Speaker 1: Welcome to the Command Center Podcast. I'm Julie Donaldson. Second
Speaker 1: year of cornerback Benjamin Saint. Juice was thrust into a
Speaker 1: starting role midseason following the trade of William Jackson, the
Speaker 1: third Pittsburgh. The Montreal native and Minnesota product thrived in
Speaker 1: his new role, but unfortunately the end of the season
Speaker 1: was derolled by an ankle injury. Prior to heading home
Speaker 1: for the offseason, he popped by the Players Club for
Speaker 1: a chat with London Fletcher and Santana Moss all Right said, Juice, man,
Speaker 1: you had a breakout second season in the league. Obviously
Speaker 1: didn't didn't in the way you wanted to with battling
Speaker 1: the ankle injury. How do you feel you played and
Speaker 1: what led to your your success on the field this year.
Speaker 1: M I feel like from year one to year two
Speaker 1: it was a big confidence boost, um knowing that I,
Speaker 1: you know, belonging this league and I can be a
Speaker 1: true like CB one starter here. And obviously that's just
Speaker 1: part of the proces, you know, going from a rookie,
Speaker 1: you playing against some top guys, you huning the game.
Speaker 1: At the same time, everything is fast, so you're trying
Speaker 1: to figure out if you fit in and where you're
Speaker 1: fit in all that stuff. And I started the season
Speaker 1: at nickel, which is something that you know I needed
Speaker 1: to do for the team to be successful. Then moved
Speaker 1: back to corner and when I went through these you know,
Speaker 1: top receivers and matchup and I saw, like you know,
Speaker 1: I was performing well and all that stuff. That just
Speaker 1: gave me the confidence and say like, okay, I can
Speaker 1: do this like week in and week out. And like
Speaker 1: you said, unfortunately, like you know, it's part of the game,
Speaker 1: I got injured, like somebody fell on my ankle. So
Speaker 1: that's really the only thing I wish for twenty twenty three,
Speaker 1: a full season of being healthy so I can show,
Speaker 1: like you know, the team, the fans and all the
Speaker 1: people that can do this day and day out. Well.
Speaker 1: One of the things we know, man, those things come
Speaker 1: and you gotta just stay preyed up. I mean, because
Speaker 1: I used to pray so much just to make it
Speaker 1: through the season. Man. But we know it comes. You know,
Speaker 1: it comes with the territory all. One of the things
Speaker 1: I wanted to ask you is just watching you play
Speaker 1: this year, was it a difference to you when you
Speaker 1: moved outside? Oh, that was something that was natural to you.
Speaker 1: I mean you played the inside so well. I almost
Speaker 1: thought that that's where you did all, you know, throughout
Speaker 1: college and whatever else it was. But was playing on
Speaker 1: the outside first for you or it was something that
Speaker 1: you can do without happening to really think about where
Speaker 1: you had on the field. Yeah, so outside, like you said,
Speaker 1: as my natural position. That's why I played Like my
Speaker 1: whole career, I never really played on the inside, but
Speaker 1: I was always, uh, something I was on the back
Speaker 1: of my mind because when I was getting recruited and
Speaker 1: you know, um in a draft process. I was also
Speaker 1: something that they brought up. There's like you taught you quick,
Speaker 1: so like you know, if we need to move you
Speaker 1: to safety and nickel, can you do that? And I
Speaker 1: always said yeah, And the opportunity came and I was
Speaker 1: able to, you know, to to be prepared for that
Speaker 1: and play pretty well. And I think that's one of
Speaker 1: the assets that I have, is being how tall and
Speaker 1: big I am. But quick, I can still be in
Speaker 1: you know, in the slide and you know, blitz and
Speaker 1: all that stuff, and it's fun for real, Like it's
Speaker 1: it just opens up the game and the scheme. You
Speaker 1: know that I can remember recalled interviewing you and you
Speaker 1: told us about you were playing hockey and being you know,
Speaker 1: and that helping you with your quickness and change of direction,
Speaker 1: being a six three corner, that that that skill. Said,
Speaker 1: What's what were you? What were you like on that hockey? Uh?
Speaker 1: On that ice, mad I was tough for I would say, like,
Speaker 1: you know, I'm very confident. I wanted this to come
Speaker 1: out cocky, but like if I kept playing hockey, I
Speaker 1: think I would have made to the NHL. I would
Speaker 1: man into the league just because of how like my
Speaker 1: work ethic and you know, how gifted athletically, you know,
Speaker 1: shout out to Pops you know has done a good genetics.
Speaker 1: But uh yeah, hockey, Like I said, like it's usually
Speaker 1: most of the guys like they do track, you know,
Speaker 1: all that stuff, so they're pretty fastened linear speeding on
Speaker 1: stuff hockey so much, you know, side to side, stopping
Speaker 1: on the dome, like playing defense. Came back with all
Speaker 1: that stuff like that helped me as a dB, and
Speaker 1: I'm starting to see the transition from I'm like, Okay,
Speaker 1: that's why I can move so well because I've you know,
Speaker 1: I've mastered those skills as a young kid. All the
Speaker 1: way until I was fourteen. What are one of those
Speaker 1: moments you take this off season and look back on
Speaker 1: and say, oh, this is who I need to be.
Speaker 1: You know, this is the game where I showed that
Speaker 1: I had had my best outing and this is what
Speaker 1: I want to I want to take this over to
Speaker 1: the off season and build from it. I would say, honestly,
Speaker 1: that first game that I was put back at corner
Speaker 1: and I had like four or five pv us against
Speaker 1: the Eagles, even though we lost, like that that was good.
Speaker 1: But I would say like, like, I'm looking at the
Speaker 1: stats that Justin Jefferson is putting up against DBS. I
Speaker 1: see like one hundred and eighty yards, two hundred yards,
Speaker 1: three yards, not you know, I held them to one
Speaker 1: touchdown seventy two yards. You know, as you know, a
Speaker 1: second year corner that's just you know, getting his name.
Speaker 1: So that's if I can recreate that type of performance,
Speaker 1: And that kind of was my eye opening moment, like, Yo,
Speaker 1: that's the top receiver in the league, and my team
Speaker 1: has enough confidence to say like this is who you're
Speaker 1: gonna follow the whole game. And so if I can
Speaker 1: build off that this offseason, that'll be perfect for all
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