --> 0:14:57.920 for carries, you know, for us as running backs, man, 0:14:58.040 --> 0:15:00.400 it's always going to be a competition. And U you know, um, 0:15:00.560 --> 0:15:02.440 but when I came in as a rookie, I had 0:15:02.480 --> 0:15:04.760 older guys ahead of me, and being a high draft pick, 0:15:04.800 --> 0:15:06.240 you know, I didn't know what they speed coming in, 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:07.920 but they took me under their wings. And you know, 0:15:07.960 --> 0:15:09.840 they showed me the ropes and you know, I'm the 0:15:09.920 --> 0:15:12.200 same way. Man, I pick up these young guys taking 0:15:12.280 --> 0:15:13.920 one of my wings, try to show them the rope was. 0:15:14.240 --> 0:15:15.680 At the end of the day, you know, it's not 0:15:15.720 --> 0:15:18.080 just about having one guy back there can have a boy, y'alls, 0:15:18.080 --> 0:15:20.240 you have to have other guys. It's ready also. So 0:15:20.320 --> 0:15:23.920 you've talked to us a lot today about how as 0:15:24.360 --> 0:15:27.080 you've progressed in the league. You're a veteran, you learn 0:15:27.160 --> 0:15:29.640 these things like it's better to be boring, stuff like that. 0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:32.600 We got to ask you about Zeke. Zeke's not lived 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:35.680 the boring life since he got to Dallas. What's the 0:15:35.760 --> 0:15:38.560 process for him going to be of figuring that out 0:15:38.640 --> 0:15:41.520 and and how to how to just be available to 0:15:41.840 --> 0:15:44.360 the team. You know, Um, it's just one of those things. 0:15:44.400 --> 0:15:46.360 I feel like it comes with maturity. Man. He's a 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:48.800 young guy. He walking to a great situation and um, 0:15:49.440 --> 0:15:51.400 you know, um that was just a great city and 0:15:51.400 --> 0:15:52.680 it's a lot to go on and a lot of 0:15:52.680 --> 0:15:54.560 stuff to get into. And so I just feel like 0:15:54.560 --> 0:15:56.200 for him, you know, it's just just gonna take the 0:15:56.240 --> 0:15:58.320 time phone the mature you know. Um, a lot of 0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:00.280 people they look at the headlines and things he get 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:01.880 caught up in where you know, he's a great guy, 0:16:01.920 --> 0:16:04.120 he's a great teammate. You know, all the guys love 0:16:04.160 --> 0:16:05.720 being around him. He's a fun guy. Of having a 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:09.760 locker room, who's one guy pick one defensive guy and 0:16:09.800 --> 0:16:12.880 one offensive guy that you've been surprised by a camp like, 0:16:12.880 --> 0:16:16.080 who's somebody You're like, okay, wow, you know my offensive 0:16:16.080 --> 0:16:18.280 guy had to go with a Cooper rush Man. He's 0:16:18.280 --> 0:16:20.120 been doing a great job and a lot of things 0:16:20.120 --> 0:16:23.560 that he's doing out there. And my defensive guy, I'm 0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:25.960 gonna go with Jalen Man because you know, he didn't 0:16:25.960 --> 0:16:27.280 get to get out there on the field. He hasn't 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:29.040 played much ball in the last year and a half 0:16:29.040 --> 0:16:30.920 for two years, and you know, just to see the 0:16:31.000 --> 0:16:33.680 way that he's worked off camping, worked off season last year, Man, 0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:35.520 he's been doing a heck of a job. Talk about 0:16:35.520 --> 0:16:37.680 that a little bit because we see it because we're 0:16:37.680 --> 0:16:39.800 out here with you guys, right. Talk a little bit 0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:43.840 about how what a guy, the kind of guy is 0:16:43.920 --> 0:16:46.640 in that locker room, what he is out on the field, 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:48.520 and seeing him work as hard as he did to 0:16:48.560 --> 0:16:50.600 get back to where he's at, Like, how did that 0:16:50.760 --> 0:16:53.640 affect you? Guys? Know? Um, I worked out with him 0:16:53.640 --> 0:16:55.520 every day last year pretty much because we were both 0:16:56.280 --> 0:16:57.920 what we were missing time, you know, that's when I 0:16:57.960 --> 0:17:00.080 was dealing with my elbow. But just to see the 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:02.920 progression that he made from week one up until the 0:17:02.960 --> 0:17:05.160 time the season was over. Man, I feel like if 0:17:05.200 --> 0:17:08.280 he was where I would say about week nine or ten, 0:17:08.320 --> 0:17:09.760 if he was at the point in week one, he 0:17:09.800 --> 0:17:11.920 would have played last year, you know, just to see 0:17:12.000 --> 0:17:14.960 him go from being going into his cuts and kind 0:17:14.960 --> 0:17:16.960 of being softened to him before he break out of 0:17:17.040 --> 0:17:18.960 and then just to see how it turned all the 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:20.760 way around for me, just he just cut and pop 0:17:20.800 --> 0:17:22.360 out of him. Man, it was just great to see. 0:17:23.080 --> 0:17:25.919 So what'd you do this off season? It was a 0:17:25.920 --> 0:17:27.960 pretty chill I was season for him actually, man, Like 0:17:28.000 --> 0:17:30.720 I said, I'm pretty chill. Went on vacations with my 0:17:30.720 --> 0:17:32.920