0:04

What's up, people, it's your boy, Cam Jay back

0:07

with another episode of Off the Edge with

0:09

Cam Jordan. Now as we gear

0:11

it for another exciting season, I wanted to

0:13

reflect on some of the incredible guests I had the pleasure

0:15

of sitting down with last season. But hey, don't

0:17

worry, though, I got you new episodes

0:20

coming your way real soon. Relax,

0:22

I got you. But in the meantime, in between

0:25

time, let's rewind and

0:27

play back some of my favorite interviews from

0:29

season one. This week, I'm bringing you the heart

0:31

and soul of the Saints defense linebacker

0:34

extraordinaire, the man on a

0:36

mission, none other than my guy, linebacker

0:39

d Mario Davis.

0:51

I appreciate you tapping in this Off the Edge with

0:53

Cam Jordan.

0:54

I get to bring to you my guy,

0:56

my dog, probably probably my ace on the

0:58

team this year. Like, if I'm

1:00

gonna talk to somebody, it's gonna be this dude. If I'm

1:02

gonna need you know, if I need help, it's gonna be this guy.

1:05

And if he needs to come talk to my d line.

1:06

He can't talk to me.

1:08

There's an open line of communication with my guy Tomorrow

1:10

Davis All Pro, five time All

1:12

Pro tomorrow. Like, let's not be

1:15

light on that five time All pro only

1:17

got one pro bo, which is not adding up like

1:19

the talent in the

1:21

way that Tomorrow Davis's name holds.

1:23

In the NFL. Is still only one

1:25

pro bo so far, maybe two this maybe

1:27

two this year. But like, for sure he should

1:30

be.

1:30

A multiple, multiple time pro bowler. He's a multiple

1:32

multiple All Pro. Double D appreciates

1:34

you for tapping in my God, my.

1:36

God, actually having me all man then

1:39

is all mine? Man.

1:40

Let's let's just let's talk about this.

1:43

You and you keep up to date, like if anybody

1:45

keeps up to date with the Saints and what's going on in the NFL,

1:47

it's you like a student of the game,

1:50

a master of a lot.

1:52

You know, when we talk about current Evince, you're usually

1:54

up to par. Since you've

1:56

heard you've heard the news.

1:57

We've had some we've had some coaches go,

2:00

how you feeling like it's all off of the side,

2:02

But a couple of them go, I

2:04

mean.

2:04

It's it's it's it's the business. It's

2:07

the business of the game. You

2:10

know, it's tough because it's

2:13

a reminder that we dropped

2:15

the ball as a whole, Like

2:17

what you want to happen is to have success,

2:20

and everybody's getting promoted, which

2:23

we've seen have success.

2:25

Other guys go get big time

2:27

jobs and now they

2:30

win and playoff games.

2:33

That's what you want to be. You want to be in a sweet spot.

2:35

Guys getting contracts, guys

2:38

uh, you know, going getting resigned,

2:41

Guys going to other teams getting

2:43

getting paid, which has been our

2:45

experience in the past. But

2:48

when you have an off season like this because

2:50

of multiple years not getting it done,

2:53

and now there's man, it's

2:56

mandatory that something has to change,

2:58

and who.

2:59

Is that going to be.

3:00

Man, it's gonna look different on the roster,

3:02

from the player's side, it's gonna look different from the coaching

3:05

side. And it's just a reminder that we dropped

3:07

the ball as a whole. I mean, at

3:10

any point when you don't get it done, somebody's

3:14

gonna be the one that has to follow on the sword

3:16

to beat the scapegoat. And

3:19

and and we're seeing that it's happening. Uh.

3:22

I think this is the beginning of that

3:26

attempt to make a change, or that attempt

3:28

to something has to be done. And

3:31

it's unfortunate, you know, like uh, you

3:34

know, Pete Bob Cody,

3:37

my guy.

3:39

Joel Thomas went to the Giants John

3:42

Fire, but just like just like lateral movement

3:44

and I'm not even thinking it was like.

3:47

Going to like let's

3:50

let's keep that a b you know, like when

3:52

when the officer guys go, I

3:54

mean I had I was like.

3:55

What I said, what did Bob do? What

4:00

Bobs?

4:00

And I think it best

4:03

friend the peak. It's like, I

4:05

guess they felt like he was gonna be a mold or something.

4:08

Man if I got to get rid of Pa,

4:11

gotta get rid of his man's Okay, Okay,

4:13

that makes sense, all right, man, I'm sorry

4:15

I had like that was just off my mind. First question

4:17

I asked, but this week off, how are

4:20

you living?

4:20

Man? Like? What's your first week

4:22

of off season? Off? Is it off season?

4:24

Like?

4:24

Is it the same every year? How do you process

4:26

the end of a season in two off

4:29

season? Because that dynamic changes for

4:31

you tremendously. For me, I just go back to the crib.

4:33

You you're back in Nashville.

4:35

Yeah, that's the crib for me. Now,

4:38

I think every year is different.

4:40

I traditionally keep the same framework,

4:44

but it's a season by season

4:46

thing just because of the emotional part.

4:49

So as for me, like I'll keep

4:51

training.

4:52

I'll stay doing my recovery regiment all

4:54

the way through the Super Bowl, like I trained

4:57

specifically so my body is ready for

4:59

this time of year. And so it's like I'm

5:03

like a I'm like a Ferrari

5:05

just sitting in the garage right now, Like

5:08

I'm meant to be on the road going fast right

5:10

now, Like That's what I'm trained for. And so

5:12

it's disappointing when we're not doing

5:14

it because my body feels fresh. It feels like

5:17

like I can go and I'm throwing my kids up.

5:19

It ain't like I'm in shutdown mode or tired

5:21

mode.

5:22

Like I'm out playing in the snow with my kids

5:24

earlier in the day, like running around.

5:26

My legs feel fresh, and.

5:27

I'm like a snow outside.

5:30

Yeah, it's it got like seven eight inches. I heard

5:33

That's why I'm hot.

5:35

Hot seven eight bro.

5:38

That's disgusting. I do not like

5:40

that.

5:42

And the horrible part is just the dry snow, so

5:44

like you can't even make a snowball or a snowman, like

5:47

you just pick it up and it just crumbles in your

5:49

hands.

5:49

Hold. So I keep

5:52

training all the way through, but

5:54

I process different.

5:55

So it just depends on like where I'm emotional

5:58

and I think, you know, this just

6:00

finished my twelfth season, thirty

6:02

just turned thirty five years old, have

6:05

a comp a lot in the game, and now

6:08

it's where where

6:10

do I want to go? And so now it's man,

6:12

I want to process. My goal

6:15

is to do forty five more.

6:17

Like that's a goal.

6:19

Yeah, well, you said you And you said that

6:21

earlier this year for the first time, and

6:23

I looked at you because we've talked about over the years.

6:25

You're like, I don't know how many more left?

6:28

And I was like, bro, what you mean you're not playing

6:30

at such a high level. What are you talking about?

6:32

No, Man, the tolld And I

6:34

was like, oh, all right, and this year you hit

6:36

me with the forty five more.

6:37

I said, oh, I

6:39

love to hear You're like, what brought

6:41

you to that?

6:42

There was a revelation, man, it

6:45

was a revelation.

6:46

Man. I've my favorite player in

6:48

the NBA is Lebron of course, and

6:50

I've tracked my whole life, I

6:53

mean his whole career. I've tracked him. I

6:55

can give you almost every statistic, every playoff

6:57

game, Like, uh,

7:01

but now I have a reason

7:03

to track him. Like it was like, I want to play

7:05

two years after Lebron finished, and

7:08

I'm just so mesmerized by his.

7:10

Longevity, his durability.

7:12

He's still playing at a high level, though

7:15

they team not doing as good as good as my team.

7:17

Okay, see, let's make sure we have clarity there. The

7:22

Lakers beat us the other night. But I

7:25

admire his longevity. His

7:27

durability is his constant being at

7:29

the top of his game. But last year he led the league

7:31

in past break points. Who does that at

7:34

thirty seven thirty eight years old? And I'm

7:36

like, man, if he running and jumping with these

7:38

young boys is coming in the league, I don't have no

7:41

excuse being I'm four

7:43

years younger than him. And

7:45

so I'm like, well,

7:47

bron probably gonna play two more years. We know he want

7:49

to play with Bronnie, And so if I say

7:51

I want to be in a game two years after he's done,

7:54

they give me four to five more years.

7:57

And so I just just give me a rapid

7:59

the chase. When I have a rabbit, it makes me,

8:01

it makes me go. And so I got a goal in mind,

8:03

and it's just rejuvenated.

8:06

I was like I'm not gonna lie to you.

8:07

I was been wondering because I said, what so you

8:09

not even changed somebody like like lateral

8:12

in your position? You like, Nah, I see the

8:14

greatest of all time Lebron So I'm

8:16

gonna outplay. I'm gonna out play his longevity.

8:19

That's crazy to think about. Forty five years gonna

8:21

put you in like year sixteen,

8:24

seventeen.

8:24

I love that for you. I'm gonna watch you. I'm

8:26

gonna watch you know year

8:29

fifteen.

8:31

Come on, bro, come on out.

8:33

W I told you this revelation of mine

8:35

I had two years ago over here to push you.

8:38

Hey, I love you, my boy, God

8:40

knows, God know you, my man's It's

8:43

gonna take. It's gonna take Wifey to say a lot

8:45

for me to come back after year fifteen. Because I love

8:48

I love football. I'm willing to give it my all. Fifteen

8:50

is gonna be the mental the mental hurdle that we'll talk about

8:53

later. Let's just talk about, you know, not even

8:55

just the long jezy playing, but at the high level, you've

8:57

been playing like you didn't even hit your first All Pro till

8:59

you turn third. You was at the New Orleans

9:01

Saints, you you know, you were from the Jets, where

9:04

you know you would says a heavy market, you

9:06

know, one of those those marketing places

9:08

that all you have to do is be semi quasi,

9:11

you know, explosive, stand out on the field,

9:13

and you're going to get your accolade immediately, you know, to

9:16

be I don't know, I still don't know how you went,

9:19

why or how you went to the Browns back to the Jets,

9:21

but then you came to New Orleans and you've played your best

9:23

football. It just is what it is. Five All

9:25

pros gives you direct access and it's hard

9:27

to make All pro, especially in the Saints,

9:30

Like it's a hard market to excel it in

9:32

terms of the eyes, in terms of the accolades, whatever

9:34

comes, you have to earn it.

9:35

And you've you've done all of that. Like I

9:37

said, so five pro but like five all

9:40

pros, how did you like, how did

9:42

you reflect on reaching this milestone? Because there's

9:44

I think there's only like four or five Saints players

9:46

that ever reached five All pros. In general.

9:48

I think it goes back to twenty sixteen

9:52

me and a conversation, a conversation that

9:54

I had with God. I was ready to retire

9:56

in twenty sixteen, one year with

9:59

the Browns. I feel like, you know,

10:01

playing with the Browns when they was the Browns

10:03

that I was on and to make anybody want

10:06

to retire. But man,

10:08

I was ready to throw it in. I didn't have I

10:10

didn't have the mindset to change

10:13

greatness no more. My body was hurting and

10:15

I went into my PreK clause. Man I

10:17

just said, God, I'm done, I'm finished.

10:20

But I knew he wasn't done with me yet.

10:22

So it was like I was throwing in the tower. It's just like,

10:24

if you don't want me to do more, you gonna have to

10:26

do it. I was like, God, you got to rejuven in

10:28

my mind, you gotta rejuven in my body.

10:30

And I literally prayed that.

10:32

It was like I heard an audible voice of God

10:34

just say like, thank you for throwing in the towel.

10:36

I got it from here, and don't forget that

10:38

you threw in the town. That's why I tell that story

10:41

so often, because I can't.

10:43

I have to give credit to what it's due.

10:46

And slowly, but surely, man,

10:49

I just started training different and I

10:51

found a way to be more efficient in my game.

10:53

Now I've been always been doing the numbers, go

10:56

back to my second year, my

10:59

early years with the Jet, I was always doing one hundred

11:01

tackles. I was always doing three to four sacks.

11:03

I was doing the numbers, but my game was just sloppy.

11:07

Plus I was with the Jets twenty

11:11

seventeen. After that moment,

11:13

I come back, and not only do I got the production,

11:15

I got the efficiency the match. So

11:18

I'm not missing as many tackles, I'm not getting beat

11:21

and coverage. You

11:23

know, I'm making my plays in the backfield versus

11:25

you know, three or four yards down the line, down the field.

11:28

Just cleaning my game up a lot, And that

11:31

was probably statistically one of my best seasons. But

11:33

the same time, I was with the Jets and nobody saw it.

11:35

Fast forward twenty eighteen. I come to the Saints and

11:37

we go to the conference championship game. I'm doing

11:40

the same thing, but everybody sees it,

11:43

and now I was welcome to is

11:45

welcome to the NFL. Per se I

11:47

kind of to me.

11:49

Welcome to the NFL. Welcome to the NFL. Twenty

11:51

seventeen.

11:52

Yeah, because twenty seventeen was really like

11:54

my rookie season because after that humbling

11:57

moment there was a new.

11:58

That was a new beast that was away and

12:01

that was produce. Yeah.

12:03

Yeah, And so twenty

12:06

seventeen twenty eighteen was kind of that,

12:09

you know, putting it on display. They might have thought twenty seventeen

12:11

was a fluke, and I did it again in twenty eighteen, and

12:13

then it happened in twenty nineteen. We didn't go as

12:15

far as the team, but the production was still

12:17

there, and I think that's when the notarioty came.

12:20

And since then it just hasn't

12:22

been no drop off.

12:23

I think they thought because it was thirty that there was

12:25

going to be drop off, but there wasn't.

12:27

But I think it's because I'm running on something different

12:29

and it's the Holy Spirit.

12:32

We're not going to just run through

12:34

like that was a time where you know, Man

12:36

of God, I come to the house and now he got the Man

12:38

of God headband on there.

12:39

I said, that's how you know it's official when everybody in the house. Body.

12:42

When did high Breed come come about? Man?

12:45

High Breed probably came in

12:47

my training in twenty nineteen, I

12:49

believe. So twenty

12:52

eighteen, twenty nineteen, my goal was

12:54

just to be the best linebackers in

12:57

the league. But twenty nineteen, I

13:00

believe it was just a lot of linebackers

13:02

that was in that conversation.

13:03

And so it was.

13:06

Bobby Wagner, I think Fred

13:08

was on the scene. Then between twenty

13:13

you had guys like Shaq Leonard in

13:16

that conversation of David

13:22

Dead or White started jumping into conversation.

13:25

So it was a lot of people. And if you see, it's

13:27

always this best linebacker conversation, who's

13:29

the best linebacker? And

13:32

so for me, it became about differentiation

13:35

and what is What was differentiation for

13:38

me was it's a lot of hybrid players

13:40

in the league. And a

13:42

hybrid is someone who can kind of be a tweiner.

13:45

Right, you have a guy who can be a D lineman,

13:47

but he can be also outside linebacker.

13:49

You have a safety

13:52

slash nickel or

13:55

nickel slash corner. You know.

13:59

That Simmons guy that got drafted,

14:01

Uh that was playing a Z I think he's

14:03

a different team now, he.

14:05

Was, Ah, yeah, he's he's never at the

14:07

Giants now.

14:08

Yeah yeah, And Uh with the

14:10

high breed was like,

14:12

I feel like I can go into a game and play one

14:15

position and

14:17

dominate on all three levels,

14:20

Like I feel like they can put me in

14:22

the game and safety and I'd be a great

14:24

box safety. Like I know all the coverages.

14:27

I know how to come up and fit. I

14:29

can cover one on one on tight ends or running

14:31

back that get put out at number two every

14:33

now and then, if it's a slide, I can I can handle

14:35

that.

14:37

At the same time, I can go and play the defensive

14:40

line.

14:40

I feel like I can be on the edge all game, which

14:43

they did for us one time we played the Rams.

14:45

I just had to sit out there on the edge and ain't

14:47

gonna talk about that game.

14:48

But I can hold it.

14:50

It's just cut on the edge. Now we gotta hold that hold

14:53

the edge.

14:53

I got respect for all positions.

14:55

I'm not trying to say that, but that's what I feel like when

14:57

I'm saying Highbrey is like I can truly

15:00

I'm not like a twer. I can play a

15:02

line back. I can play defensive

15:04

line, and I can play.

15:06

Not a high bred high breed

15:08

like going.

15:09

Built different, yes, sir, different,

15:12

and like a transformer. I'm transformed.

15:14

Whatever you need.

15:33

But is there any game that this year that you you

15:35

saw as like the changing moving for our

15:37

season? Like I'm clearly

15:39

going i'mna say, you know, the Week three matchup versus

15:42

the Packers, right, because at that time

15:44

we talked about it. I was like, we could take advantage of Jordan

15:47

Love like this is he's really a rookie

15:50

and you know that to me, we were up seventeen

15:52

oh and Lambeau was silent.

15:54

Could hear me snap fingers, you

15:57

know, in the middle of the field to the sidelines,

15:59

quiet as and then we end up losing

16:01

eighteen to seventeen. Is

16:04

there a game that you look back like, how

16:07

do we lose?

16:08

Like? How did we do this?

16:10

That was a tough game because we were looking

16:12

to put it all together, and

16:16

you just think about like momentum.

16:18

I'm a big basketball fan. I feel like

16:20

this is one of the best sports where you can see momentum change.

16:23

And man, the momentum

16:25

in that game and the way it

16:27

suck the air out of our season early on. It

16:30

was like it took us a minute to grapple

16:33

after that because we had just kind of been being

16:35

played our best football yet. And then it looked

16:37

like we had put it together for a half and

16:39

we were ready to come out the second half, and then DC

16:42

go down on the first drive. We

16:45

started reeling as a defense, and they come back

16:47

and they put some drives together. I

16:49

mean, we had them shut down in the first half, and

16:52

then all of a sudden they just get life.

16:54

And man, you just

16:57

you weren't expecting a game like that to

16:59

realize that you gave this game up

17:01

when when you had it in the back, and

17:04

you kind of not want to let one game turn

17:07

into two games, you know. But like

17:09

when I think about the momentum

17:12

of that, I think about that, that kind

17:14

of reminds me of like Colorado.

17:16

Everybody followed Colorado football, but

17:19

they had.

17:20

Kind of had like an up and down season and

17:22

then they played I think was Stanford. Was

17:24

this Stanford that they blew out the first half and

17:26

then they came all the way back and lock and gave that game

17:28

up.

17:29

Might have been I think with Stafford.

17:30

But they started off like four to roh and

17:33

then all of a sudden.

17:34

They started hot. But then

17:37

you know, they played.

17:38

Uh usc before, but

17:41

then they played.

17:41

Like come back and I think that was the Stanford

17:44

game. So they won one more

17:46

than they played Stanford. After that game, they never recovered.

17:48

It didn't seem like they recovered after that, and so I feel

17:51

like that was kind of us in Green Bay.

17:53

We got it in parts, but we

17:56

never really got back to that stride

17:58

until late in the season. I did like

18:00

the way that we finished. If we could have found

18:02

that earlier in the year.

18:05

I could have swore we found that when we when we

18:08

trounced the Patriots. Now

18:10

we beat him thirty five. I said, ah, I said,

18:12

this is a Bill Belichick led team like this, It

18:15

don't matter, like you don't do this to

18:17

Bill Belichick minus the players, because

18:19

you know, they got Matt juwide on over there, they got the other air

18:21

rusher.

18:22

Then you know, running back

18:24

was running. When the game was alright, I was like,

18:26

we thirty five zero the Patriots.

18:28

That doesn't happen.

18:31

And then but it was like, like we said, bro, like

18:33

you know, the inconsistencies of it all, We

18:35

really didn't catch that consistent. All

18:38

right, this is what we're gonna do on offense, is going to do

18:40

on defense.

18:40

Until the end. And I was like, well, that's where you want to peak

18:42

anyways, so all we need is a ticket.

18:45

And then that didn't happen our way.

18:46

But what you're you're a lot more even killed than I am,

18:49

like, you know me, Bro, I'm amped up on

18:51

on ten for.

18:52

Everything, and he was like, yeah, so this is what we got

18:54

to do during the week.

18:55

And then on then on game day you on

18:57

you were on like twelve because you

19:00

become highbrid you know what I'm saying.

19:01

You go in that thing and I'm

19:04

like, you wasn't acting like this Monday

19:06

through Saturday.

19:09

Now I did.

19:10

On the work man, I think we just

19:12

the word was just inconsistent and we

19:14

were just too inconsistent this year, and it was

19:16

it was very disappointing because

19:19

we didn't achieve our goals and we're

19:21

living in the results of that because

19:23

of inconsistency. And

19:26

for me, my process is I

19:28

want to be consistent during the week so

19:30

that I can get the same results on Sunday. And

19:33

individually I felt like I was able

19:35

to do that, but it's in vain because

19:38

collectively we didn't achieve that. And

19:41

like, when i'm that's what my reflective time

19:43

looks like, it's could I have done

19:45

more on that collective piece? And

19:48

that's how I'm approaching the off season to figure

19:51

out if I can if I can achieve

19:53

consistency for myself. How

19:55

do I how do I spread that? And

19:57

I don't think I did a good enough job and

20:00

and uh.

20:00

Yeah, when you come to that revelation,

20:03

it did it start when you were like how did you?

20:05

How did you become so even killed?

20:06

Like you've been able to step back and look at the

20:08

game as as a whole. That started off from your

20:10

jet days, like the younger days when you had I'm

20:13

just thinking about it in your locker room. You had what Darrell

20:15

Reewis back in the gap. You had like original

20:18

Antonio Commarty, like stone cold

20:20

Antonio COMMARTI like Crow Reevers

20:23

Island.

20:24

Yeah, man, I had great I had great

20:26

vets Man. It was Reeves

20:29

was Crow. I had Dave Harris who did ten

20:31

years, Bart Scott who you see o TV now,

20:35

Calvin Pace, the Brickershaw Ferguson

20:37

on the offensive side, So I wasn't just dealing with defensive

20:39

guys. The Brickershaw Ferguson on the

20:41

offense, Nick Mango, Nick

20:45

Folk, who's still kicking now.

20:47

Man, I just had a team

20:49

full of veterans that you can just go and pull

20:52

information from. I played

20:54

with DeMont and Laron

20:56

Landry, uh Man.

20:59

I had some guys man

21:02

that he was just learned so much

21:04

from guys who had had

21:07

a ton of success. Antonio Holmes

21:09

was on that team. Mhm uh

21:12

that you could just pull information from. You can learn

21:14

a lot of things of what to do. You learn a lot of

21:16

things and what not to do. But everybody

21:19

was on my team was at seven

21:21

eight years and I'm like, dang,

21:24

they the ain't doing it like they

21:26

passed the threshold.

21:27

You know.

21:27

It was that fear of man, I just trying to make

21:29

it three three and three games. Let me just

21:31

get my my pension, you

21:34

know. But I

21:36

was able to pull from them guys, just from

21:39

recovery, from approach,

21:43

you know, just how to how to stay in the game.

21:46

And I still rely on a lot of those baseline

21:49

principles. But I put my own in. I put my own

21:51

work in, you know, I found my own lane.

21:53

I found what works for me, and I do a lot of

21:55

mental training and I think that's

21:58

what allows me to be more reflect them.

22:00

So all throughout the season, I'm

22:02

meeting with our

22:04

team with our team site, which

22:07

I just called my mental performance

22:09

coach, and we were just talking about the game. We

22:11

would talk about week to weeks how

22:14

to find that consistency. And I

22:16

was finding that consistency was in practice.

22:18

And I just felt like if I if

22:21

my routine was working, don't change

22:23

it. If it was something that wasn't working,

22:25

changing and uh, that's kind

22:27

of molde. I stayed in and that's why you seen me even

22:29

kill. And then when it's game

22:32

time, you know, it's all about bringing the warrior

22:34

out like, ain't no flinch, ain't no

22:36

fear. Let's go, and

22:38

uh, now it's time to bring everything that you

22:40

to meditate it on out for the

22:42

public.

22:43

Ain't no time to think about it. It's time to go. And

22:45

that's what you saw game day.

22:47

Yeah you know what I mean.

22:48

I come to bring hands every day. That's practice,

22:50

that's breakfast, that's lunch, that's better. I

22:54

lived my life.

22:56

Absolutely, it's

22:58

a walkthrough.

22:59

And so I'm looking for smoke, looking for smoke.

23:01

Already I go home, look for smoke. I come

23:03

back, look for smoke.

23:04

I'm gonna learn. I'm gonna learn how to be even killed. Won't

23:06

be like you when I grow up. I'm gonna learn how to

23:08

I'm gonna learn how to chill out.

23:10

I tell you all the time, bro, I asked

23:13

you that all the time, Like, how does it feel to

23:15

wake up and be camp Jordan?

23:17

Well, I know what I

23:21

mean.

23:21

Now that I got a son who's just like me, I can see

23:23

how can be taxing. See

23:27

take wake up and wake up earlier than I do.

23:30

Just okay,

23:33

your sir got your swag all over

23:35

here?

23:53

Bro, did you think about our locker room this year?

23:55

Just safe defense? Alone?

23:56

We had what three or four veterans

23:59

over thirty you know, our team had

24:01

what five or six? Was with me you

24:04

Tyron, Derek Carr, what

24:06

thirty two, Jimmy Graham thirty

24:08

five, thirty six that

24:11

I feel like.

24:12

They had to help.

24:12

But just mixing in the season vets

24:14

with just that that young talent like

24:17

that had to have helped the team for sure. Let's just talk about

24:19

our defensive side, like you talk about it. On every

24:22

level, there's there's again you go to the safeties,

24:24

there's Tyrant Marsham probably just

24:26

what seven eight, he's still young. But there's

24:29

you on linebackers, me at D line.

24:31

So that open line of communication, Bro, it

24:34

was has always been there, especially during

24:36

the games or practice whatever it was. I

24:39

feel like that's what I'm I'm looking

24:41

harping on them like we have open line of

24:43

communication, how like, how do we take

24:45

that next step?

24:46

But in terms of just talking to younger guys.

24:49

Do you find that it's hard to relate to them?

24:51

Do you like when you talk about year one, year two type players?

24:54

Oh yeah, I think, man,

24:57

it is. The great piece is

24:59

like when you have but at all levels.

25:01

You got pro bowl at all levels.

25:03

So when I when I look at you on the defensive

25:06

line, like I know, I don't have to go talk to all the guys

25:08

on D line. I can take a mission to you and

25:10

it's gonna go to all the guys. The same thing with Tyron,

25:13

I don't have to talk.

25:14

To the dbs.

25:15

I'll just go to him and he will pass it on

25:17

whether it's mess for right, ite missed for the game, and.

25:19

So having that is great.

25:22

I do think that there's a communication

25:25

gap that just exists in society

25:27

because of the way

25:29

that we learned how to communicate. I'm

25:31

a iguesst me and you kind of the same

25:33

boat. We're kind of like a middle generation, and

25:36

so we got pieces of the old school

25:39

and we're dealing with people who are all

25:41

the way digitals like

25:43

dog one of the guys in the locker

25:45

room. Wasn't boring when nine eleven

25:47

happened, like.

25:48

Some of the guys, one of the guys, some of the guys.

25:51

Some of the guys, but we

25:53

having a conversation about it. Like

25:56

he didn't even know what date it was. No,

25:58

like it's called not eleven.

26:00

He was like, no, y,

26:03

yeah, I haven't put nobody on the spot. But he was like, I

26:05

said, do you know when not eleven happened? He's

26:08

like, yeah, it was like November right, No,

26:10

no, no, no, no, no, you're trying to fix it.

26:12

But it was a real conversation and everybody

26:14

was like yo.

26:15

Wow, And it was one

26:17

of those moments like man,

26:20

we are we're kind of like

26:22

in a in a time war.

26:25

And but I think.

26:27

It's still the onus of the responsibility of

26:29

figuring out that that communication.

26:30

One of the things that one of my mentors

26:33

was helping me learn.

26:34

He said, what language was God talking to

26:36

Adam and even in the garden. And

26:39

I was like, yo, and that

26:42

everybody has a language because

26:44

they're human.

26:45

And though it may be a

26:48

digital.

26:48

Language, though it may be h

26:52

you know, more choppy, more emojis,

26:56

you know what means that

26:58

you communicate through it's still communication,

27:02

and to figure out that language

27:06

is the responsibility of a leader to figure

27:08

out and you

27:10

just learn how to reach guys. And

27:13

that's what I was in my reflective

27:15

time. I'm looking and I'm like, I don't think I did

27:18

a good enough job, you know.

27:19

And I think it's.

27:20

Easier to be dismissive and just be like,

27:22

oh, they're a young generation. They'll figure it out

27:25

or they've.

27:26

Got to figure it out now, you know.

27:28

But I think it's it's this game

27:30

has always been the older

27:32

guys teach the.

27:33

Younger guys what is supposed to look like, right,

27:35

And I think it.

27:36

Was so much easier to do that when we were younger

27:38

because you had to be in the meeting rooms. And

27:41

now it's a digital age where everybody has

27:43

iPads, you know, Microsoft

27:45

tablets and can watch film, do everything

27:47

else isolated. And

27:49

I think that isolation is also causing

27:51

a divide as well.

27:53

I agree.

27:55

That's that's one of the things is socially

27:58

we communicate different, right, Like how

28:00

we grew up. You go to the playground,

28:02

you go to the park, you compete, you

28:05

go outside. It's a it's a it's a it's an

28:07

unnecessary reference. Football game going on,

28:10

throw it up and running. You don't

28:12

get it how you live, Like when

28:14

you see the kids, our kids attempting

28:16

to do when they play football after

28:18

the game, right, but they don't do that just

28:21

other than that event, they're not just outside

28:23

other after that, they're going to organize

28:27

sports. Like it was

28:29

so much play that was unorganized.

28:31

There ain't no neighborhood football no more like I

28:36

know, ain't know.

28:37

Just pick up basketball game going on them

28:40

down on the corner at the park. You

28:42

know, like everything is organized

28:44

right like you go to you go to a lifetime

28:47

gym. Now they got they don't move

28:49

to basketball course, they got pickleball games going on.

28:52

And pick aball has a system. It's

28:54

a system to get in the game. Have you ever been to a

28:56

pickball game? No, a

28:59

pick up pick a ball game. You don't

29:02

just go and be like I got next.

29:04

You gotta go.

29:05

You gotta put your racket in a certain spot.

29:07

That's how they know. And then they have like pro courts

29:10

and then they have like the amateur courts, and

29:12

it's like it's a system, bro, Like you can't

29:14

just show up at pickleball and just

29:16

be like I got nixt like basketball

29:20

courts, it's all. They've moved the

29:22

basketball courts out pickaball is what's heeing

29:24

and so like. But this is this is

29:26

our society now, right, It's it's much

29:29

more digital, organized

29:31

structure versus just random

29:34

and so like, what that does is I

29:36

don't even know how to communicate with you unless

29:38

it's under a certain format, right, I

29:41

only know how to meet you on this app.

29:43

I only know how to meet you in a space

29:45

that's organized, like a team meeting is where I'm

29:47

gonna see you. And but then no team

29:49

meeting going on while we're still at the building.

29:51

That's that's a that's a mentality, that's a mindset,

29:55

right, Whereas what four

29:57

years ago, five years ago, meetings

30:00

and meet has been over for four hours, everybody

30:03

still in the locker room, some people

30:05

watching, some people Nintendo, some people

30:07

shooting basketball, but we all just building

30:09

that chemistry.

30:10

So it's just different.

30:11

And so it's like, Okay, well, how do you reach this

30:14

generation that's under kind of a

30:17

different mindset When it comes to

30:19

camaraderie, You still have to find a way

30:22

to meet him.

30:22

And I think that's that is a struggle.

30:24

I haven't haven't found that yet,

30:28

but it gotta be sound absolutely

30:30

bro.

30:30

Like you know, I had two rookie d linemen

30:33

uh this year and one you

30:36

know, one loves the FaceTime. You know my

30:38

lother Ze, Hey, hey bro. I told him when

30:40

he first got team. I said, hey, if you need me FaceTime,

30:43

if you need like, don't do dumb stuff. If

30:45

you need me in the middle of night, you.

30:47

Can call me.

30:47

I'll come get you. I'll figure it out whatever needs

30:50

to happen. He's just hey, Bro, I

30:52

just want to say, man, I appreciate you, bro, And

30:54

like, I have never had a rookie to call me in the middle

30:56

night just to just to want to talk ball.

30:58

He's the first one. I love. Brian.

31:01

Now, yeah, I got you know, I got

31:03

Isaiah Foski and Foscar is

31:05

you know he's a cerebral notre dame

31:07

guy stuck in his head. You know, I gotta

31:09

I gotta, like it's like pulling blood. But

31:12

like you have to figure out who, like you have to figure

31:14

out their communication, Like Breeze super

31:16

easy. You know, like he wants to be

31:18

he wants to be a great football

31:21

player. You know, he's absorbing anything. Fosk

31:24

not saying that he doesn't. He's just like you have to

31:26

go to him, you know, like, hey man, come

31:28

on, this is what we're doing. And he'll hop in

31:30

the car immediately for the But them

31:32

first, like four weeks, I was trying to figure him out.

31:34

I said, hey man, like I got it, Like

31:36

I don't. I'm not getting nothing from him, like, hey man, what you

31:38

see on this film?

31:39

Yeah? But if I text him about something, I

31:41

get a paragraph.

31:42

I'm like, this don't

31:44

make okay, Okay, I'll see what I gotta do here,

31:47

Like you just got It's weird, bro to to

31:49

think that I get digital age, bro

31:51

like this, you know, watch film, see

31:53

things differently, talk to players like.

31:55

It's just trying to figure it out. I'm like, oh man,

31:57

it's such a huge gap.

31:58

But at the end of the day, at least

32:00

in terms of defensive line, there's always been different

32:02

cats on the D line. You know, you have one that's

32:04

outgoing, one that's not one this so this is just

32:07

a different way to look at it. And how do I reach

32:09

my guy? Well, if he likes to eat, then I guess

32:11

we're eating. And if he likes you know, if

32:13

he likes if he likes to watch film, then

32:15

that's how we watch film. Like it's it's time

32:18

consuming, it's an effort.

32:20

It's a lot more attactical.

32:21

And I think you just helped me with something that

32:25

communication now is

32:28

a lot more individualized because

32:31

society is much more

32:34

custom Whereas everybody

32:36

had before had to conform to society,

32:38

now society conforms to the consumer.

32:41

Right, think about all the algorithms that

32:43

present themselves.

32:45

It knows how to present itself to you, the

32:47

shopper, versus the

32:49

customer having to go to the store like Black

32:52

Friday, you got it, you

32:54

got it if you could get there early

32:56

enough and.

32:57

Get it in.

32:58

Everybody there at five.

33:00

Everybody had to conform to the marketplace,

33:03

not a marketplace. Marketplace conforms

33:05

to the consumer. And so I think that's the same

33:07

way when you think about like being

33:10

a being a teammate, Right, the teammates

33:12

used to all the teammates conformed to whatever.

33:15

The team was on.

33:16

Whatever you have a team, you gotta

33:18

be able to conform to all the individuals, right,

33:20

So you have to make sure you still hold

33:22

onto your principles and stuff that you're not gonna

33:24

sway on the course.

33:26

So it's not just saying like you you

33:29

just.

33:29

Kind of rolling yeah,

33:33

but I think you have to be willing to go

33:35

and meet individuals where they're at, and you

33:37

gotta that's just what society

33:40

is, right if you just think about like, you

33:42

know, look at all the guys who come in. They played in college,

33:45

and the college didn't conform to them what they do.

33:47

Hey, transporport them.

33:48

I'm going transport them.

33:50

And they talented enough, they're gonna

33:52

they're gonna make it in.

33:54

It ain't got or yeah,

33:56

for sure.

33:58

And that's not the case for everybody,

34:00

but for a lot of them. And so that everybody's

34:02

just used to everything being catered

34:04

to them, and so like I can see

34:07

how you dealing.

34:07

With different lanes of communication

34:12

and something that's gonna benefit some is not.

34:14

And I think just being able to communicate

34:17

a message to them that this

34:19

is what the league is about, this is

34:21

what it stands on. H I'm

34:24

conforming to you because I want to give you the principals

34:26

that's gonna get help me be successful. I'm

34:29

not conforming to you to think that it's your

34:31

way because it's game.

34:33

It's not. I'm not acquiescing. I'm not saying, hey,

34:35

I'm doing your way.

34:36

No, I'm coming to you so you could take this information

34:39

better, this how, this is how we're moving

34:41

on.

34:44

You might just help me a little bit. I

34:47

feel like I'm acquiescing at times.

34:49

I'm like, bro, Like when I was a rookie

34:51

old event would be like, hey, this is how it's getting

34:54

done. You'd be like all right now, like

34:56

you know, we're talking to them like, hey man, this

34:58

was, this was, what is the tradition, this is.

35:00

Why we're doing it.

35:01

And I'm having to explain myself more, you

35:03

know, like you know, get home, be trying

35:05

to tell wife you talk. I'm talking

35:07

out baby, like I'm tied that

35:10

lead that leadership role like it takes it

35:12

takes something about you. But no,

35:15

you knows as much as you just helped

35:17

me there. You know whatever it was, or you've

35:19

been, You've been an outstanding teammate yourself,

35:22

you know, uh, a great leader for the

35:24

linebacker corps. You you talk

35:26

about the pregame speeches

35:28

even in locker room when it's time.

35:30

You know, uh, you were born.

35:32

You were born for this role as as a man

35:34

of God, and that goes probably hand in hand

35:36

with being a leader of faith as well,

35:38

just in terms of you know, uh p ao

35:41

as well as you're not

35:43

not even your ministry work, but your devoted dream dreamers

35:46

and the you know, the I almost called

35:48

a flag, the seven h seventeen that you got, or

35:50

the way you stacked everything up, but just balancing

35:52

the demands of football and your faith.

35:54

How does the how do you ultimately want to be remembered?

36:00

And I want to be I want to be remembered

36:03

as a man who tried to as

36:06

best he could live for

36:09

something that was greater than himself. Like

36:12

my legacy has little

36:14

to do with me than me

36:16

trying to be a representation of

36:19

God. It's

36:22

about how my wife remembers me and

36:24

is able to tell my story. And if you haven't seen Hamilton,

36:27

bro Hamilton is the greatest play

36:29

ever, Like I used to be online king

36:32

I graduated. Hamilton is

36:34

the best. But it's

36:36

a little it's a little playing there, a

36:39

little play on words in there that

36:41

I'm saying, you know, how my wife is able

36:44

to remember me, how she's able to tell my story,

36:46

How my kids the lessons

36:48

that they get from me, and

36:51

everything after that is a

36:54

secondary really you

36:57

know if I can be a good enough representation

36:59

of God.

37:00

Uh that my.

37:01

Kids get it and they want to reflect

37:03

God in their own lives. Man, it's

37:05

worth it. It's worth it all. It's life well

37:07

lived.

37:08

Yeah. Look, you used to talk to you talked

37:10

about Hamilton a few times. This year. You went to go see the

37:12

person.

37:12

Right, Yeah, we went with New York.

37:14

My daughter, actually, my my ten year

37:16

old daughter, oldest, she was

37:18

on it, and she she's musically

37:21

inclined and musically gifted. She

37:23

memorized the whole I

37:25

mean, if you listen to these songs, they like little rap songs

37:28

and.

37:28

They got so many words.

37:29

But she memorized the soundtrack

37:31

front to back, Like you start playing

37:33

out any part, pick any song, she gonna start singing

37:35

it.

37:36

That's her jam.

37:37

And so we had to go see it. So

37:39

we went to New York. Not to

37:41

mention my kids. Was like, we're back at home and

37:44

that's where we were born. My oldest too, and

37:48

uh, we took them to see the play. Win saw Hamilton,

37:50

Win saw Lion King, and I

37:52

was just blown away. I had always heard about Hamilton,

37:54

but I never went and saw it. But

37:57

definitely something that it's

38:00

as many people talking about Hamilton. It's still

38:02

under it, that's how good it is.

38:05

Hmm.

38:05

Yeah, I feel like I've seen that on one of the apps, so

38:08

it was like a Hamilton Live

38:10

music whatever, and I was like, nah.

38:13

Do you see I feel like.

38:15

Yeah, like I said, one of the maps had it, and

38:17

I was just like, I just feel like it's

38:20

one of the things you have to see in person.

38:21

Like if I watch you know.

38:23

Don't don't somebody your statue.

38:25

Definitely, man, you know my

38:27

sisters spayd only last five to ten.

38:34

Yourself watching on the app and then try

38:36

to go see the person. Yeah, definitely, man, definitely

38:38

say you get a chance to go see the person.

38:40

They just do it a full disservice. I moved so

38:42

fast being in.

38:43

America and not having a chieved Burder not

38:46

seeing.

38:46

Him,

38:49

Okay, big, big standard.

38:51

Okay. I'm like I said, next time in New York,

38:53

I'm gonna look up a lifetime. Is

38:56

it still going? It's probably still going, but

38:58

yeah.

38:58

Like I'm I appreciate

39:01

you tapping in, bro, I'm gonna get you out of here because

39:03

I know it's getting rather late and with all

39:05

seventy five kids yours.

39:08

Come kidd, I'm kidding. So

39:18

there you have it. It's a wrap. I

39:20

just want to say a huge thank you.

39:22

To all my awesome listeners for rocking with me. I've

39:24

got a whole locker room full of my favorite interviews

39:26

from season.

39:27

One coming your way. But before I go, you

39:29

know the drill. Come on now.

39:31

Make sure to drop us a five star rating or

39:33

review and hit that followup button on Apple Podcasts,

39:35

iHeartRadio app, or wherever you get your

39:37

podcasts. You can also catch us on YouTube

39:40

on the official YouTube page of the NFL.

39:42

Till next time, I'm out,

40:00

built,

40:01

astract and

40:03

p