WEBVTT - Jonathan Stewart 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:02.600 This is cut to It with Steve Smith Senior at 0:00:02.640 --> 0:00:08.879 production of The Black Effect and I Heart Radio. I'm 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:12.200 Steve Smith Senior and I'm John and this is cut 0:00:12.240 --> 0:00:16.600 to it. Good do it, Good do it. Let's getting 0:00:16.640 --> 0:00:19.919 down to do it. Good do it. We asked the 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:23.880 questions you always want to know, but no one ever asked, 0:00:24.000 --> 0:00:29.600 let's cut to it. You ain't heard am about it? 0:00:29.640 --> 0:00:41.960 Then we're about to let you know. It's all about 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:46.680 these playoffs. It's been crazy, right, these playoffs. Is this 0:00:46.800 --> 0:00:49.760 drug that this drug that the NFL then fell up on. 0:00:50.040 --> 0:00:56.760 This is unbelid This is what smack feels like. Like 0:00:56.840 --> 0:01:00.960 I said smack right, I said old school barbituous. It 0:01:01.120 --> 0:01:04.840 was great football. It was fantastic playoff football. You give 0:01:04.880 --> 0:01:11.240 it asund you. Those four games were four games decided 0:01:11.240 --> 0:01:15.039 about twelve points combined. Oh my gosh, there's your best part. 0:01:16.800 --> 0:01:19.360 None of the guys who shouldn't have been in the playoffs, 0:01:20.440 --> 0:01:23.560 we're in the playoffs. All the guys who was supposed 0:01:23.600 --> 0:01:25.600 to be. Now the question is gonna be, you know who, 0:01:25.680 --> 0:01:30.320 who ultimately goes with the bucks going down the way 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:36.080 the Rams looked, the way Kansas City looked like they're 0:01:36.120 --> 0:01:38.640 back to being Kansas City had a surprise team, you know, 0:01:38.680 --> 0:01:41.760 with with the Bengals surprise. I'm just not sure on 0:01:41.800 --> 0:01:44.880 the Bengals, not because I'm even going forward into next year. 0:01:45.240 --> 0:01:48.240 I'm not sure on the Bengals are winning and going 0:01:48.280 --> 0:01:52.880 to the super Bowl, just because, um, they have a 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:58.880 strong foundation, but they also have some young inexperienced that. Um, 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:02.320 when you're playing ends the city, like Buffalo is found out, 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:06.240 you can't relax. You gotta be on your p's and 0:02:06.320 --> 0:02:09.600 queues every play, right. I think the Rams found that 0:02:09.600 --> 0:02:11.800 out with the Bucks, but they were able to, you know, 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:18.000 squeak it out Kansas City. Same thing, right the Banals. 0:02:18.919 --> 0:02:23.040 They never there was never a doubt once the Bengals 0:02:23.040 --> 0:02:25.840 started playing the Tennessee Titans that this was going to 0:02:25.960 --> 0:02:28.040 be a blowout, that Tennessee was not gonna have their 0:02:28.040 --> 0:02:31.000 hands full. Going back to that, going back to that 0:02:31.520 --> 0:02:36.960 UM Chiefs and Bill's game. What's your thoughts on overtime rule? 0:02:37.160 --> 0:02:39.080 I thing it needs to be adjusted. People A lot 0:02:39.080 --> 0:02:41.040 of people say, oh, we wish we had the college. 0:02:41.680 --> 0:02:43.960 What your what's your thoughts on? I like, I like 0:02:44.080 --> 0:02:48.400 the rule is you know now, I do like the 0:02:48.560 --> 0:02:50.240 if they if they were to kick the field goal, 0:02:50.400 --> 0:02:53.160 they would have had opportunity to get another possession. But 0:02:53.240 --> 0:02:56.320 if you got to walk off home run right there, 0:02:57.040 --> 0:02:58.920 you leave it there. And it wasn't like it was 0:02:58.960 --> 0:03:03.080 a fluke play. They move, They moved the ball down 0:03:03.080 --> 0:03:06.280 to field like you saw the momentum leading up to 0:03:06.440 --> 0:03:10.120 like uh they ht right now, that was a whole 0:03:10.360 --> 0:03:14.880 There was like a bonus football game two minutes. So 0:03:15.000 --> 0:03:17.280 I don't so. You wouldn't even even if you were, 0:03:17.440 --> 0:03:18.919 if you were the bearers, you wouldn't even be upset 0:03:18.960 --> 0:03:21.360 that you didn't even get a chance to get another possession. No, 0:03:21.480 --> 0:03:24.120 because you had a possession. You had a possession to 0:03:24.160 --> 0:03:28.000 stop him. That's true, right, you didn't stop him, right, 0:03:28.280 --> 0:03:30.919 you had to put you had a possession. You had 0:03:30.919 --> 0:03:33.760 a possession to stop him. For the tying field goal, 0:03:33.840 --> 0:03:36.800 you had a possession to stop them before to re 0:03:36.920 --> 0:03:41.200 heal hit that cheetah button. He was like, okay, cheetah, 0:03:41.200 --> 0:03:46.160 but juice. So I don't I don't think so. I 0:03:46.200 --> 0:03:48.920 don't think so. Right, I'm excited for the Super Bowl 0:03:49.720 --> 0:03:54.120 because you got new faces, new names, new teams, and 0:03:54.200 --> 0:03:57.360 some of these teams vintage Wise forty nine. Is you 0:03:57.400 --> 0:04:00.400 removed when they played. You removed the fourty and Miners 0:04:01.480 --> 0:04:03.920 and the Rams when they played, you know when they played. 0:04:04.880 --> 0:04:10.240 But it's old, vintage teams. Thirty two years since the 0:04:10.400 --> 0:04:13.280 Bengal has been to the playoffs, right or the nc 0:04:13.760 --> 0:04:16.280 a f C Championship game. You got the forty Niners. 0:04:16.720 --> 0:04:19.560 We're back in the day. It was either the forty Niners, 0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:23.800 the Cowboys and a little bit of the Giants. Those 0:04:23.839 --> 0:04:27.880 three teams would pretty much would represent the NFC in 0:04:27.920 --> 0:04:30.760 the Super Bowl. And then if you got Kansas City 0:04:30.839 --> 0:04:36.000 Chiefs because they the Kanna City Chiefs travel and Cincinnati. 0:04:36.040 --> 0:04:38.359 If Cincinnati makes a Super Bowl, I'm gonna tell you 0:04:38.440 --> 0:04:44.000 right now, they may win or may not win, but 0:04:44.040 --> 0:04:47.880 their fans are gonna travel. It's gonna be crazy. So 0:04:49.920 --> 0:04:52.520 the NFL, because of the Shield or we the NFL, 0:04:52.720 --> 0:04:57.120 the Shield gets the advantage of good football. But we 0:04:57.160 --> 0:05:00.240 didn't know the football was gonna be this great. It 0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:05.680 was remember the playoffs, to remember it was exciting. Noil, body, 0:05:06.440 --> 0:05:08.800 you have to respect. I mean I was texting. I 0:05:08.920 --> 0:05:12.160 text some people that were on all the teams. Bro 0:05:12.279 --> 0:05:16.919 your balld, you know, I text some folks with Buffalo 0:05:16.960 --> 0:05:26.280 said listen, that's a bad mama jam right, and they 0:05:26.360 --> 0:05:29.840 got some good pieces and these these these four, these 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:32.640 last four teams, the future looks bright for the future, 0:05:33.680 --> 0:05:36.160 from the Josh Allens to the Patrick Mahomes. I mean, 0:05:36.200 --> 0:05:39.560 we we're looking at just it's it's crazy, Joe Burrows 0:05:39.560 --> 0:05:49.200 seeing the man is is really Ken Jimmy Garoppolo keep 0:05:49.279 --> 0:05:54.480 pace for four quarters. He did what he needed to do. 0:05:54.680 --> 0:05:57.680 In the end, it got the dub, but it was 0:05:57.720 --> 0:06:02.279 no shaking him right right right, and and so that 0:06:02.279 --> 0:06:04.720 that that's is it because of or in spite of 0:06:05.920 --> 0:06:09.159 I don't I don't know, but you hate to find 0:06:09.160 --> 0:06:13.960 out the wrong onesactly we got On the podcast Jonathan 0:06:14.000 --> 0:06:17.920 Stewart Man, welcome. We'll go to the cut to podcasts. 0:06:18.200 --> 0:06:21.680 I kind of like this. Yeah, you've been doing a 0:06:21.680 --> 0:06:24.080 lot of good stuff, man, I appreciate you. Listen. Yeah, 0:06:24.440 --> 0:06:26.400 I think a lot of the former teammates listen. They 0:06:26.520 --> 0:06:28.279 and they also had an opinion like, why he ain't 0:06:28.279 --> 0:06:31.440 gonna have me on? Yeah, you liar, I said I 0:06:31.480 --> 0:06:34.880 know that. I lie. Nah, I'm talking about some of 0:06:34.960 --> 0:06:38.560 other people I'm gonna have them on. Yeah, I just 0:06:39.240 --> 0:06:42.440 I just don't want to flood the panther market because 0:06:42.640 --> 0:06:45.000 that's easy. Yeah, and it's like, oh then and then 0:06:45.040 --> 0:06:48.760 I'll be considered a homer. So I gotta just gotta 0:06:48.800 --> 0:06:52.560 switch it up. You're very resourceful, and I try to 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:55.160 be I try to be all right. So this is 0:06:55.160 --> 0:06:58.839 a segment that we do call get I stuck. Here 0:06:58.839 --> 0:07:01.880 we go. You're ready could have at least like gave me. 0:07:01.960 --> 0:07:03.840 I don't want to give you any because if I 0:07:03.880 --> 0:07:05.320 give them to you, then you're gonna be all be 0:07:05.320 --> 0:07:09.279 able to think about it. What's your favorite quotation? M hmmm, 0:07:09.480 --> 0:07:11.880 see Philippians four third team. I can do all things. 0:07:11.920 --> 0:07:15.720 The crest strengthens me. Okay, cool, see off the top. 0:07:16.080 --> 0:07:17.920 And if at the game time he would probably pick 0:07:18.000 --> 0:07:21.480 up bigger and better on scripture that he would have 0:07:21.600 --> 0:07:23.880 screwed up because he would try to memorize it to 0:07:25.320 --> 0:07:30.920 my line, there might be some truth, all right. What's 0:07:30.920 --> 0:07:36.840 your favorite genre of music? R and B like nineties 0:07:36.960 --> 0:07:43.960 R and B take six? Yeah? Oh yeah, good Johnny 0:07:44.000 --> 0:07:49.760 Gil little my my, my little Joe to see. I 0:07:49.840 --> 0:07:53.200 got a nice little playlist, man, it's called a court 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:59.840 really eight track you I meant no, I had to 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:06.040 d player, okay, yeah, anti anti shock what's that anti 0:08:06.080 --> 0:08:08.920 shock can stop it from skipping? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, 0:08:08.960 --> 0:08:11.520 I had that. Yeah, that's when you know you got money. 0:08:11.520 --> 0:08:14.320 You don't even have to know about I have see 0:08:14.400 --> 0:08:18.640 my headphones had phone on them. M hm. You don't 0:08:18.680 --> 0:08:21.880 know about that. You was listening to your headphones in 0:08:21.920 --> 0:08:27.920 your car. I didn't have a car. My brother cassette. Yeah, 0:08:27.960 --> 0:08:31.200 there it is, see see car. I was on that 0:08:31.360 --> 0:08:34.600 rt D. Yeah it was called I don't even know 0:08:34.600 --> 0:08:41.920 what the I know. I don't know. Um last website 0:08:41.960 --> 0:08:49.400 you visited Google Earth for the resident or piece of 0:08:49.480 --> 0:08:55.360 land out there in chest it all right? Oh yeah, 0:08:55.840 --> 0:09:03.440 answer that. It's the tepper. Hey, hey, hey, we're recording 0:09:03.440 --> 0:09:12.120 the podcast and I'm on here with Jonathan Stewart. Yes, 0:09:12.440 --> 0:09:15.080 that's what I just told you. You called that a 0:09:15.120 --> 0:09:18.360 perfect time. I don't have to say. I love my brother. 0:09:21.679 --> 0:09:23.800 Am I doing a good job over there at at 0:09:23.800 --> 0:09:27.400 the stadium you're recorded now? I think if he's doing 0:09:27.440 --> 0:09:29.720 a good job, that he's learning. If he's not learning, 0:09:29.720 --> 0:09:32.280 that he's not doing a good job like that. Yeah, 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:35.800 So in other words, we're gonna fire your ass. I'm learning. Yeah, 0:09:37.080 --> 0:09:41.040 I've learned in that promise all right, I'll call you back. 0:09:41.080 --> 0:09:52.520 All right, you got any hidden talents? I can paint really? Yeah, 0:09:52.640 --> 0:09:56.480 I am dumbfounding like a room or no, Like I 0:09:56.520 --> 0:10:00.800 can do paintings really, so like like paints and stuff 0:10:00.800 --> 0:10:06.520 like that. So do you you will? Natalie go y'all, 0:10:06.520 --> 0:10:09.080 like you do wine and painting. We've done some wine 0:10:09.080 --> 0:10:13.120 and painting. Yeah, you got painting too before after the wine? 0:10:13.960 --> 0:10:17.080 Both okay, Then she has it. She has a real skill. 0:10:17.120 --> 0:10:20.600 Then all right, because what you do after the alcohol 0:10:21.120 --> 0:10:24.880 might not be might it might not be a talent. 0:10:24.920 --> 0:10:28.160 It may be the alcohol. But what the wine does 0:10:28.240 --> 0:10:33.880 is make you make your creativity. You're what creativity? Yeah? 0:10:34.400 --> 0:10:38.120 It just makes it either takes the governor off or 0:10:38.200 --> 0:10:41.160 it makes it like, where's your creativity? I don't understand 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:45.080 before after the one, I'm pretty sure my stick figures 0:10:45.120 --> 0:10:51.640 would look the same. I'm drawing stick figures. I can't 0:10:51.720 --> 0:10:54.440 draw to save my life, man, I can't my life. 0:10:54.559 --> 0:10:56.000 That's why my life. And I was on the line 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:58.960 for a drawing. Where are you from in a place 0:10:59.000 --> 0:11:02.680 you call your hometown? Lacey, Washington? All right? Where is 0:11:02.720 --> 0:11:08.720 that relative capital is? Olympia? Sure? Okay? And then you 0:11:08.760 --> 0:11:13.200 know forty five minutes from Seattle, South Okay, but I 0:11:13.280 --> 0:11:19.800 was born yes, um, Madigan Hospital, Fort Lewis, Washington, right 0:11:19.800 --> 0:11:24.040 outside of Lakewood, which is about thirty minutes outside of Takoma. Okay, 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:31.040 all right, how did your upbringing impact you as a 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:33.760 as an adult? Now? You know, I would say my 0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:43.520 upbringing you know, simple right, simple things and I think 0:11:44.360 --> 0:11:48.640 you know, taking a guy like me from Lacey of Washington, Um, 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:52.679 how is Lacey? Washington is a rural is it a city? Like? 0:11:52.960 --> 0:11:55.280 What is it? It's the capital. It's right outside of 0:11:55.280 --> 0:11:58.440 the capital of Washington. So what you do have a 0:11:58.440 --> 0:12:00.640 lot of meth heads, a bunch of people that are 0:12:00.679 --> 0:12:03.360 just just druggis really you know what I'm saying, and 0:12:03.400 --> 0:12:07.440 so um it runs a lot in Washington. So yeah, 0:12:07.640 --> 0:12:11.319 very like I think depression rate you know in Washington 0:12:11.520 --> 0:12:14.520 is crazy. Um, just always getting piste on it just 0:12:14.559 --> 0:12:21.360 missed pretty much. Yeah, um but um, but it called 0:12:21.440 --> 0:12:23.679 for a simple way of living in a sense of 0:12:23.760 --> 0:12:26.400 where you know, how I was raised and you know, 0:12:26.720 --> 0:12:31.800 not really expecting much from people, um and just taking 0:12:31.960 --> 0:12:34.640 you know, taking it upon myself, you know, a single 0:12:34.720 --> 0:12:37.000 mall and just me and my brother. I mean we 0:12:37.040 --> 0:12:39.640 had to figure out you know what we were gonna eat, 0:12:39.800 --> 0:12:41.559 you know, during the day, I got to figure out what, 0:12:42.120 --> 0:12:46.599 So what's your what's your version of poor? Because everybody's 0:12:46.720 --> 0:12:52.520 version of porge is different? Right, government cheese? Right? Yeah? 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:55.760 And so now that I, you know, get drafted and 0:12:56.040 --> 0:12:59.680 you know you have money, and you know, it'd be 0:12:59.720 --> 0:13:02.199 one thing if I didn't come from a simple mindset 0:13:02.440 --> 0:13:05.920 you know, of living, you know, because I would probably 0:13:05.920 --> 0:13:08.480 be into a lot of other things, you know, or 0:13:08.640 --> 0:13:11.160 wanting a lot of other things. And I think, you know, 0:13:11.240 --> 0:13:15.480 the simple mindset blessed me, you know, to to not 0:13:15.960 --> 0:13:21.559 need for much or want for much. And I carry 0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:24.320 that over into parenting. You know. You know, if you 0:13:24.400 --> 0:13:27.640 want something, you gotta work for it. What drove you 0:13:27.720 --> 0:13:32.080 to stay away from those meth heads and those drug acts? 0:13:32.080 --> 0:13:35.520 Press of God could have been one choice, right. The 0:13:35.559 --> 0:13:37.680 easy answer to that is just the grace of God 0:13:38.600 --> 0:13:42.160 and and and people that I was able to connect 0:13:42.320 --> 0:13:49.160 with that word doing things the right way, um, you know, teachers, um, 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:56.160 and finding the confidence and myself through grace to where 0:13:56.200 --> 0:13:59.280 I wouldn't need to feel like I need to you know, 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:04.840 validation from my peers. And so learning that at a 0:14:04.920 --> 0:14:08.880 young age was crucial for me and believing that was 0:14:08.920 --> 0:14:11.680 crucial for me, you know, my mom and stilling that 0:14:11.840 --> 0:14:15.439 making us go to church. Um, you know, I credit that, 0:14:15.640 --> 0:14:18.360 you know, you know, as far as the why I 0:14:18.400 --> 0:14:22.440 didn't choose to go left, I credit a lot to 0:14:24.040 --> 0:14:27.120 the people that I was blessed to have in my 0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:33.560 life that helped guide and mold who I am. You 0:14:33.600 --> 0:14:37.520 know what I'm saying. And I think if any person, 0:14:37.560 --> 0:14:41.200 I mean, Smithy has those people in his life that 0:14:41.240 --> 0:14:43.680 has helped mold and shape him into the man that 0:14:43.760 --> 0:14:47.880 he is now. And if you feel like at any 0:14:47.880 --> 0:14:50.960 point in your life that you don't need anyone, that's 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:56.800 a dangerous place to be dangerous. But you also, I'll 0:14:56.800 --> 0:14:59.280 call it smarts for lack of a better term, to 0:14:59.280 --> 0:15:02.800 to listen to those individuals, because again, you know, Uncle 0:15:03.360 --> 0:15:05.640 so AND's man, you don't know any better. But when 0:15:05.720 --> 0:15:08.520 you having that instilled, and you'd be like, yeah, I'm 0:15:08.520 --> 0:15:10.960 gonna listen, I'm gonna follow him, I'm gonna see what 0:15:11.000 --> 0:15:13.640 he says to kind of help mold you and push 0:15:13.640 --> 0:15:17.120 you down that path. And it takes you humility to apply, right, 0:15:17.960 --> 0:15:19.640 you know, It's one thing to sit there and listen 0:15:19.680 --> 0:15:21.720 to somebody dead and face telling you what how to 0:15:21.760 --> 0:15:25.880 make a million dollars. But you gotta apply, and you 0:15:25.960 --> 0:15:29.960 gotta actually have the tools to take what you hear 0:15:30.840 --> 0:15:34.600 and do the things that are necessary and sacrifice the 0:15:34.640 --> 0:15:36.880 things that are necessary to get you to that point. 0:15:40.840 --> 0:15:43.840 I love cut to It, and I love it even 0:15:43.880 --> 0:15:48.280 more when you download us and subscribe, and you can 0:15:48.320 --> 0:15:50.840 follow us on social media too, Smithie, where where at? 0:15:51.080 --> 0:15:55.720 That's at? Cut to it on Instagram? What about twitter? At? 0:15:55.720 --> 0:15:59.520 Cut to It? Facebook? Cut to It featuring Steve Smith 0:15:59.520 --> 0:16:03.000 sing your what about online? And you can follow us 0:16:03.000 --> 0:16:05.680 that cut to It podcast dot com where you can 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:08.920 buy merch and you can subscribe to us wherever you 0:16:09.000 --> 0:16:13.280 listen to podcasts. I got all my answers questions. Uh yeah, 0:16:13.680 --> 0:16:17.000 I got all my questions answered. That's what I'm here for, 0:16:17.040 --> 0:16:21.560 a brother. Cut to a podcast dot Com take us 0:16:21.600 --> 0:16:23.720 down that road to football because a lot of people 0:16:23.720 --> 0:16:27.360 don't know. You've been overall picked by the Carolina Panthers, 0:16:27.600 --> 0:16:32.280 drafted and injured, has surgery prior to the draft. Now 0:16:33.000 --> 0:16:35.720 the Panthers has some insight because the guy that did 0:16:35.760 --> 0:16:40.480 your foot World right now, Bob Anderson, who does most 0:16:40.480 --> 0:16:46.320 guys feet they knew the recovery time. They thought they 0:16:46.360 --> 0:16:51.280 knew the recovery time. But yet, just like anything else, 0:16:51.560 --> 0:16:55.240 that surgery for some people takes X amount of time. 0:16:55.480 --> 0:16:58.440 For you, particularly, how long did it take you after 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:04.280 your surgery for you to feel right comfortable enough to 0:17:04.400 --> 0:17:07.680 become the player you ended up becoming? Because people don't 0:17:07.720 --> 0:17:13.720 know drafted in April, whend you have your surgery March March, 0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:18.040 right before the draft, you didn't become Jonathan Stewart until when. 0:17:19.080 --> 0:17:21.880 I mean I didn't have no time. I had from 0:17:22.000 --> 0:17:27.880 March until the third preseason game. But my rookie March, 0:17:28.640 --> 0:17:36.200 so April, well actually April, May, June, July, August. They 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:39.320 put you in September, October, so probably about December when 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:41.920 you were and now the weather's change where you were 0:17:42.240 --> 0:17:49.400 expected to start impacting your team as a top fifteen pick. 0:17:50.640 --> 0:17:57.760 So how did you feel getting in the game. March 0:17:57.840 --> 0:18:04.119 of two thousand and eight, I was having surgery before 0:18:04.160 --> 0:18:09.359 my birthday, twenty first birthday, and I was in Eugene, Oregon, 0:18:10.200 --> 0:18:14.040 and I was hearing ESPN telling folks that I was 0:18:14.080 --> 0:18:17.520 a drifter and I have a foot injury, and I 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:20.520 shouldn't be a top pick and all these things. And 0:18:20.560 --> 0:18:22.879 I have already committed to go for the draft early 0:18:23.000 --> 0:18:27.360 as a junior. And so you're hearing all these things 0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:31.120 for the first time about what you're not when you've 0:18:31.119 --> 0:18:34.520 been told what you are, what you are, what you 0:18:35.520 --> 0:18:38.840 could be for the recent time and until you got injured, right, 0:18:39.240 --> 0:18:42.800 and um, you know it was tough, you know, mentally, 0:18:42.880 --> 0:18:45.760 not really sure what to expect, where I'm gonna land 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:47.440 and all that. And you know I went to Pro 0:18:47.560 --> 0:18:50.280 Day and when I was at the pro day, Um, 0:18:50.600 --> 0:18:53.360 now you have pro Day not being pro Day. Yeah, yeah, 0:18:53.400 --> 0:18:57.880 pro day knowing you cannot perform. But I had calm, 0:18:58.000 --> 0:19:00.439 I had the combine and then Pro Day. I didn't 0:19:01.080 --> 0:19:03.919 have anyone talk to me that Pro Day or anything 0:19:03.960 --> 0:19:06.880 like that, but I did have my combine, which Doug 0:19:06.920 --> 0:19:11.119 Williams he was there. He was with the red Skins 0:19:11.160 --> 0:19:13.359 or Tampa Bay at the time. Tampa he was with 0:19:13.400 --> 0:19:16.120 Tampa Bay at that time. And so I saw him 0:19:16.119 --> 0:19:19.040 in passing in the hallway and he had recognized me. 0:19:19.440 --> 0:19:22.959 That kind of threw me off, like that get that. 0:19:24.040 --> 0:19:27.800 I'm like, man, he knows who I am. But it's 0:19:27.840 --> 0:19:31.560 more Yeah, but he hit me. He put me to 0:19:31.640 --> 0:19:34.040 the side, and he had must have heard about my 0:19:34.080 --> 0:19:37.320 situation from the training and all that stuff being there 0:19:37.800 --> 0:19:41.240 that I wasn't gonna run because I had my toe injury. 0:19:42.280 --> 0:19:44.359 Well he had what was the toe injury? So I 0:19:44.440 --> 0:19:48.040 had turf toe. Whit turt toe such a big issue 0:19:48.240 --> 0:19:50.480 because you have to as a running back, you have 0:19:50.560 --> 0:19:52.639 to be able to bounce on my foot. You gotta 0:19:52.680 --> 0:19:54.920 be able to make cuts. So your big toe was 0:19:55.000 --> 0:20:01.200 just hurting. No, big toe ain't working. It's swollen, jammed up, ligaments, torn, 0:20:01.840 --> 0:20:06.200 all kind of stuff. Right. Turf toe is not like, oh, 0:20:06.560 --> 0:20:09.760 I hit my foot on the coffee table trying to 0:20:10.119 --> 0:20:13.639 trying to you know, get the remote. Turf toe is 0:20:13.800 --> 0:20:18.080 pretty much taking your phone and just having someone just 0:20:18.440 --> 0:20:22.560 smashing a bunch of time and so and and so. 0:20:22.600 --> 0:20:25.400 Now where your knuckle is and where you know, all 0:20:25.440 --> 0:20:28.800 of that everything in between your knuckle and your fingernail, 0:20:29.400 --> 0:20:35.480 it's pretty much Swiss sheets and swallow buff. Yeah. With 0:20:35.560 --> 0:20:40.640 that's your big toe, man, Like, listen, your calves, your hamstrings, 0:20:41.440 --> 0:20:45.840 you're you're blower back that right. That big toe is 0:20:46.320 --> 0:20:53.760 activating all that's it makes you lopside it right, everything, 0:20:55.440 --> 0:20:57.600 and then your compensate and then that, and then you 0:20:57.800 --> 0:21:01.119 compensate because now your left side has all of the work, 0:21:02.840 --> 0:21:05.879 and it's now doing the work of the left side 0:21:06.119 --> 0:21:09.719 and doing the work of the right side. So a conversation, 0:21:09.760 --> 0:21:13.560 now the left side gets overworked and it potentially start 0:21:14.040 --> 0:21:17.080 causes a strain. So now you gotta muscle strain on 0:21:17.119 --> 0:21:23.040 your left side. You got a non firing right side. Man, 0:21:23.160 --> 0:21:25.639 You you up, you up a creek without a pattern? 0:21:26.160 --> 0:21:29.359 Which is what? Which is? He eventually when I started, 0:21:29.600 --> 0:21:34.679 you know, experiencing Overcolm Satan from my toe. Um, but 0:21:35.440 --> 0:21:41.320 going back combine. Doug Williams passing on the hallway, he said, listen, 0:21:41.760 --> 0:21:45.280 if you fast, you're gonna run fast no matter what. 0:21:46.119 --> 0:21:49.160 Go out there and run. I don't care. I said, 0:21:49.359 --> 0:21:53.560 all right. So I called my agent. I said, look, 0:21:54.160 --> 0:21:57.040 I called. I saw Doug wung. He said, go out 0:21:57.080 --> 0:22:01.040 there and run. So Doug trump the agent. Well, my 0:22:01.080 --> 0:22:04.720 agent is like, well, if you feel comfortable, run, I'm 0:22:04.760 --> 0:22:07.280 like all right. So I went out there and ran. 0:22:07.640 --> 0:22:11.280 I did the vertical jump. I ran a four or 0:22:11.359 --> 0:22:16.960 four six so on on a jam on a turf 0:22:17.040 --> 0:22:18.760 toe turf to. I was run on the side of 0:22:18.760 --> 0:22:21.919 my foot and then I did the vertical jump, and 0:22:22.200 --> 0:22:25.160 I think it was like thirty seven and a half jammed. 0:22:26.880 --> 0:22:29.520 And so what what I realized though, is Doug was 0:22:29.560 --> 0:22:32.520 really telling me if you were a dog, you're a dog, 0:22:34.520 --> 0:22:38.240 go out there and this is your opportunity. And so 0:22:38.560 --> 0:22:41.000 I think that helped me in the long run absolutely 0:22:41.280 --> 0:22:43.239 for people fell in love with for me to go 0:22:43.440 --> 0:22:47.160 through what go through injury and to show what I had. 0:22:47.520 --> 0:22:51.920 I'm a firm believer in whatever you're going through, God's prepper, right, 0:22:52.040 --> 0:22:57.679 and so like I'm hurt, I've been hurt, I've gotten 0:22:58.160 --> 0:23:02.160 through it, I've been here and all those things. So 0:23:02.840 --> 0:23:07.120 I'm not gonna spend time, you know, focusing on what 0:23:07.160 --> 0:23:10.000 people are telling me that I'm not. I'm going to 0:23:10.119 --> 0:23:12.960 take that, you know, that advice that I got from 0:23:13.000 --> 0:23:17.040 Doug Williams improved to people what I am. Even though 0:23:17.040 --> 0:23:20.240 I am hurt, I'm still a dog. So just let 0:23:20.280 --> 0:23:23.680 me get healthy, right, And so that was my mindset. 0:23:24.200 --> 0:23:29.200 During the combine Pro day comes around at Oregon, I'm 0:23:29.240 --> 0:23:32.600 not even in the vicinity. I'm not even asked to 0:23:32.640 --> 0:23:36.000 come there. It felt weird, like like I was just 0:23:36.040 --> 0:23:40.960 almost kind of like forgotten, right, And then the Panthers 0:23:41.920 --> 0:23:44.960 take me off site to a hotel and I have 0:23:45.000 --> 0:23:48.640 a meeting with the Scott Scotting department. I didn't think 0:23:48.680 --> 0:23:54.720 nothing of it. Don Gregory besides one team that I 0:23:54.720 --> 0:23:58.080 didn't even meet at the combine, you know what I'm saying, 0:23:58.680 --> 0:24:01.399 took me to the side and yeah whatever, like they 0:24:01.480 --> 0:24:04.120 checked on my my, you know, if I was rehabbing 0:24:04.200 --> 0:24:07.959 and all that kind of stuff. Um draft comes around. 0:24:08.440 --> 0:24:14.320 Sure enough, Carolina Panthers called me and I'm drafted. Go 0:24:14.520 --> 0:24:17.480 to O T A S. I didn't even go to 0:24:17.640 --> 0:24:20.760 like a ceremony or jersey hanging or anything like that. 0:24:20.880 --> 0:24:25.320 But because of my upbringing and the simple mindset that 0:24:25.400 --> 0:24:32.680 I had, my expectations were here, Okay from receiving anything, 0:24:34.400 --> 0:24:38.000 but I knew I had to work for whenever my 0:24:38.080 --> 0:24:39.960 time was coming, whenever I was able to get on 0:24:40.000 --> 0:24:44.240 the field, I had to be ready. And so O 0:24:44.440 --> 0:24:48.600 T A S. I show up. Now. I remember John Beeson, 0:24:49.200 --> 0:24:51.640 he was coming off of a surgery and all those 0:24:51.680 --> 0:24:54.159 types of things, like he had like a shoulder surgery 0:24:54.200 --> 0:24:58.359 or something. And you know, and because obviously I looked up, 0:24:58.400 --> 0:25:00.920 you know, players on the team and who is who, 0:25:01.680 --> 0:25:06.200 and you looked up guys. Yeah, damn, that was a dummy. 0:25:06.240 --> 0:25:10.239 I never looked at nobody, but like, but I just 0:25:10.320 --> 0:25:12.600 learned something. But it was my But I was excited. 0:25:12.640 --> 0:25:15.439 I knew I was coming to play football with Steve Smith, 0:25:15.880 --> 0:25:18.920 Julius Peppers, you know what I'm saying. Like, I was like, Okay, 0:25:19.359 --> 0:25:23.840 this was and so John. But seeing John in his situation, 0:25:24.800 --> 0:25:27.760 it kind of like took a little bit of pressure 0:25:27.760 --> 0:25:31.240 off me knowing that here's a guy that was drafted 0:25:31.280 --> 0:25:35.719 first round that's hurt, he's rehabbing. This is how this 0:25:35.760 --> 0:25:39.000 thing goes. This is their off season. I have a 0:25:39.040 --> 0:25:43.360 little bit of time. I don't. I'm not immediately needed, 0:25:44.119 --> 0:25:46.960 that makes any sense. So I go back to college 0:25:47.280 --> 0:25:49.520 after O T A S. Finish up what I gotta 0:25:49.560 --> 0:25:55.440 do there, because in the league, you're not allowed to 0:25:55.480 --> 0:25:59.720 participate with the team out of college if your school 0:26:00.000 --> 0:26:03.200 within the quarter system, it's still in in session. Tried 0:26:03.280 --> 0:26:07.520 the same thing, and so go back and then I'm rehabing, 0:26:08.680 --> 0:26:11.640 um working out. I get back to training and then 0:26:11.680 --> 0:26:16.000 it's June. Rookies had the report early, so I reported 0:26:16.320 --> 0:26:19.440 stayed in holiday in and all that stuff or whatever 0:26:19.600 --> 0:26:24.080 training camp, and I was finally ready to practice and 0:26:24.119 --> 0:26:32.240 so defense was looking their chops. Thomas Davis. I remember 0:26:32.920 --> 0:26:38.000 getting hit in the backfield. Immediately, I thought that it 0:26:38.200 --> 0:26:43.440 was a a gap blitz from TV. He came off 0:26:43.440 --> 0:26:47.560 the edge. So that's how quick I got hit. I 0:26:47.600 --> 0:26:50.120 thought it was from the middle. He came off the edge, 0:26:50.720 --> 0:26:52.960 and so I was like, Okay, this football thing is 0:26:53.160 --> 0:26:58.640 really fast and they can hit, and I'm piste off 0:26:58.760 --> 0:27:03.560