WEBVTT - A Conversation with Jets CB D.J. Reed About the 2023 Season (5/30) 0:00:05.200 --> 0:00:08.119 Official pods presented by win bet Betty is a team sport, 0:00:08.240 --> 0:00:11.400 but together at winbat. Eric Allen here at one Jets Drive, 0:00:11.560 --> 0:00:15.520 joined by Jets cornerback DJ Reed. Thanks so much for 0:00:15.560 --> 0:00:19.120 coming up to the studio. Hey, listen, it has been 0:00:19.239 --> 0:00:22.720 a long road for you to get to this point 0:00:22.760 --> 0:00:25.040 in the National Football League. And we go back to 0:00:25.120 --> 0:00:28.360 your story coming out of high school and you trying 0:00:28.360 --> 0:00:29.960 to walk on at Fresnel. 0:00:29.560 --> 0:00:32.599 State, we can what do you want to know? 0:00:32.960 --> 0:00:36.040 So, so take me back to Fresnel. What was the 0:00:36.080 --> 0:00:40.120 thought process there as far as you starting out and 0:00:40.240 --> 0:00:42.160 trying to get on that football team. 0:00:42.720 --> 0:00:48.760 Yeah, so the thought process was had no offers, had 0:00:48.800 --> 0:00:51.400 no offers out of high school. So it was either 0:00:51.479 --> 0:00:54.960 go Juco or go walk on on a Division one. 0:00:55.560 --> 0:00:57.600 That was my mindset. I didn't want to go to 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:00.480 a D two, D three, no offense to a D two, 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:02.680 D three. I just felt that, you know, I could 0:01:02.680 --> 0:01:04.440 play at a D one and start. That was just 0:01:04.440 --> 0:01:07.800 my mindset. So that was the decision I made. And 0:01:08.000 --> 0:01:10.080 at the time, being in high school, I was kind 0:01:10.080 --> 0:01:12.320 of anti Juco. I was like, in my mind, I 0:01:12.360 --> 0:01:14.960 was like, Juco is only for you know guys that 0:01:15.040 --> 0:01:17.479 got bad grades or you know guys that messed up 0:01:17.640 --> 0:01:20.760 or whatever the case was. That's just how I was 0:01:20.800 --> 0:01:24.080 looking at Jucos. But yeah, I ended up going to 0:01:24.120 --> 0:01:27.160 a Juco anyways. But yeah, I just thought Fresne State 0:01:27.200 --> 0:01:29.520 would be like the best thing to do. And then 0:01:30.319 --> 0:01:32.600 I was convinced that, you know, I'm gonna show them 0:01:32.600 --> 0:01:34.120 what I could do my red shirt year and then 0:01:34.160 --> 0:01:36.679 I would get a scholarship because my mom couldn't afford 0:01:36.720 --> 0:01:39.360 to pay for me to you know, be at Fresne 0:01:39.440 --> 0:01:41.959 State for four years. So that's just kind of just 0:01:42.000 --> 0:01:46.280 how it happened. Red shirted was doing good, but uh, 0:01:46.360 --> 0:01:48.360 you know, I got my spring evaluation and they pretty 0:01:48.440 --> 0:01:50.480 much said they just see me as a special teams player. 0:01:50.840 --> 0:01:52.160 They don't see me playing defense. 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:55.360 So had to make that business decision and that's how 0:01:55.360 --> 0:01:57.200 I ended up at Sorito's Community College. 0:01:57.800 --> 0:02:00.920 And so you walk away from Fresnel, Yeah, and then 0:02:00.960 --> 0:02:03.000 what's the plan there when you go to Sritos. 0:02:03.200 --> 0:02:07.720 Yeah, man, these plans is kind of obvious. It was like, okay, 0:02:07.800 --> 0:02:11.720 so you're gonna go Juco. I mean, if that doesn't work, 0:02:11.760 --> 0:02:14.320 then you're gonna you're gonna be working or you're gonna 0:02:14.320 --> 0:02:15.000 be doing something else. 0:02:15.040 --> 0:02:16.120 You're not gonna be playing football. 0:02:16.160 --> 0:02:18.840 So really, Juco was the wake up call as far 0:02:18.880 --> 0:02:21.120 as like, you know, if you don't get a scholarship, 0:02:21.160 --> 0:02:22.960 then you know, real life is gonna have to hit you, 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:24.760 like you're gonna have to you know, go get some money, 0:02:25.280 --> 0:02:27.800 go do something with your life. So for me, it 0:02:27.880 --> 0:02:30.480 was either you know, you gotta get a scholarship, like 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:32.560 my back was on the wall, you gotta get a scholarship, 0:02:32.600 --> 0:02:33.399 and thankfully I did. 0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:36.919 Can you talk about that experience at the critos. Weren't 0:02:36.919 --> 0:02:40.240 you actually living with eight or nine guys at the time. 0:02:41.000 --> 0:02:43.560 Yeah, man, it was rough man, it was real, like 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:45.080 Saul says, it was a real trencher. 0:02:45.320 --> 0:02:45.560 It was. 0:02:46.200 --> 0:02:50.200 It was trenches man. Like the living situation was bad. 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:53.840 Just yeah, the living situation is bad. I'll just keep 0:02:53.880 --> 0:02:56.560 it at that. We're sleeping on like this fru time 0:02:57.520 --> 0:02:59.679 and we'll just rotate some some days I'll sleep on 0:02:59.720 --> 0:03:03.400 the floor or and yeah, just with the food situation, 0:03:03.720 --> 0:03:05.800 like didn't know some days what I was gonna eat. 0:03:06.360 --> 0:03:09.639 Remember we played Hancock, Me and my best friend Eli, 0:03:09.720 --> 0:03:12.200 we were both living there. We didn't eat, we didn't 0:03:12.200 --> 0:03:14.200 eat any food and just played and played a game 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:15.880 on empty stomach. And I was my first time I 0:03:15.880 --> 0:03:18.600 ever did something like that. So like, yeah, it was 0:03:18.639 --> 0:03:21.280 just crazy. It was very humbling, and it made me 0:03:21.400 --> 0:03:25.600 very appreciated, appreciative when I got offered from Kansas State, 0:03:25.680 --> 0:03:27.919 and just like the meals that I was able to 0:03:27.960 --> 0:03:29.480 eat at k State, it was just stuff I didn't 0:03:29.480 --> 0:03:30.160 take for granted. 0:03:30.600 --> 0:03:32.440 So you were literally starving at school. 0:03:32.720 --> 0:03:34.160 Yeah, it was. It was a struggle, man. 0:03:34.280 --> 0:03:37.320 Like you know, some days I have a couple of change, 0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:39.680 like a little bit of money, eat at your pole. 0:03:40.440 --> 0:03:42.160 Then you run out of money and you gotta, you know, 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:45.320 you gotta gotta got to figure it out. Some guys had, 0:03:46.360 --> 0:03:49.560 you know, some food stamp stuff, so we had like 0:03:49.680 --> 0:03:51.960 little waffles with peanut butter, just to have like some 0:03:52.000 --> 0:03:56.240 type of protein. Yeah, just just trying to eat whatever, 0:03:56.320 --> 0:03:57.120 eating scraps. 0:03:57.320 --> 0:04:00.000 What kept the dream alive at that point though, because 0:04:00.160 --> 0:04:02.120 a lot of people probably would have walked away at 0:04:02.120 --> 0:04:02.560 that point. 0:04:02.840 --> 0:04:05.200 Yeah, well for me, I had nothing to go back to. 0:04:05.440 --> 0:04:07.200 Like That's why I keep saying, it was kind of 0:04:07.240 --> 0:04:09.640 just obvious for me because it's like, you know what 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:11.320 you're gonna do. You're gonna go back home and show 0:04:11.360 --> 0:04:13.560 you your little brothers that you didn't amount to anything. 0:04:13.600 --> 0:04:14.400 You didn't do anything. 0:04:14.880 --> 0:04:16.320 So for me, I was just like, you know, I 0:04:16.400 --> 0:04:18.560 just got to see it through and I gotta just 0:04:18.600 --> 0:04:20.920 give it a hundred percent. And you know, as a man, 0:04:21.000 --> 0:04:22.760 if I give it a hundred percent and I'm not 0:04:22.800 --> 0:04:25.400 good enough, then I could live with myself. But if 0:04:25.440 --> 0:04:28.640 I'm not pushing myself to be my best, then I'm 0:04:28.640 --> 0:04:30.720 gonna just have a guilty conscious and I don't want 0:04:30.720 --> 0:04:31.320 to live like that. 0:04:31.960 --> 0:04:36.360 You said, you basically no choices. You basically there's one choice, 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:40.440 continue to go. Did you think that leaving high school 0:04:40.720 --> 0:04:43.559 and along these stops before you got to Kansas State, 0:04:43.600 --> 0:04:45.760 that you were gonna make the NFL? 0:04:46.080 --> 0:04:47.200 Yeah, man, I'm not gonna lie. 0:04:47.240 --> 0:04:50.719 I was very confident, like from a little kid and 0:04:50.839 --> 0:04:53.320 not just playing football, but playing basketball too. Like I 0:04:53.360 --> 0:04:56.359 really thought I was gonna play basketball when I was, 0:04:56.839 --> 0:04:58.240 you know, going to college. 0:04:58.320 --> 0:05:00.360 I thought I was gonna be a hoooper. But you know, 0:05:00.440 --> 0:05:01.600 I was vertically challenged. 0:05:01.640 --> 0:05:03.800 So that was a humbling talk that I had with 0:05:03.839 --> 0:05:06.279 my older brother and he said, look, man, like, yeah 0:05:06.320 --> 0:05:09.040 you can hoop. You know you're averaging seventeen My senior 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:12.039 year eight assists whatever. But he's like, man, you really, 0:05:12.200 --> 0:05:14.080 you know, you're really talented in football as far as 0:05:14.120 --> 0:05:16.719 your athletic ability and what you could do at corner, 0:05:16.839 --> 0:05:18.279 Like you could really, you know, make it to the 0:05:18.360 --> 0:05:20.640 NFL and then you're not going to be you know, 0:05:20.760 --> 0:05:22.840 you're not going to get discredited for your height if 0:05:22.839 --> 0:05:25.880 you're strapping down people. So that was just the mindset. 0:05:26.080 --> 0:05:28.320 Listened to him and we made that move from there 0:05:28.320 --> 0:05:28.720 and went on. 0:05:28.920 --> 0:05:31.360 So who were your guys growing up as far as 0:05:31.400 --> 0:05:34.159 Hoopers are concerned, It's the guys that you were drawn to. 0:05:34.760 --> 0:05:38.239 Man, I love basketball, I still do. But the guys 0:05:38.279 --> 0:05:40.400 I used to watch where I was just like, wow, 0:05:40.600 --> 0:05:47.400 Steve Francis, Steve Franchise, Steve Francis, Monte Ellis, Brandon Roy, 0:05:47.600 --> 0:05:51.360 Darren Williams, obviously Alan Iverson. I was a point guard, 0:05:51.400 --> 0:05:54.800 so I used to watch point guards. You know, obviously 0:05:54.880 --> 0:05:57.960 Curry right now, but yeah, back then, I was a. 0:05:57.880 --> 0:06:01.000 Big AI fan. Who else? 0:06:01.800 --> 0:06:07.560 Baron Davis was nice? Nice, very underrated but nice. Gilbert 0:06:07.560 --> 0:06:11.680 Arenas nice, Tracy McGrady. I used to love basketball, bro, 0:06:12.880 --> 0:06:14.960 So yeah, I just I'm a fan of basketball. 0:06:15.279 --> 0:06:17.880 So you get to the little Apple. Now you're playing 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:21.080 in the big Apple. But what happened in terms of 0:06:21.560 --> 0:06:22.920 your breakthrough with k State? 0:06:24.440 --> 0:06:27.640 Man, So just going through the Juco experience really, like 0:06:27.680 --> 0:06:29.520 I knew once I got back to a D one, 0:06:29.800 --> 0:06:32.919 already kind of knew how going to Fresno State, already 0:06:33.000 --> 0:06:35.719 knew how D one's ran their program, So I already 0:06:35.760 --> 0:06:38.520 knew what to expect with like you know, getting ready, 0:06:38.640 --> 0:06:42.400 ready for winter and all that, and just already kind 0:06:42.400 --> 0:06:46.800 of knew what to expect. So going playing for Snyder 0:06:46.839 --> 0:06:50.279 first of all, was hard, old school coach. You know, 0:06:50.440 --> 0:06:55.000 he doesn't believe in injuries, you know, grit, grit. He 0:06:55.160 --> 0:07:00.040 just teaches perseverance, execution, get it done, no excuses. So 0:07:00.600 --> 0:07:04.080 just I really trained the right way before I went there, 0:07:04.120 --> 0:07:07.000 so I was in incredible shape. And once they see 0:07:07.040 --> 0:07:09.560 how hard I worked, it was it fit like a glove. 0:07:09.680 --> 0:07:11.680 Like it just worked for us. 0:07:12.120 --> 0:07:15.080 It definitely did fit like a glove. You got selected 0:07:15.080 --> 0:07:18.120 in the fifth round by San Francisco when you started 0:07:18.120 --> 0:07:22.440 your pro career, did people look at DJ Reid and say, well, 0:07:23.120 --> 0:07:25.200 you're gonna have to make it through special teams and 0:07:25.280 --> 0:07:26.320 maybe being a. 0:07:26.320 --> 0:07:31.240 Nickel Yeah, man, just off my height like literally, like 0:07:31.640 --> 0:07:34.760 I remember the combine. I think it was the Vikings. 0:07:34.800 --> 0:07:36.520 They was like, you know, you would be our first 0:07:36.600 --> 0:07:38.960 round draft pick. I was talking to him. They was like, 0:07:39.000 --> 0:07:40.680 you'll be our first round draft pick if he was 0:07:40.680 --> 0:07:44.200 two inches taller, like five to eleven. But then they drafted 0:07:44.240 --> 0:07:46.640 Mike Hughes who was five ten. So I'm like, he 0:07:46.760 --> 0:07:49.800 an inch taller than me. I see, like Denzel Ward, 0:07:50.120 --> 0:07:52.880 who was a phenomenal player, he's an inch taller than me. Like, 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:54.560 I'm with these guys at the combine. They're five to 0:07:54.560 --> 0:07:57.239 ten and he's a top three pick. But you're telling 0:07:57.240 --> 0:07:59.960 me I'm a slock corner because I'm five to nine, 0:08:00.120 --> 0:08:03.400 all all American and all that. But you know, they 0:08:03.520 --> 0:08:05.960 just categorized me as a slot corner, you know, which 0:08:06.000 --> 0:08:09.280 is fine. But yeah, So you know when I was 0:08:09.280 --> 0:08:11.920 in San France, it was playing me at nickel and 0:08:11.920 --> 0:08:14.520 at safety, and then I was doing kick return and 0:08:14.520 --> 0:08:15.080 part return. 0:08:16.480 --> 0:08:19.480 Jets fans, we're in our final push and the clock 0:08:19.720 --> 0:08:23.280 is ticking. Win Bet is giving you a golden opportunity 0:08:23.320 --> 0:08:26.400 to win VIP prizes for the twenty twenty three season. 0:08:26.800 --> 0:08:29.880 The win Bet Green Room is the most exclusive space 0:08:29.960 --> 0:08:33.319 at the stadium with all inclusive food and beverage, lower 0:08:33.400 --> 0:08:37.679 level seats and appearances by Jets, legends and celebrities. New 0:08:37.760 --> 0:08:40.280 Jersey customers, all you need to do is wager at 0:08:40.400 --> 0:08:44.120 least one hundred dollars on win BET's sports book or casino. 0:08:44.520 --> 0:08:46.839 For New York customers, all you need to do is 0:08:46.880 --> 0:08:50.080 wager at least one hundred dollars on win Bett's sports book. 0:08:50.480 --> 0:08:53.280 The best part, you get an entry for every one 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:54.680 hundred dollars you wager. 0:08:55.720 --> 0:08:58.400 Robert Sally, your head coach here, is really hard on 0:08:58.480 --> 0:09:01.360 himself for what has up into San Francisco because you 0:09:01.440 --> 0:09:06.160 played under him with the forty nine ers. What was 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:09.360 he like during that time and how did he envision you? 0:09:09.920 --> 0:09:10.920 Yeah, man, so Sala. 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:13.520 First of all, when he was in San Francisco, he 0:09:13.559 --> 0:09:17.719 was a great defensive coach. Everybody have respect for him. 0:09:18.000 --> 0:09:19.920 You know, there's some coaches just have a different level 0:09:19.920 --> 0:09:22.360 of respect. But the thing that I loved about Sala 0:09:22.440 --> 0:09:24.920 is he held everybody accountable. Didn't matter who you were, 0:09:25.040 --> 0:09:27.120 didn't matter if you were Richard Sherman, whoever you are. 0:09:27.559 --> 0:09:28.960 You know he would call you out if he's seen 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:30.880 a mistake. And you know we would get it corrected. 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:33.680 So that's one thing I really respected about Salo when 0:09:33.920 --> 0:09:36.760 we're in San Francisco. But yeah, like I seen the 0:09:36.800 --> 0:09:39.680 interviews to him, you know, basically saying, you know, we 0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:41.840 made a mistake. And you know, as a man, for 0:09:41.960 --> 0:09:43.199 a man to say that, you know, you got to 0:09:43.200 --> 0:09:45.160 give him credit and you know you just respect it 0:09:45.200 --> 0:09:47.560 like that. That takes a lot of humility, especially you know, 0:09:47.600 --> 0:09:49.280 he doesn't have to say that. I mean, he's a 0:09:49.320 --> 0:09:51.680 head coach. But uh no, I got a lot of 0:09:51.679 --> 0:09:52.280 love for Salo. 0:09:52.880 --> 0:09:54.760 How did they use you early? And then it can 0:09:54.880 --> 0:09:59.479 talk about your injury there in San Francisco that ultimately 0:09:59.600 --> 0:10:02.120 leads you to being placed on waivers and you get 0:10:02.120 --> 0:10:04.040 claimed by division rival in Seattle. 0:10:04.600 --> 0:10:06.640 Yeah, man, that's that was like the first time I 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:09.840 really understood the business side of football. And it's just 0:10:09.880 --> 0:10:12.880 crazy because you know, everything happens for you. That's how 0:10:12.880 --> 0:10:15.920 I look at everything. That's my perspective. So, like, you know, 0:10:16.040 --> 0:10:18.760 I was going hard that summer getting ready for training camp. 0:10:19.200 --> 0:10:21.160 I was going hard, Like that's probably the hardest I 0:10:21.240 --> 0:10:23.560 trained to get ready for a training camp, and I 0:10:23.640 --> 0:10:25.360 was that was probably the best in shape I've been 0:10:26.000 --> 0:10:29.000 and I was benching going hard and I tore my peck, 0:10:29.320 --> 0:10:32.400 like and I just hurd pop pop Like it sounded 0:10:32.440 --> 0:10:33.199 like a gunshot. 0:10:33.320 --> 0:10:35.160 And how much were you putting? 0:10:35.360 --> 0:10:38.520 It was only like two forty five saying like two 0:10:38.600 --> 0:10:41.320 forty five, but it was like five reps. But I 0:10:41.360 --> 0:10:43.559 did it on the second rep. It was pop pop 0:10:44.280 --> 0:10:46.600 and luckily I had a spot her because obviously I 0:10:46.640 --> 0:10:49.520 couldn't carry it. He put it up and then I 0:10:49.559 --> 0:10:51.880 looked back at my trainer and I was like, did 0:10:51.920 --> 0:10:53.760 you hear that? He was like yeah, he was like 0:10:53.800 --> 0:10:56.840 it was two pops. And once he confirmed it, my 0:10:56.920 --> 0:10:58.240 peck just got swollen. 0:10:58.400 --> 0:11:00.680 So I was just like, yeah, it hurt. 0:11:00.720 --> 0:11:03.560 But I was more just disappointed because I was like, dang, Like, 0:11:03.760 --> 0:11:05.160 you know, I really put a lot of work in 0:11:05.240 --> 0:11:07.839 to get ready for the season, So yeah, I have 0:11:07.920 --> 0:11:10.480 to call my agent tell him what it was. I 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:12.480 was like, I think I tore my pack or something 0:11:12.559 --> 0:11:15.080 like my peck has swollen, right, But yeah, just the 0:11:15.120 --> 0:11:17.320 business side of it, you know, we go back to 0:11:17.360 --> 0:11:21.400 training camp, you know, and we call them the grim Reapers, 0:11:21.440 --> 0:11:22.640 somebody I ain't never seen before. 0:11:22.640 --> 0:11:24.200 It's like, hey, John Lynch, want to talk to you. 0:11:24.240 --> 0:11:28.320 So I think I was talking to Dante Johnson and 0:11:28.400 --> 0:11:30.880 I was like, well, it's been real, bro, because I 0:11:30.880 --> 0:11:32.719 already knew what time it was, and I already knew 0:11:32.760 --> 0:11:35.160 that was a possibility because you know, I wasn't a 0:11:35.200 --> 0:11:37.760 starter there, so I wasn't They didn't see me as 0:11:37.840 --> 0:11:40.960 someone that was going to start, So I mean, yeah, 0:11:41.040 --> 0:11:43.560 once I talked to Lynch, pretty much said, you know, 0:11:44.200 --> 0:11:45.520 they think I'm not gonna be able to play the 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:47.319 season because a peck is a you know, six to 0:11:47.400 --> 0:11:51.440 twelve month recovery, and yeah, man, they pretty much said, 0:11:51.480 --> 0:11:52.720 you know, appreciate you. 0:11:52.720 --> 0:11:54.360 You know, we drafted you. You're a part of the 0:11:54.360 --> 0:11:55.120 reason why I went to. 0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:57.240 The Super Bowl last year, right, but uh, you know, 0:11:57.280 --> 0:12:00.280 we got to put you on injury reserve for the year, so, 0:12:00.400 --> 0:12:02.320 you know, talking to my agent, he said, you know, 0:12:02.920 --> 0:12:05.480 just take this time to heal. You're more than likely 0:12:05.520 --> 0:12:08.200 not going to get picked up because you know, you 0:12:08.280 --> 0:12:12.440 tore your pack. Ironically, the next day he calls me, 0:12:12.520 --> 0:12:14.560 He's like, you know, we got interest from three teams 0:12:14.559 --> 0:12:17.440 that are seriously gonna pick you up. I'm like, for real, 0:12:17.600 --> 0:12:19.520 So my mindset kind of changed, like, Okay, I'm gonna 0:12:19.520 --> 0:12:20.720 rehab fast to play. 0:12:21.679 --> 0:12:23.199 And it was the Bills. 0:12:23.480 --> 0:12:27.240 It was Seattle and the Texans, and Seattle was the 0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:28.920 first to claim me. So he was like, you're a 0:12:28.960 --> 0:12:32.800 Seattle Seahawk. So yeah, I talked to Snyder on the Seahawks. 0:12:32.840 --> 0:12:34.240 He was like, are you trying to play this heit? 0:12:34.280 --> 0:12:37.000 I was like, yeah, like I'm gonna do my best 0:12:37.000 --> 0:12:39.240 to rehab and come back to play. He was like, Okay, 0:12:39.280 --> 0:12:41.880 we're gonna We're gonna make a playoff push. So he 0:12:42.000 --> 0:12:44.400 was thinking maybe he'll get me, you know, later on 0:12:44.480 --> 0:12:46.440 in the season. But I was able to play like 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:47.280 week six, Week. 0:12:47.160 --> 0:12:50.040 Seven, and one of the first games back, if not 0:12:50.120 --> 0:12:52.040 the first game back, was against San Francisco. 0:12:52.160 --> 0:12:53.120 Wasn't that Yeah? 0:12:53.200 --> 0:12:58.640 Crazy bro, crazy universe universe is crazy. Yeah, first career 0:12:58.640 --> 0:13:00.959 interception against my former team. 0:13:01.000 --> 0:13:06.800 What clicked in Seattle? Because for you, it's always been opportunities. 0:13:06.840 --> 0:13:10.400 When you've been given an opportunity, you've succeeded. What clicked 0:13:10.480 --> 0:13:12.839 under that defense led by Pete Carroll? 0:13:12.880 --> 0:13:15.800 Of course, I think it was a couple of things. 0:13:15.800 --> 0:13:18.400 I think it was a wake up call as far 0:13:18.440 --> 0:13:20.320 as like when I got released, it was a wake 0:13:20.400 --> 0:13:22.880 up call as far as like, okay, you know, you 0:13:23.000 --> 0:13:26.160 just got released, so you know, talking to my agent, 0:13:26.320 --> 0:13:28.120 you know I probably wasn't gonna play that year. So 0:13:28.440 --> 0:13:31.080 for me, it was really like you got to make 0:13:31.120 --> 0:13:33.600 it shake when you get your next opportunity. And on 0:13:33.640 --> 0:13:36.640 top of that, I don't know when I get injured, 0:13:36.640 --> 0:13:39.319 I really lock in because you're injured, Like I want 0:13:39.400 --> 0:13:41.959 to get healthy. I have a fear of like when 0:13:41.960 --> 0:13:43.720 I get injured that I won't be the same, so 0:13:43.800 --> 0:13:46.560 like I have to really work and rehab deliberately to 0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:49.200 make sure that I'm healthier or and stronger than I 0:13:49.280 --> 0:13:52.600 was before. And then also my agent got me a 0:13:52.640 --> 0:13:57.080 resilience coach. So I've always been good like physically and 0:13:57.080 --> 0:13:59.960 stuff and athletic, but like just my mental my mental 0:14:00.000 --> 0:14:04.120 approach to the game was always focused, but my resilience 0:14:04.160 --> 0:14:06.680 coach kind of took me to another level. And just 0:14:06.920 --> 0:14:08.920 you know, I started learning like how to meditate and 0:14:08.960 --> 0:14:11.880 how to control my mind, control my thoughts, to focus 0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:14.000 on things that are important and not to worry about 0:14:14.040 --> 0:14:17.320 things are not important. Little things like that. He got 0:14:17.320 --> 0:14:19.280 me to focus on what was important. And I feel 0:14:19.360 --> 0:14:21.480 like with him and the way we like kind of 0:14:21.840 --> 0:14:24.920 study study receivers and stuff, that took me to the 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:26.680 next level too, and I still use him like that's 0:14:26.720 --> 0:14:27.760 my dog's name is Matt. 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:29.800 Yeah, but shout out to Matt. 0:14:30.320 --> 0:14:34.400 But yeah, I would say those things, and just getting 0:14:34.440 --> 0:14:37.280 closer to God as well, I'll say all those things. 0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:42.520 You're two here with the Jets. How important was it 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:44.760 for you not only to find a new home and 0:14:44.800 --> 0:14:48.320 free agency, but actually find this place. Because I was 0:14:48.360 --> 0:14:50.920 talking to Jeff Albrick about this the other day. He 0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:52.960 was sitting in the seat that you're in right now. 0:14:53.800 --> 0:14:57.480 I don't think anybody in the National Football League is 0:14:57.560 --> 0:15:00.920 surprised by your success. But I think think what this 0:15:01.360 --> 0:15:04.120 move from the West Coast to the East Coast has done. 0:15:04.360 --> 0:15:06.920 It's opened the eyes to a lot of people, maybe 0:15:07.200 --> 0:15:11.840 outside the league, fans of the league. You can't sleep 0:15:11.880 --> 0:15:13.000 on DJ Reed anymore. 0:15:13.800 --> 0:15:16.920 Yeah, Like I'll be hearing stuff like, oh, he's done 0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:19.360 it for one year last year, and I was thinking, 0:15:19.440 --> 0:15:22.880 like I thought I'd played better my last year in Seattle, 0:15:23.720 --> 0:15:25.320 you know, honestly really well. 0:15:25.400 --> 0:15:27.760 Yeah, like with PFF, like my coverage grade. 0:15:28.200 --> 0:15:30.280 My coverage grade was higher this year here, but like 0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:34.000 my run grade was way higher in Seattle. So like, yeah, 0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:36.000 I still feel like I haven't played my best ball. 0:15:36.240 --> 0:15:39.040 So I mean, I'm excited just as a player, as 0:15:39.040 --> 0:15:42.280 an individual, but I'm excited too, as you know, as 0:15:42.360 --> 0:15:44.680 for my team too, with our defense, because a lot 0:15:44.720 --> 0:15:47.440 of guys, you know, last year was their first year, 0:15:47.800 --> 0:15:50.120 so I feel like it's gonna be a big jump. 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:53.800 And I'm already excited just with the communication, just from 0:15:53.800 --> 0:15:57.920 my safeties. I love Chuck Clark. He's a great communicator, 0:15:57.960 --> 0:15:59.280 so it's gonna be fun. 0:16:00.000 --> 0:16:02.240 How much did he enjoyed being paired up with Sauce? 0:16:02.760 --> 0:16:05.720 And the other thing is how do you guys compliment 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:06.160 each other? 0:16:06.400 --> 0:16:11.560 Yeah, man, Sauces, that's my brother. I mean, yeah, man. 0:16:11.640 --> 0:16:14.400 I always say, like the sky isn't the limit for him, 0:16:14.400 --> 0:16:18.160 Like he's so like I don't not explain, like he's 0:16:18.160 --> 0:16:21.120 so good, and it's like he still could get so 0:16:21.240 --> 0:16:23.920 much better, if that makes sense. You know, just from 0:16:23.920 --> 0:16:26.480 an athletics standpoint, he could cover everybody. He could cover 0:16:27.360 --> 0:16:31.280 any receiver from small to big to whatever, sticky and 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:34.479 coverage and all that, and he has the right mindset. 0:16:34.640 --> 0:16:35.560 And I think the thing. 0:16:35.440 --> 0:16:39.160 That separates Sauce is just like he's eager to learn, 0:16:39.280 --> 0:16:42.120 like every day, like he's always trying to learn something new, 0:16:42.560 --> 0:16:44.520 and he's always trying to add to his game. Like 0:16:44.560 --> 0:16:47.080 he's not like you know, I got it, like you know, 0:16:47.120 --> 0:16:50.200 I had a good year last year. More so he's 0:16:50.240 --> 0:16:52.400 like focused on this year like last year was last year, 0:16:52.440 --> 0:16:54.320 Like I'm focused on this year, like let's get it. 0:16:54.800 --> 0:16:57.800 So like he just has a different mindset than you know, 0:16:57.880 --> 0:16:58.600 everybody else. 0:16:59.080 --> 0:17:00.920 So then let me ask you that us about the 0:17:01.000 --> 0:17:07.679 CALLI Boy Aaron Rodgers Kelli boy. Can you talk about 0:17:07.920 --> 0:17:11.960 your relationship with him and how these early interactions have been. 0:17:12.640 --> 0:17:14.000 Yeah, man, cool dude. 0:17:14.359 --> 0:17:18.600 Uh just talking to him, you know, in the off season, 0:17:19.440 --> 0:17:22.240 seeing what's up with him. Just cool dude, man, Like 0:17:22.280 --> 0:17:24.199 he's just a Cali boy. So he just like, you know, 0:17:24.280 --> 0:17:27.320 let's just see what's going to happen. You know, definitely 0:17:27.359 --> 0:17:30.119 open to you know, you know, making that move, but 0:17:30.200 --> 0:17:32.800 we just got to see how the cards lay. And 0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:35.159 then once he came here, you know, obviously I texted 0:17:35.240 --> 0:17:37.480 him and just was like, man, let's go. I'm excited. 0:17:37.480 --> 0:17:39.520 And he was excited too. He was like I'm excited, 0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:41.879 like like I'm glad, you know, grateful to do this. 0:17:42.000 --> 0:17:44.360 Let's do this. So he just focused. 0:17:44.359 --> 0:17:46.840 You could just tell just the way that you know 0:17:46.920 --> 0:17:50.880 he works out, and just the way he trains, and 0:17:50.960 --> 0:17:54.640 just his leadership. He's leading by action, and you could 0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:56.119 just tell, like when you talk to him and pull 0:17:56.160 --> 0:17:59.480 him aside individually, like he asked me our first, like 0:17:59.520 --> 0:18:01.120 our first time seen each other. He was just like, 0:18:01.320 --> 0:18:03.199 you know, how's the baby doing? And I didn't tell 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:05.480 Hi about baby, so clearly he knows about the baby somehow. 0:18:05.840 --> 0:18:07.879 So it was just cool, Like damn he really you 0:18:07.880 --> 0:18:09.760 know that. I was that I had a new born baby, 0:18:09.960 --> 0:18:12.399 so I thought that was really cool. Yeah, he's just 0:18:12.440 --> 0:18:14.560 a college boy. We'd be chilling, man, we be vibing. 0:18:14.840 --> 0:18:16.840 He's really funny too, like the music he'd be playing 0:18:16.880 --> 0:18:17.800 in locker room and what. 0:18:17.800 --> 0:18:20.840 Kind of music playing be playing hip hop? Playing hip hop? 0:18:21.080 --> 0:18:22.640 I mean not in the locker room, in the weight room. 0:18:23.240 --> 0:18:25.760