Speaker 1: Everybody, Welcome to another edition of the Dave Pash Podcast.
Speaker 1: I'm your host ESPN and Arizona Cardinals broadcaster Dave Pash.
Speaker 1: We've had a lot of different guests, but mostly lately
Speaker 1: Cardinal guests with the season right around the corner, and
Speaker 1: we have a special guest this week, a guy that's
Speaker 1: been through so much personally and professionally that he's become
Speaker 1: one of the great stories in the NFL, and that's
Speaker 1: Cardinals Pro Bowl running back James Conner. We're gonna get
Speaker 1: into James story, talk with him about being a cancer survivor.
Speaker 1: He was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma back in twenty fifteen,
Speaker 1: what it took to come back from that, what inspired
Speaker 1: him to then write a book about his story, his
Speaker 1: great twenty twenty one season when he was among the
Speaker 1: NFL leaders and touchdowns and went to his second Pro Bowl,
Speaker 1: and whether he can repeat that in twenty twenty two.
Speaker 1: That's that's the standard. My mentality is do what he
Speaker 1: did last year and then so we'll also get into
Speaker 1: his new contract, the running back room, in his relationship
Speaker 1: with college teammate Aaron Donald, who's obviously one of the
Speaker 1: best players in the history of the NFL. A lot
Speaker 1: to talk about with James Conner, and we're going to
Speaker 1: discuss it all here over the next thirty minutes. We
Speaker 1: are presented by BETMGM, the official sports betting partner of
Speaker 1: the Arizona Cardinals, and by Hila River Hotels and Casinos.
Speaker 1: Get ready for football season like never before with bet MGM,
Speaker 1: an official partner of the Arizona Cardinal. Sign up today
Speaker 1: using code cards one thousand and get your first bet
Speaker 1: risk free up to one thousand dollars. Visit betmgm dot
Speaker 1: com for terms and conditions twenty one and over Arizona only.
Speaker 1: Please gamble responsibly. Gambling problem called one eight hundred. Next
Speaker 1: step All right, time to hear from our guest this week,
Speaker 1: Pro Bowl running back for the Arizona Cardinals, James Conner. Well, James,
Speaker 1: you have such an incredible story personally, professionally, and I
Speaker 1: want to get into all that, but let's start first
Speaker 1: with football. You signed a contract in the off season
Speaker 1: to stay here for multiple years. First of all, what
Speaker 1: did it mean to you to get that contract after
Speaker 1: coming here last year for the one year deal? And
Speaker 1: why did you want to stay here with the Cardinals
Speaker 1: it meant a lot to come back and you know,
Speaker 1: get locked in for three more years. I just wanted
Speaker 1: to continue to build on what I did last year.
Speaker 1: And I kind of feel like what I had started,
Speaker 1: you know when I came here last year, I just
Speaker 1: feel like I had a fresh start, you know, felt
Speaker 1: brand new, like I said, and so I just wanted
Speaker 1: to continue to build on that. And so it meant
Speaker 1: a lot just to have a team believing you, you know,
Speaker 1: believing your talents and the person you are and so
Speaker 1: um yeah, and then just I feel like this organization
Speaker 1: has everything we need to be successful. You know, everybody
Speaker 1: in the building, everybody's on the same page, and we're
Speaker 1: just you know, working day in and day out just
Speaker 1: to build something special here, and I just want to
Speaker 1: be a part of it. So yeah, it's just nice
Speaker 1: to have that. People leaving you. Obviously, you had played
Speaker 1: in other cities, so it's not like you only played
Speaker 1: in Pennsylvania, but you were in Pennsylvania for your life.
Speaker 1: So and my wife spent a lot of her childhood
Speaker 1: and Lower Burrow, so very familiar with the Pittsburgh area.
Speaker 1: And I know you were born an Erie, which is
Speaker 1: north of Pittsburgh, but living here and being in the desert,
Speaker 1: how different is it for you? Uh yeah, it's a
Speaker 1: lot different, just the scenes, the views, all that, the mountains,
Speaker 1: the human the heat, the dry heat. Yeah, um yeah,
Speaker 1: it's a lot different. But um, I think I needed
Speaker 1: it for my growth as a person, you know, just
Speaker 1: to come out here, coming across the country, be on
Speaker 1: my own and just uh just focused straight on football
Speaker 1: and just have new surroundings and all that. So I
Speaker 1: just felt like it was it was something needed for
Speaker 1: my growth as a person. And so yeah, obviously the
Speaker 1: desert is a lot different than Pennsylvania. Um, but I
Speaker 1: feel like I adapted well, I got embraced and uh
Speaker 1: still rolling with it. And you know, it's nothing but
Speaker 1: love ever since. And you're a big family yet, right,
Speaker 1: So absolutely was it hard for you to be that
Speaker 1: far away? At times? It was? But um, you know
Speaker 1: it was that just came out here, you know it
Speaker 1: strictly business, you know, and uh and I just wanted
Speaker 1: to see it. I love I love to travel. Even
Speaker 1: though I'm huge on family, I still love to travel
Speaker 1: and experienced and see different things around the world. So
Speaker 1: for me to come out here was it was totally
Speaker 1: different and now. It gives my family opportunity, you know,
Speaker 1: to come to games and to travel and for them
Speaker 1: to experience something new and see new scenes and the
Speaker 1: mountains and go for a hike, you know, and just
Speaker 1: just try new things. So it was needed for my growth.
Speaker 1: You had such an incredible year. How much of because look,
Speaker 1: you had been to the Pro Bowl before. In twenty eighteen,
Speaker 1: you had fifty five catches. I know everybody talked a
Speaker 1: lot about your receiving last year, but it's not like
Speaker 1: you had improven yourself as a receiver. You did that
Speaker 1: in twenty eighteen. How much of your mindset last year
Speaker 1: was I want to prove to everybody who I am,
Speaker 1: what kind of player I am. How much of it
Speaker 1: was I'm just gonna do my thing, Like how much
Speaker 1: do you think about that when you're in a contract year,
Speaker 1: when you're on a new team and people aren't sure
Speaker 1: what the next step is for you. Everything was just
Speaker 1: based around a work and I feel like that's all
Speaker 1: it was. I got some some some good role models
Speaker 1: and people who who I can can come and talk to,
Speaker 1: and they said, you know, you work hard, everything is
Speaker 1: gonna take care of yourself. And I feel like I
Speaker 1: had proved myself even when I was in Pittsburgh, So
Speaker 1: I never doubted myself as you know, as a football
Speaker 1: player or my talents. I always knew what I was
Speaker 1: capable of. So I just wanted to come in and
Speaker 1: work hard, to put my head down and just grind.
Speaker 1: And I knew that, um if I was you know,
Speaker 1: coming into shape. You know, I always trusting my hands,
Speaker 1: my running ability, my past protection, and so I kind
Speaker 1: of was just looking for that opportunity, um and and
Speaker 1: the Cardinals gave me that opportunity, and so I just
Speaker 1: wanted to come in and uh, you know, I was
Speaker 1: still rehabbing off of a foot injury and everything so
Speaker 1: got tough at times, but I knew that was my
Speaker 1: work ethic, um and the talent that I already had,
Speaker 1: you know, just make the most of my opportunities that
Speaker 1: I had. I think of a one handed catch that
Speaker 1: you made during the season, and you know everybody did
Speaker 1: it bother you when people kept saying, oh way, I
Speaker 1: didn't know that James Connor had great hands, because again,
Speaker 1: you had that year a few years ago where you
Speaker 1: caught you know, almost sixty passes. Yeah, that's every year
Speaker 1: that's going to continue to happen every year. If I
Speaker 1: make some nice catches this year, people are gonna be like,
Speaker 1: I didn't know he could catch like, you know, because
Speaker 1: not everybody pays attention, you know, But that's the game
Speaker 1: of football, you know. You have to You have to
Speaker 1: prove yourself every day even of practicing, especially on game days.
Speaker 1: You know, they they judge you on what you've done
Speaker 1: for him recently. So, um, you know, even though I
Speaker 1: caught passes years previous, you know, they not everybody was
Speaker 1: paying attention to it. So you just have to come
Speaker 1: in and improve yourself every day. I'm still going to
Speaker 1: try to prove myself even more in the passing game
Speaker 1: and the running game as a football player in general.
Speaker 1: So yeah, you just never stopped proving yourself in this league.
Speaker 1: You mentioned to me that there are some other guys
Speaker 1: that you relied on, Guys that you would talk to.
Speaker 1: Who were some of those people in your life either
Speaker 1: outside of football or other players that you speak with. Uh,
Speaker 1: my family for sure, you know, my family definitely. Um,
Speaker 1: they always you know, whether I want to hear it
Speaker 1: or not, tell them telling me what I need to hear.
Speaker 1: Um and just constantly instilling that confidence in me and
Speaker 1: just knowing what I'm capable of, and guys from around
Speaker 1: the league, Um, you know, guys like Aaron Donald's the
Speaker 1: guy from from Pitt that I got a chance to
Speaker 1: play with, and you know, he talking to me and
Speaker 1: and just knowing he said, you know, you take care
Speaker 1: of your football things. Everything else to take care of
Speaker 1: itself and stuff. So um, and that's one of the
Speaker 1: hardest working guys I know. You know, so I just
Speaker 1: kind of like following that league, following that hard work
Speaker 1: pays off phrase and mentality, and it's been working for me.
Speaker 1: I remember doing some of your games for ESPN when
Speaker 1: you and Aaron were both at pitt. First of all,
Speaker 1: I think at the time you might have been bigger
Speaker 1: than Aaron. Well you're taller than for sure, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: and you played some defense. You were recruited to play
Speaker 1: defense there. What was the most you weighed when you
Speaker 1: were at pet uh? The most, I wahed, I was
Speaker 1: two sixty. I was two sixty at Pitt. Uh. That
Speaker 1: was my sophomore year twenty fourteen. Um, you know, I
Speaker 1: was just I was happy to be there. Man. I
Speaker 1: was eating everything inside on training table and lifting heart
Speaker 1: You know more than I was high school and my
Speaker 1: body was still just growing, you know. So yeah, I
Speaker 1: got up to that um. But yeah, it's been awesome
Speaker 1: to play alongside him. And yeah, got recruited as a
Speaker 1: defensive end coming out of high school. I went to
Speaker 1: their prospect camp. They gave me a scholarship to play
Speaker 1: defensive endum and I was going into my senior year
Speaker 1: of high school. But then my senior year of high school,
Speaker 1: that's uh, when I went to running back and then
Speaker 1: coach Joe Rudolph that was at the University of Pittsburgh
Speaker 1: at the time. He's at Wisconsin now, but he gave
Speaker 1: me a call before training camp and he said, when
Speaker 1: you get here, we want to try you out a
Speaker 1: running back instead of defensive ends. So that's kind of
Speaker 1: how that that switched. I'm from Madison, so I've known
Speaker 1: Paul Chris forever and Joe rudolphs as you mentioned now
Speaker 1: at Wisconsin. Uh, how involved was Paul too, Like, Man,
Speaker 1: we gotta get this guy on offense. This guy's got
Speaker 1: a ridiculous talent. We can use him on offense. Yeah,
Speaker 1: that whole that whole staff, they were all just awesome
Speaker 1: with getting me to to come to the offensive side
Speaker 1: of the ball, and you know, they all they loved
Speaker 1: those big offensive linemen and that power running scheme, and uh,
Speaker 1: they just felt I fit for that, you know, and
Speaker 1: I believeue I could fit for that too. You know,
Speaker 1: running back was my first love. Defense kind of just
Speaker 1: happened late in high school. But I've been playing running
Speaker 1: back since I first started playing football, you know, when
Speaker 1: I was ten years old, So that's what I wanted
Speaker 1: to do. So yeah, they were all involved in getting
Speaker 1: me to, you know, coming the offensive side. Did you
Speaker 1: know being with Aaron Donald when he was that young,
Speaker 1: that he would be this good? Because it wasn't like
Speaker 1: the guy was a top five pick. And I think
Speaker 1: one of the reasons, obviously was the quote unquote measurables. Right,
Speaker 1: he wasn't six five and twenty five pounds on the inside,
Speaker 1: but clearly he's one of the best defensive players ever,
Speaker 1: right did you did you know that when you're around
Speaker 1: him in college? U. I seeing how he worked in college.
Speaker 1: I've seen flashes of it. You know, there's plays where
Speaker 1: he you know, remember when we were playing vers Duke.
Speaker 1: You know, he tackled the running back in the quarterback
Speaker 1: at the same time, and you know verse Georgia Tech,
Speaker 1: he took over that game. And in the Bowl game
Speaker 1: versus Bowling Green, he took over. So it's like you
Speaker 1: knew that he was dominant, but you just didn't know
Speaker 1: you know that he was going to be this good,
Speaker 1: like he said, one of the best ever, so if
Speaker 1: not the best ever. So yeah, that's just shows you
Speaker 1: what that work ethic can do. But he definitely showed
Speaker 1: flashes of it. You'd mentioned earlier in camp that I
Speaker 1: think you said you were in dog shape? Was that
Speaker 1: the was that the quote? What exactly did you mean
Speaker 1: by that dogs shape? It's just, uh, you know, you
Speaker 1: dogs flat, they can just run. They can't run all
Speaker 1: the day. You know, it's hard. It's you really really
Speaker 1: see dogs get tired and so um, you know that's
Speaker 1: just my mentality is just to not be able to
Speaker 1: not getting tired out there on that field, be able
Speaker 1: to go four quarters over time if needed, and I'll
Speaker 1: just being able to run all day. What are you
Speaker 1: weighing right now? It's fluctuating throughout camp. You know, sometimes
Speaker 1: I'm going but I'm still between two twenty five two
Speaker 1: thirty And is that what you were most of last year. Yeah,
Speaker 1: more at times, less at times. Um, you know, I
Speaker 1: kind of just go off the field, go off how
Speaker 1: I'm feeling, you know, if I need more or need less.
Speaker 1: Do you think your role will be the same this
Speaker 1: year or do you think now the chase the running
Speaker 1: back rooms pretty deep and I want to get into that.
Speaker 1: But Chase Edmonds isn't here, So do you think that
Speaker 1: your role will be different? I feel like similar to
Speaker 1: last year's role, except um maybe you know more, more,
Speaker 1: more or less in a running game or passing game.
Speaker 1: I just want to be available first thing and be
Speaker 1: able to just make the most of my touches, whether
Speaker 1: that's in the running game or the passing game. So yeah,
Speaker 1: my roller is just to bring intensity, bring aggression, run hard,
Speaker 1: be available, protect the quarterback, and be you know, get
Speaker 1: open in the passing game. And so I feel like
Speaker 1: that's all my role, especially as a running back. So
Speaker 1: everything is on the list. Everybody talked last year when
Speaker 1: you got here about your leadership, uh, in just your presence.
Speaker 1: Are you a vocal guy? Are you somebody that holds
Speaker 1: others accountable? Do you lead by example? What type of
Speaker 1: a leader are you? I feel like when if you're
Speaker 1: a leader. You have to have all those qualities. Be
Speaker 1: vocal when needed, lead by example when needed, pull a
Speaker 1: guy off to the side, one on one if it's needed. Uh,
Speaker 1: some everything, but just knowing the time in the place
Speaker 1: and when to do that and what to say. So
Speaker 1: I kind of feel like, UM, I have experienced in
Speaker 1: all those categories. So UM, it's just when when it's needed.
Speaker 1: I'm sure you're probably tired of being asked this question
Speaker 1: because you've probably been asked by everybody. Oh, great numbers
Speaker 1: last year, eighteen touchdowns, fifteen rushing. Can you do it again? Uh?
Speaker 1: When you get asked that question, what's your reaction? Uh,
Speaker 1: you know that's like that's the standard. Um, you know
Speaker 1: you want to My mentality is, um, do what you
Speaker 1: did last year and then so you know, that's how
Speaker 1: you stay around in this league and continue to make play.
Speaker 1: So the numbers, you know that eighteen touchdowns is awesome,
Speaker 1: but I want to either match that or do more,
Speaker 1: you know, for this upcoming season, and afeel like that
Speaker 1: will be a successful season. What do you think about
Speaker 1: the running back room? A lot of people have talked
Speaker 1: about Eno Benjamin being one of the most improved guys
Speaker 1: from the end of the the last season too. Now what
Speaker 1: do you see with Eno, Uh, I would agree with that,
Speaker 1: you know, definitely improved um And this is one of
Speaker 1: the most talented running back rooms I've been a part of,
Speaker 1: you know, with him, jay Ward, Darryl and then all
Speaker 1: the three rookies, you know, t J, Ronnie and Keante
Speaker 1: and so well, all those guys men are eager to learn.
Speaker 1: They're listening, they're practicing really hard, which is good to see.
Speaker 1: That's how you that's how you do it. You know
Speaker 1: you pract that's hard, so the games can be easy.
Speaker 1: And so yeah, I would agree with that. These guys
Speaker 1: are all compete and hard and all making plays, all
Speaker 1: very capable, all great pass catchers run past blockers. So
Speaker 1: I'm excited to see that competition to continue to just
Speaker 1: play out. Is it is the running back position in
Speaker 1: Cliff's offense? Is it difficult to learn? I mean at
Speaker 1: pitt you were in a pro style offense with Paul
Speaker 1: and in Pittsburgh with the Steelers, I assume mainly pro
Speaker 1: style offense, right, not as much spread with Roethlisberger as
Speaker 1: you have here. What is it difficult to learn? The terminology? Uh?
Speaker 1: In the passing game or in terms of protections here
Speaker 1: or is it something you were able to pick up
Speaker 1: on quickly. I feel like I picked it up pretty
Speaker 1: quickly quickly. I'm still I'm still learning it, but uh,
Speaker 1: I don't feel like it's difficult if you love it,
Speaker 1: you know, and I love a game, and so you
Speaker 1: have to adapt, you know, if I wanted to, you know,
Speaker 1: stay around in this league, I had to. And you know,
Speaker 1: I can't be worried about if offense is difficult to
Speaker 1: learn or not. I just need to learn it or else.
Speaker 1: You know, I wasn't gonna be on the field, So
Speaker 1: that's just what it is. I like Cliff's offense, you know.
Speaker 1: It's also we have a whole bunch of weapons out there,
Speaker 1: and so I just gotta play my rolling. What do
Speaker 1: you think the offense will look like? And I know
Speaker 1: you can't get into specifics obviously, but in general, what
Speaker 1: do you think without d Hop for those six games,
Speaker 1: how do you think the offense might look different? How
Speaker 1: might your role or zach Ertz's role be different without
Speaker 1: d Hop. I'm not sure how the roles will be different,
Speaker 1: But I just gotta continue to play my best football.
Speaker 1: I know that, why, especially why while d Hop is
Speaker 1: out for those six games, I'm just gonna have to
Speaker 1: do what I can and to just move the ball
Speaker 1: offense to get a touchdowns and just try to do
Speaker 1: everything I can to win games. I know the receivers,
Speaker 1: you know, they'll be ready there coached will, the running
Speaker 1: backs will be ready for coach well, and qbs will
Speaker 1: be ready to their coach will. So everybody has to
Speaker 1: do their job and then when we get d Hop back,
Speaker 1: we just gotta keep it rolling. Tell me something about
Speaker 1: James Saxon. I know you guys are close. Obviously, he
Speaker 1: was with you in Pittsburgh. He's a running backs coach
Speaker 1: here with the Cardinals. Uh, what's that relationship like between
Speaker 1: the two of you in terms of on the field
Speaker 1: and you know off the field too, If you guys
Speaker 1: are you know that close off the field as well. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I feel like, you know, me and coach have a
Speaker 1: great relationship, especially with having history in the past. And man,
Speaker 1: he just coaches hard. He coaches hard, but that's because
Speaker 1: he wants the best for us, you know, And he's
Speaker 1: played the position. He's been in our shoe before, he's
Speaker 1: been through the grinds, of training camp, the grinds of
Speaker 1: the season, and so he just teaches us what we
Speaker 1: need to know and he knows we're capable, you know.
Speaker 1: So he puts no expectations on us except for to
Speaker 1: play hard and play with effort, and that's all he
Speaker 1: can ask for. And so, um, yeah, I just you know,
Speaker 1: I'm thankful for coach. You know, we got multiple Pro
Speaker 1: Bowls together, and we want to we want to add
Speaker 1: to that. We also just want to win. You know,
Speaker 1: he doesn't have no Super Bowls. I don't have no
Speaker 1: Super Bowls, and so we just know that we can
Speaker 1: control what we can control and that's what the message
Speaker 1: he preaches and for us to just do our job
Speaker 1: and do our job well. Another guy that has multiple
Speaker 1: Pro Bowls is Kyler Murray signed the contract extension. I
Speaker 1: know Kyler hasn't been around much because you know, I
Speaker 1: got COVID, so wasn't around, uh, you know, a week
Speaker 1: two of a training camp. But if you noticed anything
Speaker 1: in the time you've been around him, that's different from
Speaker 1: last year. I think his uh, his approach to me
Speaker 1: as always, he came to he always come to work
Speaker 1: and he's prepared. So um, if anything, he's just getting better,
Speaker 1: you know. And he's already super super talented. So um
Speaker 1: even you know to Tom and he was there during
Speaker 1: the OTAs you know, he's making some great passes and
Speaker 1: uh earlier this training camp, and so he's in shape,
Speaker 1: you know, And that's the first part of his game
Speaker 1: is is to be in shape, you know, because fatigue.
Speaker 1: He can't play your best football if you're fatigued out there. So, um, yeah,
Speaker 1: he's he's getting better. And that's a scary thing just
Speaker 1: because we know how talented he is. And so when
Speaker 1: he gets better, um, it's gonna be special. You played
Speaker 1: with one of the biggest quarterbacks in the league, took
Speaker 1: to now one of the smallest. Both obviously very successful
Speaker 1: and do it different ways. How is it when you're
Speaker 1: playing with a guy that you're taller than that you're
Speaker 1: bigger than at that position. Um, I really don't think
Speaker 1: of it much, you notice, because I'm doing my job.
Speaker 1: But man, his feet are incredible, you know, and so
Speaker 1: it's uh, I like it just because that's to keep
Speaker 1: the defense honest, you know, especially anytime we are doing
Speaker 1: any readoption like like plays and whatnot. And so man,
Speaker 1: he's capable of extending to play. We've seen him Tennessee
Speaker 1: last year, you know, running all over and the fielding
Speaker 1: them back and making something special happen. So, uh, you know,
Speaker 1: it's it's hard over height, you know, for him. So
Speaker 1: we don't really pay attention to his size. We know
Speaker 1: he's gonna come to play. But it is interesting when
Speaker 1: you watch, like you said, in a read option situation
Speaker 1: and it's the two of you back there. You know,
Speaker 1: when you're behind, you know, if you're in the tailback
Speaker 1: in the que position behind Ben Roethlisberger, it's maybe a
Speaker 1: little bit easier to hide, even if your size. But
Speaker 1: it is cool to kind of see the run game.
Speaker 1: How do you think because I know that's something Cliff
Speaker 1: has talked about it. Coach Cooler has talked about last
Speaker 1: year things in the run game. Word is good second
Speaker 1: half of the season as they were in the first half.
Speaker 1: Why do you think that is? And what are some
Speaker 1: differences in the run game that we could maybe see
Speaker 1: this year? Uh? Man, we just have to continue to
Speaker 1: stay focused and we can't get We got to just
Speaker 1: continue to stay discipline and uh you know, come second
Speaker 1: half of the season, just keep it Rowland. So we
Speaker 1: were not going to change much. We're just going to
Speaker 1: change our details and change our focus level. We have
Speaker 1: to up our focus and not the run game will
Speaker 1: be just fine. Look, man, you've got such an incredible
Speaker 1: story and I know you probably get asked about it
Speaker 1: all the time. Battling hodgkinsl and foma cancer in two fifteen,
Speaker 1: coming back to play at pitt in two sixteen, and
Speaker 1: then coming to the NFL, and you're only twenty seven
Speaker 1: years old. You just turned twenty seven, You've been in
Speaker 1: the league for five years, You've already been to two
Speaker 1: Pro Bowls. So it's it's remarkable what you've been able
Speaker 1: to accomplish. But one thing that really stands out to me, James,
Speaker 1: is just how willing you are to talk about your
Speaker 1: story and to give back. Can you talk about something
Speaker 1: that happened this summer when you went back to Pittsburg.
Speaker 1: If I'm getting the story correct, it was a nurse
Speaker 1: of yours that helped you when you were going through cancer.
Speaker 1: That then you went back to Honor the summer and
Speaker 1: she was battling cancer. Is that correct? Yeah? She she was.
Speaker 1: Thankfully she was able to beat it. Um. But yeah,
Speaker 1: twenty fifteen, when I was battling my um my hashings
Speaker 1: in the phone. But my nurse, um, she was the
Speaker 1: one taking care of me. And years later, you know,
Speaker 1: she ended up getting diagnosed with the same illness. And
Speaker 1: so that just goes to show, you know, cancer does
Speaker 1: not discriminate. Um. You know, it doesn't matter who it is. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, it's out there and uh so we just
Speaker 1: and I know firsthand would us liked to deal with that.
Speaker 1: So um for her to to to get diagnosed and
Speaker 1: still treat other patients that whatnot, even why she was battling,
Speaker 1: you know, the illness herself, it just show true strength.
Speaker 1: And so UM my doctor, doctor Stanley Marks and Pittsburgh
Speaker 1: you know, has his has his uh a charity every
Speaker 1: year where you know, we raised money and for research
Speaker 1: and whatnot, and he gets out that James Corner Courage
Speaker 1: Award and so um uh he would my nurse was
Speaker 1: actually the one who received the James kind of courage
Speaker 1: the war. So thankfully the schedules are lined up and
Speaker 1: we had that break in the summer for me to
Speaker 1: be able to fly back to Pittsburgh and uh see
Speaker 1: my doctor, see all my close friends, and present my
Speaker 1: nurse with the award. So it was just it was
Speaker 1: a great night, you know, as an emotion field night. Um.
Speaker 1: But yeah, that's cancer man. Uh, it's it's terrible obviously,
Speaker 1: but it also brings people together and has that community
Speaker 1: feel to it, um, for for for better. So yeah,
Speaker 1: that's how it worked out. Did she know you were coming?
Speaker 1: Was a surprise she see me when I first got there,
Speaker 1: you know. So I didn't like surprised her all on stage,
Speaker 1: and I like that. Um, I didn't want to make
Speaker 1: it too much about me, you know. So I was
Speaker 1: just there and um, obviously you know, her whole family
Speaker 1: was there. My mother was able to come, and I
Speaker 1: was able to you know, give her some flowers in
Speaker 1: the award on the stage. So it was a special moment.
Speaker 1: So how long now officially have you been cancer free? Uh?
Speaker 1: Twenty since twenty fifteen, twenty sixteen, so it's been six years.
Speaker 1: For six years going on seven year olds almost. And
Speaker 1: how often do you get approached to talk, either in
Speaker 1: this kind of a setting or in a charity environment
Speaker 1: to talk about your story? Um? Pretty often, I would
Speaker 1: say a lot of the times come from like social media,
Speaker 1: people reaching out through messages and whatnot, just because you know,
Speaker 1: everybody seems like they know somebody who's affected, whether that
Speaker 1: family member affected by it or a close friend you know,
Speaker 1: you know somebody, So it's pretty often. But um, it's
Speaker 1: it's it's priceless to to make somebody's day, or to
Speaker 1: change somebody's perspective, or to give somebody hope. You know,
Speaker 1: you really can't put a price on that. So it's
Speaker 1: it's just really special. Even even if it happens often,
Speaker 1: you know, it never gets old. And you wrote a
Speaker 1: book Fear Is a Choice a couple of years ago.
Speaker 1: What inspired you to write the book? And you know
Speaker 1: how detailed did you get in the book about what
Speaker 1: you went through? Um? I was inspired just to to
Speaker 1: give hope, you know, and because a lot of people
Speaker 1: just like me, when they get diagno if they're confused,
Speaker 1: you know, that's that was my main thing I would
Speaker 1: I would even say I was more confused and scared.
Speaker 1: Um And so in the book, I wanted to to
Speaker 1: settle the confusion with you know, with the Good Lord
Speaker 1: and let people know that God has a plan for
Speaker 1: all of us. Whether you know it seems like why
Speaker 1: would you know? People have that you know mindset of
Speaker 1: of why why would this happen to me? And all this?
Speaker 1: But I feel like there's there's purpose and plan for everything,
Speaker 1: even the bad or the stuff that we look at
Speaker 1: as bad. And so I just wanted to give hope
Speaker 1: to the people. And um, I was just trying to
Speaker 1: be vulnerable, let it all out, giving those behind the
Speaker 1: scene stories, you know, the dark day stories. Um, you know,
Speaker 1: twelve total treatments, you know, and so, like I say
Speaker 1: in the book, the treatment too was tough. Treatment six,
Speaker 1: treatment ten, you know, Um, those are all difficult. But
Speaker 1: it was just trying to shift my my perspective on
Speaker 1: you know, I'm getting closer to beat this and uh,
Speaker 1: you know, because unfortunately, I feel like cancer's not going awhere,
Speaker 1: you know, and so we have to continue to research
Speaker 1: and fight and just give hope to the pe. So yeah,
Speaker 1: those are my two many motives behind it. I know
Speaker 1: a lot of people that have either are dealing with cancer.
Speaker 1: I worked for three years with Chris Spielman, who as
Speaker 1: a linebacker I don't have a stating in the NFL
Speaker 1: and now works for the tron Lions. And I was
Speaker 1: working with Chris the year his wife passed away from cancer.
Speaker 1: She battled breast cancer for twelve years, and there was
Speaker 1: always that fear. Eventually, obviously it, you know, cost to
Speaker 1: her life, but during that decade, there was always the
Speaker 1: fear of is it coming back? Every little thing there
Speaker 1: was Okay, well does this mean it's back? Do you
Speaker 1: ever do you still deal with that or is it
Speaker 1: something because of the type of cancer you had you
Speaker 1: feel like, Okay, I'm good or is it something that's
Speaker 1: still in the back of your mind you think about. Oh, no,
Speaker 1: I don't. I don't feel it's in the back of
Speaker 1: my mind. I don't feel like it's coming back. Early on,
Speaker 1: you know, when you first beat it, that first year
Speaker 1: or two after, you definitely, you know, have those questions
Speaker 1: and those thoughts. You know, if you get a little cold,
Speaker 1: you you know, you cough in and whatnot, or you
Speaker 1: can sleep some night I see you like, you know,
Speaker 1: you had those questions like is it coming back? But
Speaker 1: I'm years removed now my faith is a lot, a
Speaker 1: lot stronger, you know, and so um I try not
Speaker 1: to think about that, you know, I just trying to
Speaker 1: focus only on the good and only on the good.
Speaker 1: And so now I don't have I don't I don't
Speaker 1: feel like that. No, more. I feel like I'm blessing too.
Speaker 1: Can care of well. It's been great to see man,
Speaker 1: it's You're an incredible story, great inspiration to so many people. Again,
Speaker 1: just reading the article touch my heart. You going back
Speaker 1: and giving back to the community, being a part of
Speaker 1: the ceremony last year or last summer with the nurse
Speaker 1: given which he's going through. How involved are you lastly
Speaker 1: in the community here in Arizona? Is that something? Because
Speaker 1: you've only been here a year and because of COVID
Speaker 1: you really didn't get a chance to do much of
Speaker 1: And what do you think that'll be like now that
Speaker 1: you're here a long term. I haven't got involved much
Speaker 1: since it's being out here. You know, things happening so
Speaker 1: fast the year before I even got here with being
Speaker 1: a free agent, having an off season surgery, and it's
Speaker 1: coming here, going right into training camp and right into
Speaker 1: the season, you know, trying to prove myself and just
Speaker 1: head down. So I didn't get a chance to do much.
Speaker 1: But now that I'm in a long term, I definitely
Speaker 1: want to get involved. Head over to the Arizona Children's Hospital.
Speaker 1: I know it's pretty big here. It's huge here, so
Speaker 1: I would love to get over there and connect and
Speaker 1: just see the kids over there and get some hope
Speaker 1: over there. And now, you know, home out here, this
Speaker 1: is home now for me. So I feel now I'm
Speaker 1: able to things that are a lot you know, easier
Speaker 1: now off the field, you know, I feel like I'm
Speaker 1: settled in. So now it's time for me to you know,
Speaker 1: get involved out in that community and take it to
Speaker 1: a new level. All right, man, look forward to watching
Speaker 1: again this year. I know you're gonna have a great
Speaker 1: season and keep it up. Appreciate the time much appreciate it. Certainly.
Speaker 1: One of those inspiring young men in sports. Cardinals running
Speaker 1: back James Connor personally, it's been through so much, but
Speaker 1: has embraced being someone that dealt with cancer in college
Speaker 1: and it's now cancer free and thriving. You can just
Speaker 1: hell hearing his heart how much cancer awareness is something
Speaker 1: that he's constantly focusing on and helping others. That's why
Speaker 1: he wrote his book Fear as a Choice, tackling life's
Speaker 1: challenges with dignity, faith and determination. He talked about wanting
Speaker 1: to get involved more here in Arizona and just can't
Speaker 1: wait to see what James is going to do on
Speaker 1: a personal level, but obviously also professionally had an incredible
Speaker 1: twenty twenty one eighteen touchdowns, fifteen rushing and still the
Speaker 1: running back room is really good. But without Chase Edmonds
Speaker 1: and without DeAndre Hopkins the first six games, you wonder
Speaker 1: will we see even more of James Conner in the
Speaker 1: passing game. He had thirty seven catches last year, and
Speaker 1: I know it took a lot of people by surprise,
Speaker 1: but back in twenty eighteen as a member of the
Speaker 1: Steelers when he went to the Pro Bowl, he had
Speaker 1: fifty five receptions. So he's a guy that's going to
Speaker 1: be involved in the passing game and is a big
Speaker 1: part of the Cardinals in twenty twenty two. We are
Speaker 1: presented by bet MGM, the official sports betting partner of
Speaker 1: the Arizona Cardinals, and by Hila River Hotels and Casinos.
Speaker 1: You can follow us on Twitter at Pashpod. We'd also
Speaker 1: love to hear what you think about the Dave Pash Podcast,
Speaker 1: So regardless of your podcast platform, rate us, tell us
Speaker 1: what you think, give us your input. Who would you
Speaker 1: like to see maybe is a future guest on the
Speaker 1: Dave Pash Podcast. Obviously, this is a primarily Arizona Cardinals
Speaker 1: and NFL podcast. But we have had on actors, comedians,
Speaker 1: basketball players, coaches, broadcasters, and we'd like to keep a
Speaker 1: diverse group of guests and we'd love to get your
Speaker 1: thoughts and who you might like to hear from on
Speaker 1: the Dave Pash Podcast. Thanks again to James Connor, Cardinals
Speaker 1: Pro Bowl running back, and thanks to you for listening
Speaker 1: to another edition of the Dave Pash Podcast.