NFL Cover Zero: Hard Knocks revealed and 49ers LB Eric Kendricks!

Summary

NFL Cover Zero: Hard Knocks Revealed & 49ers LB Eric Kendricks!

Podcast: KSR
Hosts: Drew Franklin & Billy Rutledge (Matt Jones is away)
Release Date: April 1, 2026
Main Guest: Eric Kendricks, LB, San Francisco 49ers

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into NFL news centered around offseason storylines—particularly, the announcement of this season’s "Hard Knocks" teams and the enduring injury conspiracies around the San Francisco 49ers. The highlight is an in-depth interview with 49ers linebacker Eric Kendricks, who recaps his remarkable late-season impact and shares personal reflections on life, cars, and his unconventional route back to the field.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

San Francisco Trip & Matt’s Absence

• The hosts continue sharing content and interviews from their recent Super Bowl trip to San Francisco (01:48).
• Drew Franklin assures listeners Matt Jones will return soon and jokes, “I have not Wally pipped Matt on this podcast yet.” (02:03)

Eric Kendricks’ Big Season & Playoff Moment

• Kendricks, new to the 49ers, stood out by breaking up a critical 4th-down pass against the Eagles—helping the 49ers advance despite their injury-plagued season (02:16).
• Kendricks’ career uncertainty before joining the team and his reinvention as a 49er (02:16-02:52).

Car Guys or Nah?

• Light banter about being "car guys"—Drew claims confidence with YouTube tutorials and flat tires; Billy opts for professional help, joking about forgetting the “Johnson rod” (02:52-03:36).
• A recurring theme connecting to Kendricks’ own car interests.

49ers Injury Conspiracy: The Electrical Substation

• The show discusses new official comments from 49ers GM John Lynch about the electric substation next to Levi’s Stadium—a topic previously chatted about with Kendricks. Lynch denies any adverse effects, calling the conspiracy a “nothing burger.” (03:43-04:35)
  • Drew Franklin: “Do you believe him, or is that him just trying to push things away?” (04:16)
  • Billy Rutledge: “Maybe he’s covering for the training staff, Drew...” (04:16)

NFL “Hard Knocks” Announcement

• Breaking news: for the first time since the original season, "Hard Knocks" will feature the defending Super Bowl champions—Seattle Seahawks this year, and New England Patriots next year (06:29).
• Banter about past Hard Knocks seasons and the power of NFL documentaries to charm audiences.
  • Drew Franklin: “For some reason, Hard Knocks convinces me... and I want the best for them and that they're going to be good.” (06:04)
  • Billy Rutledge: Speculates on who could be drama-rich subjects (06:04-06:29)

NFL Coaches Photo at league meetings

• Detailed, comical analysis of the traditional “awkward” annual coaches group photo from the league meetings in Arizona (09:32-12:35).
  • Wardrobe critiques: Saleh in a hoodie, Andy Reid in a Hawaiian shirt, Jim & John Harbaugh front and center.
  • Musings on the personalities and confidence levels reflected in the photo.

Other Quick NFL Tidbits

• Patriots’ rookie Drake May’s new buzz cut sparks Tom Brady comparisons (13:15-13:29)
• Hype for upcoming interviews: Justin Reed and Orlando Brown to come.

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The Eric Kendricks Interview

(Begins at 14:27)

Journey to the 49ers—Late-Blooming Impact

• Matt Jones: “Looked like you weren’t going to play. You joined the 49ers at the end of the year and then made a big play in the playoffs. That had to be awesome…” (14:27)

• Eric Kendricks: Reveals he wasn’t as worried as family/friends about his career stalling. He focused on waiting for the right opportunity post-injury. (14:51)

  • “Once this… season started and things didn’t work out how I thought… after the last season with Dallas, I kind of was like, let me just wait and maybe someone… will open up where they need me and I could fill in.” (15:20)

• Family strongly pushed him to get back on the field, believing in his ability to bounce back. (15:50-16:59)

  • “They were just more… they just wanted it for me, you know...” (16:44)

The Game-Sealing Play vs. Eagles

• Drew Franklin: “Explain to me the feeling on that fourth down stop in the playoffs to clinch that game…” (17:07)
• Eric Kendricks: Downplays glory, focused on missing the interception—wanted to add “a Jalen Hurts ball” to previous playoff picks.
  • “I should have picked it off… I got Stafford, I got Tom Brady, I got Russell Wilson… I had to get a Jalen Hurts ball. I’m kind of pissed about that still.” (17:20)
  • Still, he relishes helping a new team at a crucial moment: “To be in a position to… help the team I joined late succeed… it was just pretty surreal.” (17:44)

Minnesota Years & Weather Adjustment

• Lived the “dream” of NFL stardom but had to acclimate to Minneapolis’ climate, never owning a real jacket until then (20:03).
• Discovered the city exceeded expectations and fit him as a linebacker (20:03).
• Fun off-field activities: Vikings players riding Bird scooters along the Mississippi River together in the offseasons (21:13-21:33).
  • “We were all just rolling down and people would recognize us… but we would… just ride down the river together… eat dinner… it was really a good time.” (21:33)

Car Culture: Kendricks the Gearhead

• Owns and collects cars, enjoys working on them; was a bigger NASCAR fan as a kid (22:08).

• Has all necessary tools, enjoys DIY repairs, and occasionally changes his own oil/filters—proudly saves money by refusing dealership service prices (22:55-24:08).

  • Kendricks: “If you’ve played with Legos… there’s some things… that are intimidating. There’s other things… that are… straightforward.” (24:08)

• Dream car: The Nissan R34 GTR, finally attainable after import restrictions lifted (24:11).

  • “I remember watching that movie as a kid… Ludacris song playing… Paul Walker with the blue glow underneath… it was unattainable… until it’s 25 years old… So I got one.” (24:11)

• Confirmation: Kendricks does plan to play again next year, crediting his late-bloomer/”youthful” advantage (24:46-25:24).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Drew Franklin (on NFL documentaries):
  “For some reason, Hard Knocks convinces me that I want the best for them and that they're going to be good.” (06:04)

• Eric Kendricks:
  “I just gotta wait… maybe someone, a position will open up where they need me and I could fill in. I’m ready to go. I’m in shape.” (15:20)

• Eric Kendricks (about relatives urging him back):
  “They just wanted it for me, you know, like, more than even I wanted it for myself.” (16:44)

• Eric Kendricks (on his big playoff moment):
  “I should have picked it off. … I got Stafford, I got Tom Brady, I got Russell Wilson. … I gotta get a Jalen Hurts ball. I’m kind of pissed about that still.” (17:20)

• Eric Kendricks (on Minneapolis winters):
  “I didn’t own a jacket before I moved to Minnesota. … It completely exceeded all my expectations.” (20:03)

• Matt Jones (on Kendricks’ car skills):
  “You have the thing like where you lay on it and you scoot under the car?”
  Eric Kendricks: “Yeah, I have everything. I got a lift…” (22:52)

• Eric Kendricks (on his dream car):
  “One of the dream cars I have was the R34… the Nissan GTR, the one that Paul Walker, you know, joked over… So I got one.” (24:11)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:48 – San Francisco trip reminiscences and Matt’s absence
• 02:16 – Introduction to Eric Kendricks and his big 49ers moment
• 03:43 – 49ers electric substation injury conspiracy addressed
• 06:29 – "Hard Knocks" team reveal for 2026 and 2027 seasons
• 09:32 – NFL coaches’ annual photo: fashion, posture, and personalities
• 13:36 – Setting up the interview with Eric Kendricks
• 14:27 – Eric Kendricks interview begins
• 17:07 – Playoff moment breakdown: breaking up Eagles fourth-down pass
• 20:03 – Living/minnesota and adjusting to the cold
• 21:33 – Vikings on Bird scooters: off-field camaraderie
• 22:08 – Kendricks’ car culture, DIY fixes, and favorite vehicles
• 24:46 – Kendricks’ outlook for next season and “late bloomer” vibe

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Closing Thoughts

The episode is a mix of NFL offseason fun (with comedic touches) and an authentic, laid-back conversation with Eric Kendricks. Whether sharing locker room scooter rides, confronting career uncertainty, or gushing about cars, Kendricks makes clear his resilience and passion for life on and off the field. The episode closes with the promise of more player interviews in upcoming weeks.

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Transcript

[Eric Kendricks]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Drew Franklin]

Guaranteed Human.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Billy Rutledge]

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[Billy Rutledge]

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[Eric Kendricks]

I earned my degree online at Arizona State University. I chose to get my degree at ASU because I knew that I'd get a quality education, they were recognized for excellence, and that I would be prepared for the workforce upon graduating to be associated with ASU both as a student and alum. It makes me extremely proud. And having experienced the program, I know now that I'm set up for success. Learn more at ASU Online ASU EDU

[Matt Jones]

NFL Cover 0 with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin is a production of the NFL and iHeart podcast.

[Drew Franklin]

Welcome in to a new edition of NFL Cover Zero. Drew Franklin here with Billy Rutledge as we continue the look back on that San Francisco trip. Billy. It keeps getting farther and farther away on the calendar, but we don't care. We just have more content to put out. And we're still smiling.

[Billy Rutledge]

I've got plenty more to talk about, and I have not replaced Matt on the show. He's just doing his own thing right now. Just the way that we've lined up these recordings and his vacation time, he will be back. I have not Wally pipped Matt on this podcast yet.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, not yet. You know, we still got a few more to go while Matt's away, but we're having a fun time doing these. These short conversations where we hit big news items and set up some of our interviews that lingered from that trip to the super. Today we'll have our interview With Eric Kendricks play for the 49ers and made one of the plays of the year for the 49ers when he helped seal their victory over the Eagles by breaking up that fourth down pass in the red zone to send them on to the next stage. Didn't reach their ultimate goal, but with a team riddled with injuries, he came in and made a huge play for him and had a big year and as you'll hear in the interview, wasn't sure where his career was heading before the season. So it's a fun interview, Billy.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah. All pro guy in Minnesota finds a home in San Francisco and makes a difference. That's another cool part of that. We're just talking to all pros players, you know, and then, you know, talked a little bit about being a big car guy. Drew, could you change your own oil if I asked you to?

[Drew Franklin]

I can do anything with YouTube. I'm one of those guys. I fixed a fireplace with YouTube. I've unfortunately had to change my tire more than I wanted. I've had several. Three or four flats, once on the side of the highway. Handled it just fine. Didn't need help, but oil, I've never given it an attempt. I bet I could figure it out, though. What about you? You a car guy?

[Billy Rutledge]

No. No, I will go get it done by somebody else because I'll make the car worse somehow. I'll forget the Johnson rod or whatever.

[Drew Franklin]

Don't forget your Johnson rod. That's right.

[Billy Rutledge]

But no, it was fun to hear from him. And we still got a couple more after this, so. Looking forward to hearing it again.

[Drew Franklin]

That's right. And this one's kind of topical. I don't know if you saw this, but just yesterday, The San Francisco 49ers general manager John lynch came out and said that they investigated the conspiracies about that substation leading to injuries, which we talked about with Eric Hendricks months ago. It's actually a headline today. Lynch said they looked into it and it's a big nothing burger. That there are no adverse effects on the players by that big electrical substation next to Levi's Stadium. Do you. Do you believe him, or is that him just trying to push things away? You know, we just talked about him getting your boy, Mike Evans. I know you're worried.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah, John's my guy. Even though he's. He's taken a legend away from Tampa Bay. Maybe he's covering for the training staff. Drew. I mean, you wouldn't want to just have it be their fault. So, you know, I'M not sure. I guess if he was covering for the training staff, he would have said it was the electrical station's fault.

[Drew Franklin]

But you can't put that out there either. That's a tough spot.

[Billy Rutledge]

So I, I probably the what we expected the answer to be, but nevertheless, there's still something going on in San Francisco with all those injuries.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. They hired an independent scientist to come in and study it and then to see if it contributes to their injuries. I would love to just see what they did.

[Eric Kendricks]

I.

[Drew Franklin]

They probably walked in and did nothing. Just took that check from the 49ers. Like, oh, yeah, good. Keep practicing. You're fine.

[Billy Rutledge]

Just walk. What are you even looking a little bit.

[Drew Franklin]

What does he just knock on the ground? You know, has he got any kind of, you know, like ghost hunters have those readers walking around checking things?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Billy Rutledge]

What was that noise?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. You think he's got something like that?

[Billy Rutledge]

Probably, yeah. I mean, you got to have something.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Billy Rutledge]

Making sure that everything's working fine. Knocking on some things in the facility just to see if it's hollow or not. I could definitely see a ghost hunters reenactment there.

[Drew Franklin]

We also have some kind of breaking news from the NFL came out this morning. Maybe if you're listening to cover zero on March 31, you're hearing it for the first time. But we have our hard knocks team. Oh, plural this year.

[Billy Rutledge]

I don't know this, so I'm going to be surprised by this. Who is it, Drew?

[Drew Franklin]

Do you have any guesses or who would you like to see? You know, we've, we've had some fun ones over the year. I'm the kind of person that just whatever the team is, I just fall for them. The jets that year, I'm like, jets are winning the Super Bowl. They did not win the Super Bowl. Dan Campbell, that's kind of when we all learned about him. He actually did get the Lions going in the right direction, but that was a fun one to watch, no matter the team, no matter what their previous record was. For some reason, Hard Knocks convinces me that I them and I want the best for them and that they're going to be good.

[Billy Rutledge]

I'd love to see Sean Payton in the Broncos a little bit behind the scenes. You know, Bo Nick's drama at the end there. I wonder if any of that still lingering. Or you could just go like dumpster fire. Let's see what Todd Monkin and the Browns are doing, right? DeShawn Watson, is he going to come back? Shadur Sanders switching from 12 to 2 there's always going to be some drama there and some intrigue. Anything that jumps off for you. Anybody? Oh, maybe all the bald coaches in Tennessee now.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, I'd love for the Titans to get on there. I would love for the Titans. I drove by the new stadium recently. Looking beautiful. Looking beautiful. Loving that. But it is not the Titans. It is. Drumroll, please. It's a good drum roll. How about for the first time since the first season of Hard Knocks. Oh. The defending super bowl champ will be the team. It is the Seattle Seahawks. And with a plot twist, we already know next year will be the Patriots. So we're getting both teams from the Super Bowl. Seattle will be this year. Next year the Patriots. Which is odd in itself because for years Belichick wouldn't even let a. Couldn't even take your phone in there with a. And now New England with Variable is going to open the doors. But ahead of us this year will be Seattle. Are you excited to see what's going on with the 12th man and all the fun they're having since winning the Lombardi?

[Billy Rutledge]

Maybe. I mean, hopefully Mike McDonald becomes more of a likable character if we see more of them. You know, how about Kenneth Walker, super bowl mvp, leaving Seattle to go to Kansas City? That's a big blow for them. But I'm going to have to pull you away from the TV when the Patriots come on and all the Mike V. Loving that you'll be doing. Watching that.

[Drew Franklin]

It'll be weird. It'll be weird. But I'm glad we're getting two good teams. What was it? We had the Bills in season in the last year. We've had the end seasons and throw me off a little bit. I don't watch those as much as the. As the. The ones with the lead up. It's just really. That music is all I need that gets my juices flowing for football season.

[Billy Rutledge]

The one they did with the Raiders back in the day. It's like the. What, the wind is an autumn breeze or whatever.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, it's. It just.

[Billy Rutledge]

It hits. It does. So looking forward to that. And you know, I don't think they're doing the. The pre.

[Drew Franklin]

What was it?

[Billy Rutledge]

The one with the GM and the Giants. I don't think they decided to do that again.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, I think that might have been the in season version. I didn't watch that one live, but a lot of CL clips came out from that where they had some pretty horrible takes about their future and those backfired.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, I hope Saquon doesn't go to the Eagles. Well, with money on that workout.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Take care of yourself this spring with great savings on all your favorite wellness brands. Now through April 28, save $5 when you buy three or more participating wellness items. Shop in store or online for products like centrum, silver nexium, 24 hour, Tums ultra strength or Smoothies tablets and Flonase spray. And save $5 when you buy three or more. Get these deals before they're gone. Offer ends April 28th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Doug (Liberty Mutual Ad)]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Billy Rutledge]

Hey everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this your first date?

[Doug (Liberty Mutual Ad)]

Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your

[Doug (Liberty Mutual Ad)]

league anyways, only pay for what you [e-mail] liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty.

[Drew Franklin]

We also before we throw to this Eric Hendricks interview, we also had what everybody loves in the offseason. You know, people think combine. They think draft, off season moves, free agency. Now a lot of people just want to see the coaches photo from the league meetings. And you know, I know we're a podcast, we can't do visuals, but that came out yesterday. For everyone that doesn't know, they all meet up somewhere in Florida, right? Looks like Florida. I should know.

[Billy Rutledge]

Maybe it's not Florida at the Arizona, Arizona. Arizona is where they were at.

[Drew Franklin]

I just saw a lot of sunshine in guest. Florida. Arizona, even better. But all the coaches get together. They do meeting things. They complain, complain about tush pushes. They probably talk about each other. Some probably have to be separated. But they all get together and do that awkward photo where you have half of them in the front row sitting down with their hands on their knees, the other half standing behind them with their arms crossed. And that came out yesterday. You mentioned Robert Sala, my guy rocking a hoodie. I love it. I don't know why. Casual like it. Love that he's rocking the hoodie and he's back in this team photo. You know, he's there with jets a few years ago. Now he's back involved. Andy Reid got the little pattern, kind of a Hawaiian type shirt. Least surprising piece of casual.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

Least surprising wardrobe of all of it. But it's always fun watching these guys get together and take this awkward photo. It is.

[Billy Rutledge]

I mean, you've even got Liam Cohen looking cool over there on the side and the sunglasses T shirt combo.

[Drew Franklin]

Only person in the entire photo wearing

[Billy Rutledge]

sunglasses and looks a little bit. A little space between him and Mike McCarthy. I think he's kind of doing his own thing, the trailblazer that he is. I look at the other side of the photo, I see Clint Kubiak's calf muscles over there.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, wow.

[Billy Rutledge]

Do you see that?

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, I do now. Now that you're pointing out.

[Billy Rutledge]

I mean, those pants are tight, but he's got some. The leg muscles to do it. Also, Joe Brady, look how big he is compared to Mike LaFleur, the new Arizona Cardinals coach. Like Joe Brady, like middle right there. I mean, he, he looks. Looks like it's a big boy over there.

[Drew Franklin]

That Sirianni looks like he's either weight or cheesesteaks. Looks a little big and front and center. Do the do. Do the Harbaughs get to pick? Because I feel like it's a. It's a big spot being the middle seat, you know, like right there, front and center. I would have maybe guessed Andy Reid. He's probably the longest tenured. I guess John Harbaugh is probably close, but you got Jim and John right there in the front.

[Billy Rutledge]

And I lied.

[Drew Franklin]

Jim's got on sunglasses. He and Liam Cohen are the two. But the Harbaughs get center stage.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah, I was looking at John's shoes. He's got kind of like the white sock, black penny loafer look going on right now. So everybody's got their own unique style. Andy Reid, I think, is my favorite out of this one, though, with the Hawaiian shirt. But Mike McCarthy over there looking sharp with his button down, too. I don't know how he's going to do in Pittsburgh, Drew. I just don't know how that's going to work.

[Drew Franklin]

You can also kind of tell how these guys feel about their teams. Aaron Glenn looks like he does not want to be there over there on the far end. Good point. The guys that are smiling, like Sean Payton, who just had a good run with the Broncos, Mike Vrabel, it's almost like you could go through and do your season predictions based on facial expressions.

[Billy Rutledge]

Did you see Vrabel putting guys through workouts recently where he is. I mean, he's putting his hands on these guys. Can all these coaches get that same evaluation like Rabel can? It just seems like the right guy for the job.

[Drew Franklin]

I miss him. So much. This came out. He went to Arizona State's pro day and he just gets down on the three point stance and he's just hitting their draft prospect whose name I do not know. But I mean, you know, the, the offensive lineman's kind of got a whole of variable shirt and his shirt's pulling up a little bit and, you know, he's just in there. Other coaches are on the sideline with their arms crossed and taking notes and VRA's like, no, I want to get in there and hit him.

[Billy Rutledge]

I'm worried about vest. Like, he could get his hand under his vest and that could rip. I just don't see, like, Zach Taylor doing something like that, you know, so that's just unique.

[Drew Franklin]

Mike Rabel, I miss him so much.

[Billy Rutledge]

Well, you know, don't worry. You'll get him on Hard Knocks in a couple years here. And I mean, I don't see the Patriots going away anytime soon.

[Drew Franklin]

No, unfortunately not. Drake May shaved his head. That's big news. You know, Tom Brady went with the buzz cut one year.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

So Patriots fan. I know they're trying to speak Drake May into existence as being the next Tom Brady, but he went and did the full buzz like Tom did. So maybe even he's leaning into it.

[Billy Rutledge]

But that's a good sign. That' like a no nonsense. Not dealing with the outside noise. I'm only worried about football kind of cut, you know.

[Drew Franklin]

That's right. And we're only worried about football here on NFL Cover Zero.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yes.

[Drew Franklin]

And up next is Eric Hendricks. You mentioned fixing his own cars. We talked about the. The big season the 49ers have with his big play and the injuries they had. But he really, you know, had the highs of his career and thought he was on the way out and then found new life in San Francisco. So it's fun talking to him and seeing him at the Super Bowl.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah, absolutely. And somebody that, you know, joined San Francisco late into the year and then made a big impact. So looking forward to hearing this.

[Drew Franklin]

Minnesota a little bit. We'll have that up for you next. After that, we'll have Justin Reed next week. And we're still counting down to my favorite maybe of all of them, Orlando Brown from the Bengals. We're saving him from the end. He goes into so much about Joe Burrow and the Fossils and the samurai swords and the fun they have in Cincinnati. So we're excited about all of these. But up next on this episode is Eric kendricks of the 49ers. Enjoy.

[Matt Jones]

All right, Happy to Be joined now from the. This year 49ers, Eric Kendricks, who. What an exceptional story this year, by the way. Looked like you weren't going to play. You joined the 49ers at the end of the year and then made big play in the playoffs. That had to be an awesome. Well, first of all, did you feel like midway through the year you were going to play this season?

[Eric Kendricks]

No, actually, the people who I was closest to there, they kind of. I feel like maybe they were a little bit more worried than I was probably.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, they felt like you'd been away so long, they were just kind of. Your bones are too creaky.

[Eric Kendricks]

They were just kind of like, so, are you gonna play? Or like, is that, you know, or are you gonna get off the couch? Are you gonna. You're working out really hard. So, like, what. Are you going to put it to use? Like, what? Go. You know, got kind of showing me off, you know, go. Go do something. And I was like, you know, I just gotta. I just gotta wait.

[Matt Jones]

Were you waiting, like, for the right situation? Is that what it was?

[Eric Kendricks]

Definitely. I feel like, you know, once this. The season kind of started and kind of things didn't work out how I thought they were going to be in the off season this past year, especially after the last season with Dallas, I kind of was like, you know what? Let me just wait and maybe someone, you know, a position will open up where they need me and I could fill in. I'm ready to go. I'm in shape. But then, you know, as the season progressed, it was kind of like, okay, if I'm sacrificing, you know, certain things on my end, you know what I mean? I need to focus on the things that are important to me, you know,

[Matt Jones]

but we're family and friends. Like, we need you to get out of the house. Like, you're. You're starting to, like, you know, you're sticking up the place we need you to go, actually, and get a job.

[Eric Kendricks]

I just think that is more. I think it was more of the fact that they just knew that I. You. They know what I'm capable of, and they've kind of watched me very closely. I know that a lot of people, you know, are thinking, oh, man, this guy was. Wasn't even playing. And then he just comes into the game and he. And he balls out. And it's like, really, like, no, I've actually really been playing well. I mean, in my. I mean, obviously, you know, you. I want to see myself do better as a competitor. I Can always do better. But I've really had 10 years of straight, consistent work at linebacker, so they knew what I'm capable of. They know how. How healthy I was. They knew how hard I worked to get back from my shoulder surgery. So they were just kind of eager themselves to be like, nah, man. Like, I. Trust me, you still got it. Like, you need to get back out there. You need to show the world what you can do. So they were just more. They just wanted it for me, you know, like, more than even.

[Matt Jones]

You wanted you for yourself.

[Eric Kendricks]

Yeah, because they just knew that people were kind of counting me out again and, you know, like, it's kind of crazy how it goes full circle, you know, from when I was in college, it seemed like. But I think they were just eager to be like, no, we want you. We want to. She wants you to show the world that you still got it.

[Drew Franklin]

Eric gonna tell on us here. Not a lot of athletic accomplishments between the three of us.

[Matt Jones]

That's not true. I won seventh grade, a golf tournament.

[Drew Franklin]

Let's remember big mom moment. Explain to me the feeling on that fourth down stop in the playoffs to clinch that game, knowing you're moving on. What. What goes through. Is it just an instant relief when you all get that stop and you being the big part of it.

[Eric Kendricks]

I mean, it's crazy how you never know when your moment's gonna kind of happen. To be honest with you. When everyone was asking me after the game, you know, man, how did it feel? I was like, I should have picked it off. I mean, I got. I got Stafford, I got, you know, I got Tom Brady, I got Russell Wilson, I got a couple, you know, super bowl quarterbacks. I'm like, I gotta get. I had to get a Jalen Hurts ball. I'm kind of pissed about that still. So, you know, it's kind of a

[Matt Jones]

murderous row of interceptions there.

[Eric Kendricks]

I just feel like, you know, to be in a position to, like, not only, you know, help. Help the team that I joined late succeed, but to just in the. In the. In the most crucial part of the game when I could just, you know, show my ability and my talents, it was just pretty surreal. And, you know, everything happens for a reason. Foreign

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[Doug (Liberty Mutual Ad)]

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[Billy Rutledge]

Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Doug (Liberty Mutual Ad)]

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[Eric Kendricks]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league anyways.

[Doug (Liberty Mutual Ad)]

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[Eric Kendricks]

Liberty.

[Billy Rutledge]

Liberty to Covis is the go to for premium handcrafted western boots. Stop by any store location for a warm welcome, a cold drink in hand, and a truly one of a kind shopping experience. Let our friendly staff help you find your new Go to boots, whether your first pair or your 50s. Finish things off with a complimentary boot brand to make them extra special. Come for the boots. Stay for the good times. To Covis forever West. Eric, you were born in California. You played in college at ucla, and then you're drafted and you play eight to nine years in Minnesota. Like, is there, like, was there any part of you that you're. You're feeling, you're living your dream, but you're also in Minnesota. Get a little cold out there for you.

[Matt Jones]

Why you gotta hate on Minnesota?

[Billy Rutledge]

It's freezing up there.

[Drew Franklin]

It's a beautiful place. It's cold.

[Eric Kendricks]

I tell people all the time, you know, I didn't own a jacket before I moved to Minnesota. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know that there was a city. I didn't really know anything about Minnesota. I knew it was cold and I knew that it was on a different part of the. Different part of the coast. And I'm, you know, not on any coast actually, but, you know, a different part of the, the earth than I'm used to being on. So it completely exceeded all my expectations as far as, you know, organization and just, just joining the team early and being able to contribute and the defense fit, you know, my style of play and, you know, just all the, all the things that are, that are great for a young rookie to come in and a linebacker and have success, they were there for.

[Matt Jones]

What did you do? Like, what do you do off the field in Minneapolis? Like, like what? Like, what's you know, if you're in Miami, you go to south beach, right? If you're in la, maybe you go to the beach. What are you doing in Minnesota when things aren't going well, aren't playing football?

[Eric Kendricks]

To be honest with you, during the season, you're really kind of locked in no matter where you are. You may, you may go out a little bit, you know, on, on a day off or you may, you know, enjoy a dinner in the town or, you know, try to have a little team camaraderie somewhere. But for the most part, everyone's really super locked in and focused for those six months or so. But in the off seasons, you know, when it was a lot nicer weather there, what I, one of my favorite things to do was, was get a bunch of the guys and we used to get bird scooters and kind of just ride down the river in downtown, the Mississippi river in downtown Minneapolis. We used to ride up and down.

[Matt Jones]

So you're telling me the Minnesota Vikings in their free time do the same thing like 16 year old girls do,

[Eric Kendricks]

Ride scooters around the Neil Hunter. I'm talking about like, you know, Eric Wilson. We were all just rolling down and people would recognize us. We were kind of just like, all right, see us here, you know, but we would, we would all, all, you know, work out in the, in the like OTAs, you know, we would all be working out in the morning, we'd be done by 12. We would all go hang out downtown, we would all ride down the river together, we would all come back, eat dinner. It was, it was, it was really a good time.

[Matt Jones]

Now I, if I understand correctly, you're a car guy, right? So is that, do you own a bunch of cars? You like to work on them? Are you a NASCAR fan? Like, what does that mean, that you're a car guy?

[Eric Kendricks]

A little bit of everything. You know. I was more of a NASCAR fan when was, I was a kid. I, I just watched more sports in general as a kid. I don't really, I, I feel like I kind of fell off as I got into my profession as this became my job. I watch more game film now. But that being said, you know, I enjoy working on cars, I enjoy collecting cars, I enjoy going to car shows, I enjoy bringing my, you know, so

[Matt Jones]

you can, you could like change an alternator.

[Eric Kendricks]

I mean, I mean I can if I just like watch a little YouTube video, you know, I mean, you got

[Matt Jones]

the wrench for sure.

[Eric Kendricks]

I got, I got, I got a whole set of tools, set up the harbor Freight, you know the harbor freight hooked me up with a tool set. I have a whole set of tools and you know, I think, I mean what I did something recently that I like the other day that I do.

[Matt Jones]

You have the thing like where you like you lay on it and you scoot under the car.

[Eric Kendricks]

Yeah, I have all, I have everything.

[Matt Jones]

You got all that stuff.

[Eric Kendricks]

I gotta, I gotta lift, you know.

[Matt Jones]

You have your own.

[Eric Kendricks]

I change my own oil, you know.

[Matt Jones]

You change your own oil?

[Eric Kendricks]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Look at you.

[Eric Kendricks]

There's a, there's, there's sometimes with the oil filter is too in and I don't want to get my garage messy. So I'll be like I'm not going to change that oil filter.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Eric Kendricks]

So to speak. In my GTR when I was, when

[Matt Jones]

I was growing up, my stepdad kept all his oil. When he changed it, he keep the used oil in. In two liter Coke bottles.

[Eric Kendricks]

Yeah. And it was. What do you do with your recycle? You got to turn it in so

[Matt Jones]

you go like drive it down and recycle it. Look at this guy.

[Eric Kendricks]

I mean there's some things on a car that like. I mean I just changed. Oh, I have a, I have a 2022 Cadillac Black Wing and, and my oil filled my, my not my oil filled my engine. My engine air filter. The light came on and you know you take it to the shop. Probably, probably cost you like 600.

[Matt Jones]

You don't paying that.

[Eric Kendricks]

I literally, I literally pulled up to Cadillac like I'm like oh, Cadillac dealership. Pulled up to the Cadillac went to the parts department. They. The lady gave me a discount on the part. So the part was 160 bucks. She gave me a hundred dollar part. I went into my garage and I changed the oil filter in. Look at this, 15 minutes. I mean it was a hundred dollars. I mean it was really not that like if you've played with Legos, if you've done this like there's some things on the car where it's very. There's some things that are intimidating. There's other things that are really more straightforward.

[Drew Franklin]

Do you have a dream car, like a favorite car? Maybe you already have it.

[Eric Kendricks]

I got a thousand dream cars. But I mean one of the dream cars that I have was the R34, like the Nissan GTR, the one that Paul Walker, you know, joked over. We got air over, you know, little Dominic. You know, I remember that when. And I remember watching that movie as a kid and you hear the Ludacris song playing and you hear, you see Paul Walker with the blue glow underneath, and he's sliding through traffic. I thought that was so cool. And it was a Japanese car. It was unattainable. And until it's 25 years old in the United States, which it just turned. So I got one.

[Matt Jones]

You got one.

[Drew Franklin]

I have one. You hit the NOS button, and I

[Eric Kendricks]

don't have any nas. It's pretty stock for the most part.

[Matt Jones]

So what are we doing next year? Are you planning on coming back?

[Eric Kendricks]

Yeah, you know, I'm. I feel great. You know, I take. I take extreme pride in taking care of my body. You know, I feel like after the Eagles game, I played 71 plays, and they kind of were like, how do you feel? Like, you know, you kind of just jumped in there and played a whole game. And I was like, hey, listen, this is my profession. Like, I've been doing this. I do this. Like, I take it seriously. I feel great. And on top of that, like, I feel like in high school, I was always like, a late bloomer. College, I was a late bloomer. And I just feel like that kind of like that youthful. That youthfulness kind of just placed in my place, in my advantage.

[Matt Jones]

Get some Metamucil. Get yourself. Get those bones worked up, and I look forward to seeing you next year.

[Eric Kendricks]

I appreciate it.

[Matt Jones]

All right, there you go. Eric Kendricks, car aficionado. And also, he will come over and change your air filter if you need to. Here on Cover Zero.

[Eric Kendricks]

I'm charged less than the dealership, but I. I can make a deal with you if you want.

[Matt Jones]

Go to TaskRabbit and see Eric now.

[Drew Franklin]

All right, that was NFL Cover Zero's interview with Eric Kendrick at the super bowl in San Francisco. Loved meeting him. Had a great time talking to him. Learned about cars. Maybe. Billy, do you think after all that, you can go try to change your own oil if you had to?

[Eric Kendricks]

Nope.

[Drew Franklin]

Nope. Still not trying. Nothing in the last 30 minutes made you change your mind?

[Billy Rutledge]

No, I'm kind of going the other way. Like, I think my next car is a Tesla. I don't even want to drive. Like, you know, I'm done with that. I think that, you know, 100 years from now, we'll probably treat cars like we do horses today, where it's like, you know, kind of do your own thing, go on a track.

[Drew Franklin]

Horses.

[Eric Kendricks]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

That's the comparison. We're. We're going backwards. I did not think you were going to say horses there. I was with you on your point. I thought we're going to be more like the Jetsons and we just get in something and.

[Billy Rutledge]

Well, no, I'm saying like nobody uses horses today, so I don't think many people will use cars.

[Drew Franklin]

I thought you were saying we're going towards horses. You're saying our current automobile, my Toyota Highlander right now that's about to turn 11 will be like a horse. Exactly.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yes. And we will, you know, we'll just be the cars will drive us to the destination. I don't know. But Jetsons future may be afterwards.

[Drew Franklin]

Yep. Well, after this next week we'll be back for more of this banter on the latest news. Might have Matt might be meeting Billy again. Whatever the case, we'll have Justin Reed in that conversation from the super bowl as we continue on in the off season with NFL Cover Zero. Thanks for listening.

[Matt Jones]

NFL Cover 0 with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin is a production of the NFL and I Heart Podcast. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio and app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Eric Kendricks]

This is an iHeart podcast guaranteed.