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Speaker 1: Command This Family an extra special episode of the Next

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Speaker 1: Man Podcast.

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Speaker 2: Hey for Darien Mathis, come in and talk to us

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Speaker 2: about the.

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Speaker 1: Precious of being the second round thinking how he finally

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Speaker 1: feels healthy and ready to go. Then bring on another

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Speaker 1: second round. Pick former tight end for the Washington Redskins,

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Speaker 1: Fred Davis pulls up and talks about his favorite memories,

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Speaker 1: plans for the burden, and goal all that more. Right

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Speaker 1: now a Next Man Now. This episode of the Next

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Speaker 1: Man Up is brought to you by Cancelo Proud Kioks,

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Speaker 1: partners of.

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Speaker 2: The Washington Commanders.

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Speaker 1: Now, we know you'd hate waiting in lines for your concession,

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Speaker 1: but we got something for you. To go to the

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Speaker 1: club level of Northwest Stay and find yourself one of

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Speaker 1: these cantlop self served kiosks.

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Speaker 2: Put your order in and head back to your seat.

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Speaker 2: You want miss a minute of the game. That will

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Speaker 2: bring the food to.

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Speaker 1: You and you can enjoy the game without any lines,

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Speaker 1: without any hassle.

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Speaker 2: And without missing a second of game action. That self

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Speaker 2: ordering power by Cancelo see you at the game. Command

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Speaker 2: this family. Now let's start to show.

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Speaker 1: The man this family for our Next Man Up. Got

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Speaker 1: a Bama boy in the building man. Another one, our guy,

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Speaker 1: our defensive tackle for Darien maddis Darien.

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Speaker 2: How you doing, brother, good?

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Speaker 3: I'm doing good, Bro.

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Speaker 2: I appreciate you.

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Speaker 3: For being here. Man.

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Speaker 1: We know you busy brun like me, and you have

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Speaker 1: never actually got to sit and wrap like like this.

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Speaker 2: We did a car sholder as it come out yet,

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Speaker 2: but we ain't really got to really really kick it, man.

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Speaker 1: So I want to start in the beginning because you

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Speaker 1: know we've had to be robb On and like y'all

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Speaker 1: Bama boys just different.

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Speaker 2: Man, sooning about y'all Bama cats. I want to know

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Speaker 2: what is it?

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Speaker 1: What is it that gets y'all so ready for the

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Speaker 1: NFL because y'all come in game ready.

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Speaker 2: What about Bama does that for y'all?

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Speaker 4: I really just say the journey, bro. Like coming in

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Speaker 4: as a freshman, I think with Coach Saban, he did

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Speaker 4: a good good job was just taking us through the process.

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Speaker 4: You know, freshman year, sophomore year. By that time, some

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Speaker 4: guys come in ready freshman year, but by your sophomore year,

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Speaker 4: junior year, you should be developed, you know, just by

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Speaker 4: being in his system.

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Speaker 2: Sure, when did you feel fully developed?

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Speaker 4: H I tell you my junior year for sure, I

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Speaker 4: started to develop more, you know, just being around, you know,

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Speaker 4: in his presence, you know, learning how to learning how

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Speaker 4: to become a young young adult, you know, just being

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Speaker 4: around his presence. And I think by by time my

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Speaker 4: junior year coming around, I was much more so mature, more,

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Speaker 4: you know, older, more like understood the game more. And

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Speaker 4: I say about that time, for sure.

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Speaker 1: And you were a dog in college so much so

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Speaker 1: you end up being the second round pick when you

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Speaker 1: get drafted in the second round. But Washington, do you

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Speaker 1: realize the pressures that come with being such a high

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Speaker 1: pick in that moment? Uh?

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Speaker 4: I say it most definitely was a lot of pressure

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Speaker 4: because you know, everybody got.

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Speaker 3: Their own their own view of you. You know what

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Speaker 3: I'm saying.

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Speaker 4: Some people got high expectations for you, and some people also,

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Speaker 4: you know, they got their own opinion like, oh he

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Speaker 4: shouldn't have been there, woo woo. But at the same time,

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Speaker 4: you know, you just got to keep your faith in

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Speaker 4: God and just accept the consequences that come with it,

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Speaker 4: good or bad.

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Speaker 1: When you look back at that, what would you say

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Speaker 1: at that point your expectations for yourself.

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Speaker 4: Was well, really just you know, come out in ball,

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Speaker 4: you know my first year, you know, I got you know,

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Speaker 4: I ended up getting injured my first game. Then second

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Speaker 4: year I went through the same process. So really just

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Speaker 4: it was really I just had I had big hopes.

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Speaker 4: You know, I was excited, you know, I was feeling good.

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Speaker 4: You know. Then just everything went downhill. So I had

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Speaker 4: to just like a whole reset. You know. It was

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Speaker 4: a reset for sure.

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Speaker 1: And you talk about these big hopes you have, and

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Speaker 1: I'm like, let's paint it, man. I think it was

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Speaker 1: like the fourth or fifth play of your first game

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Speaker 1: where you went out and you were out for the season,

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Speaker 1: and you have these hot hopes, you have these expectations

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Speaker 1: for yourself. What goes through your mind when you have

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Speaker 1: the injury? They tell you, hey, man, your season's over

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Speaker 1: with Man, how do you deal with that moment?

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Speaker 3: Ah?

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Speaker 4: Man, it was a lot like just depression. Bro's going

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Speaker 4: through that.

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Speaker 3: You know.

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Speaker 4: I'm I'm more so a I said, popular loner when

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Speaker 4: it comes to stuff like that. Uh, I was just depression, Bro.

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Speaker 4: It was so much built up. Just I stopped coming

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Speaker 4: to means I just wanted to be by myself. So

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Speaker 4: just after dealing with all that, it was more like, man,

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Speaker 4: let me get back into it more. You know, I

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Speaker 4: started coming back around more, started filling in the presence

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Speaker 4: of my teammates and stuff like that. So I think

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Speaker 4: just being around them they kind of helped me. Brought

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Speaker 4: me out of my shell a lot, for sure.

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Speaker 1: And when you depress, man, it's hard to even get

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Speaker 1: to that point where you go around your teammates again

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Speaker 1: and let them allow you to get yourself out of

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Speaker 1: your shell. So how did you get to that point?

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Speaker 1: How did you get through this depression and get out

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Speaker 1: of that dark place?

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Speaker 4: Just talking to doctor Robertson, you remember her great, Yeah,

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Speaker 4: she kind of helped me get up out of that.

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Speaker 4: She's just just talking to her every day, you know,

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Speaker 4: we had though it was one on ones where she

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Speaker 4: helped me cope with the pain that I was going through,

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Speaker 4: you know, all the depression and so just you know,

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Speaker 4: being around guys like John bro I think he was

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Speaker 4: the and for sure one of the big brothers like

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Speaker 4: I played that role. Was just encouraging me to do

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Speaker 4: things better, you know, just you know, take my time.

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Speaker 4: Just you're gonna be like, you're gonna be bad, bro,

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Speaker 4: Just just be patient, be patient, you know. So it's

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Speaker 4: just guys like tying and pain and fail. They're just

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Speaker 4: keeping me keeping my head up, for sure.

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Speaker 1: So having that game and those tools in your toolbox

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Speaker 1: already after that first injury, then when you get your

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Speaker 1: second injury in year two, did it reset again or

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Speaker 1: were you already able to kind of deal with it

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Speaker 1: because you knew that you had dealt with this before. Uh?

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Speaker 4: Nah, I mean it kind of just went back. It's

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Speaker 4: like dang. It's like, damn, I can't catch a break.

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Speaker 4: I'm like, dang, what's going on. It's like, dang, rather

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Speaker 4: don't supposed to be here. It's like it's so many

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Speaker 4: questions you just go through, you know what I'm saying.

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Speaker 4: But then again, you know that just played the role

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Speaker 4: of me just getting closer with God. I started getting

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Speaker 4: closer with God. I just started praying more, just started,

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Speaker 4: you know, just give them more time to God. And

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Speaker 4: then I just say, like, just this shit, I just

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Speaker 4: been the health has I ever been, you know what

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Speaker 4: I'm saying. I changed my life around a little bit.

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Speaker 4: You know, I had to move different, had to you know,

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Speaker 4: changed the way I was doing things. And I think

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Speaker 4: they played a big role in it, for sure.

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Speaker 1: And I mean it's clearly worked out, man, Because it's

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Speaker 1: very interesting. You're one of the few holdovers from the

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Speaker 1: last regime, right Like they came in and they cleaned house,

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Speaker 1: but they kept a few guys. They kept those guys

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Speaker 1: that they know were dogs. What did it mean to

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Speaker 1: you to have that voter confidence from this culture staff

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Speaker 1: that did not draft you, this ownership that did not

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Speaker 1: draft you, and they say, you know what, we're gonna

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Speaker 1: keep you here in ball.

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Speaker 4: With For sure, it meant a lot because just going

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Speaker 4: all the way back to the summertime, Bro, it's just

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Speaker 4: all the work report, it's my d line coaches. They

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Speaker 4: believed in me so much. They played a big role

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Speaker 4: on me just coming out my shell this year. You know,

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Speaker 4: I feel like I improved because of them. You know,

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Speaker 4: they gave me the confidence that I have now. Just

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Speaker 4: for them bringing out the confidence, it just it means

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Speaker 4: a lot, you know what I'm saying? Because I want to,

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Speaker 4: don't I say, like two years ago, I want I

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Speaker 4: want the same field that I am today, for sure?

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Speaker 1: And you keep using the word confidence, man, So I'd

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Speaker 1: love to hear what your definition of that. When it

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Speaker 1: comes to you and the way you play the game,

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Speaker 1: you keep seeing you got that confidence back.

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Speaker 2: Where is your confidence at right now?

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Speaker 3: Ah?

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Speaker 4: Man, it's I ain't like my confidence there, It's like

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Speaker 4: it's through the roof. Like you know, two years ago,

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Speaker 4: I wouldn't have a confident confidence that I have today

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Speaker 4: with my d line coaches, for sure. And confidence to

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Speaker 4: me is just knowing you can go out there and

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Speaker 4: do your job. You're gonna beyond selfish, you know, put

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Speaker 4: it on the line for the team and just you know,

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Speaker 4: just be a team player and just also just locked

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Speaker 4: in on my keys, locked in on the things I

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Speaker 4: gotta do, uh to contribute to the team, for sure.

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Speaker 1: And being a team player in year three means that

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Speaker 1: you're starting to become a veteran yourself, right And you

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Speaker 1: got a young guy and Johnny Newton that gets drafted,

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Speaker 1: another second round pick comes in, also deals with an

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Speaker 1: injury right out the gate. Man, how were you there

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Speaker 1: to help him out and kind of talk to him

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Speaker 1: because again you lived that same life.

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Speaker 4: For sure. I was most definitely, most definitely gave him

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Speaker 4: advice on you know, the things not to do, you know,

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Speaker 4: just like the things I went through. Like I just

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Speaker 4: told him, Man, you gotta stay around, don't go often,

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Speaker 4: you know, in your own lane, trying to deal with

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Speaker 4: it by yourself. Most definitely, just stay around with the guys,

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Speaker 4: you know, keep coming to means, you know, just stay

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Speaker 4: stay in the building, you know, keep your presence felt.

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Speaker 4: Because when you got people like that in your corner,

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Speaker 4: like the guys we have on this team, you'll be

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Speaker 4: you gonna be just fine.

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Speaker 1: And now he's healthy, and now you guys get to

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Speaker 1: line up with each other, and you guys are both

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Speaker 1: getting a lot more minutes now that johnsan Allen, you know,

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Speaker 1: went down, and you're getting those opportunities, you're getting those reps. Man,

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Speaker 1: what has it been like being able to finally be

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Speaker 1: on that field, being able to finally show what you

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Speaker 1: can do.

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Speaker 4: I feel good, you know, it's a blessing. But I

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Speaker 4: also know, you know, guys like well, the the giant

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Speaker 4: John injury, it kind of helped us out a lot because,

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Speaker 4: I mean, we get more snaps, but at the same time,

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Speaker 4: we get to show John that we got his back.

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Speaker 4: You know, we're not gonna let him down even though

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Speaker 4: he gone through that. We had to step up, like

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Speaker 4: it was a big call for both of us. You

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Speaker 4: know what I'm saying to step up at this time

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Speaker 4: because we really needed John, you know what I'm saying.

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Speaker 4: With him going through the injury, it kind of it

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Speaker 4: could have been a setback if he wasn't ready, you know,

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Speaker 4: it could have been a real setback if we weren't ready.

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Speaker 4: And I think d line coach is prepared as well

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Speaker 4: to step up, for sure.

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Speaker 1: And it sounds like John helped you be prepared as well,

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Speaker 1: like you said, like he was a big reason why

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Speaker 1: you were able to get through that injury. Have you

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Speaker 1: been able to be there for him while he gets

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Speaker 1: through this injury, because it's a lot different when you're

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Speaker 1: deep in your career and you suffer injury like that

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Speaker 1: for sure.

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Speaker 4: Like I just I think it was like two days ago,

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Speaker 4: I was just around him. It was in a lunch room,

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Speaker 4: and I remember him telling me this when I was hurt.

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Speaker 4: He was like, I feel what you eat now he

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Speaker 4: was dying and I was like, ah, we had getting

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Speaker 4: fat now woking up.

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Speaker 2: So I was rounding him.

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Speaker 4: That And also just like how he was telling me

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Speaker 4: when I was young, he was like, man, just stay around,

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Speaker 4: and you know, he just had a kid and stuff.

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Speaker 4: So I understand that too. But John also still be

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Speaker 4: in present. You know, he's still been around, you know,

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Speaker 4: just showing his face and just also giving us tips

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Speaker 4: and keys on you know, what he see from us

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Speaker 4: on film for.

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Speaker 1: Sure, and that's got to be so helpful for such

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Speaker 1: a young defensive line room. And one someone else has

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Speaker 1: got to be helpful. Darryl Tap, that is my favorite

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Speaker 1: person probably walked around to this building. All you gots

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Speaker 1: smile on you frohim. Can you talk about Dryl Tapping

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Speaker 1: what you've been able to see from him as a

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Speaker 1: defensive line coach and what he's really done for this defense.

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Speaker 4: And he done a lot, you know, not just for

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Speaker 4: the defense, but I mean not just for the D line,

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Speaker 4: but also for this whole defense man. His presence, I think,

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Speaker 4: you know, the president that he bring into the into

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Speaker 4: that room. Br he uplifted the guys. He give us

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Speaker 4: so much confidence in ourselves. You know, I think he

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Speaker 4: been a big impact on me for sure, you know

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Speaker 4: since he got here, because he just installed instill in

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Speaker 4: started Like I know, I lost the confidence in the

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Speaker 4: first two years. So it was like when he came

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Speaker 4: and like, man, I just want to play, you know,

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Speaker 4: he make you want to play for him, you know,

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Speaker 4: what I'm saying, He just make you want to like, oh,

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Speaker 4: you just want you know the type of coach did

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Speaker 4: lay it on the line.

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Speaker 2: For, sir.

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Speaker 4: He one of those guys that I just laid on

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Speaker 4: the line for because I know he giving me so

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Speaker 4: much tools to use out there on Sunday nights.

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Speaker 1: And it seems like this coaching staff is full of

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Speaker 1: that Sharif, Floyd, Willie Gay. And then you have a

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Speaker 1: Joe Wid junior who's being a defensive coordinator for the

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Speaker 1: first time. Man, show some of the Joe Wid Junior

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Speaker 1: because I know his impact on you guys on off

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Speaker 1: the field.

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Speaker 4: Joey, He's doing his thing for sure.

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Speaker 2: You know what I'm saying.

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Speaker 4: I just everything I say is just like when it

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Speaker 4: goes back to confidence.

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Speaker 3: Bro.

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Speaker 4: They they believe in me so much and I can

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Speaker 4: feel it and it just gives me confidence. So just

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Speaker 4: with Coach Wig, Coach Sharif, Coach Tap and Okay man,

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Speaker 4: they give me so much confidence in myself. It's like, damn,

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Speaker 4: I ain't really ain't believe in it like that. So

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Speaker 4: it's just like it just boosts me up to just

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Speaker 4: keep going. You know what I'm saying. They believe in

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Speaker 4: me so much, and they just give me so much

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Speaker 4: high praise, you know, even when the other people don't.

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Speaker 4: So it's just like I love them for that and

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Speaker 4: I'm always gonna appreciate that for just giving my confidence

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Speaker 4: back for sure.

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Speaker 1: Well you've earned it, bro, You've come out there and

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Speaker 1: you've earned it. You've heard the coaches say like how

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Speaker 1: hard you've worked, and you could have easily signed off, man,

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Speaker 1: but you stayed in and you kept grinding.

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Speaker 3: Man.

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Speaker 1: So last question for you, because you said it. Everybody

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Speaker 1: has expectations for you. Everybody has this type of player

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Speaker 1: that they think you are. But now that you're healthy,

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Speaker 1: now that you're feeling good in your confidence is back.

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Speaker 1: Looking at camera right there, and tell the fans what

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Speaker 1: type of player it's for, Darien Mathis.

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Speaker 4: Oh, Man, I'm a doll. You know, It's always been

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Speaker 4: in me. You know, it's always been there. It's just

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Speaker 4: you know, you know, people have setbacks.

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Speaker 3: Well, you know, I'm a doll.

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Speaker 4: Bro. You know I'm gonna fill out those gups for

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Speaker 4: the all linebackers and I'm just gonna continue to keep improving.

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Speaker 4: You know, I'm not there. Yeah, I'm not perfect, but

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Speaker 4: I'm gonna continue to get better and we're gonna just

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Speaker 4: continue to live this defense up week by week.

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Speaker 2: For sure.

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Speaker 1: Hey, brother, we have appreciated having you on man. It's

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Speaker 1: been so much fun watching on that field.

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Speaker 2: Do your thing.

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Speaker 1: The energy you bring, Man, and you bring it means

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Speaker 1: a lot to us in this fan base for Darien Man,

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Speaker 1: I appreciate your.

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Speaker 2: Time, brother, so I appreciate it. I appreciate you Man.

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Speaker 1: This episode of Next Man Up is brought to you

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Speaker 1: by Cantlope, Proud Kiosk partner of the Washington Commanders.

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Speaker 2: We know you hate waiting in lines. We know you

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Speaker 2: do not want to.

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Speaker 1: Miss any game action, so we have something for you.

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Speaker 2: of the action.

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Speaker 1: You will get your food delivered to you so you

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Speaker 1: can enjoy watching your Washington Commanders. Cantlope is the Proud

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Speaker 1: Kiosk sponsor of the Washington Commanders, making your game days

336
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Speaker 1: even more convinced, Next Commanded standing for our Next Man

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Speaker 1: that we have somebody very very special drafted in the

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Speaker 1: second round as a tight end, went to USC at

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Speaker 1: Cali Boyd. We got drafted by the Washington Redskins, and

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Speaker 1: now he's back to show love and talk about his

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Speaker 1: memories welcoming a tight end Fred Davis for how you doing?

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Speaker 2: Brother?

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Speaker 3: Good? Good? How you doing? Thank you for having me

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Speaker 3: on man.

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Speaker 1: Appreciate oh man, you know I always appreciate you all time,

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Speaker 1: and it's always great to have, you know, ex Redskins

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Speaker 1: come back and talk about the glory days.

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Speaker 3: Man.

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Speaker 2: So let's let's start from the beginning. Like I said,

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Speaker 2: you was a U, a sea cat.

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Speaker 1: You bought out so much out there, you got drafted

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Speaker 1: in the second round. And back then tight ends weren't

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Speaker 1: really getting drafted super high was very rare. So getting

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Speaker 1: drafted in that second round. Let's go back there, Man,

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Speaker 1: what was going through your head? Did you know you

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Speaker 1: would be drafted so high? Did you know you were

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Speaker 1: going to be a Reskin?

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Speaker 3: Man? I had no idea.

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Speaker 5: And you know what's so funny about that is like

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Speaker 5: when you're in that process, I mean I didn't know

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Speaker 5: that teams take you for visits, other teams take you

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Speaker 5: for visits for other teams, and just to play that

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Speaker 5: draft game.

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Speaker 3: So I got.

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Speaker 5: I mean, the teams that took me on visits was

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Speaker 5: the Saints, the Cowboys, Arizona, and the Jets. So I

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Speaker 5: had no idea, you know, that I was going to

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Speaker 5: be drafted to the Redskins. My agent didn't even mention it,

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Speaker 5: like even one time. But then again, when I the

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Speaker 5: retrospective looking at it, and I know how the draft goes, Now,

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Speaker 5: everything is about the best player on the board in

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Speaker 5: that moment, So anybody could have a selection of a

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Speaker 5: draft pick, but that could change in a matter of

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Speaker 5: a moment depending on who's getting drafted before him. So

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Speaker 5: I learned that later, like, but then at that moment, no,

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Speaker 5: I had no clue. I was coming off of a

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Speaker 5: season with the Trojans with Pete Carroll where we had

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Speaker 5: already came off of a couple of national championships. We

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Speaker 5: lost that one to Texas, and then we went to

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Speaker 5: the Rose Bowl and we beat Illinois.

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Speaker 3: So that was my last game, and after that it was.

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Speaker 5: Just straight training and getting ready and getting ready for

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Speaker 5: the Combine and also like the players meetings and all

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Speaker 5: that kind of stuff. So when I went to the

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Speaker 5: NFL Combine in Indianapolis, I never met with the Redskins,

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Speaker 5: I think even once, So it was definitely a shot

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Speaker 5: for me.

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Speaker 3: I knew that I had a feeling that I.

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Speaker 5: Was gonna be one of the players the top two

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Speaker 5: or three tight ends taken because of I mean, I

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Speaker 5: won the Macie Award that year.

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Speaker 3: We had a good season, My stats were pretty good, so.

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Speaker 5: I knew that I was probably I knew I thought

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Speaker 5: I had a chance of getting in the end of

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Speaker 5: the first round. But you know, coming out, you know,

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Speaker 5: I think they thought a lot of guys from college.

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Speaker 5: I mean, they've drafted a lot of guys in the

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Speaker 5: past from the USC, but a lot of the stigmatism

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Speaker 5: about us is that were Hollywood and that we like

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Speaker 5: to party and all that stuff, which in LA you

401
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Speaker 5: have the option to do a lot of things, you know,

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Speaker 5: I mean, it's LA, It's Los Angeles.

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Speaker 3: But I feel like with the day of the draft, man,

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Speaker 3: I didn't want to go to New York because I

405
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Speaker 3: was like, if I'm not going to.

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Speaker 5: Get drafted first, I don't want to be sitting there

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Speaker 5: looking crazy because you've seen those stories.

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Speaker 3: Of guys just sitting there in the came room and like, man,

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Speaker 3: what you doing here? Still? So I just decided to

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Speaker 3: be at home with my family.

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Speaker 5: We had about one hundred people at my people's house

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Speaker 5: and we watched the draft. And whenever you're watching the draft,

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Speaker 5: once they get through the first round, it's like, man,

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Speaker 5: you don't know when you're gonna get picked, and everybody's

415
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Speaker 5: looking at you, like, man, what's gonna happen. So I

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Speaker 5: think when I got that phone call from at the time,

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Speaker 5: Jim Zorn was a coach head coach and he was here.

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Speaker 5: I had him for a couple of years. He called

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Speaker 5: me and at the forty eight pick I seen I

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Speaker 5: went across the TV.

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Speaker 3: I was like, oh, man, I was just happy to

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Speaker 3: be off the board man at some point, you know.

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Speaker 5: I mean, even though it was still kind of early,

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Speaker 5: I was a forty eight pick, and then to see

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Speaker 5: that my other we got two other picks in that

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Speaker 5: second round, and we picked the.

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Speaker 3: Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas.

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Speaker 5: So we picked three third round, I mean, three second

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Speaker 5: round picks that day, so it was different.

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Speaker 3: We normally don't get that many picks in the second round,

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Speaker 3: so it was kind of It's kind of a special

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Speaker 3: moment for sure.

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Speaker 1: And you talk about knowing that you were going to

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Speaker 1: be drafted. Right, that takes a moment. Right, it's either

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Speaker 1: that year when you were playing and you would see

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Speaker 1: that final year, or it's maybe even before then. When

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Speaker 1: did you know that you were actually going to make

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Speaker 1: it into the NFL and be able to fulfill that dream,

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Speaker 1: because I'm sure it happened way before you actually got drafted.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean, I think every kid when they leave

441
00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:43,359
Speaker 5: high school, they think, I'm going to the NFL. But

442
00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:47,040
Speaker 5: I think, Mama, where I really knew because you when

443
00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:49,080
Speaker 5: you play on a team like USC or University of

444
00:17:49,080 --> 00:17:52,680
Speaker 5: Miami or Alabama, you're going against five star guys every

445
00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:55,680
Speaker 5: day in practice and you're seeing like even your backup

446
00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:57,240
Speaker 5: could be a starter somewhere else.

447
00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:00,080
Speaker 3: So the competition level, I just.

448
00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:02,400
Speaker 5: Knew, like, Okay, I mean, we got all these first rounds,

449
00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:04,680
Speaker 5: Reggie Bush winning the Heisman. We had like two three

450
00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:07,359
Speaker 5: Heisman winners in that five year span, you know what

451
00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:09,440
Speaker 5: I mean. So I just knew I was around the

452
00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:11,840
Speaker 5: right talent and at the time, you know, we're not

453
00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:12,320
Speaker 5: doing that.

454
00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:14,960
Speaker 3: Well right now, but we'll be back. The Trojans we

455
00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:17,560
Speaker 3: was like top five team every year, you know that year.

456
00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:19,520
Speaker 5: So for me, I just knew, like I'm in the

457
00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:22,440
Speaker 5: right position to be on the right platform, and then

458
00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:25,040
Speaker 5: also to have these great coaches around me and these

459
00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:27,879
Speaker 5: other great teammates, you know, like the Klay Matthews and

460
00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:32,679
Speaker 5: Dwayne Jerris, Steve Smith, Reggie Bush, Lyndale White's I can

461
00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:35,199
Speaker 5: go on man, Keith River. We had a squad of

462
00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:37,359
Speaker 5: guys that went in that first and second round, like

463
00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:39,920
Speaker 5: almost twenty two guys in the last two years.

464
00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:41,800
Speaker 3: So I just knew I was in the right position.

465
00:18:41,840 --> 00:18:44,359
Speaker 5: And if I can beat these guys every day, you know,

466
00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:47,480
Speaker 5: you know, winning mar one on ones and play well,

467
00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:49,119
Speaker 5: I just knew, like, okay, I can make it. But

468
00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:53,000
Speaker 5: then to answer your question, I would say my sophomore year,

469
00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:55,480
Speaker 5: I was seeing that, you know, we don't really use

470
00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:56,960
Speaker 5: a lot of tight end play a lot, you know

471
00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:57,199
Speaker 5: what I mean.

472
00:18:57,240 --> 00:18:59,359
Speaker 3: We're more of a receiver and running back school. The

473
00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:01,720
Speaker 3: tight end get love, but he doesn't get that much love.

474
00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:04,760
Speaker 5: So I kind of figured, like after I had a

475
00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:07,399
Speaker 5: good game my sophomore year, like, Okay, I mean, I

476
00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:09,120
Speaker 5: know I'm not going to get that many balls because

477
00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:10,720
Speaker 5: we have a lot of receivers.

478
00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:11,919
Speaker 3: Seeing a lot of running, a lot of running game.

479
00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:14,120
Speaker 5: We're gonna use but if I get four or five

480
00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:16,359
Speaker 5: balls a game in this in this in this system,

481
00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:17,920
Speaker 5: in this program, oh, I know I can make it

482
00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:18,280
Speaker 5: for sure.

483
00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:19,280
Speaker 3: And then my.

484
00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:22,000
Speaker 5: Junior year, and of course, and then my senior year

485
00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:24,280
Speaker 5: when I want the MAC you word, I definitely knew, like, okay, well,

486
00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:26,320
Speaker 5: they already labeled me the best tight end in the country,

487
00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:29,399
Speaker 5: so and there's never been one at USC and I

488
00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:31,960
Speaker 5: felt pretty special about that and it still hasn't been one.

489
00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:33,680
Speaker 3: So I feel good about that. And I was like, yeah,

490
00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:35,280
Speaker 3: I'm definitely can I'm definitely gonna make it.

491
00:19:35,280 --> 00:19:37,560
Speaker 5: And then after going to the combine and seeing the

492
00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:39,320
Speaker 5: other guys that I had to be in competition with,

493
00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:40,919
Speaker 5: not saying that I thought I was better, but I

494
00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:45,919
Speaker 5: just like, I think I'm better. So I just I

495
00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:48,480
Speaker 5: just knew, like if anything, you know, a lot of

496
00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:50,600
Speaker 5: off the field stuff can kind of get guys in trouble.

497
00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:52,879
Speaker 3: I never got in trouble in college, you know what

498
00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:53,119
Speaker 3: I mean.

499
00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:55,040
Speaker 5: I never felt no drug test, but still you can

500
00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:58,160
Speaker 5: get labeled as a party year or someone that goes out,

501
00:19:58,359 --> 00:20:01,199
Speaker 5: and I feel like, you know, that's the only thing

502
00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:04,760
Speaker 5: that would probably make me go later, is like stuff

503
00:20:04,760 --> 00:20:07,200
Speaker 5: like that, you know, and you.

504
00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:09,119
Speaker 1: Talk about all these things you were able to accomplish

505
00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:11,280
Speaker 1: that you would see. But then again, you're following in

506
00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:13,800
Speaker 1: the footsteps of a ton of dogs. You named a

507
00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:16,160
Speaker 1: bunch of them, and now you're coming to the Redskins

508
00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:17,960
Speaker 1: where you're a second round pick. There's a lot of

509
00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:19,800
Speaker 1: pressure that comes with being that high have a pick,

510
00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:22,639
Speaker 1: especially for a tight end, especially the best tight end

511
00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:24,880
Speaker 1: in the nation. Right you already have all these designations

512
00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:27,560
Speaker 1: in the moment. Did you feel that pressure coming here?

513
00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:31,520
Speaker 3: I didn't. I didn't really realize, you know. I mean

514
00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:32,600
Speaker 3: there's a lot of pressure for.

515
00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:34,240
Speaker 5: A third or fourth round pick, you know what I mean,

516
00:20:34,359 --> 00:20:36,919
Speaker 5: first and second or like that's like they go they

517
00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:39,520
Speaker 5: go inside together, like they have expectations of you in

518
00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:43,119
Speaker 5: that first year, maybe to have some progression or do

519
00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:45,520
Speaker 5: something for the team those first year, definitely the second year.

520
00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:48,920
Speaker 5: So for me, I didn't understand that, like the okay,

521
00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:51,760
Speaker 5: they really because this is another thing. When I got drafted,

522
00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:53,679
Speaker 5: I was just like, Okay, what tight ends do we have?

523
00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:56,679
Speaker 5: And I knew Chris Cooley was. I never really watched

524
00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:58,159
Speaker 5: his game, watch this game because I was on the

525
00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:01,119
Speaker 5: West coast more, but I knew who Chris Cooley was,

526
00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:02,920
Speaker 5: and I knew that he was like a pro bowler,

527
00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:05,240
Speaker 5: a tight end, a great tight end. So at first

528
00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:06,600
Speaker 5: I was like, yeah, no, it'd be great to be

529
00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:08,040
Speaker 5: able to learn for something like that. But I just

530
00:21:08,119 --> 00:21:09,879
Speaker 5: was hoping, like, how are they gonna how are we

531
00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:10,360
Speaker 5: gonna play?

532
00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:10,520
Speaker 3: Like?

533
00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:12,240
Speaker 5: Are we gonna play two tight end sets? Are we

534
00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:15,320
Speaker 5: gonna change the formations up? Are we going to like

535
00:21:15,359 --> 00:21:15,960
Speaker 5: share time?

536
00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:17,320
Speaker 3: You know what I mean? I mean it is his

537
00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:18,479
Speaker 3: show still, you know what I mean?

538
00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:20,760
Speaker 5: Because I think of it as like a hierarchy, right,

539
00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:22,400
Speaker 5: because if he's getting paid, he just got a deal

540
00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:24,160
Speaker 5: I think around like a couple of years before that

541
00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:27,520
Speaker 5: for like like thirty or forty million dollars or something

542
00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:29,600
Speaker 5: like that. So I didn't understand it. I just was

543
00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:31,680
Speaker 5: wondering at first, why did they pick me? But then

544
00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:34,040
Speaker 5: I you know, you never know what coaches are thinking

545
00:21:34,119 --> 00:21:36,560
Speaker 5: or what they're gonna use in packages, So I felt

546
00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:38,679
Speaker 5: like maybe they had some cool packages for me and

547
00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:41,480
Speaker 5: Chris to like like playing and be able to play together,

548
00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:43,639
Speaker 5: because I felt like if me and him played together,

549
00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:45,840
Speaker 5: I think we would have definitely been one of the

550
00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:47,000
Speaker 5: best duos for sure.

551
00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:50,119
Speaker 1: What was it like coming into the building when you

552
00:21:50,119 --> 00:21:51,960
Speaker 1: said you have a guy like Chris Cooley there, Like,

553
00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:54,000
Speaker 1: what was that initial thing like like when you come

554
00:21:54,440 --> 00:21:56,080
Speaker 1: you're not you don't know nothing about the DMV, right,

555
00:21:56,080 --> 00:21:58,120
Speaker 1: you're coming here for the first time, but now you're

556
00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:01,520
Speaker 1: also coming in knowing your behind almost in the shadow

557
00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,159
Speaker 1: of a tight end that is beloved by the entire team.

558
00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:06,760
Speaker 1: What was that like, what was your guy's relationship, Like,

559
00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:08,639
Speaker 1: what was it like, you know, coming in as a

560
00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:09,160
Speaker 1: rookie year.

561
00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:12,680
Speaker 5: Yeah, it was interesting, man, because just like you said,

562
00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:14,800
Speaker 5: just get into this area and then when you go

563
00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:17,560
Speaker 5: to Ashburn, you don't realize, oh, that's not DC, you

564
00:22:17,560 --> 00:22:21,199
Speaker 5: know what I mean exactly, it's not DC. But no,

565
00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:23,720
Speaker 5: that was different first because you know, he's coming from

566
00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:25,960
Speaker 5: LA and you're living in Landing Down, so it's like

567
00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:29,919
Speaker 5: a big difference. But other than that, coming in, Chris

568
00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:31,639
Speaker 5: was a great guy. You know, he was smart. Like

569
00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:34,119
Speaker 5: one thing I've learned about him was like, you know,

570
00:22:34,119 --> 00:22:37,119
Speaker 5: he would help me for sure. He wasn't one of

571
00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:38,720
Speaker 5: those guys to try to, you know, tell you the

572
00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:40,800
Speaker 5: wrong play or you know, if he wasn't gonna help you,

573
00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:43,240
Speaker 5: he wouldn't say nothing at all, which I respected, you know,

574
00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:45,320
Speaker 5: because you want you to do it yourself and learn yourself,

575
00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:46,920
Speaker 5: because a lot of guys get a guy that would

576
00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:48,520
Speaker 5: tell him the wrong shit and have him fuck up

577
00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:50,600
Speaker 5: on purpose because he's a rookie, or you feel like

578
00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:52,320
Speaker 5: he's coming in here to take your position. You know

579
00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:54,200
Speaker 5: what I mean, Because when you get draft a guy,

580
00:22:54,280 --> 00:22:56,520
Speaker 5: draft a guy second round when you probably had other

581
00:22:56,600 --> 00:22:57,280
Speaker 5: needs that year.

582
00:22:57,760 --> 00:22:59,640
Speaker 3: You know what I mean, it's either two things.

583
00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:02,159
Speaker 5: You either trying to replace somebody or trying to trade somebody,

584
00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:04,040
Speaker 5: or it could be a lot of different business position,

585
00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:07,960
Speaker 5: business things that could be going through the team's mind

586
00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:09,800
Speaker 5: at that moment. For me, I just was like, I'm

587
00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:11,080
Speaker 5: just gonna keep my head down and just try to

588
00:23:11,119 --> 00:23:13,520
Speaker 5: be the best I can be, and Chris would help

589
00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:15,199
Speaker 5: me a lot, you know, just watching him, man, he

590
00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:18,159
Speaker 5: was just a smart guy. He knew everybody's position, not

591
00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:20,280
Speaker 5: only the tight end position. He knew what every receiver

592
00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:22,280
Speaker 5: had to do, what the backs had to do. And

593
00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:24,359
Speaker 5: being around a guy like that, most guys just know

594
00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:26,400
Speaker 5: their position and maybe one other position.

595
00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:28,240
Speaker 3: Chris was like a quarterback out.

596
00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:30,359
Speaker 5: There and he knew where to be at all times,

597
00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:33,160
Speaker 5: everywhere to be, and learning that from him was really important,

598
00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:35,640
Speaker 5: and then also learning technique on being a smaller tight

599
00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:37,639
Speaker 5: end that has to block these guys, you know, like

600
00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:39,920
Speaker 5: the d Wears two times a year and these other

601
00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:42,199
Speaker 5: big d ns that are pretty they're pretty big guys,

602
00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:44,440
Speaker 5: so technique would be everything. And I think I learned

603
00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:46,160
Speaker 5: a lot, to be honest with you, a lot about

604
00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:48,440
Speaker 5: blocking from him, because I think I became a pretty

605
00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:51,720
Speaker 5: good blocker at one point for the Redskin because of Chris.

606
00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:53,879
Speaker 5: To be honest, you know, I already had the receiving

607
00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:56,240
Speaker 5: skills down, but the footwork of blocking and being able

608
00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:57,840
Speaker 5: to stay on the guy to get the back through

609
00:23:57,840 --> 00:23:59,440
Speaker 5: the hole and not put your butt in a hole,

610
00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:01,680
Speaker 5: and a lot of from other techniques I definitely learned

611
00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:02,040
Speaker 5: from him.

612
00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:04,520
Speaker 1: And what a guy to learn from when you think

613
00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:06,320
Speaker 1: about being a rookie, Like we have a rookie in

614
00:24:06,359 --> 00:24:08,320
Speaker 1: Ben Sinon right now who's learning from a guy like

615
00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:10,439
Speaker 1: Zach Ertz. So when you think about your rookie year,

616
00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:12,399
Speaker 1: you think about the game Chris Cooley was giving you.

617
00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:14,160
Speaker 2: What is one piece of advice.

618
00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:16,200
Speaker 1: He gave you that you would give to a fellow

619
00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:17,640
Speaker 1: rookie tight end or a younger guy.

620
00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:23,000
Speaker 3: Well, he knew that, you know, every player is anxious

621
00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:23,359
Speaker 3: to play.

622
00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:24,720
Speaker 5: Man, you know what I'm saying, You want to get

623
00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:26,520
Speaker 5: out there, you want to contribute because you got here

624
00:24:26,520 --> 00:24:28,760
Speaker 5: for a reason. He's just saying being patient, you know

625
00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:30,520
Speaker 5: what I mean. Basically just being patient and let the

626
00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:32,680
Speaker 5: game come to you. I think letting the game come

627
00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:35,240
Speaker 5: to you and not getting frustrated. I think it's the

628
00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:37,680
Speaker 5: best advice you can give somebody, because sometimes you try

629
00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:39,680
Speaker 5: to force the game to come out, you know what

630
00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:41,280
Speaker 5: I mean, instead of just letting it come to you

631
00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:43,879
Speaker 5: and just making the plays that you can make. Because

632
00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:46,440
Speaker 5: one thing about office of coordinator, if you're making plays,

633
00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:47,560
Speaker 5: they're going to continue.

634
00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:49,600
Speaker 3: To get you that in that position, or they'll try

635
00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:50,160
Speaker 3: to make ways.

636
00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:52,000
Speaker 5: If a good office coordinator will try to make ways

637
00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:53,840
Speaker 5: so that you touch the ball, you know what I mean.

638
00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:56,679
Speaker 5: So I think that's very simple, just you know, just

639
00:24:56,800 --> 00:24:59,399
Speaker 5: letting the game come to you and actually study in

640
00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:00,280
Speaker 5: film because.

641
00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:02,080
Speaker 3: A lot of guys, you know, when you come from college.

642
00:25:01,760 --> 00:25:04,560
Speaker 5: You study film, but you know, at the quarterback position,

643
00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:06,520
Speaker 5: but the tightening position, you study film, but you don't

644
00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:08,919
Speaker 5: have that much to study when you're like separate like

645
00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:12,359
Speaker 5: fronts and maybe in some coverages, but you can easily

646
00:25:12,359 --> 00:25:14,080
Speaker 5: get away with not studying and still being able to

647
00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:16,240
Speaker 5: play a good football game at tight end. I think

648
00:25:16,359 --> 00:25:19,600
Speaker 5: him he made me realize how important knowing what opponent

649
00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:22,240
Speaker 5: you're going against each week, you know, the different variables

650
00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:24,040
Speaker 5: they can bring because every player is different. You know,

651
00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:26,200
Speaker 5: you might got a guy that is a speed, quick guy,

652
00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:28,000
Speaker 5: you might got a guy that's a power rush guy.

653
00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:30,560
Speaker 5: You know, just the different nuances of the players that

654
00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:33,200
Speaker 5: you can probably go against. I think the studying really

655
00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:35,760
Speaker 5: is the film rooms. That's one of the major ones

656
00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:39,480
Speaker 5: that I feel. I definitely he really put implemented in

657
00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:41,320
Speaker 5: me because I watched how much he knew, you know,

658
00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:44,120
Speaker 5: he could he could see something before the coach see

659
00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:45,440
Speaker 5: it and then go to the coach and be like, hey,

660
00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:47,199
Speaker 5: I'm seeing this look right now. This is what I

661
00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:48,960
Speaker 5: see on the field and stuff like that. Being able

662
00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:51,200
Speaker 5: to do that helps a lot, makes the game easier,

663
00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:53,119
Speaker 5: makes it slower when it's already fast.

664
00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:55,600
Speaker 1: And it didn't take long for you to get comfortable.

665
00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:57,680
Speaker 1: Because I believe in like twenty eleven, you had your

666
00:25:57,680 --> 00:25:59,720
Speaker 1: best year of your career. Of course you were with

667
00:25:59,760 --> 00:26:02,280
Speaker 1: the I believe you got Offensive Player of the Year

668
00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:04,760
Speaker 1: for the Redskins that year too. It's very interesting year

669
00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:07,399
Speaker 1: because you had your trials and tribulations, but then you

670
00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:10,720
Speaker 1: still balled out. You still got that recognition at the end,

671
00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:13,320
Speaker 1: Man talk about that twenty eleven season and what you

672
00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:15,480
Speaker 1: remember from that and what that was like being such

673
00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:17,960
Speaker 1: an integral part of this offense, and so.

674
00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:21,199
Speaker 5: To say you's something else like before that happened, like

675
00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:24,120
Speaker 5: the two thousand and eight season, they didn't know how

676
00:26:24,119 --> 00:26:25,960
Speaker 5: to use both of us, right, And that's one of

677
00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:27,760
Speaker 5: the things that I was worried about, and that kind

678
00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:29,240
Speaker 5: of got me frustrated, right.

679
00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:31,359
Speaker 3: I was really frustrated.

680
00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:32,880
Speaker 5: Because I was like, I know I can play right now,

681
00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:35,040
Speaker 5: I'm doing it in practice. I'm like literally killing our

682
00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:36,680
Speaker 5: first team every day in practice.

683
00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:38,080
Speaker 3: Like Cooley would.

684
00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:39,120
Speaker 5: Come to me be like, man, I don't know why

685
00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:41,720
Speaker 5: they're not using us in two tight end sets. But

686
00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:43,560
Speaker 5: you know, at that point, you had a coach like

687
00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:46,600
Speaker 5: Jims Oorn no offense to him. He's never been a

688
00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:48,679
Speaker 5: head coach before, and he was taking on a position

689
00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:51,720
Speaker 5: from being a quarterback coach to office Cordinerd now being

690
00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:54,080
Speaker 5: thrown in the head coaching position with a whole bunch

691
00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:56,160
Speaker 5: of guys were different in that time in our team,

692
00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:58,200
Speaker 5: I felt we had a whole bunch of different personalities.

693
00:26:58,240 --> 00:26:59,719
Speaker 3: There's a lot of different personalities.

694
00:26:59,840 --> 00:27:02,040
Speaker 5: I mean, so that first year, I don't know, I

695
00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:04,479
Speaker 5: probably had like a couple hundred yards nothing crazy. But

696
00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:07,480
Speaker 5: then the second year is when I knew I was

697
00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:10,000
Speaker 5: supposed to be here because in two thousand and nine,

698
00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:12,600
Speaker 5: you know, and this is a story that I tell

699
00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:14,480
Speaker 5: people because it helped me a lot. It'd be a

700
00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:16,240
Speaker 5: guy like this on your team sometimes you need to

701
00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:18,080
Speaker 5: listen to. I was with Chris Samuels and me and

702
00:27:18,119 --> 00:27:22,040
Speaker 5: him became really close. Chris Samuel's office Lineman, ten time

703
00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:24,680
Speaker 5: pro bowler. You know, he just seen me one day

704
00:27:24,680 --> 00:27:26,399
Speaker 5: on the sideline pouting and I think a lot of

705
00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:29,400
Speaker 5: guys do this that are young, right, And I would say,

706
00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:31,119
Speaker 5: like I was just out there pouting, like, man, this

707
00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:33,720
Speaker 5: is bullshit, Like I know, I'm supposed to be in here.

708
00:27:33,760 --> 00:27:36,720
Speaker 5: I'm just catching balls and I don't wish no ill will,

709
00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:38,920
Speaker 5: no nobody get hurt or nothing like that. But that game,

710
00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:40,840
Speaker 5: he just said, man, you know one thing about the NFL.

711
00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:43,240
Speaker 5: You gotta stay ready and be ready. Doing this ain't

712
00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:45,239
Speaker 5: gonna help you. Gotta be ready. And stay ready and man,

713
00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:46,679
Speaker 5: when he said that to me, I was like, you

714
00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:48,880
Speaker 5: know what, You're right, I got to be professional and

715
00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:51,520
Speaker 5: even if I'm not getting what I wanted this moment in.

716
00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:53,359
Speaker 3: A selfish way, I still should be a team player,

717
00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:53,920
Speaker 3: you know what I mean.

718
00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:56,000
Speaker 5: And I think I had a realization moment because the

719
00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:58,399
Speaker 5: older guy was telling me that that I respected and

720
00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:00,800
Speaker 5: then not saying I wanted that. But that next play

721
00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:04,119
Speaker 5: that game, Chris Cooley goes down with a broken foot. Right,

722
00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:07,080
Speaker 5: So that two thousand and nine season, I start the

723
00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:09,320
Speaker 5: whole second half of that season and I put up

724
00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:12,320
Speaker 5: like five touchdowns six hundred yards, five hundred yards or

725
00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:14,879
Speaker 5: something like that. For me, that was my breakout. I mean,

726
00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:16,639
Speaker 5: my biggest year was two thy eleven. But for me,

727
00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:19,080
Speaker 5: that was a breakout for me because no one expected it.

728
00:28:19,119 --> 00:28:20,960
Speaker 5: And then I mean, well they expected it from me,

729
00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:23,320
Speaker 5: but the way the season was going, it didn't look

730
00:28:23,359 --> 00:28:26,680
Speaker 5: like they were coming to They weren't kendlon to where

731
00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:28,280
Speaker 5: they were understanding that me and Chris.

732
00:28:28,080 --> 00:28:29,359
Speaker 3: Can both play at the same position.

733
00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:31,560
Speaker 5: It would cause a lot of defensive issues because you

734
00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:33,080
Speaker 5: don't know if you have to have a safety out there,

735
00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:34,720
Speaker 5: a corner out there, and that could change a game.

736
00:28:35,359 --> 00:28:37,679
Speaker 5: But once that happened to me, that was like a

737
00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:39,800
Speaker 5: realization like, Okay, I'm supposed to be here and I

738
00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:41,800
Speaker 5: can make plays against these guys in the league, and

739
00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:44,000
Speaker 5: I could and I could make plays back to back

740
00:28:44,040 --> 00:28:45,600
Speaker 5: weeks if they give me the opportunity.

741
00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:47,400
Speaker 3: So that was a wake up moment for me to

742
00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:50,400
Speaker 3: be honest. And then, as you know, coach Dorn gets

743
00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:50,800
Speaker 3: fired and.

744
00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:54,200
Speaker 5: We have a whole different regime coming in kach Shanahan.

745
00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:57,720
Speaker 3: And it gets me to twenty eleven because that in.

746
00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:01,080
Speaker 5: That moment, Kochhanahan was I mean, he was cleaning house,

747
00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:02,760
Speaker 5: you know what I mean. It didn't matter if he

748
00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:05,280
Speaker 5: was a second round, third round guy, if you didn't

749
00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:08,240
Speaker 5: perform in practice or you didn't play to his expectations

750
00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:10,320
Speaker 5: or was trying to be that type of player.

751
00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:11,840
Speaker 3: Oh, he was getting rid of you.

752
00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:14,400
Speaker 5: You know, I've seen a couple third rounders go second

753
00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:16,760
Speaker 5: round or go even an older.

754
00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:19,560
Speaker 3: First rounder go. So I just knew, like, Okay, this

755
00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:20,320
Speaker 3: is a new regime.

756
00:29:20,840 --> 00:29:22,880
Speaker 5: They probably don't want to they don't They didn't pick me,

757
00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:24,120
Speaker 5: so they probably don't want me here.

758
00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:25,880
Speaker 3: So I'm gonna have to bust my ass every Day.

759
00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:28,760
Speaker 5: And so that season we got Donna McNabb of course

760
00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:31,520
Speaker 5: from the Eagles, But that season is when I feel

761
00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:34,680
Speaker 5: like we first started having really like real stability as

762
00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:36,960
Speaker 5: a team, where there was structure, where there.

763
00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:39,440
Speaker 3: Was you could feel the structure from Shanahan.

764
00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:43,000
Speaker 5: So coming into that twenty eleven season, I mean, they

765
00:29:43,040 --> 00:29:45,560
Speaker 5: got rid of Donovan and we had a quarterback controversy

766
00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:47,120
Speaker 5: with Beck and Rex Grossman.

767
00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:47,640
Speaker 3: And.

768
00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:51,000
Speaker 5: It was just it was a crazy season, man, because

769
00:29:51,040 --> 00:29:53,280
Speaker 5: that training camp I came down. I came in a

770
00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:55,680
Speaker 5: little bit slimmer, more of a receiver south, you know

771
00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:57,280
Speaker 5: what I mean. I lost probably about five or ten

772
00:29:57,320 --> 00:30:01,680
Speaker 5: pounds that first that training camp. They I think the

773
00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:03,760
Speaker 5: coaches knew, like, oh yeah, he's coming in. This is

774
00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:07,560
Speaker 5: like my third this is like this I'm coming into

775
00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:10,680
Speaker 5: my fourth year rush. So I'm at and now I'm

776
00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:12,040
Speaker 5: at this point in my life where I feel like

777
00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:12,880
Speaker 5: I'm a veteran too.

778
00:30:12,880 --> 00:30:13,040
Speaker 3: Now.

779
00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:15,120
Speaker 5: I feel like most guys don't get past four years.

780
00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:16,880
Speaker 5: So if I'm getting to this point, I got to

781
00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:19,280
Speaker 5: start showing people how I need to be here and

782
00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:21,320
Speaker 5: like why I should be one of the top tight

783
00:30:21,440 --> 00:30:22,560
Speaker 5: ends in this league.

784
00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:26,440
Speaker 3: And I feel I can be. I mean this year,

785
00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:27,200
Speaker 3: they didn't.

786
00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:29,080
Speaker 5: You know, this is the same year they cut Chris

787
00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:32,600
Speaker 5: after halfway through the season, which kind of sucked because

788
00:30:32,600 --> 00:30:34,920
Speaker 5: I did want him to be there in this moment.

789
00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:36,760
Speaker 3: Too, But they, I guess they didn't see it happening.

790
00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:39,000
Speaker 5: And I was making plays that year, man, I was

791
00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:41,520
Speaker 5: making a lot of plays in training camp. And then

792
00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:43,880
Speaker 5: when we still had a quarterback controversy a little bit

793
00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:47,040
Speaker 5: because Rex started half the season, Beck started half the season,

794
00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:48,360
Speaker 5: it was, you.

795
00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:50,600
Speaker 3: Know, you can never get really truly truly comfortable.

796
00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:53,200
Speaker 5: But even though with that or without, I mean, I

797
00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:54,960
Speaker 5: put up pretty good numbers in that year. I put

798
00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:57,560
Speaker 5: up probably like eight hundred yards receiving in like six

799
00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:00,080
Speaker 5: or seven touchdowns, and I like missed four games.

800
00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:01,600
Speaker 3: So to me my.

801
00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:03,800
Speaker 5: Projection, I felt like I could have got like least

802
00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:06,560
Speaker 5: eleven hundred twelve hundred yards receiven that year if the

803
00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:09,240
Speaker 5: situation was right. But like I said, I got suspended

804
00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:11,840
Speaker 5: that year. I was having a coming out party that year.

805
00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:14,520
Speaker 5: It's just happened to be that I made a bad choice,

806
00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:16,000
Speaker 5: you know what I mean. And I like to talk

807
00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:18,240
Speaker 5: about that because I think it's important for people to

808
00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:19,800
Speaker 5: hear it. I think that year is the same year

809
00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:22,600
Speaker 5: me and Trent actually got suspended the last four games,

810
00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:27,400
Speaker 5: you know, for smoking marijuana, which in our young minds,

811
00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:28,960
Speaker 5: you know, we just didn't want.

812
00:31:28,840 --> 00:31:30,080
Speaker 3: To do Tour it All shots.

813
00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:32,120
Speaker 5: We didn't want to be stuck on Perkinset, we didn't

814
00:31:32,120 --> 00:31:33,400
Speaker 5: want to be stuck on Xanax.

815
00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:34,760
Speaker 3: We didn't want to because.

816
00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:36,240
Speaker 5: That's what happens to a lot of guys, right, I mean,

817
00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:37,840
Speaker 5: it happens to a lot of guys, and then when

818
00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:39,719
Speaker 5: you get away from it, the team would say it's

819
00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:41,800
Speaker 5: not my fault. But at the end of the day,

820
00:31:42,160 --> 00:31:45,320
Speaker 5: that guy does become addicted to those drugs, and for me,

821
00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:46,120
Speaker 5: I just felt.

822
00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:47,800
Speaker 3: Like, yeah, marijuana kind of helped me relax.

823
00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:49,680
Speaker 5: And you know, as you see now, they're changing the

824
00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:51,280
Speaker 5: rules in the NFL, you know what I mean, They're

825
00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:54,200
Speaker 5: changed me tremendously because what I did before. You're not

826
00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:55,960
Speaker 5: saying I'm still wrong for doing it, because he's breaking

827
00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:57,160
Speaker 5: the rules, is breaking the rules.

828
00:31:57,200 --> 00:31:59,280
Speaker 3: But what I did before would not even get me suspended,

829
00:31:59,320 --> 00:31:59,520
Speaker 3: you know.

830
00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:02,080
Speaker 5: So it's just the right time, in the wrong in

831
00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:04,160
Speaker 5: the wrong moment, and I feel like that mistake kind

832
00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:05,560
Speaker 5: of fucked this up a lot.

833
00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:06,200
Speaker 3: You know what I mean.

834
00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:08,920
Speaker 5: Definitely me, because I'm coming off a year where I

835
00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:12,440
Speaker 5: could be making life change of money again and I

836
00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:14,800
Speaker 5: made a mistake and I put my team in jeopardy

837
00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:16,560
Speaker 5: and I wasn't there for them, to be honest, like,

838
00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:18,600
Speaker 5: in that year, we could have still come probably won

839
00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:21,360
Speaker 5: some more games, you know what I mean. And I

840
00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:24,320
Speaker 5: feel like in my position at that moment, getting guys

841
00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:26,440
Speaker 5: to trust you, like the Shannonhans and all these other

842
00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:28,960
Speaker 5: people like that, shit goes a long way. And I

843
00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:30,680
Speaker 5: feel like in that moment, I kind of messed up

844
00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:32,640
Speaker 5: a little bit. You know, I messed up a lot, actually,

845
00:32:34,360 --> 00:32:36,800
Speaker 5: but I got to come back and regain their confidence

846
00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:37,640
Speaker 5: and come back for.

847
00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:39,400
Speaker 3: Another two years. So I felt good about that.

848
00:32:40,440 --> 00:32:42,680
Speaker 1: And you're going through, like you said, like you're making

849
00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:44,640
Speaker 1: a name for yourself. You're going through this, and then

850
00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:47,880
Speaker 1: you get this four game suspension. You said it yourself.

851
00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:49,880
Speaker 1: You feel like it's slowed down your stat line.

852
00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:52,920
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean because I was on track to get like, yeah,

853
00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:56,840
Speaker 5: I was a thousand yards, like eleven hundred yards that.

854
00:32:56,920 --> 00:32:59,320
Speaker 2: Year, easily over one thousand yards that year. You will

855
00:32:59,440 --> 00:32:59,880
Speaker 2: fast that.

856
00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:04,000
Speaker 5: With four games left, I mean, the NFL, you can't

857
00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:05,640
Speaker 5: guess because you never know, you could have a bad week.

858
00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:07,400
Speaker 3: The NFL is any given Sunday.

859
00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:10,160
Speaker 5: But the way I felt that year and how I

860
00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:11,840
Speaker 5: was starting to feel towards the end of that year,

861
00:33:11,920 --> 00:33:14,800
Speaker 5: the confidence I was gaining, Yeah.

862
00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:17,080
Speaker 3: It just made me feel like it's possible for sure.

863
00:33:17,600 --> 00:33:19,560
Speaker 1: And early in this interview you had mentioned it. You said,

864
00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:24,400
Speaker 1: guys quickly get labeled. He's a partier, Oh, he's a poethead,

865
00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:27,080
Speaker 1: lay off the weed, and things like that, especially back

866
00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:30,240
Speaker 1: then because it was so different after that first incident,

867
00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:34,080
Speaker 1: Do you feel like you were labeled something like after

868
00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:36,480
Speaker 1: you got into that trouble, do you feel you were

869
00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:38,640
Speaker 1: ever ever going to be able to shake that label

870
00:33:38,840 --> 00:33:41,040
Speaker 1: of a guy that maybe couldn't be relied on or

871
00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:44,560
Speaker 1: a guy that maybe was being irresponsible or breaking the rules.

872
00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:50,040
Speaker 5: Yeah, I did feel like to shake it, you know,

873
00:33:50,560 --> 00:33:54,480
Speaker 5: because the Redskins still wanted the franchise tag me after that,

874
00:33:54,840 --> 00:33:57,480
Speaker 5: so I knew, like, Okay, they see my value. I

875
00:33:57,520 --> 00:34:00,200
Speaker 5: was putting up top five numbers that year, and that

876
00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:01,640
Speaker 5: can kind of feed into your egle too, because you

877
00:34:01,640 --> 00:34:04,880
Speaker 5: don't really sit back and know, like, hey, you don't

878
00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:06,680
Speaker 5: really get too many chances with these people to make

879
00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:09,440
Speaker 5: them trust you, and you gotta have not only that

880
00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:10,879
Speaker 5: if I'm gonna be a top player on my team,

881
00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:12,960
Speaker 5: my teammate should be trusting me too.

882
00:34:13,560 --> 00:34:13,960
Speaker 3: Now, you know.

883
00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:16,000
Speaker 5: And do I feel like there was a label? Of course,

884
00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:17,640
Speaker 5: I think I had a label before that, you know

885
00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:19,839
Speaker 5: what I mean. But that just helped this little fight

886
00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:20,319
Speaker 5: even more.

887
00:34:20,360 --> 00:34:20,839
Speaker 3: You know what I mean.

888
00:34:21,239 --> 00:34:23,240
Speaker 5: He's a younger guy in the league, but he's making

889
00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:25,280
Speaker 5: dumb mistakes, you know what I mean at this point,

890
00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:26,480
Speaker 5: you know what I mean, he should be making He

891
00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:28,000
Speaker 5: shouldn't be making those type of mistakes, you know what

892
00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:30,919
Speaker 5: I mean, those type of choices or decisions. Now when

893
00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:34,680
Speaker 5: you look after the next year, I mean, yeah, I

894
00:34:34,680 --> 00:34:36,919
Speaker 5: mean they probably would have. I probably could have put

895
00:34:36,920 --> 00:34:38,880
Speaker 5: myself on the market. But if I didn't get suspended,

896
00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:40,719
Speaker 5: but I'm still the rest can still have the rights

897
00:34:40,719 --> 00:34:43,879
Speaker 5: to me. So they offered me a franchise deal, and

898
00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:46,080
Speaker 5: of course that's like, well, okay, you're getting top five

899
00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:47,920
Speaker 5: money for one year, but that means that means that's

900
00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:48,480
Speaker 5: a proven deal.

901
00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:50,440
Speaker 3: That means I don't really trust you really, and that.

902
00:34:50,480 --> 00:34:52,279
Speaker 5: Just shows you, like you know what I'm talking about,

903
00:34:52,280 --> 00:34:54,600
Speaker 5: Like you can't get label because now it's like, okay,

904
00:34:54,600 --> 00:34:56,840
Speaker 5: well show me differently and I'll give you what you

905
00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:58,480
Speaker 5: think you want, and then we want to see and

906
00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:00,680
Speaker 5: everything is going to the eyeballs. Be on your course

907
00:35:00,719 --> 00:35:02,399
Speaker 5: because you're an investment. And at the end of the day,

908
00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:04,080
Speaker 5: they don't want to make the wrong choice. And you

909
00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:05,480
Speaker 5: know what I mean, because you get stuck in these

910
00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:07,719
Speaker 5: deals with these guys. Back then, guys weren't doing three

911
00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:09,680
Speaker 5: year deals. You know, if they were doing that now,

912
00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:11,719
Speaker 5: it'd be different, you know what I mean they doing.

913
00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:14,160
Speaker 5: They was doing five year deals, six year deals, you know,

914
00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:16,560
Speaker 5: stuff like that. So the game has changed where now

915
00:35:16,719 --> 00:35:18,839
Speaker 5: a guy you can get them for two or three

916
00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:20,719
Speaker 5: years and then just like, you know what, this wasn't

917
00:35:20,760 --> 00:35:21,360
Speaker 5: the right decision.

918
00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:23,480
Speaker 3: I don't have to stay with this decision. I can

919
00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:24,560
Speaker 3: move on from this decision.

920
00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:26,720
Speaker 5: But the guy might make a little bit more money,

921
00:35:26,719 --> 00:35:28,960
Speaker 5: but still I don't have to stay attached to this person.

922
00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:32,319
Speaker 5: So that year, I think I had Drew Rosenhouse at

923
00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:33,600
Speaker 5: the time, I was in Miami training.

924
00:35:33,680 --> 00:35:34,879
Speaker 3: I was like, you know what, I'm just gonna come

925
00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:35,799
Speaker 3: back train hard as hell.

926
00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:38,239
Speaker 5: I'm gonna you know, you gotta get tested every like

927
00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:40,960
Speaker 5: every like almost every two to three weeks that you

928
00:35:40,960 --> 00:35:42,600
Speaker 5: got to do at the drop of a dime. If

929
00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:44,319
Speaker 5: you're not there in three hours, that would come as

930
00:35:44,320 --> 00:35:47,040
Speaker 5: a suspension, even if I wasn't stuck in traffic. So

931
00:35:47,120 --> 00:35:49,359
Speaker 5: you do have to do things to make yourself seem

932
00:35:49,400 --> 00:35:51,600
Speaker 5: responsible to the league and to your team. So it's

933
00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:53,640
Speaker 5: not like you just get to chill and hang out. No,

934
00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:55,800
Speaker 5: you get tested every you gotta go. You gotta go

935
00:35:55,880 --> 00:35:58,440
Speaker 5: to a therapist every week, you know what I mean.

936
00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:00,920
Speaker 5: So it's things that steps you got to take, and

937
00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:02,560
Speaker 5: you got to continue to do that until you're out

938
00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:04,640
Speaker 5: of the program, which will be a year and a

939
00:36:04,680 --> 00:36:06,120
Speaker 5: half for me at that point.

940
00:36:06,320 --> 00:36:08,279
Speaker 3: So I to ask you a question, Yeah, I knew

941
00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:08,680
Speaker 3: I could.

942
00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:10,919
Speaker 5: Check that situation because I just knew like my team

943
00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:13,600
Speaker 5: value me, you know, talking to the coaches and to

944
00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:15,920
Speaker 5: Bruce Allen at the time. He was telling me like,

945
00:36:16,120 --> 00:36:18,480
Speaker 5: you know, this is a bad choice you made. You

946
00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:19,880
Speaker 5: were one of my favorites. I have a lot of

947
00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:22,399
Speaker 5: hope in you. So that kind of gave me clarity too,

948
00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:24,440
Speaker 5: you know, when you got your head coaches and your

949
00:36:24,480 --> 00:36:25,200
Speaker 5: GM talking to.

950
00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:25,560
Speaker 3: You like that.

951
00:36:25,760 --> 00:36:27,719
Speaker 5: So I knew I could do it, but it just

952
00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:29,440
Speaker 5: it was just really come up to me to come

953
00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:29,920
Speaker 5: down to me.

954
00:36:30,719 --> 00:36:33,760
Speaker 1: And you had a few trials and tribulations in your career,

955
00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:37,000
Speaker 1: you have an achilles injury, you have all of these

956
00:36:37,040 --> 00:36:40,560
Speaker 1: things take place while again you are showing the world

957
00:36:40,680 --> 00:36:43,279
Speaker 1: how how capable you are, how great you are. Do

958
00:36:43,320 --> 00:36:46,719
Speaker 1: you feel that NFL fans at the league that the

959
00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:49,840
Speaker 1: world got to really see how special Fred Davis the

960
00:36:49,920 --> 00:36:50,759
Speaker 1: NFL player was.

961
00:36:52,360 --> 00:36:53,040
Speaker 3: No, I don't think.

962
00:36:53,360 --> 00:36:55,920
Speaker 5: I think I think they seen like pieces of it,

963
00:36:56,000 --> 00:36:58,080
Speaker 5: you know what I mean, Because it all comes down

964
00:36:58,160 --> 00:37:00,400
Speaker 5: to a lot too, you know, I mean even that year, right,

965
00:37:00,440 --> 00:37:03,319
Speaker 5: I tear my achilles. That following year, I mean, in

966
00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:05,439
Speaker 5: those first four games, I got three hundred and fifty

967
00:37:05,480 --> 00:37:07,520
Speaker 5: nine yards. I'm on track now to do that again,

968
00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:08,680
Speaker 5: you know what I mean. It's like you about to

969
00:37:08,719 --> 00:37:10,840
Speaker 5: do the same thing over again. It's like from the

970
00:37:10,840 --> 00:37:12,399
Speaker 5: way we were playing and the way that I felt

971
00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:15,200
Speaker 5: they were trusting me with the offense, and that Giants game,

972
00:37:15,239 --> 00:37:17,200
Speaker 5: I already had about three hundred and fifty nine yards.

973
00:37:17,200 --> 00:37:20,120
Speaker 5: It's only game four. I'm the leading receiver on our team.

974
00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:22,200
Speaker 5: And we got some greats on our team. We got Pierre,

975
00:37:22,239 --> 00:37:25,200
Speaker 5: we got Santana, you know what I mean, And I

976
00:37:25,280 --> 00:37:27,200
Speaker 5: just felt like, man on this path.

977
00:37:27,239 --> 00:37:27,479
Speaker 3: Boy.

978
00:37:28,360 --> 00:37:30,239
Speaker 5: Even if I didn't get that thousand before, I put

979
00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:31,920
Speaker 5: up eight, and then if I put up a thousand

980
00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:33,640
Speaker 5: this year, that's that's that's putting in a couple of

981
00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:36,120
Speaker 5: years back to back. That's pretty you know, top five

982
00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:38,319
Speaker 5: in the in the league at that moment. But that

983
00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:40,440
Speaker 5: kind of that set me back, man, really really bad,

984
00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:42,360
Speaker 5: you know, because I didn't expect that. You know, you

985
00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:44,759
Speaker 5: never do expect that. Again, I didn't even I didn't

986
00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:46,480
Speaker 5: even know I tore my killies until I went in

987
00:37:46,480 --> 00:37:48,760
Speaker 5: the back. I mean, it just feels like somebody kicked you.

988
00:37:48,760 --> 00:37:49,400
Speaker 3: You don't even know.

989
00:37:50,040 --> 00:37:52,839
Speaker 5: And yeah, man, it was a big setback because the

990
00:37:52,840 --> 00:37:56,000
Speaker 5: partest thing about an injury, depending on injury, is just

991
00:37:56,080 --> 00:37:58,959
Speaker 5: the time out, you know, the mental the mental part

992
00:37:58,960 --> 00:38:01,239
Speaker 5: of it, because you can as physical strong as you want,

993
00:38:01,239 --> 00:38:02,920
Speaker 5: but the mental shit beat you up. Am I gonna

994
00:38:02,920 --> 00:38:04,440
Speaker 5: be the same player when I come back? And am

995
00:38:04,440 --> 00:38:06,759
Speaker 5: I gonna feel the same? Am I gonna be the same?

996
00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:07,000
Speaker 4: Like?

997
00:38:07,040 --> 00:38:07,799
Speaker 3: It's just a lot of.

998
00:38:07,760 --> 00:38:09,879
Speaker 5: Things that a lot of things that negative that get

999
00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:11,400
Speaker 5: in your head and you got to try to be

1000
00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:14,040
Speaker 5: positive about And I don't think that a lot some

1001
00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:16,360
Speaker 5: people are good at handling it. Some others are not

1002
00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:16,799
Speaker 5: as well.

1003
00:38:16,840 --> 00:38:18,319
Speaker 3: I don't think. I think I handled it well.

1004
00:38:18,360 --> 00:38:20,120
Speaker 5: But I think the mental part is sitting out because

1005
00:38:20,120 --> 00:38:22,040
Speaker 5: I'm a I have to I like to be on

1006
00:38:22,120 --> 00:38:23,640
Speaker 5: the move. I like to be a part of things,

1007
00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:26,680
Speaker 5: So to have to sit out it probably pretty.

1008
00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:27,319
Speaker 3: It beat me up pretty mental.

1009
00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:29,240
Speaker 5: It's pretty much mentally, And I think for guys getting

1010
00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:31,239
Speaker 5: hurt that's the hardest thing because it's not just about

1011
00:38:31,239 --> 00:38:33,520
Speaker 5: getting back, it's really about the mental aspect of it.

1012
00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:37,799
Speaker 1: And how do you get over that hurdle? Because again,

1013
00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:39,440
Speaker 1: you're going through all these things. But now, I mean,

1014
00:38:39,480 --> 00:38:41,799
Speaker 1: you clearly got through, right, you're a businessman. Now you've

1015
00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:43,840
Speaker 1: moved on with your life. You still had, you know,

1016
00:38:43,920 --> 00:38:46,160
Speaker 1: a great career in the NFL. But how did you

1017
00:38:46,239 --> 00:38:48,719
Speaker 1: get over those mental hurders? Because there's people listening going

1018
00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:51,000
Speaker 1: through their own life hurdles right that don't even have

1019
00:38:51,080 --> 00:38:51,920
Speaker 1: to do with football.

1020
00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:53,640
Speaker 2: How did Fred Davis get through that?

1021
00:38:55,200 --> 00:38:57,560
Speaker 3: Man? To be honest, just getting back to my basics.

1022
00:38:57,600 --> 00:38:59,560
Speaker 5: Really, you know, when you have a lot of yes

1023
00:38:59,640 --> 00:39:02,800
Speaker 5: man you or friends or people from the outside telling

1024
00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:04,560
Speaker 5: you what you think you should do. I think I

1025
00:39:04,640 --> 00:39:06,680
Speaker 5: just took a little break from just like what I

1026
00:39:06,719 --> 00:39:09,080
Speaker 5: normally did, because I mean when I go out and parties,

1027
00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:11,480
Speaker 5: and yeah, I will go out parties sometimes drink some times.

1028
00:39:11,560 --> 00:39:13,279
Speaker 5: But then when you do a little bit too much

1029
00:39:13,280 --> 00:39:15,719
Speaker 5: where you're doing it without even thinking about having fun,

1030
00:39:15,760 --> 00:39:18,600
Speaker 5: you're just out here just coasting where you're just like, okay,

1031
00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:19,640
Speaker 5: I just want a distraction.

1032
00:39:19,760 --> 00:39:21,040
Speaker 3: That's when it becomes a problem.

1033
00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:23,439
Speaker 5: And I think just me having a time to really

1034
00:39:23,440 --> 00:39:25,959
Speaker 5: sit down and be quiet with myself instead.

1035
00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:28,520
Speaker 3: Of not no family members, not no friends.

1036
00:39:28,640 --> 00:39:30,959
Speaker 5: None of that, just me and my own thoughts really

1037
00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:33,319
Speaker 5: and just understanding what I truly want to do, and

1038
00:39:33,920 --> 00:39:36,600
Speaker 5: you know, understanding where I'm at in my life and

1039
00:39:36,280 --> 00:39:39,560
Speaker 5: how I got here and just appreciate it, because sometimes

1040
00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:42,160
Speaker 5: this moves so fast you don't get a time to

1041
00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:44,120
Speaker 5: really appreciate it. You go from being drafted to next

1042
00:39:44,160 --> 00:39:46,400
Speaker 5: year you're on a team to now you got to

1043
00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:48,000
Speaker 5: get ready for the season, and you barely had a

1044
00:39:48,040 --> 00:39:49,799
Speaker 5: rookie off season because you're a rookie, so.

1045
00:39:50,239 --> 00:39:52,040
Speaker 3: It's like you don't really get to slow down.

1046
00:39:52,400 --> 00:39:54,120
Speaker 5: And then when you put your own life on top

1047
00:39:54,160 --> 00:39:55,799
Speaker 5: of that, where you're not slowing down, you don't really

1048
00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:57,440
Speaker 5: get to sit back and appreciate the moment in the

1049
00:39:57,480 --> 00:39:59,799
Speaker 5: hand and see what's really going on until it's too

1050
00:39:59,840 --> 00:40:02,960
Speaker 5: late or to something tragic happens or maybe a mistake.

1051
00:40:03,440 --> 00:40:06,120
Speaker 3: But I feel like just having that time to yourself

1052
00:40:06,160 --> 00:40:07,400
Speaker 3: to really process.

1053
00:40:06,960 --> 00:40:08,919
Speaker 5: Your thoughts and really understand who you are and where

1054
00:40:08,960 --> 00:40:10,560
Speaker 5: you want to be at or what you want to do,

1055
00:40:10,640 --> 00:40:12,319
Speaker 5: even in this league, because if you don't have a

1056
00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:14,839
Speaker 5: plan and you're just out here just like, oh, I'm

1057
00:40:14,880 --> 00:40:16,719
Speaker 5: just gonna let whatever comes to me come to me,

1058
00:40:17,160 --> 00:40:20,040
Speaker 5: it doesn't work. I've seen it with other guys, Like

1059
00:40:20,080 --> 00:40:22,040
Speaker 5: I said, I've seen guys make two hundred million the broken.

1060
00:40:22,080 --> 00:40:23,919
Speaker 5: I've seen guys with a million dollars still got money.

1061
00:40:23,920 --> 00:40:26,000
Speaker 5: It's how you treat it with a plan. So to me,

1062
00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:28,719
Speaker 5: I think that's the most important thing for.

1063
00:40:28,880 --> 00:40:31,680
Speaker 1: We appreciate your insight and your game, man, and now

1064
00:40:31,680 --> 00:40:34,239
Speaker 1: we're in a season where things are looking great. Now

1065
00:40:34,239 --> 00:40:36,400
Speaker 1: this is we're recording this before the Dallas game. However,

1066
00:40:36,440 --> 00:40:38,600
Speaker 1: this will be coming out after the Dallas game, so

1067
00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:39,240
Speaker 1: we won't talk.

1068
00:40:39,080 --> 00:40:40,000
Speaker 2: About that game so much.

1069
00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:42,440
Speaker 1: However, you did say you will be at the game,

1070
00:40:42,600 --> 00:40:44,239
Speaker 1: so just talk to me what it means. Because you

1071
00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:46,799
Speaker 1: stay close to DC, like Cali and DC, Like those

1072
00:40:46,800 --> 00:40:49,400
Speaker 1: are your two homes, and what does it mean for

1073
00:40:49,440 --> 00:40:51,440
Speaker 1: you when you come back to that field, come back

1074
00:40:51,480 --> 00:40:54,600
Speaker 1: to that environment, be around these amazing fans that cheer

1075
00:40:54,600 --> 00:40:55,279
Speaker 1: for you for so long.

1076
00:40:55,320 --> 00:40:57,480
Speaker 2: Man, how excited are you to be back at the crib.

1077
00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:01,080
Speaker 5: I'm just excited because you know, we have we haven't

1078
00:41:01,120 --> 00:41:03,000
Speaker 5: really had a lot of hope in the past years,

1079
00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:04,120
Speaker 5: you know what I mean. I've been a part of

1080
00:41:04,160 --> 00:41:06,000
Speaker 5: some of those teams where we started out six and

1081
00:41:06,080 --> 00:41:08,640
Speaker 5: oh and then the tail off at the end, or

1082
00:41:08,680 --> 00:41:10,879
Speaker 5: started out really bad and win a few at the end.

1083
00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:12,719
Speaker 3: I'm just happy to see the.

1084
00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:14,560
Speaker 5: Fans, you know, because last time we went to playoffs

1085
00:41:14,560 --> 00:41:17,520
Speaker 5: in twenty fourteen and I was there for that, and the

1086
00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:19,759
Speaker 5: energy there was crazy, Like they just want to win

1087
00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:21,160
Speaker 5: so bad, you know what I mean. It's been so

1088
00:41:21,320 --> 00:41:24,400
Speaker 5: long and it's due, you know. I'm just happy to

1089
00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:26,120
Speaker 5: see when I go there, just the energy, you feel,

1090
00:41:26,120 --> 00:41:28,240
Speaker 5: the love, You feel that you can tell they're excited

1091
00:41:28,280 --> 00:41:29,040
Speaker 5: about the season.

1092
00:41:30,280 --> 00:41:31,719
Speaker 3: You just see you can feel the energy, you know

1093
00:41:31,760 --> 00:41:32,080
Speaker 3: what I mean.

1094
00:41:32,200 --> 00:41:34,239
Speaker 5: Like just even with the players, you know, they look

1095
00:41:34,360 --> 00:41:36,480
Speaker 5: like they believe that they could win, which is always

1096
00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:39,080
Speaker 5: important and it gives hopes to the fans and to

1097
00:41:39,080 --> 00:41:41,920
Speaker 5: see that we have more people in our stadium that

1098
00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:44,040
Speaker 5: are our fans and the other teams fans.

1099
00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:45,640
Speaker 3: That's the most important.

1100
00:41:45,160 --> 00:41:47,800
Speaker 5: Thing because that for a little bit there we're starting

1101
00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:49,439
Speaker 5: to tail off in the end. But now our fan

1102
00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:52,279
Speaker 5: our fan base is starting to come back. And there's

1103
00:41:52,280 --> 00:41:55,880
Speaker 5: nothing like a Redskins slash Commanders fan. But the Commanders,

1104
00:41:55,920 --> 00:41:57,480
Speaker 5: there's nothing like that, you know what. I mean to

1105
00:41:57,520 --> 00:41:59,880
Speaker 5: see those because they love their team, they love for

1106
00:42:00,480 --> 00:42:03,040
Speaker 5: and just to go to the stadium and you know,

1107
00:42:03,120 --> 00:42:05,040
Speaker 5: like I said, to beat these teams and to have

1108
00:42:05,120 --> 00:42:07,160
Speaker 5: the season that Jaden Daiels was having.

1109
00:42:07,040 --> 00:42:09,680
Speaker 3: And Terry scary Terry and Arts.

1110
00:42:09,520 --> 00:42:12,000
Speaker 5: The tight end, and then the running game and Robinson

1111
00:42:12,040 --> 00:42:13,720
Speaker 5: and that defense is playing pretty well.

1112
00:42:14,080 --> 00:42:15,799
Speaker 3: I just think it's a great thing and it's fun.

1113
00:42:16,200 --> 00:42:17,680
Speaker 3: It's fun to watch and it's fun to be a

1114
00:42:17,719 --> 00:42:18,000
Speaker 3: part of.

1115
00:42:18,880 --> 00:42:21,480
Speaker 1: There is no better place to be on a football

1116
00:42:21,520 --> 00:42:24,359
Speaker 1: Sunday than the DMV. Fred Davis, thank you so much

1117
00:42:24,400 --> 00:42:25,000
Speaker 1: for joining us.

1118
00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:25,239
Speaker 2: Man.

1119
00:42:25,480 --> 00:42:28,200
Speaker 1: Appreciate your testimony and just being so honest with us.

1120
00:42:28,200 --> 00:42:28,319
Speaker 3: Man.

1121
00:42:28,320 --> 00:42:29,640
Speaker 1: We got to have you back on off for like

1122
00:42:29,880 --> 00:42:31,719
Speaker 1: you know, we and you could dive into a lot

1123
00:42:31,760 --> 00:42:34,279
Speaker 1: more things but for Fred, I appreciate your time.

1124
00:42:34,320 --> 00:42:34,560
Speaker 2: Brother.

1125
00:42:35,560 --> 00:42:37,240
Speaker 3: Definitely be back brother for sure.

1126
00:42:37,920 --> 00:42:40,719
Speaker 2: For sure for show. Yes, Sir, Commanders family, this is

1127
00:42:40,760 --> 00:42:41,799
Speaker 2: our Next Man Up.

1128
00:42:42,200 --> 00:42:45,759
Speaker 1: Tight End played his whole career with the Redskins, My guy,

1129
00:42:46,040 --> 00:42:46,640
Speaker 1: Fred Davis.

1130
00:42:46,680 --> 00:42:48,080
Speaker 2: Appreciate you, brother, Thank.

1131
00:42:47,960 --> 00:42:49,680
Speaker 3: You, brother, appreciate it man. Thanks for having.

1132
00:42:49,480 --> 00:42:52,720
Speaker 2: Me command this family. I hope you've enjoyed this episode

1133
00:42:52,800 --> 00:42:53,799
Speaker 2: of Next Man Up. Now.

1134
00:42:53,800 --> 00:42:55,480
Speaker 1: If you want to catch our old episodes, you can

1135
00:42:55,560 --> 00:42:58,640
Speaker 1: on the Commander's YouTube page or stream the audio wherever

1136
00:42:58,760 --> 00:43:01,120
Speaker 1: you get your podcasts. I am Brian Cople Junior and

1137
00:43:01,120 --> 00:43:03,240
Speaker 1: this is Next Man Up. Catch you on next Friday.

1138
00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:06,560
Speaker 1: Cancelope is the proud Kiosk partner of the Washington Commanders,

1139
00:43:06,760 --> 00:43:09,239
Speaker 1: making your game day experience more convenient,