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Ashtyn Davis: Journey to the Jets
73 Plays2 years ago
In Episode 3, Santa Cruz native Ashtyn Davis, safety for the New York jets, joins the pod to walk us through his football journey and discuss the behind the scenes action as a player in the NFL. Starting as a walk-on at Cal Berkeley, Ashtyn dives in to his dream becoming a reality and the process it took to get there.
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Introduction
00:00:03
Speaker
How's it going, everyone? Welcome to the third episode of Going for Two with Dawson and Mario. Today is a very special day. We got a special guest joining us today.
Ashton Davis' Football Journey
00:00:17
Speaker
He's from my hometown of Santa Cruz, California, Ashton Davis. So do you want to give a little background, Ashton? Yeah, my name's Ashton, like Dawson said. I grew up in Santa Cruz, played football with Dawson.
00:00:34
Speaker
and I went to Cal Berkeley Bears and now I play, I was drafted in 2020 by the New York Jets and been there ever since. Nice dude, super excited to have you on and join us today. So obviously we'll just get right into it.
00:00:54
Speaker
Like I know I heard, you know, through the grapevine and I've seen Santa Cruz that your journey into the NFL or even like to play football and Kyle was like pretty interesting. So like, cause you walked on, right? I did. I actually, I actually walked on track first. Um, so I started out with, uh, I wasn't really getting any football offers. I'm thinking some feedback. I wasn't really getting many football offers.
00:01:23
Speaker
And I knew that's where I wanted to compete. So one of my buddies in high school, he convinced me to run track a little bit. And so I ran track my senior year. I was able to make it to the California State meet. And then after that, I was able to talk to enough people and get myself a walk-on opportunity at Cal. And then I just tried to leverage that and to use that to get my foot in the door for football pretty much.
00:01:53
Speaker
Nice, dude. Mario, you want to ask again? Yeah, so what advice did you have in track? I was a one-center, I ran the one-center hurdles. When I was walking on, they had another guy they had brought in. I'd raised him in a couple of meets before in high school. And they basically said, we don't have any money for you. But if you want to try to walk on, you're more than welcome. So I did that and then tried to
00:02:22
Speaker
Like I said before, I used that as a stepping stone to get to where I wanted for football. All right. Yeah, that's awesome. And then, so you did the walk on and then the coach was like, yeah, you're obviously you're probably super quick, fast. So you just wanted to bring you on after that once you saw it. Kind of. It didn't go that smooth though. Like I had to send some emails. I had to talk to some people, but
00:02:47
Speaker
guy that I got a hold of, his name is Andrew McGraw. He works in the front office up there and he went to Santa Cruz High where I went to high school actually and he knew my coach. Actually he played quarterback at Santa Cruz High at one point and so there's kind of a little connection there. It was my end. Able to talk to him and I actually gave him like my offensive
00:03:09
Speaker
little highlight reel that my buddy created from high school. And I don't think anybody watched it because, you know, they gave me a DB jersey or they gave me a defensive jersey and told me, you know, we could use some corners or
NFL Combine and Draft Night Experiences
00:03:21
Speaker
whatever. So, uh, yeah, this, I just, it's going to play whatever they asked me to, I guess. Yeah. Yeah, I did. So like, I saw, uh, like you're kind of like what positions you played in college and stuff. So like, did you like,
00:03:36
Speaker
to start, like where I saw you got like sometimes like a punter turner, right? Yeah, I was at the end of my time there, I was returning kicks and punts. Yeah, that's right. And then so what by what year in college like were you were you starting at? Was it safety or like safety? I played a couple games at corner wasn't really a good fit. I didn't I didn't really play that position. It wasn't natural for me. But yeah, I switched to
00:04:10
Speaker
out and when they came in my coach did a great job he moved me to safety and you know sat we sat down we watched film and so many hours in the film room we would get there we'd show five thirty try to beat each other to the film room five thirty six o'clock before before we got in to lift and then he was just teaching me the position you know he played my college coach he played Boise State and then ended up playing a little bit in the league so he you
00:04:49
Speaker
way through my third year I was I was able to start I was able to start safety so when did you realize like the NFL was gonna be like an option for you going in like man I don't know like my my junior year I kind of heard some buzz I never really really was like I always figured I'd end up there or I was Michael Michael but it didn't really become a reality until somewhere along
00:05:21
Speaker
buzzes here and there and then I was like dang this you know my workout but before that I was you know gearing up to possibly go to law school or something like that like I you know I got my degree in legal studies and thought that that might be something I was gonna pursue but once football started to work out you know kind of put my eggs in that basket damn dude that's tight
00:05:45
Speaker
Now that we've kind of like, I wanted to move on to the combine now. So I know obviously not everyone gets invited to that. So how was that process of you getting the call that teams really wanted to see you perform at the combine?
00:06:01
Speaker
Yeah, so there's this other thing that I'll add in. I don't know if you guys have you guys heard of the Senior Bowl? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So like that's that's what it started like usually guys get invited to the Senior Bowl and that's like the big one that you know each there's two coats are
00:06:22
Speaker
that team that week and they see it's more about the week of practice than it is about the game. So that was like a huge honor for me. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to compete in that or the combine, but you know, both of those things were super, I don't know, like it was just like crazy. I was like, okay, I'm watching these guys on TV one year and then the next year, you know, you get an invite. I think Cam Jordan was the one that shared, broke the news to me that, you know, I don't know if you know,
00:07:01
Speaker
And, you know, breaking the news or whatever. And that was, that was pretty cool. So yeah, it was, it was, it was kind of a surreal moment being there in India, especially. So you didn't like actually take part in the combine, but, uh, like, so you, you obviously attended and everything, but while you're there, how does it work with like, you know, like teams, like.
00:07:23
Speaker
you know, coming over to you and being like, Hey man, just let you know you're on our board. Like you're an option for us. Like how does that work? Um, so like the whole time you're there, like you got like a medical exam, you got medical examinations, you know, you're getting X-rays, people are pulling and tugging on your body, like your, your shoulders or whatever. You know what I mean? Like it's pretty extensive, but, um, you know, in between all those, those like,
00:08:01
Speaker
meetings with all 32 teams or, you know, whatever. But I had a few of those and then just the informal ones were crazy too. You know, you're getting insane questions. Like, you know, the most random ones will be like, you know, if I gave you a brick right now, what would you do with it? So, you know, stuff that has nothing to do with football. They just want to see how you're going to react to certain things. And it's interesting. It's like a lot, a lot goes into it. Wow. That's that is crazy. Yeah.
Challenges of Starting in the NFL during COVID
00:08:30
Speaker
Yeah, that's crazy. I believe they would ask some of those questions. I would have never expected that, but was it like, was it kind of a nerve wracking experience like going in knowing that it was like one of those big goals and you were like, when you were there, was it kind of like, once you got there, you kind of settled in? No, I like, I kind of took the approach of, I felt like I belonged there. I felt like I had earned the right to be there. So like, I like,
00:09:00
Speaker
It was a surreal moment being an event that you watch on TV, you know what I mean? I'd say the coolest part of that whole experience for me was pre-draft. I mean, yeah, the pre-draft process. You're getting your agent. Where I worked at, I worked at this place called... I worked down in Santa Ana at this place called The Mark. It's basically like an apartment complex.
00:09:43
Speaker
Justin was in my class, Justin Herbert, Chase Claypool, those guys. I love those guys. It was just dope being able to kick it with other guys that are also living out their dreams, you know what I mean? Totally, dude. Justin Herbert, man. I was going to ask, since you didn't participate, one of the questions I wanted to ask you was what your 40-yard dash time was.
00:10:09
Speaker
Yeah, I think I would have ran a 4-3. I think I would have ran a 4-3. I was, you know, I was, I was, I think I'm confident in my speed. That's my one thing I am confident in. I ran a five-time All-American and didn't track in college actually. So I was, I am confident in my speed, but yeah, I was kind of bummed like that was during COVID. It was right when COVID was hitting. So
00:10:45
Speaker
like reality for us. Nice. So, like, that moves us into now, like, you know, the draft night. So, like, obviously, we're worried for it, by the way. I was at my aunt's house over in Soquel. Yeah, because most of my immediate family's here. So we all gathered around there kind of had some is very low key. And
00:11:15
Speaker
So, yeah, we all gathered around there and just hung out, waited for, you know, see if my name was going to be called or when. So, go in.
NFL Routine: Practice and Game Day
00:11:28
Speaker
One thing I've always, like, wondered, you know, is when people get drafted, like, when they're at, you know, home with family and, like, they always have, like, they just have the hat of the team.
00:11:43
Speaker
Yeah. So like, do you, like, do you kind of get the idea of like, what teams are interested? So like you, you kind of figure out by the end of the, but by the time you dropped it, like, yeah, I kind of knew I was going to get drafted there. Um, a lot of the times you have like an idea, but you never know. Like I slip all the time and it's just, it's such a weird, weird day. Like for me.
00:12:08
Speaker
for me that the Jets were interested at all. And so it was, yeah, it was like, damn, but that's like strategy for some teams. I feel like like a lot of teams will, they don't want other guys to know you, they're interested in certain guys or things like that, just cause they don't, you know, they're a pick before you or something like that. It's all like, there's so much that goes into it. It's crazy. I bet. So who gave you the call and what'd they say?
00:12:35
Speaker
Uh, Jodi called me Joe Douglas. He's our GM. And he was just like, I don't know. Like I didn't know how to, how to react. I just, you know, saw the call coming in and I don't know. I was, I don't, I couldn't even tell you. I was just excited. Obviously you saw that New York area code and were you like, dude, I'm a jet.
00:12:55
Speaker
No, I mean, there's three teams in New York, like Buffalo, Giants, and Jets. And I didn't even know what the area code was. I just picked up the phone. I don't even think it said where it was from. So I called it. I mean, I answered it. And yeah, I was just like, I don't know. I was just like, it's happening. I don't really remember what was going through my head. But obviously, excitement. Yeah, dude, it's a dream come true.
00:13:23
Speaker
Uh, so like, obviously, you know, um, Joe Douglas calls. Yeah. And then who was the head coach at the time then? I mean, uh, Adam Gace. Okay. So like, then like, what did it just, you know, you talk to the talk to him and talk to the DB coach, like, yeah, they were, they were passing the phone around a little bit. I think I spoke with, uh, I spoke with both of them. I spoke with, uh, Greg Williams, the DC, and then I don't remember who else, but.
00:13:55
Speaker
Like we had been inside the whole time, like obviously from COVID and stuff. So I just was like, I was just excited to get to wherever all my name and it started working. Yeah. I mean, so like getting started, is that like, so what you get the call that you obviously spend that night celebrating with the fan, but like, like when are you flying out to New York?
00:14:29
Speaker
Cause it was, it was COVID. So we didn't know when we were going to start. I can't remember if we flew out. I think the plan was to fly out like very soon. And then I think it got delayed because, because of the COVID restrictions, they didn't know if they were even going to have a 2020 season. So I think it got delayed a little bit. And then we ended up going out there and, um, we had our, we had our fall camp, which was weird. We didn't have any joint practices, any, no preseason games. And then we made the season without fans.
00:14:59
Speaker
super weird without those joint practice. Like what are you guys doing? Are you just like working out basically just kind of doing straight? Yeah. Like I think we did like, because of the, uh, like the rules around it, we had a little longer ramp up period. It was a few weeks and then, um, and our fall camp was just, I mean, uh, any camp was just all, you know, us on us. Usually normally it's like, like the last two years you get, you get joint practices.
00:15:34
Speaker
Um, the whole or four weeks, whatever it is. Nice dude. So yeah, you kind of touched on the, uh, like the practice day and stuff, but like, I mean, now with COVID not being a thing anymore, like, like how, like I've always wondered like leading up to a game and stuff, like how are those like practice weeks? Like, are they just like noodle or like tiring? And you're talking about a regular season game, not a preseason. Yeah. Yeah.
00:16:03
Speaker
I mean, nah, it's not, it's not brutally there. They take care of your body. They do a good job. You know, you ramp it up. So Monday, if you play on Sunday, Monday is like a, like a flush, flush run. You got like a front flush run and a nice lift, nice, uh, quick lift. And then Tuesday, and then you get, you meet, obviously you watch the game, big game film and correct what you, what you messed up or whatever. And then, uh, Tuesday is like the,
00:16:34
Speaker
acupuncture, whatever, massages, whatever your routine is. And then Wednesdays, Wednesday Thursdays are usually like the harder days, you know, you get in the building at six, you're not leaving until around six, six at night, you know, you go, meetings, you know, cold tub, for me, at least cold tub in the morning, and then meetings, practice, meetings, practice, lift, then you get another
00:17:10
Speaker
One will be, I think, Wednesdays, first, second down, Thursdays, third down, third down emphasis, and then Friday is Red Zone, Fast Friday. It's basically the same day, you just don't have those meetings after your lift. Then Saturdays, like a walkthrough, and then by then you get your legs back and ready to roll on Sunday. So I was actually pretty curious, so what do you do for taking care of your body? You said some players do a massage, some do a
00:17:44
Speaker
I found my routine now. I try not to do too much of anything because some people have said it reduces the effects. If you cold tub every day, it might not be as effective, whatever.
00:17:58
Speaker
I used to do acupuncture. I do acupuncture in a massage. We'll massage first, then acupuncture. And on Tuesdays and Fridays, I do that. And then the rest of the week, I'm just like old tubbing or getting in the normal tech boots. If you know what those are, they're just basically like these things that compress your legs and get the blood flowing.
00:18:34
Speaker
kind of work around our schedule. So it's perfect. Yeah, super nice. You guys have access to all that. I'm jealous. Yeah. Yeah. Damn dude. I would never thought that like, that's so interesting that you pointed out like the, like one day is like first and second down. Cause like, I've always wondered if like, cause obviously like growing up playing football and you just practice, you just kind of do the same thing.
00:19:07
Speaker
And then third down is different depending on what, you know, what the distance is. Like if it's third long, you know, some teams like to do certain things, some other teams are different. If it's, you know, third and short and they're in plus territory, like it might not be third down. It's the second down mentality because they could be going forward on fourth. Like it's just things like that to just, you know, kind of get you, it's like dress rehearsal for the game, you know, like get you going in situations so that you can, you can function when they, when they show up in games.
00:19:38
Speaker
Yeah, totally. So practice is pretty much a grind. And then once game day comes, in New York, have you guys got a home game? You guys play at like 2 p.m., right? Oh, one, yeah. So what time do you get into the field and you guys going through another quick film session before then? Sometimes I watch film in the locker room.
00:20:21
Speaker
early in the week. I know what I need to know in terms of film by the time Saturday rolls around. By the time I'm going to walk through, I should know all my checks. I should know their tendencies
Facing NFL Challenges and Team Dynamics
00:20:32
Speaker
and stuff. I maybe watch a little bit of a cut up at the hotel on Saturday.
00:20:51
Speaker
more one more nugget like things that I can be like, okay, if I get this look, this is you know, I'm shooting my gun, I'm taking my shot on this. But yeah, but the basic stuff. And then I think everyone's got to be in the locker room by 1030 for one o'clock kickoff. So like, I think I show up at like, around 10, I get there around 10. And then got plenty of time to do my stuff. There's kind of a lot of downtime.
00:21:20
Speaker
Yeah. I'm just curious to like, what's the vibe in the locker room before a game? Usually like, does it depend on who you guys plan is usually pretty. Everyone kind of relax. Everyone. Depends. You know, a lot of guys are just themselves. Like you get, you know, certain guys that are really locked in, you know, have their headphones in the whole time and just like straight face. And then you get guys that are, you know, turning up and just, you know, being, you know, a goofy self, like, you know, you have all kinds
00:21:50
Speaker
It's diverse. Everyone's focused for sure. Everyone knows the task at hand, but that's just prepared differently. Some guys, I don't know, some guys be watching YouTube videos of motivational stuff. Some guys are watching Game of Thrones on their phone, just relaxing. You get all kinds of stuff. Guys just have their routine and they get into it. Yeah, so what do you like to do?
00:22:16
Speaker
me, I'm pretty, I'm pretty middle of the pack. Like I, uh, you know, I'll go mash, mash this guy's energy. You know, we have this guy Philly, who's always just yelling and screaming for no reason at all. And, um, you know, I go up and kind of gas him up or whatever, just f them up, whatever. And then, um, but while I'm back at my locker, I'm pretty quiet. Just looking over the last part of my notes. Um, you know, got that, got the pregame playlist going and.
00:22:48
Speaker
Speaking of characters, you know, like all your teammates and stuff, like I think I saw like on like your Instagram story or something a couple weeks ago, you were like running Call of Duty with Soss Gardner and Quinnen Williams. So like who are like some of like your really like tight boys on the team that like you really like maybe like after like after a practice you'll go out and eat with them and stuff like do you have some boys like that? Yeah, Soss is definitely one of those
00:23:26
Speaker
guys, but I'll be golfing with the MC two. So those are the two guys I probably spend the most time with. Um, but like everyone in our DB room, I'm cool with for sure. Um, I got, I hang out with all those guys pretty much outside of a football, uh, Quinnen. Yeah. Quinnen's been inside the funny. He's my, uh, he saw him in between Joe Flacco and Quinnen. And it's just like, you know, you got this super old,
00:24:02
Speaker
Then I went to a UFC fight out there with a couple guys to win with my buddy Hamza and then I Got a lot of I got a lot of guys on the team. There's a there's one one dude, too His name's kind of cool to two guys from around this area. I trains in Los Gatos over right over the hill So I like to spend time with him with him when he's around And then same with this guy
00:24:34
Speaker
kick it with those guys too. Nice dude. I mean that's so crazy to think that we grew up watching him and like that must have just been like like a shock to like be on the same team as him. I bet. So speaking of uh you know like like veterans and stuff like your first game ever um who were you guys who would you play against? The first game ever was the big
00:25:03
Speaker
those are here okay so there's Josh Allen like who on the other sideline were you like like when you like were suited up and on the sideline and like obviously that like huge moment of like playing your first NFL game like who did you look over on the sideline and see and you're just like damn this is like
00:25:38
Speaker
I was kind of like, well, you know, you got the old heads like that, just, you know, OG, we called him. You got Frank, you got, Leveon was in the locker room at the time. It's just like, that's when it, like right when I walked in, it was like, okay, here, you know? That's sick, dude. I've always wanted to know what that's like. Like, like I'm even just like meeting him in person too, like as a fan.
Coaching Transition and Team Culture
00:26:04
Speaker
Yeah. It'd be cool. We're cool dudes.
00:26:06
Speaker
So a question for you all. So on game day, who was one of the toughest guys for you to ever, when you're in game, like one guy that you're lining up against for tackling? Who's been one of those tough guys for you? Well, I played mostly special teams this year, but like a guy that stands out on tape. I think mostly, I think it's like apes that work guys that can really stick out. You know, you see guys like,
00:26:40
Speaker
The fun digs obviously like guys like that like they stand out on tape So it's like you you want to try to see their releases and get you know But you know we that's why we got sauce and DJ like these guys are locking it down. You know what I mean? So I Don't really know but like on teams a guy that I really respect this to them both on the Patriots Matthew Slater, I believe is in year 19 or something like that and
00:27:06
Speaker
He's played a long time, long time. And then, uh, Ricky this year, his name's, uh, Brendan Schuller. And he's, he's, I like that guy. He's from, uh, you know, we played against each other in college. He went to Arizona. He also, you know, Arizona and Oregon, and then we transferred to Texas toward the end of his college career. But yeah, that dude, like I've been following him here and there, uh, since college. So it's, it's cool to.
00:27:41
Speaker
And then I felt like it was crazy feeling. No doubt. Yeah, dude. I think I remember, you know, I want to say it was like your rookie year. You guys were playing on like Monday Night Football against the Patriots and Cam Newton was the quarterback. Yeah, I think it was there's I think it's
00:28:02
Speaker
It probably was Monday. Yeah, you got in and I was watching with like, you know, I'm like, I was living in Mario at the time. And that was when like, you sacked, I think you sacked him, but they called in the pastor or some shit. Yeah.
00:28:22
Speaker
So they said it wasn't, it shouldn't have been called, I believe. And, but man, I mean, that was, that was my first side. We got taken away. My first that year, I think also got taken away by a defensive holding. So I, I got, you know, I had to wait a little longer for both of those, but it just, it is what it is, I guess. Dude, I know. I remember like seeing them like, dude, that's brutal. Like that was not a penalty, but we always like, we as fans always talk about like,
00:28:50
Speaker
that, like, those rough-in-the-passer calls are just, they're getting really fishy, but since now, like, I kind of wanted to get into the transition of, like, you know, Adam Gates to Salah. Like, obviously, you know, like, when the Jets hired Salah, it was like, he's a defensive-minded guy and stuff. Like, what is he, like, what really stands out about him as a coach to you? He's just, uh, I was just a guy that, like, people want to follow. He's a servant leader.
00:29:33
Speaker
I think the big thing though is he allows, he's kind of like allowing us to create the culture around there. You know, he's not, he's not putting up words and stuff that he's not living and you know, whatever, you know, it's, it's definitely like, he's a player's coach. Like if you, if he, if there's something that he really believes, uh, is, is an S for us, he's gonna, he's gonna,
00:30:03
Speaker
guys come and talk to them and just figure out what's best for the team. His goal is to win and he's not too stubborn to like, you know, compromise on some things if he feels like it's the best for the team.
Super Bowl Thoughts
00:30:19
Speaker
I like that. Damn, that's cool to hear. Such high praise for him.
00:30:26
Speaker
Next, I wanted to get into, I saw that, I think it was like, I was watching NFL Red Zone and my buddies, and I saw you get that game ceiling pick against, I think it was like Jacoby Brissett, right? Yeah. The Browns. Yeah, and that clip, even the Red Zone announcers were announcing, he saw it was just going nuts, and I saw you guys.
00:30:52
Speaker
That was definitely one of my highlights for the year. That was a really fun game. I think there was less than two minutes left and we were done.
00:31:23
Speaker
it was my it was my only defensive play of the day and it was a it was a pick to win the game so I like that one um I don't know I got I got a punt uh fake punt this year and that one stuck out to me because we had uh we we had practiced it and you know if we got the certain look or whatever we were supposed to
00:31:55
Speaker
We called it off the sideline, we went for it and we were able to get it. We won the game, we beat the Bills that game. It was exciting being able to affect a game like that, give the offense another possession. I remember that totally. Was that in Buffalo too? No, I was in Met Live, Met Life. Speaking of Buffalo, man,
00:32:24
Speaker
the quarterbacks you're facing. I know you touched on some of the receivers being a DB like yourself, but what quarterbacks are just... Because to an average fan, we give the same answers, like Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, but to you, who do you think really slides under the radar and is a lot... He's better than average to us.
00:32:49
Speaker
I mean, guys like Patrick Mahomes and stuff like that, the reason people are giving praise to them is because they are the real deal. I think as we played this year, Eli was good. Eli was good. And I think of, I don't know, it's such a small margin now, like margin for error.
00:33:21
Speaker
like you do, I'd say, and that's tough. Might have to come back to me on that one. I'm trying to think of like, uh, somebody who's not, cause you know, you, you say to guys like Joe Burrow or like whatever, you know, people, people know what those guys can do. Um, so I'm trying to think of someone that flies under the radar, but not coming to me. That's all good.
00:33:51
Speaker
up, uh, speaking of quarterbacks, I mean, obviously, you know, Tom Brady retired. Did you ever get a chance to play against him? We played against him. Yeah, we played against him on the same. It was the same game that, uh, maybe walked off the field. Yeah, that was against us. I was actually, I was on the field during that. So I didn't, I didn't see it happen, but I saw like a replay during the
00:34:22
Speaker
I didn't realize that that had already happened. But yeah, that was the only time I played against him, I believe, yeah. Oh, OK. Damn, we won't get into that. But that's crazy that was against you guys. I didn't realize. Yeah, I think that game, too. You saw why people give him his flowers. They had like 1.12 or 1.20 something on the clock and no timeouts. And he drove him down the field, drove him all the way down the field to win the game.
00:34:51
Speaker
No, he did. Yep. Yep. He did that to my, I'm a Rams fan. So he did, he did that to my Ramses. Yeah. But Dan, that's crazy, dude. So I mean, like speaking of Tom Brady and everything, and like, you know, now that, now that he's gone, like, do you think that he, would you say that he's like the greatest of all time? I think you look at his accolades
00:35:25
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, I'd say that. He's, you know, man's got six rings. It's tough to argue that. Yeah, for sure. And, you know, I think there's something to be said about how high of a level he played at for so long, like, you know, he bought each left New England and went to went to the Bucks and brought a title there too. Like, I think that's pretty, that's, it's crazy. It's so crazy.
00:35:58
Speaker
Yeah, so also kind of moving on to speaking of Super Bowls, who are you taking in the Super Bowl this year? I'm rooting for I'm rooting for Kansas City for my boy Quiz my MBS he's a receiver for the Chiefs number 11 and That's like the only
00:36:34
Speaker
to get one. What's your, uh, what's your final score prediction? What do you go on? He's the thing. If I, if I have to predict the score, I'm actually taking the Eagles. I think like the Eagles get it done, but, uh, I'm hoping Quiz gets himself one. I see you guys, I see you got a Jalen Hertz jersey back there. I assume that's, that's who you want to win. Yes, sir. I'm a, I've been an Eagles fan for a while, so I'm a really great, I know it's going to be a tough game.
00:37:04
Speaker
I mean, it's a tough matchup. I mean, they're both 1Cs for a reason. I just, I loved watching. I was rooting for the Niners. I grew up a Niners fan and all my buddies are rooting for the Niners. Of course, I hopped on the train once our season was over.
00:37:23
Speaker
week as well. It was one of my buddies and I was hoping they were going to get it done. But unfortunately, you know, after seeing what the Eagles defense was able to do, I know they had their struggles at quarterback with the injuries and whatnot.
Impact of Crowd Noise and Offseason Training
00:37:37
Speaker
But I think those defense was impressive still. Yeah, that was crazy. I've never seen an NFL game like that. Like all my buddies are Niners fans too. So it was kind of fun giving them shit. But like, I felt bad.
00:37:53
Speaker
As like a, as like a, as a player, like, I know you, you don't get me wrong. You'll take that any day of the week. Like, you know, a trip to the Superbowl is great. No knock there. But like, it's tough as a, as like, if I was an Eagles player, like, I don't know, like I want to, I'm taking the free trip. What am I saying? I'm taking the free trip. You want, you want to be like at their full strength. Like, yeah. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like I want,
00:38:23
Speaker
I don't want people to look back and be like, oh, they only did this because of this. We beat you because we were the better team on Sunday. It doesn't sit right with me. It doesn't sit well with me when you play a team that's not at full strength.
00:38:44
Speaker
just that's what it is. Part of the game injuries are part of the game happen every day. Yeah. Like as a player, as a player, do you like hear that talk kind of all the time? You know, like, Oh, everyone's saying, you know, you didn't really beat them fair and square. They're saying you're not this, you know, you hear that a lot and that's not get you guys fired up in the locker room. Me personally, don't pay attention to it. Some guys use it as, you know, external motivation.
00:39:14
Speaker
Don't listen to the noise, good or bad. Just keep doing what we do. It's kind of like our mantra or whatever. Just block out the noise. But yeah, I don't listen to that. I can't even go on Twitter. There's crazy fans from everywhere. Good, bad, whatever. I watched an interview in college with Nick Saban. He calls it all poison, good stuff especially because you read too much into your
00:39:47
Speaker
So yeah, I try to stay away from that stuff. Yeah, speaking of that, though, it's interesting because, you know, my homes is obviously like nursing that ankle injury. But all I'm hearing is like, like, Eagles are going to take it. But where I'm coming from is you cannot count out my homes.
00:40:12
Speaker
just a little, excuse me, Tom Brady discussion. Like we might be having a different discussion by the time his career is over that guy, what he's accomplished in his short amount of time already. Um, you know, I'm sure, I'm sure he'll lead them back there at some point too. But you can't ever count a guy like that out. Um, you know, especially like their offense, they got
00:40:34
Speaker
They got playmakers all over the field and they got a good defense too. Like I said, they're both number one seats for a reason. I think it's going to be a fun game to watch, for sure. Yeah, it's definitely going to be fun to watch. I'm excited. But going back, I know you mentioned the Browns, against the Browns, that comeback was obviously
00:40:55
Speaker
wonder number, but is there another game throughout your career that you look back on and you're like, that was a great team effort. I balled out. Is there a game that comes to mind? In the league, I can't... That was my... That was peak for me at the league, I think. But in college, we had some
00:41:38
Speaker
Yeah, I ended up getting another big bad game and had like I think two or three PBUs. Like it was just great. It was everything was just working out. Who was that against? That was against Colorado. Colorado? Okay. Yeah. Yeah. 2018 maybe. It's so that in the in the Pac-12 that year, who was like what quarterbacks are that are in the lead today? Like where did you also play in college? Dustin Herbert, Josh Rosen.
00:42:08
Speaker
Who was? There's gotta be more. There's just definitely more. I'm just blanking on bad in names, but yeah, those are those are a couple of them. Justin obviously was the big one. Did you plan any bowl games in college or were you guys? Yeah, my my red shirt here. The year that red shirt with Barry Goff. There we off was the QB and they played. We played in the armed forces.
00:42:44
Speaker
It was just, I wasn't, I wasn't, I was still new to everything. So I was kind of just trying to fit in whatever. So speaking of college, college versus NFL, what's the different like stadiums like? Like, is it like, is college a little more crazy? Is like, is the crowd louder? Is it the atmosphere a little, a little better? Is it kind of the same?
00:43:09
Speaker
It just depends where you're at. Some places are super loud, some places not so much. You got some stadiums where you feel it, you feel the noise. I'd say it's pretty similar. College, obviously I didn't play in an SEC type environment where
00:43:36
Speaker
maybe a little more rowdy depending on what stadium you're in. I know I haven't played in Kansas City at full capacity, but they seem like they get it rocking. And there's times that are in our own stadium where it's like you can't even hear your calls or checks.
00:43:52
Speaker
So like literally that you had it, you've got you like, there's been a point where you've been on the field and the crowd was too loud so you guys couldn't even hear it? Yeah, like we practice like in Seattle, for example, when we went to Seattle, it was, you know, it's hard to hear. It's hard to hear on the line. I'm the personal protector, I'm giving the calls and stuff. And I just, you know, we had to give like a little, like a little foot or hand motion to let the long snapper notes under the, throw the ball.
00:44:21
Speaker
Yeah, the crowd's definitely like, they don't affect you. I would say like when I play defense, especially like when I was playing a lot of defense doesn't affect you as long as you like, you know, you go through practice when you're in practice, they have like the speakers out there and they're playing like manufactured crowd noise and stuff. So that's why you got your, and signals and your, your other, other ways to communicate. But, uh, it's, it's a factor here and there.
00:44:48
Speaker
that's crazy because there literally has been times where like, you know, like we'll be watching like a Sunday night football game and like the home crowd just going nuts. And I've legit asked myself like, call it like the quarterbacks, you know, like going like this with his helmet and like, dude, how can you like hear and like even like the cadence too, it's interesting to like, just know like, how the O line like everyone's got to do their, know their job and I'm like,
00:45:16
Speaker
Notice why that's why a lot of times like the tackles Especially on like third down like pass rushing downs where they got to really be locked in on their guy They'll have their hands on the on the guards hit when they feel the guard move That's when they go because the guards close to the center. Yeah, that's why I believe that's why they do that I mean, I don't know coach offense, but You do that so you can keep your eyes on your work, but still get off on the ball and
00:45:50
Speaker
So basically, I also had me and Dawson were talking about this the other day that we wanted your opinion on. Arian Foster came out last week. I'm sure you heard of the other week.
00:46:13
Speaker
I'm not, I'm not, I'm not sure what that take was all about. I, you know, in 2020, when I got my script, I had to tear my foot in one game. And I was, I was pretty bummed about that one, but hopefully, hopefully they, they got something else picking up for me. No, I don't, I don't, I don't, I really know what all that's about. I really don't, but I love steering into it. I love that all the guys are having fun with it. Yeah. I saw that. I was, I was like,
00:46:48
Speaker
It's so fun. It's great. I love when stuff like that comes out. I'm not sure if he's trolling. I didn't even see the original clip of Aaron Foster saying that, but like, the game's too hard, man. The game's too hard to fake like that. It's not, you know what I mean? Like we put too much into it.
00:47:10
Speaker
Yeah, I think though that like it was just like crazy that it was on like it got released off that like random podcast it was on and he like he obviously like for us like he was kind of a big name in the league like everyone was just like dude like he was a star so like is this guy really telling the truth but it's interesting but so now that you're in the offseason and stuff like
00:47:35
Speaker
I mean, obviously you get to enjoy, you know, the offseason, your time off, but when are you like, when are you due back in New York for training and all that? I don't know the exact date, but I believe OTA starts sometime in April. I'll be back by then, but just kind of working out. Like I said, I'm looking for a new, I think I was texting you. I told you I'm looking for a new apartment up in the Bay area, so I don't get a commute
00:48:05
Speaker
with a couple of the other guys that are in the league and competing. We're already getting after we got after this week pretty good. It's been fun. What are you guys working on when you're training? Are you just doing more strength stuff? Are you guys just doing all around? I took about two weeks off and kind of just let my body heal. I had sprained my ankle last week of the season so I was
00:48:35
Speaker
And once I felt good, started ramping up. And I think mostly you're just doing strength training and intro to running. We're running in HydroWorks, which is like an underwater treadmill. We haven't even done any field stuff yet. I don't believe my change direction starts.
00:49:06
Speaker
You have all that mapped out for you, is that like a physiotherapist or like a dietitian or someone who's kind of helping you out all that stuff?
00:49:36
Speaker
make the most of it. So I told him, you know, I've just expressed that to him and he was like, okay, yeah, let's see, let's see what we can get done. He's put together a whole little program for us and I called Elijah and he was debating working out in their Florida or Chicago. I told him hit his ass over here. And so now we're just over here competing like today.
Closing Remarks and Guest Appreciation
00:50:00
Speaker
It's just fun. We're competing every day. Yeah.
00:50:04
Speaker
That's dope to hear, dude. I mean, it's like one of the last things. I don't know if you guys have your schedule. Like, do you guys know what your schedule is next year already? Like, for the regular season? It's how I could not, could not tell you what it is, though. I don't even know, okay, during the season, like, I couldn't tell you three weeks in advance who we play. Like, people were like, oh, you play the, for the Lions on Thursday night, or whatever. I'm like, I don't, like, I couldn't tell you.
00:50:37
Speaker
We're out here, you know, running fantasy, like we're planning our, like we're freaking setting our lineups a couple of weeks in advance, knowing who to pick up on the waiver and all that. But that's funny, dude. Well, nevermind. I was going to ask you like who, who you really are looking forward to competing against next year and like taking down that maybe you guys haven't really had that good of luck against, like since you've been in the league. Yeah, I don't know. Like it's, it's always,
00:51:07
Speaker
You play the same, you're guaranteed three teams that you're playing and people in your division every year. So that's obviously the first thing that's on our radar is out in our division. So I got to get that done. I'm excited for those games for sure. Nice, man. Well, yeah, I mean, once again, dude, I'm super appreciative of you for even getting back to me. It means a lot. I want you to know that.
00:51:37
Speaker
I can't wait, literally, since you've gotten into the NFL, I've loved just following you. It's dope to see a familiar face on there and you're kicking ass, dude. I'm proud of you, man. Once again, thanks for joining. Did you have any last words for everyone? I'm not a big raw, raw guy. I'm pretty even-keeled.
00:52:07
Speaker
I would say more for you. I'm sorry. Yeah, it's all good. Yep. Thank you. We really appreciate you coming on. It's been a bit of a blessing. First product we've ever had on.
00:52:21
Speaker
We're working on it, dude. That's why I was praying that you got back to me because this is like, get the foot in the door. There's a couple, I don't know if you know who Robbie Erlen is, he pitches in the MLB. I'm so out of touch with the MLB right now.
00:52:40
Speaker
But he went to the Scotts Valley High and there's just a couple others that I've been slowly gravitating like I did for you. Cool, man. Well, thanks again. We want to thank everyone who tuned in for episode three of our podcast and we hope you guys enjoy it. Thanks.